ASK DR. BAUGHAN                                             September 3, 1999

LOVE THY FEET

Every time I see an ulcer on the foot of a diabetic patient, I grieve.  I grieve for the sense of limitation I have to do much about the ulcer.  I grieve for the likelihood the patient will eventually lose the foot to amputation.  I grieve for the deformity and disability that might well have been prevented if the foot had received attention and love.  Sometimes sophisticated medical and surgical treatment can help prevent this loss, but many, many cases can be prevented with a daily application of attention and love.

Diabetic foot ulcers are the most common reason for amputations of the feet in the United States.  Why does it occur?  Diabetes affects the nerves and the circulation to the feet, particularly if it is not well controlled.  The first line of defense of the feet is good control of diabetes through diet, exercise and medication.  Next is awareness of how the nerves and circulation start to show they are being affected.  If diabetes is causing narrowing of the blood vessels, then the skin may not be getting enough oxygen or nutrition through the blood to maintain healthy skin or to heal damaged skin.  Then if the nerves are not working well and the feet become numb, the person has a double-whammy - a sore may start to develop, but they do not feel it.

Regardless of your religious beliefs, the story in the Gospel of Luke of a woman bathing the feet of Jesus with her tears, wiping them with her hair, kissing them, and rubbing them with scented oil has universal poignancy.  The men is the story do the typical “man thing” and debate the social and theological implications of letting a disreputable woman do such a thing.  Jesus turns the discussion from an intellectual one to emphasize the importance of the love shown in such an action.

Loving your feet is good medicine.  Touch them daily, wash them daily, rub oil or other moisturizers on them daily.  Say a little prayer or meditation of thanks for them daily.  Then you could not help but notice if they were becoming numb, or if rough spots or sores were developing.  Wear shoes that hold them gently.  Keep them warm and protected from cold.  If you are overweight, or have arthritis, or if your vision is poor and you cannot reach or see your feet well, let someone else look at, bath and rub your feet with oil.  Let your feet be loved and honored, by you or someone else.  They need it.  And who knows, a little of that love might work its way up to the rest of you as well.