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of Consumer Guide, the Editors.  "Home Remedies for Foot Pain."  18 January 2007.  HowStuffWorks.com. <http://health.howstuffworks.com/home-remedies-for-foot-pain.htm>  06 July 2008.

Inside this Article

  1. Introduction to Home Remedies for Foot Pain
  2. Home Remedy Treatments for Foot Pain
  1. Natural Home Remedies for Foot Pain
  2. See all Home Remedies articles
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Natural Home Remedies for Foot Pain

Common foods and household objects can help your sore feet to feel better fast. Here are a few home remedies you can try.

Home Remedies from the Cupboard

Carbonated water. Soaking your feet in sugarless carbonated water can be refreshing.

Epsom salts. For plain old tired feet, put 2 tablespoons Epsom salts into a basin of warm water. Soak for 15 minutes. Epsom salts can be drying, so moisturize your feet afterwards.

Flour. This simple paste may speed up the healing of a sprain or strain: gardenia, flour, and wine. Mix and apply.

Foods. For bloated, uncomfortable feet, here are some foods that can help balance your fluid levels: bananas, which are high in potassium that helps relieve fluid retention, and coffee or tea, both of which are diuretics. (See also "Home Remedies from the Refrigerator.")

Olive oil. Use as a massage oil for tired feet.

Postum. Got cold feet? Brew up a cup of Postum, add a pinch of cayenne pepper, and drink. Your toes will feel toasty warm fast. This is also good for cold hands.

Vinegar. To soothe tendinitis, sprains, strains, and general foot aches, alternate hot and cold vinegar wraps. First, heat equal amounts of vinegar and water. Soak a towel in the mixture, wring it out, and wrap it around your foot. Leave it wrapped for five minutes. Then mix equal parts vinegar and cold water and follow the same procedure. Repeat this entire sequence three times.

Home Remedies from the Faucet

Water. Sometimes plain old water is the best cure of all. If you have varicose veins in your feet or ankles, this remedy will alleviate the ache and may even slow down the development of varicose veins. Dip your feet in hot water – but not hot enough to burn! -- for 2 minutes, then in cold for 15 seconds. Repeat, and continue alternating hot and cold for 15 minutes.

Home Remedies from the Freezer

Ice. An ice pack will reduce the inflammation of tendonitis. You can use a bag of ice or a bag of frozen vegetables wrapped in a thin towel.

Asparagus acts as a natural diuretic, flushing excess fluid out of your system and easing pressure on bloated feet.
©2007 Publications International, Ltd.
Asparagus acts as a natural diuretic, flushing excess fluid
out of your system and easing pressure on bloated feet.


Home Remedies from the Refrigerator

Asparagus. For swollen feet, look in the veggie drawer for that nice, fresh asparagus you bought. Steam and eat. Asparagus acts as a natural diuretic, which flushes the excess fluid out of your system.

Foods. For bloated, uncomfortable feet, here are some foods that can help balance your fluid levels: poultry and fresh fish, both of which are low in sodium, and yogurt, which can reduce histamine-producing bacteria. Histamine causes fluid retention.

Home Remedies from the Spice Rack

Cayenne pepper. To warm cold feet, sprinkle a little cayenne pepper in your socks. Cayenne peppers have a chemical called capsaicin that warms, and it also relieves pain. However, this can be irritating to the skin after awhile, so carry some spare socks in case you need to change.

Cinnamon. Cure those cold feet with some nice hot cinnamon tea. Stir a gram of powdered cinnamon into a glass of hot water and steep for 15 minutes. Drink three times a day.

Sage. Take a handful of sage leaves and rub them in your palm. (This is called bruising, and it releases the herb's curative chemicals.) Put them in a saucepan with 2/3 cup cider vinegar. Boil, then simmer for five minutes. After removing from the heat, soak a cloth in the solution and apply it to a sprain or sore foot, as hot as tolerable.

More Do's and Don'ts
  • Don't stand too long, and don't stand on hard surfaces if you can avoid it. Foot pain is often muscle fatigue from standing. Take frequent breaks. Sit down and elevate your feet for ten minutes.

  • Don't ignore foot pain, tired legs, aching knees, lower-back problems, or sore hips. They could all be symptoms of serious conditions.

  • Maintain your ideal weight. The more weight you put on those puppies, the more they'll cause you pain.
Foot pain might be common, but that doesn't mean you have to suffer with it. Take care of your feet, and they'll take care of you.

Visit these links to learn more about home remedies for foot ailments:

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Timothy Gower is a freelance writer and editor whose work has appeared in many publications, including Reader's Digest, Prevention, Men's Health, Better Homes and Gardens, The New York Times, and The Los Angeles Times. The author of four books, Gower is also a contributing editor for Health magazine.

Alice Lesch Kelly is a health writer based in Boston. Her work has been published in magazines such as Shape, Fit Pregnancy, Woman's Day, Reader's Digest, Eating Well, and Health. She is the co-author of three books on women's health.

Linnea Lundgren has more than 12 years experience researching, writing, and editing for newspapers and magazines. She is the author of four books, including Living Well With Allergies.

Michele Price Mann is a freelance writer who has written for such publications as Weight Watchers and Southern Living magazines. Formerly assistant health and fitness editor at Cooking Light magazine, her professional passion is learning and writing about health.

ABOUT THE CONSULTANTS:

Ivan Oransky, M.D., is the deputy editor of The Scientist. He is author or co-author of four books, including The Common Symptom Answer Guide, and has written for publications including the Boston Globe, The Lancet, and USA Today. He holds appointments as a clinical assistant professor of medicine and as adjunct professor of journalism at New York University.

David J. Hufford, Ph.D., is university professor and chair of the Medical Humanities Department at Pennsylvania State University's College of Medicine. He also is a professor in the departments of Neural and Behavioral Sciences and Family and Community Medicine. Dr. Hufford serves on the editorial boards of several journals, including Alternative Therapies in Health & Medicine and Explore.

This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither the Editors of Consumer Guide (R), Publications International, Ltd., the author nor publisher take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.


Inside this Article

  1. Introduction to Home Remedies for Foot Pain
  2. Home Remedy Treatments for Foot Pain
  1. Natural Home Remedies for Foot Pain
  2. See all Home Remedies articles

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