Cherry juice helps in easing foot pain
graedons |People’s Herbal Pharmacy
Q.I was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis by one of the best foot doctors in my city. I was given pain medicines, many anti-inflammatory drugs and foot splints, with no success.
As a last resort, he recommended steroid injections for the intense pain.
A friend suggested I try cherry juice. In two days, I was nearly pain-free. It was almost a religious experience.
I am convinced this works, and I have since drunk more cherry juice when pain flared up a few weeks later. Once again, I got great relief.
A. A number of studies in rats treated to develop arthritis have shown that cherry extract can reduce paw swelling and pain behaviors.
The red compounds, anthocyanins, appear to have anti-inflammatory effects. We don’t know why cherry juice would have worked when anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin did not, but we’re glad to hear of it.
Q. I have found a home remedy for stinky feet. Brew eight to 10 tea bags in a foot tub. Allow the tea to cool slightly, then soak the feet until the tea cools. Do this as often as necessary.
The tannins in the tea do a wonderful job as antibacterial agents. Also, please advise your readers to try going barefoot as much as possible.
Exposing your feet to air helps tremendously. So does washing slippers, flip-flops or any other footwear that can be laundered.
A. One major shoe firm (Rockport) recently introduced shoes that go in the washing machine. It might not have been motivated by a desire to reduce foot odor, but it may help.
Other manufacturers use high-tech materials to prevent sweat from building up in shoes.
Feet that sweat profusely are more prone to become stinky. Tannin from tea cuts down on sweating, and that may be how your treatment helps feet smell better.
We include a similar recipe for a tea foot soak, along with many other approaches to reducing aroma, in our Guides to Home Remedies and Solutions for Smelly Feet.
Q. My niece told me that drinking tonic water helped her restless legs syndrome. I tried sipping some before I went to bed, and it helps.
After I read in your column that the Food and Drug Administration bars doctors from prescribing quinine, I looked on the label. Quinine is listed as one of the ingredients. Is quinine harmful?
A. Some people are susceptible to quinine and develop irregular heartbeats or a life-threatening blood disorder when they consume it.
It can also cause birth defects. The FDA banned it for treating leg cramps to prevent the serious side effects it can cause. Doctors are still permitted to prescribe it for malaria.
The dose of quinine found in tonic water is low, but we heard from one reader who suffered a severe reaction from drinking it: “One evening I drank 5 ounces of tonic water; the next morning I was in the emergency room with a frightening skin reaction. I was hospitalized for many days.
“My platelet count dropped to 1,000. Now it has gradually come back up to 266,000. I was diagnosed with ITP [idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura], triggered by the quinine in the water. It nearly killed me.”
XIn their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of The Vindicator or e-mail them via their Web site: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com.
2008 King Features Syndicate Inc.