Foot soaking is a way of maintaining health. Many people may think that foot soaking is very simple, but the small details of foot soaking are also very important. Correctly soaking your feet can have a very good health effect. You can put some traditional Chinese medicine in your feet to nourish your mind and calm your mind. So, what is the healthiest way to soak your feet? What is the correct way to soak your feet? Let’s take a look!
1. Prepare a suitable wooden bucket
Prepare a large and deep wooden bucket. It is best that the water level can reach more than half of the calf. Do not place your feet at an angle because the bucket is small. , make sure your feet can be placed smoothly and comfortably on the bottom of the barrel to avoid cramps.
2. The best time for foot soaking
The foot soaking time should be done 1 hour before and after meals to avoid affecting appetite or digestion. The soaking time is about 30 minutes. If the water is cold, you can heat the water 1 to 2 times in the middle. Drink a glass of water before and after soaking to facilitate metabolism and replenish body fluids.
3. Commonly used methods for soaking feet
Soaking feet in salt water: Add 2 tablespoons of salt to warm water. Salt has anti-inflammatory and sterilizing effects. Soaking feet in salt water can prevent athlete's foot and prevent colds. Massaging the Yongquan point on the soles of your feet while soaking your feet can help you sleep.
Rice wine foot soak: Adding a bottle of rice wine or other alcoholic drinks to warm water can promote blood circulation. If you add tea to foot soak, it can also remove foot odor.
Vinegar foot soaking: Soaking feet with 100 grams of rice vinegar or mature vinegar can kill bacteria, treat athlete's foot to a certain extent, remove rheumatism, and improve the symptoms of cold and cold. In addition, vinegar can penetrate the superficial skin of the feet, enhance blood circulation, remove blood waste and disease deposits, and cure certain chronic diseases.
Ginger foot soak: Use 100 grams of ginger, 20 grams of tangerine peel, and 30 grams of mint to soak your feet. It can warm the spleen and stomach, remove dampness, relieve sleepiness, and prevent and treat varicose veins in the lower limbs.
Lemon foot soak: Add two slices of lemon to warm water to prevent colds, smoothen the breath and refresh the mind, soften cuticles, and reduce swelling.
4. Traditional Chinese Medicine Foot Soaking Prescriptions
It is best to use traditional Chinese medicine to soak feet under the guidance of a doctor. Here are some recommended formulas:
( 1) Improve foot eczema
Take 15 grams each of Sophora flavescens, Atractylodes, and Cnidium monnieri, 5 grams alum, and 10 grams rhubarb. Soak your feet. It can relieve itching, soften cuticles, and also improve symptoms caused by hot and humid weather. of foot eczema.
(2) Improve dysmenorrhea caused by qi stagnation and blood stasis
Use 30 grams each of Wuyao, Qingpi, and Yiyincao, and 10 grams each of Chuanqiong and Safflower. Add about two liters of water and 50 ml of Zuo Shi's vinegar, bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. When the medicine cools to 50°C, pour the residue into a basin to soak your feet.
5. Precautions for soaking feet
For most people, soaking feet is good for health, but for some people, soaking feet has certain risks. The following groups of people should pay attention.
Patients with frozen feet: After the feet are frozen, the temperature of the feet is lower than the normal tolerance level of the body. If the feet are suddenly scalded with hot water, the skin and muscles will not be able to withstand the change in temperature, thus causing damage to the feet. Cause secondary damage.
Patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases: High water temperature dilates capillaries, increases blood flow, and increases the burden on the heart and blood vessels in a short period of time.
Patients with diabetes pain: Diabetic patients are prone to peripheral neuropathy, which makes the peripheral nerves unable to sense the outside temperature normally. In addition, high water temperatures can easily cause foot infections.
6. Foot bathing taboos
1. The water temperature of footbathing water should not be too high
Water temperature that is too high is not only harmful to patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, but also easy to Destroys the sebum film on the surface of the foot skin, causing dryness or even cracking of the cuticle.
The appropriate water temperature for footbath is 40°C-45°C. You can test the water temperature with your hands first. To be on the safe side, you can use a thermometer to measure it.
2. The time for soaking your feet should not be too long
It is best not to soak your feet for more than half an hour at a time, because when you soak your feet, your blood circulation and heart rate will speed up. , Soaking your feet for too long will increase the burden on your heart. Especially the elderly should pay attention. The elderly are relatively weak and soaking their feet for too long can cause symptoms such as sweating and palpitation, and can easily induce some diseases. Therefore, it is recommended that the elderly should not soak their feet for more than 20 minutes.
3. It is not advisable to soak your feet when you are too full or too hungry
Bathing your feet will speed up the blood circulation of the body. Soaking your feet after eating too much will affect the digestion of the stomach. Soaking your feet when you are hungry can cause dizziness and other discomforts.
4. Patients with heart disease and hypotension should be careful when soaking their feet
These two types of patients should pay special attention to controlling the time and water temperature when soaking their feet, because after soaking their feet in hot water, the blood vessels in the body will expand and the whole body will Blood flows from important organs to the body surface, which can easily cause ischemia and hypoxia in important organs such as the heart and brain, which can easily increase the risk of disease.