October 23rd, 2010 by Lucy Hornstein, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Humor, Opinion, True Stories
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Regular readers have heard me rant about the fragmentation of medical care in this country. Each body part not only has its own medical specialist, but in some cases its own allied health profession. Such is the case with the feet.
Doctors of podiatric medicine have to complete a four-year course of study after college, followed by a three-year podiatry residency. At the end of all that, I grant, they are expert in the care and management of complex disorders and conditions of the foot, ankle, and lower leg. I refer to them regularly, especially for stubborn ingrown toenails. (I did indeed learn how to remove offending portions of nail bed, but over the years I’ve gotten away from it.) They fail, though, when they try to extend their reach beyond their grasp, which is the case of the podiatrist above the knees. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Musings of a Dinosaur*
October 29th, 2009 by RamonaBatesMD in Better Health Network, Health Tips
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Flipping through the 1908 textbook, A Text-Book of Minor Surgery by Edward Milton Foote, MD I found at an antique store last month, I came across the section on ingrown toenails. The causes of ingrown toenails were much the same as one hundred years.
This is a condition in which the edge of the nail, usually of the great toe, by its too close contact with the flesh beneath causes irritation, ulceration, or suppuration. There has been much discussion as to whether the nail or the flesh is the more at fault. This discussion is without profit. It is much better to study the normal conditions, and see what can be done to restore them. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Suture for a Living*
October 7th, 2008 by Dr. Val Jones in Medblogger Shout Outs
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While I was “homeless” my blogging friends kindly invited me to guest post at their websites. Allen Roberts (aka GruntDoc) posted this for me:
As many of my close followers know, I’m “in between blogs” at the moment. My new website has not launched yet, so I’ve asked a few close friends if I could guest-blog at their sites until further notice. Dear Grunt Doc actually offered me a password and authority to post directly to his blog. Now that’s trusting! I mean, I could fill up his site with LOLcats posts if I wanted.
A few blog-hijacking fantasies later, I decided to ask myself – “What sort of content would be appropriate to contribute to an Emergency Medicine blog?” The answer, of course, is “real photos of anything gross.”
And as luck would have it, I do have a nice photo of something gross (albeit mildly so). Even better, it’s my own grossness so there’s no HIPAA violation looming. What is it? Well, it’s the sadistic work of a dermatologist. (By the way, dermatologists have the best photo galleries of really gory conditions).
Let me explain…
Click here to read the rest of the post.
August 5th, 2008 by Dr. Val Jones in News
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Thanks to my friend Jen for highlighting this unusual “health story.” Apparently a type of fish (called “doctor fish” – not sure how I feel about that) found in Turkish hot springs thrive on dead human skin. They’ve been used in the past to treat psoriasis, a condition that produces skin cell overgrowth. And now, an enterprising salon has imported these fish to nibble off dead skin found on pedicure seekers’ feet.
Images of the movie “Piranha” came to mind for me until I read the fine print – these fish have no teeth, but use a kind of suction action to feed. Also, the silvery creatures are the size of minnows.
Some clients say that the process tickles, and it feels as if their feet are being “kissed” by hundreds of fishies. The salon owners claim that the fish have doubled in size since they were first unleashed on American spa-goers.
I suppose this is an “organic” way to live in a symbiotic relationship with nature’s creatures – but as a physician, I can only imagine all the potential fungus and wart viruses thriving in the warm fishy waters. [Shudder]
I’m going to stick with my pumice stone.
**
You may also like: “Flip Flop Foot” and “Conversations at the Spa“This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
June 16th, 2008 by Dr. Val Jones in Health Tips
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I wrote about an interesting podiatric phenomenon last summer: “flip flop foot.” Some people experience cramping between their toes after walking around in flip flops for significant periods of time.
Flip flops seem comfortable and easy to wear (I like them because they don’t pinch wide feet) but they actually create more work for your foot and leg muscles than regular shoes. You may not realize it, but when you wear flip flops your toes must grip them extra firmly to keep them from sliding off or sideways. So you actually contract many extra toe muscles (like the adductor hallucis and the flexor hallucis brevis) with each step you take. Wearing flip flops for long hours can give you actual cramps in these muscles and others.
But here’s another potential danger associated with flip flops: skin cancer! Dr. Benabio over at The Derm Blog rightly points out that we often forget to put sunscreen on our feet (that may not have seen the light of day since last summer). This puts the skin of our feet at risk for blistering sunburns, and in the long term, skin cancer.
So as you enjoy the warmer weather, take good care of your feet. Walking a mile in your own shoes might be better than doing so in your flip flops.This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
