Foot Odor

Are you suffering from an embarrassing case of stinky feet? It is a common foot problem so no fear, you are not alone! Dr. Tejas Pandya, foot specialist in Troy, NY treats patients on a regular basis who are tired of dealing with their foot odor problem. The good news is that once you discover what may be causing it, there are many treatment options out there to get it under control.

If you have a foot odor problem, there are many reasons for why it may be there in the first place. Common reasons for foot odor include the type of footwear you are wearing on a daily basis and having feet that tend to sweat

Bacteria love to live and thrive in dark, moist areas and your shoes are prime real estate. When it meets with the perspiration of the feet, the result can be odor that is not only uncomfortable but can be embarrassing as well. Hyperhidrosis is an inherited condition that involves excessive sweating. Other factors that influence sweating include medications, fluid intake, stress and hormonal changes.

Now that you have been educated a bit, you are probably wondering what you can do to help your smelly feet, right? Dr. Pandya encourages patients to follow some simple tips:

    •    Wash your feet with antibacterial soap and water.
    •    Always wear socks in shoes and avoid shoes made of plastic.
    •    Take care of any fungal infections promptly and thoroughly.
    •    Rotate your shoes each day and wear thick socks that draw moisture away from your feet.

If these steps do not improve your condition, we are here to help! Make an appointment with Dr. Pandya by calling our podiatric office at (518) 273-0053 or visit www.capitaldistrictpodiatry.com.

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Tips for Riding Bikes as the Weather Cools

For all of you bike riders out there, don’t let the cooler weather stop you! As the temperatures begin to lower, the weather can offer your body a cool breeze, which creates the perfect atmosphere for bike riding. Instead of packing away your bike this season, follow our helpful tips to continue riding as the weather cools down:

• Dress the part. Sure you might sweat from riding a bike, but it’s important to wear proper clothing to balance your body’s exercise heat with the chills of the outdoors. As the weather turns colder, start wearing all the essential winter gear like a hat and gloves for every bike ride.

• Wear layers. While it is important to stay warm, you are still performing a physical activity. Therefore, you can easily become overheated under all that heavy clothing. If you bundle up in layers, you can easily shed or add clothing whenever your body becomes too hot or too cold.

• Protect your feet! Your body can lose its heat at a faster rate in concern to your feet. Therefore, it’s important to wear warm gear in order to protect your lower extremities and the rest of your body. You should wear thermal cycling socks made from synthetic materials with wicking properties in order to keep your feet warm and dry.

This season, don’t let the cold weather keep you from riding your bike! Riding bike can be a yearlong activity as long as you take the proper precautionary steps. If you are interested in additional information on how to keep your feet safe while bike riding, contact our office at (518) 273-0053 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Tejas Pandya.

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Tips to Avoid Fungal Infections

Your feet can be easily exposed to so many forms of fungal infections such as athlete’s foot. Fungal infections can spread into small breakages of the skin on your feet or into your toenails. Fungal infections can cause embarrassing thickening or discoloration of your toenails and can become painful. We want to help you keep your feet healthy and looking their best, so we’ve have some helpful tips to help you avoid fungal infections.

• Look out for public places. If you are a frequent visitor to public gym or pool, you may be putting yourself at risk for fungal infections. Hot moist areas, like gyms, locker rooms, pools, and showers are the best environments for fungi to thrive. When visiting a public place, make sure to always wear some form of protective footwear to avoid fungal infections.

• Beware of nail polish. Nail polish can be a great way to make your toes look their best! Yet we feel that healthy toenails are the best looking. If you are experiencing toenails with discoloration, thickening, cracks, or decays, do not attempt to hide the imperfections with toenail polish. These unfortunate toenail irregularities could be a sign of fungal toenails. Toenail polish can lead to a more serious infection, and will make the problem worse. Treating the nail rather than covering it is healthier and much better in the long run.

• Keep your shoes to yourself! Sharing shoes or any product that comes into direct contact with your feet like socks, towels, or orthotics is an easy way to spread fungal infections. You shouldn’t share any of these items with anyone, even close friends and family.

If you do develop a fungal infection, such as athlete’s foot, call our office at (518)273-0053 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Tejas Pandya.

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Maintain Healthy Feet through an Unpredictable Forecast

As you enter the fall season and colder weather is headed your way, you need to prepare your feet for the upcoming changes. One day it feels like summer and the next fall is ever so present on your doorstep. With this up and down in temperature it feels like whiplash weather!

While the forecast may always remain unpredictable, despite the weather’s man’s predictions, your health can pay the price. In order to maintain the health of your feet and the rest of your body throughout these weather changes follow these helpful tips.   

• Maintain a healthy diet. Make sure that your meals are packed with nutritional foods like green veggies and plenty of omega-3 fats, which can be found in fish or fish oil supplements. A well balanced diet can reduce inflammation in your feet and keep your entire body healthy no matter what weather blows your way.

• Get enough sleep. Your body needs eight hours of sleep every night so remember to plan your day accordingly. Sleep restores energy and can reduce stress levels.

• Take a shower. You should try to shower every night before you go to bed and every morning directly after you wake up. Taking a shower before you go to bed can help you fall asleep more easily. Taking a shower after you wake up can increase the blood circulation throughout your entire body, which reduces your risk for aches and pains.

• Drink water. You need to stay hydrated throughout the day to ward off sickness. Drinking water regularly keeps your immune system at its best. You should try to drink about two to three liters of water every day.

• Dress for the occasion. It’s important to keep your feet protected, so as the weather changes make sure to warm your feet with socks and enclosed toe shoes. Just like the rest of your body, your feet need to maintain a healthy temperature. Feet that are too hot or too cold can easily damage your health.

In order to maintain your health all year long, you need to take the proper precautionary steps and adjust to the changes in weather. If you notice a decline in the health of your feet this season contact our office at (518) 273-0053 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Tejas Pandya.

References:

http://www.todayszaman.com/newsDetail_getNewsById.action?load=detay&link=192947
http://www.momtastic.com/health-and-beauty/diet-a-nutrition/161679-stay-healthy-as-the-seasons-change
http://www.everydayhealth.com/foot-health/nutrition-and-your-feet.aspx

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Simple Shoe Tricks for Healthy Feet

Maintaining your health can be a tricky job. Your feet need care and attention just like the rest of your body. Footwear is made specifically to protect the health of your feet, but your shoes can’t do all the work - they need your help!

Follow these simple tips to helping your shoes protect your feet, ankles and all 10 toes:

• Get the right fit. The most important aspect of your shoes is the fit. Shoes need to fit correctly to the length, width and height of your feet. Your footwear should big long enough that your toes have about a thumb’s width before the end of your shoe, but not so big that your heel slides out the back. Shoes should also be wide enough that you have room to wiggle your toes and tall enough that they do not press down on your toes.

• Be specific to your exercise. Your shoes should be specific to your activities. If you are involved in different sports you need different shoes for each exercise. Physical activities put pressure on your feet, and soccer will affect your feet differently than running, yoga or football. Therefore each sport or exercise will require specific protection from your footwear so you will need different shoes for each of your activities.

• Alternate between shoes. While you should alternate different shoes for each of your exercises, you should also alternate your daily walking shoes. Your shoes need their days off just like you. This will not only help your shoes last longer, but also maintains the health of your feet.

• Cushion your feet. While your shoes should provide you an appropriate amount of cushioning, you should always pair your footwear with a comfortable pair of socks. Socks give your feet greater cushioning and reduce irritation between your feet and your shoes. This will help prevent painful ailments like blisters.

• Add an orthotic. Purchasing custom molded orthotics can be one of the best investments you will ever make. An orthotic adds support, comfort and cushioning to your footwear. It can relieve pain and reduce your risk for an injury.

Taking proper care of your feet can be a big job, but making foot care a part of your regular routine can help you prevent foot ailments throughout your lifetime. If you are experiencing pain in your feet or would like to come in for a check-up and proper foot examination contact our office at (518) 273-0053 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Tejas Pandya.

References:

http://www.thestarpress.com/article/20120912/LIFESTYLE/309120007/Tips-happy-feet?odyssey=nav%7Chead&nclick_check=1
http://runnersfeed.com/rotate-your-running-shoes/

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Precautionary Steps to Prevent Fungal Toenails

Fungal toenails can be painful, embarrassing and just plain gross. Fungal infections within your toenails can easily spread from the toenails to the skin. They can also infect your entire foot and the rest of your body.

In order to prevent this painful and disgusting condition, please follow our helpful tips:

• Wash and dry your feet. You must wash your feet with soap and water at least twice every day. Dry your feet thoroughly after and don’t forgot to dry between your toes.

• Use anti-fungal and antiperspirant products. Apply an anti-fungal cream to your feet and ankles on a daily basis. You can powder feet, ankles and toes with an antiperspirant to reduce sweating. This will also help keep your feet dry throughout all of your physical activities.

• Do not swap maintenance tools. It is so important to keep up the care of your feet and toes. However, your maintenance tools can easily spread fungal infections if you share. You always want to disinfect tools such as nail clippers, files and pumice stones before and after every use. Never share your tools with others or borrow someone else’s foot care products.

• Keep your socks and shoes to yourself. Just like with maintenance tools, you do not want to borrow socks and shoes. You also do not want to lend out your own. Socks and shoes directly touch your feet and harbor bacteria, especially from perspiration. Make sure to wash your socks after every use.

• Cut your toenails. It may sound simple enough, but this little task can easily be forgotten. Cut your toenails straight across and never curve at the ends. You also want to cut toenails at least once a week or whenever the nail grows past the end of your toe.

Fungal toenails can be extremely difficult to treat and may require permanent removal of the infected nail. For this reason, if you experience a fungal infection in your feet or toenails you want to contact our office immediately. You can call our office at (518)273-0053 to schedule an appointment with Dr. Tejas Pandya. Don’t forget that while fungal nails are treatable, they can always come back! You need to take the proper precautionary steps to prevent reoccurring fungal infections.

References:

http://www.capitaldistrictpodiatry.com/library/1821/FungalNails.html
http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/guide/fungal-infections-skin

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