Are there any rules for soaking your feet in the cold winter? Be careful! These 5 types of people are not suitable for soaking their feet...

The weather is getting colder recently

Many friends have arranged to have a bubble

But there are so many ways to soak your feet

Some people add boiling water

Some people soak their feet for hours without moving.

There are also some "secret recipes" that I don't know where they came from.

Add half a bucket of various material packs

In traditional Chinese medicine theory, the health of the human body is closely related to the balance of the "meridian" system, and the foot is the intersection of many important meridians, which is important for regulating body functions. As stated in the Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine, Lingshu, Meridians: "All yang meridians meet in the head; all yin meridians meet in the feet." Different acupuncture points on the foot are related to the meridians of organs such as the kidneys, bladder, liver, gallbladder, spleen and stomach .

By soaking our feet in hot water, we can warm and stimulate these acupuncture points, thereby activating the blood circulation of the whole body, dispelling the cold and dampness in the body, relaxing the muscles and tendons, and relieving fatigue. Therefore, soaking our feet is not only a daily habit, but also a way of health preservation that contains ancient wisdom.

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From the perspective of modern medicine, hot water foot bath has an obvious effect on promoting blood circulation . According to a study published in the journal Hypertension Research, warm water temperature reduces peripheral vascular resistance and blood pressure by dilating blood vessels and stimulating the production of nitric oxide.

In particular, water temperature of 40°C can activate the parasympathetic nervous system, further causing vasodilation and lowering of blood pressure. This improvement in blood circulation helps to reduce the burden on the heart, increase the efficiency of the heart's pumping blood, and improve the circulation status of tissues and organs throughout the body.

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And after soaking your feet, your body will feel warm and relaxed, which is very comfortable and may help you sleep. (As long as you don’t stay up late playing with your phone right after soaking your feet)

So, soaking your feet is good for you.

But it is impossible to say that foot soaking can beautify the skin, prolong life, and cure all diseases. Instead of believing these, it is better to believe that going to bed and getting up early, quitting smoking and limiting alcohol, eating healthy, and exercising moderately are more helpful to health .

1

The water temperature should be appropriate

Foot bath is not "scalding pig's trotters", the water temperature is generally around 40℃ . Too high a temperature can easily cause low-temperature burns. Low-temperature burns are different from high-temperature burns. The pain of low-temperature burns is not very obvious. We may not realize it until erythema blisters or black skin appear.

In addition, high temperature can easily cause blood vessels to dilate excessively and cause excessive reflux, which can easily lead to symptoms such as dizziness and headache.

So soaking your feet is just like "kneading dough". If it's too hot, add cold water; if it's too cold, add hot water. Keep the water temperature within an appropriate range. You can use the soles of your feet to try whether it's comfortable.

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2

Time management

The longer the foot soaking time is, the better it is. Generally, 15-30 minutes is appropriate . Too long a time can easily damage the sebum membrane on the surface of the foot skin, dry out or even crack the stratum corneum, and may also have adverse effects on the cardiovascular system.

3

Do not soak on an empty or full stomach

Soaking your feet with an empty stomach or full stomach may cause a large amount of blood to flow to the skin of the feet, resulting in insufficient blood supply to the internal organs, which may easily cause hypoglycemia and fainting, or cause indigestion symptoms. Therefore, it is best to soak your feet 1-2 hours after a meal .

4

Don't add random ingredients

Among most foot bath material choices, ginger is a very commonly used foot bath material. It is warm in nature, spicy in taste, and has the effect of warming the middle and dispersing cold, and promoting the circulation of qi and blood.

In addition, ingredients like pepper, vinegar, cinnamon...are both medicinal and edible. They can not only be used for cooking, but also have good therapeutic effects when used for foot baths.

Sichuan pepper has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, analgesic and antipruritic effects, and can be used to relieve symptoms such as athlete's foot, foot odor and itchy feet;

Vinegar has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and cuticle softening effects;

Cinnamon has the effects of warming the middle and dispersing cold, promoting blood circulation and unblocking collaterals. It can be used to relieve symptoms such as cold hands and feet and numbness.

It is important to note that while these materials are effective, they are not a substitute for professional medical treatment.

As for Chinese medicinal materials such as mugwort, Millettia reticulata, and safflower, their use should be determined according to individual constitution and health conditions. Blind use may be counterproductive and harmful to health . For example:

Mugwort is used to dispel cold and warm the meridians, and is suitable for people with cold and damp constitutions, but its warming properties are not suitable for people with yin deficiency, excessive fire, or severe dampness and heat;

Millettia reticulata is often used to promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis, relax tendons and activate collaterals, but it should be used with caution for people with hot blood or weak constitution;

Safflower is mainly used to promote blood circulation, relieve blood stasis, regulate menstruation and relieve pain. It is not suitable for pregnant women or women with heavy menstruation.

Therefore, it is best for everyone to choose appropriate medicinal materials and use them according to their own physical condition and condition under the guidance of a Chinese medicine practitioner .

5

Keep your foot bath tools clean

Whether it is a foot soaking bucket or a foot towel, it must be kept clean and cleaned and disinfected regularly to prevent bacterial infection.

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kid

Children's feet are not fully developed yet. If they soak their feet in hot water for a long time, the plantar ligaments will become loose due to the heat, affecting the normal development of the arch of the foot and may even lead to flat feet.

Diabetic foot patients

The peripheral nerves of patients with diabetic foot cannot sense the external temperature normally, so soaking the feet in hot water can easily cause burns and lead to serious consequences.

Patients with varicose veins

Soaking feet in hot water for a long time will cause varicose veins to further expand, aggravate lower limb congestion, and aggravate the condition. Therefore, such patients should not soak their feet or legs in hot water, nor should they use hot water bottles to warm their feet or steam saunas.

Patients with skin diseases such as tinea pedis

Hot water soaking feet may cause secondary bacterial infection in patients with foot skin diseases such as tinea pedis. For wounds on the surface of the foot skin that have already been broken, hot water soaking feet will make the diseased part worse.

In addition, patients with eczema, herpes and other diseases on the feet should not soak their feet in hot water, because once the skin is broken, it is easy to cause infection.

Patients with heart disease and low blood pressure

Soaking feet in hot water will cause the body's blood vessels to dilate, and blood throughout the body will flow from important organs to the body surface, causing ischemia and hypoxia in important organs such as the heart and brain. For people with heart disease and low blood pressure, it will increase the risk of disease.

Finally, I would like to remind you

Don't play with your phone while soaking your feet

Because it might fall into the bucket.

Statement: This article is a medical-related educational popular science article. It does not involve specific treatment methods or medical behaviors and cannot replace hospital visits.

Experts who reviewed this article

References

[1] An J , Lee I , Yi Y .The Thermal Effects of Water Immersion on Health Outcomes: An Integrative Review[J].International Journal of Environmental Research & Public Health, 2019, 16(7).DOI:10.3390/ijerph16071280.

[2] Lu Chenwen. Foot bath and health preservation[J]. Health Expo, 2021(3):1.

[3] Ren Wanjie. There are some tips for foot soaking in winter[J]. Older World, 2020.

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Edit: 100% sweet

Map: Eastern Zhou Dynasty