Hi All
Since I have been getting out more and walking around town allot more I have noticed that when I walk into a Library or college room my feet stink even though I wash my feet regularly (four days a week) with Lynx shower gel. The staff have to even open the windows full to get rid of the horrible smell of course I do apologise.
I have noticed that my feet are quite dry and have a little wet dead skin on and even when I stayed at home my feet natureilly smelled.
What do you recommend I should use to battle the problem? should I use a foot scrub? body cream? body oil? also where do you recommend I should buy the products from? I would also like a females perspective please as well as I think they are pros when it comes to looking after their own feet.
Many Thanks for reading this and maybe replying to it.
Kind Regards,
Oliver
foot reading
Hi Oliver
Firstly, congratulations on taking notice of your feet. Many people ignore their feet but you have taken steps to get help in solving your problem.
There are several ways of looking at this and as a reflexologist I always look for the cause rather than the symptom. From a medical perspective the condition of excessive sweating is called hyperhidrosis and there are several topical treatments that can be prescribed if you visit a podiatrist.
HOWEVER, as i mentioned it is the cause that must be affected if there is to be a permanent change. So again with my reflexologist head on I'd say look at your diet and check your thyroid. Odour also shows an imbalance in the nervous system, linked very closely to stress levels. Do you feel under increasing pressure and unable to offload a lot of your stress?
I also write about Foot Reading and from this perspective hyperhidrosis means fear of the unknown, leaking out of unexplored emotions. For this I'd recommend exploring relaxation techniques such as meditation and clearing unhealthy thoughts and emotions.
I really hope this goes some way to helping you combat this.
best wishes
Polly:)
Actually, Oliver, I'm surprised that your feet smell so bad that people have to open windows because of it. What I mean, and I don't know how to put this politely, is are you sure it's just your feet that are smelling? Could it be your whole body? If it is your feet, then is it because you are wearing the same trainers every day? And do you wear clean cotton rich socks each day too? I would also say that it would be a good idea if you could shower every day rather than just wash your feet every four days. Clean clothes are a must too.
I'm sure you will get lots of useful advice Oliver. My hubby used to have apalling feet too - his socks and shoes were banned from our bedroom!!
No longer! Firstly, diet may be a factor - a lack of zinc to be precise. This mineral is needed for the function of over 200 enzymes in the body, among them are those that assist the immune system. The smell comes not from the sweat itself but from the bugs/fungi that grow on the skin and the immune system is not dealing with it/them.
The skin involved may not just be on your feet - do you have spots too (anywhere on your body)? They may or may not be indicative, but if present, I'd definitely say low zinc is part of the problem and easily rectified. You could get some from a good healthfood shop, preferably in a citrate or chelate form for better absorption, and up to 50mg daily until the problem is resolved then reduce to 25mg. It would be better with a quality multivitamin/multimineral with it - check zinc content in it, and note the totals. That, or eat oysters regularly!
Secondly, I'd opt for a wholefood diet as much as possible - that is reduce or avoid all processed food - which is stripped of its natural nutrients (and a very few added in with great fanfare!) but really NOT good for one. You need lots of veg and fruit (5-8 x 3-4oz servings daily); wholegrain carbs only; oily fish such as mackerel, herring, sardine, deep-sea salmon; not too much meat and only natural fats and oils (virgin,cold pressed), no sugar (!) and limited alcohol. That will increase your energy and improve your nutrient intake considerably.
Sounds like a difficult situation, but it's not - and the results speak for themselves - specifically my hubby!
Other than that the usual hygiene and some antifungal powder/creams as necessary.
Good luck, and do ask further if you need to!
Hi,
If your feet smell really badly this is an indication that your foot hygiene is poor. The smell is usually caused by Bacterium Foetidum and the condition is called bromidrosis.
More on bromidrosis <a class="go2wpf-bbcode" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="here">here (Frank Zappa link - included to put things into perspective, because it isn't serious, and is easy to deal with - warning - contains an Anglo-Saxon swearword right at the start)
OK, Lets look at two points:
1. You wash your feet four days a week:eek:.
They smell really bad.
So what do you do the other three days??
You need to:
Wash them daily, morning and evening. Do not use very hot water, since this stimulates the sweat glands and will make your feet sweat more.
2. My guess is your footwear is either leather, but plastic-lined, or a cheap pair of trainers which don't allow your feet to breathe - hence they are worse now you are walking more.
Buy some shoes which allow your feet to breathe.
Clean socks every day too.
Don't use Odour-Eaters or any proprietary brand of insole which promise to get rid of the smell. They don't deal with the problem (the above advice will), are expensive in the long run, and can actually make your feet sweat more.
Sun and fresh air (on your feet) is the best single cure for bromidrosis. Diet (as CarolineN suggests) may have some bearing on this, but the simple measures listed above have worked for my patients consistently over 30 years or so.
David:)
Hi Oliver
I'm not a therapist at all, so take this however you want.
In my opinion smoothing a bit of lynx shower gel over feet isn't really enough to have clean feet, especially only 4 times a week. An envigorating morning shower is the ONLY way to start the day in our house, and for the feet we use a nail scrubbing brush (gently but hard enough to be effective) all over the feet, to slough off the dead skin (I may be completely wrong here, but build-up of dead skin+constantly damp from sweat=smelly, horrible skin on the feet) and liven up the circulation.
I suggest using baby bar soap aswell, as it could be nicer for any possible skin conditions you have.
We have an ethos that to be clean you don't need smelly expensive products to mask odours and magically make you delightful, you just need soap and to wash effectively. This means every day, paying particular attention to the obvious sweaty areas, but also giving your feet some attention - they're good enough to carry you around every day, so deserve a bit of loving.
Rubbing vigorously with a towel post-washing will also help to shift any manky skin that is a little more stubborn.
Hope that helps, and embrace whatever routine you choose (there's a lot of good advice on here) with joy in your heart!
All the best, and keep us updated lol
Sarah
clean cotton rich socks each day
Wool rich would be even better, as it wicks moisture away nicely 🙂
Wool rich would be even better, as it wicks moisture away nicely 🙂
Or even mohair socks if you can find them - they are fantastic - along with other very helpful advice about cleanliness and footwear from Sarah and David.
Let us know the outcome.