Festival-goers BEWARE – fungal spores lurk in dark, damp conditions, waiting to take hold in those vulnerable nail beds!

glast sunshineGlastonbury Festival 2013 is upon us and I hope all you intrepid campers have fun in the sun, but, JUST in case the British summer does what it does best, please remember to take good care of your feet. Clearly foot care will not be your number one priority, but maybe it should move up the list – at least a little!

Why? Fungal spores love dark, damp and dirty conditions and the fields of the Glastonbury Festival provide the perfect breeding ground – especially when the heavens open!

During the summer months I see an increasing number of holidaymakers who made the brave decision to camp in the UK, only to come home with fungal nail infections and Athlete’s Foot.
Fungal spores enter via any small break in the skin integrity and soon take hold. Once established, the infections can be difficult to eradicate.

Here are some practical tips to help avoid nail fungal infections during the long weekend:

  • Trim your nail short before you go
  • Dry feet thoroughly after bathing – try to keep your towel clean and dry (!)
  • Wear 100% cotton or wool socks – helps absorb the sweat and moisture
  • Wear shoes that have wide space for your toes to ‘breathe’
  • In wet and moist areas, avoid walking in barefoot
  • If possible, wear shower shoes, sandals or flip flops when going to public areas
  • Before going to bed, try to thoroughly dry your feet
  • NEVER share shoes and sandals with others
  • Avoid injury to nails, nail beds, and nail plates

If you do suspect a fungal nail infection has taken hold, then book in to see your local podiatrist. Over-the-counter solutions are not particularly effective and you may well need a more sophisticated treatment such as state-of-the-art Lunula Laser.

Symptoms of nail fungus:

  • Thickened nails
  • Crumbly or brittle nails
  • Nail distorted in shape or separated
  • Nail with no lustre or shine
  • White, yellow or brown coloured nail

glast wet 1How does it work? Unlike conventional solutions, the Lunula Low Level Laser is the first treatment to tackle the root cause of nail fungus – not just the symptoms. Known as the ‘COLD’ laser – this new device does not rely on heat to treat, instead utilises two light wavelengths, 635nm and 405nm, to tackle differing cell membranes.

Have a fabulous time – if nothing else, keep your feet happy by avoiding walking barefoot around the venue, and let’s hope you will all be basking in sunshine. (I’ll save my sunscreen lecture for next year!)

Leading Podiatrist, Martine Abrahams on GOUT – “the disease of kings” or “rich man’s disease”

The agony of goutThe topic for my blog this month is gout – an unpleasant and often debilitating disease, which can put you out of action for several weeks.  There have been a number of high profile sufferers throughout history – Henry VIII, Pavarotti, Jim Belushi and more recently, Jared Leto, who contracted gout symptoms after piling on 60lbs for a film role.

The incidence of gout has increased over the past few decades and now an estimated 1-2% of the Western population are affected by it at some time during their lives.  The main reasons for this trend seem to be the Western lifestyle/diet and longer life expectancy.

Gout is a type of arthritis, in which crystals of uric acid produced by the body, can form inside joints.

 

The most common symptom is sudden and severe pain in the joint, along with swelling and redness. The joint of the big toe is usually affected, but it can develop in any joint.

Symptoms can develop rapidly to their worst point in 6-24 hours and usually last for 3-10 days (this is sometimes known as a gout attack). After this time, the joint will start to feel normal again and any pain or discomfort should eventually disappear completely.

Most people with gout will have further attacks in the future.

The crystals may cause two problems:

  • Some may spill over into the soft lining of the joint (synovium), which causes the pain and inflammation associated with gout
  • Some pack together to form hard, slowly expanding lumps of crystals (“tophi”) which can cause progressive damage to the joint and nearby bone; this eventually leads to irreversible joint damage which causes pain and stiffness when the joint is being used

Factors that increase your risk of gout include:

  • age and gender
  • being overweight or obese
  • high blood pressure or diabetes
  • close relatives with gout (gout often runs in families)
  • long-term kidney problems that reduce the elimination of uric acid
  • a diet rich in purines; such as frequently eating sardines and liver
  • drinking too much beer or spirits – these types of alcoholic drinks contain relatively high levels of purines

There are two main goals in treating gout, relieving the symptoms with painkillers such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and preventing future attacks with Allopurinol which can help lower levels if uric acid.  Lifestyle changes can also help – reducing weight and alcohol intake.

There is some good news for us women – men are more likely to suffer gout, as oestrogen reduces a woman’s levels of uric acid by increasing excretion of uric acid via the kidneys.  Sadly however, we catch up with men after menopause!

Gout can be very painful and distressing, but if you do suffer from acute episodes don’t despair, as attacks are usually short lived and lifestyle changes combined with anti-inflammatories can help a great deal.