Ayurvedic Treatment For Cracked Foot

Ouch!!! It aches, especially on every step that I take. What can I do?’ These are the mind words of people who have sore, cracked foot. Women are often affected and suffer with dry, cracked and not so appealing heels more than men. Your dream footwear will just be sleeping on the shelves of the shoe rack, till you treat your cracked foot. I have seen people hide their foot, with the fear of unveiling their thorny, flaky and busted heels also known as heel fissures. Painful, cracked and dry heels is a predominant cosmetic problem and has been termed as Padadari in Ayurveda and has been explained in Kshudra Rogas in Sushruta Samhita. There are innumerable remedies for cracked foot in Ayurveda and let’s have a look at the promising Ayurvedic essential oils for healing heel fissures.

Causes for cracks or fissures: Human foot is the powerful part of the body helping one to withstand all severe climatic conditions and roam around, yet it is this part of the body that is often neglected. Cracks on foot have no age limit and it can affect anyone for that matter irrelevant of the sex, color and origin. The major causes for cracks or heel fissures are:

  • Cracks are occupational especially for farmers and other people who are involved in laborious tasks that demand standing always, which lead to huge pressure on the foot forcing it to develop cracks.
  • Prolonged standing on hard floor and this is the reason why most of the homemakers develop cracks.
  • Dry, dull and lifeless skin that lacks moisture, especially during winter has the tendency to develop cracks.
  • Uncomfortable, not so fitting or open back footwear compels pressure on the foot, while widening and deepening the cracks.
  • Obesity or excess accumulation of fat and deficiency of essential nutrients like vitamins and minerals.
  • Dry, hot, humid and tropical climatic conditions make your feet dull, dry and hard paving way to develop cracks.
  • Aging and skin conditions like psoriasis, eczema, athlete’s foot etc.
  • High exposure of feet to dust, dirt, germs and other harmful organisms leading to infection in the foot.
  • Excess sweating of feet or other causal illnesses like thyroid and diabetes can also cause cracks on the foot.

Symptoms: Cracks generally appear on the external or outer walls of the heels, when it is thick and dry. The symptoms of cracked foot are dry, itchy and painful heels with flaky and red patches and partition of skin looking like root hairs. When left unnoticed, fissures may start bleeding with excruciating pain and might even lead to developing Calluses, Cellulites, and Lymphangitis etc. Anyone with cracked feet will have greater discomfort while walking and the cracks can act as a dangerous channel for bacteria, virus, fungi and other harmful organisms to enter into the body and complicate the situation.

Ayurvedic treatment for Cracked foot: Ayurveda, the natural healing science suggests the systematic way of living in harmony with nature. Following an Ayurvedic routine can weaken your illness woes and strengthen your immunity. Padadari or cracked heels occurs mainly due to Vata imbalance. Ayurvedic texts recommend human beings to keep themselves clean and maintain perfect personal hygiene, which can help in controlling and preventing illness.

1. Pamper your feet with an Ayurvedic massage: Feet is one such vital part of the body that needs complete pampering and with such care it would remain soft, supple and glowing. Abhyanga or an Ayurvedic massage with effective natural and hydrogenated vegetable oils like Coconut oil, Sesame seed oil etc can heal your cracked heels effectively. Essential oils like Lavender essential oil, Lemon essential oil, Eucalyptus essential oil etc, can heal your infected heels and make the foot skin soft. This helps the hard, rough and dry skin to turn tender and smooth by enhancing the blood circulation in your feet.

2. Comforting foot bath or Padasnana: For cracked foot, this miraculous science suggests foot bath also known as Padasnana to revitalize your foot skin and prevent the fissures in the future as well. Padasnana along with certain effective Ayurvedic essential oils can help you save your foot from such painful, displeasing and unappealing heel fissures.

Take a small tub of warm water and add 2 to 4 drops of Patchouli essential oil, Tea tree essential oil, Rose essential oil and Lavender essential oil. Soak your feet in this water for about 15 to 20 minutes and the cicatrisant, antibacterial, antiseptic, antifungal, calming and anti-inflammatory properties in these essential oils will make your feet petal soft when done two or three times a week.

Adding few drops of Tea tree oil, Peppermint oil, Eucalyptus oil and Lemon oil to a small basin of water and soak your feet into this medicated solution for about 10 to 15 minutes. This relaxes your heels, loosens the cracks, moisturizes the dry scaly skin and helps combat fungal infections as these oils have anti-fungal, analgesic, anesthetic and astringent properties.

3. Moisturize your feet with soothing essential oils: The best essential oils for moisturizing your feet are Peppermint oil, Myrrh oil, Lavender oil, Rose oil, Geranium oil, Patchouli oil, Tea tree oil and Eucalyptus oil. These oils can be used for massaging your feet either as a blend with carrier oils like jojoba oil or coconut oil or can be added to warm water for your foot bath. 5 to 10 drops of essential oils of Geranium, Benzoin, Lavender, Myrrh and Tea tree mixed with 1 ounce of natural cream or mild lotion can act as the best daily moisturizing rub for your feet, especially after a shower.

4. Care your heels with Carrier oils: Carrier oils like Jojoba oil, Calendula oil, Avocado oil, Olive oil and Sweet Almond oil can guard your foot from cracks and other infections. These oils enrich your skin with the presence of essential vitamins and minerals. A gentle massage with any of these oils can aid in nourishing your dehydrated and dry skin while preventing it from painful cracks.

5. Healthy and nutritious diet: Drink enough water daily and eat a balanced diet with rich nutrients like essential fatty acids, minerals and vitamins, which make your skin smooth and combat dead skin cells in your body. Green leafy vegetables and juicy fruits can supply the essential resilience to your skin.

Regular physical exercises and yoga can help you in treating your cracked heels. Hmmm…. Now you can use your dream footwear on your shelves again and dance in joy with the comfort and confidence of having crack-free, clear and supple heels. Happy Dancing!!!

Thought for the day:

The human foot is a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art.                                                                        – Leonardo da Vinci

Suggested Reading:

  1. Natural Foot Care: Herbal Treatments, Massage, and Exercises for Healthy Feet By Stephanie L. Tourles
  2. Whole Body Massage: The Ultimate Practical Manual of Head, Face, Body and Foot Massage Techniques By Francesca Rinaldi, Nitya Lacroix, Sharon Seager, Renée Tanner
  3. Absolute Beauty: Radiant Skin and Inner Harmony Through the Ancient Secrets of Ayurveda By Pratima Raichur, Mariam Cohn

Reference Links:

  1. Kshudra Roga Critical Understanding by Scribd
  2. Effect of Madhusiktadi Lepa and Padasnana in the Management of Padadari by S.J.G. Ayurvedic Medical College
  3. Dry Cracked Feet by essential3

Best Christmas Gift Idea 2012: Adoring Ayurvedic Essential Oils

Are you thinking ‘What is wrong with me?’ wondering what’s the need for Christmas gift idea now, while there are still 4 full months for December 25th to knock your door? Come on! This is scorching summer season and to think about something that will enchant your mind, chill your senses and hearten your spirits will certainly be a brilliant idea and nothing else other than Christmas Eve has the glory to splash such joy on you. Sounds great now….. Right!! This is the right time to start your Christmas count down. Every year Christmas is exceptional in its special way. This year, you make it out of the ordinary by gifting your loved ones with warm and healing Ayurvedic essential oils rather than your usual gifts.

Your 2011 Christmas might not have been the same as your 2008 Christmas. You might have missed your loved ones or there might have been a new member to your family last year (baby!), much more adventure and a variety of gifts and that is what Christmas is all about. Make your 2012 Christmas outshine all the other festive seasons that you’ve passed in your lifetime with a wonderful pack of sensational essential oils that can take your entire family out of this world. Yes! There are certain mind-blowing Ayurvedic essential oils that suit everyone and can be used all through the year till the next Christmas comes by your way. Such enlivening essential oils are:

  1. Lavender essential oil: According to me ‘Lavender is the queen of all essential oils’ and is my all-time favorite. How can anyone keep themselves away from this magnificent oil with a mystique fragrance in it? Fill your love in a bottle full of Lavender essential oil that can uplift the spirits and refresh the mind. Wow! The wonderful color, the exuberant aroma, immense health benefits and numerous therapeutic properties like nervine, sedative, antidepressant, anti-inflammatory, expectorant, antiseptic, analgesic, anti-rheumatic, anti-convulsant and many more make Lavender very special at all the good times and sick times too!
  2. Ylang Ylang essential oil: Nothing can be so very romantic, tender, quixotic, passionate and magical like the transfixing fragrance of Ylang Ylang essential oil. This oil has emmenagogue, sedative, antiseptic, aphrodisiac, hypotensive and antidepressant properties that alleviates pain, supports mood fluctuations, controls high blood pressure, aids in frigidity problems, brings down rapid heartbeat and treats your senses.
  3. Rose essential oil: Shakespeare rightly said that ‘Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose’. Very popularly known as the symbol of love all around the universe, Rose essential oil can give you the joy of being together in a garden full of fresh, fragrant roses. Rose oil has been proven effective in treating various health conditions with its aphrodisiac, antiseptic, antiviral, antidepressant, antiphlogistic, antispasmodic, emmenagogue, uterine, bactericidal and nervine properties.
  4. Grapefruit essential oil: Grapefruit oil with its light and fresh aroma is trusted to have great effects in shedding the extra pounds of the body. Any weight loss program with essential oils cannot get fulfilled without Grapefruit essential oil. It is also an excellent skin toning agent and natural skin purifier.

Apart from these essential oils, you can also include Peppermint essential oil, Sandalwood essential oil, Sweet orange essential oil or Jasmine essential oil as per the preference of your near ones.

Love is known only when it is shown. Express your unconditional love this Christmas season with the never-ending bliss of these Ayurvedic essential oils gift pack. There’s nothing to get surprised if the love of your life asks for one the next Christmas also. Wait and watch!!!

Merry Christmas and let it be a Mesmerizing Christmas as well.

Reference links:

  1. Christmas by History.com
  2. Health benefits of Rose essential oil by Organic facts
  3. Ylang Ylang – The Great Benefits by Ylang Ylang Essential Oil

Ayurvedic Essential Oils To Lead Your Weight Loss Mission

Ayurveda is a spiritual admiration that has been healing human infirmities and addressing the pattern of genial living. It believes that human beings are a part of nature and any kind of descend in their health can be taken care brilliantly only with the help of nature. Ayurveda suggests that mind and body contributes an equal proportion both for well-being and ill-health.

Ayurvedic essential oils are trusted to treat excess weight without any kind of side effects that may affect you just like your over-the-counter medicines. You’d love yourselves and admire your young and beautiful structure as you start using them in your daily routine. There are many misleading brands of essential oils in the market that add synthetic agents for artificial aroma, which may harm the ultimate user. Be wise in choosing the real and natural Ayurvedic essential oils that are extracted in a safe and eco-friendly environment.

Why choose Ayurvedic essential oils for weight loss: Ayurvedic essential oils have therapeutic properties and are of great assistance to weight loss as they have detoxifying and uplifting properties that can aid in augmenting circulation, boosting metabolism, controlling the appetite, lessen the craving for ingesting extra calories and shatter the excess fat deposits in your body.

Governing biological effects: Hypothalamus plays a vital role in gaining excess weight due to increased consumption of food. It is an incredible chamber of the human brain that functions dynamically in connecting the nervous system and the endocrine system through the pituitary gland. It can also be called as a satiety center as it controls the feelings of fullness and satisfaction after the meals. The mystical aroma of certain potent essential oils has been proved to decrease the appetite and the desire for more food due to their capability to fuel the function of hypothalamus. Few such curative oils are:

Lemon essential oil: Lemon oil is always refreshing, rejuvenating and revives your senses with its detoxifying, anti-depressant and astringent properties. It increases the function of your stomach in secreting the essential acids for digestion that help in fostering the speedy digestive process. Limonene present in Lemon essential oil assists in free movement of fatty acids into the blood stream and it is at this juncture the fat deposits are wrecked. It boosts metabolism and stimulates the function of pancreas, stomach and liver while promoting your energy to tackle the loss of weight.

Bergamot essential oil: Bergamot oil has calmative and mood enhancing properties, which supports in alleviating stress, anxiety and nervousness. It presents you the sense of hale and heartiness. It soothes the mind and curbs your cravings for food naturally.

Peppermint essential oil: Peppermint always abets digestive disorders in an effective manner.  It has the potential to hold back your appetite when smelled before each meal as the powerful aroma of this oil has a direct impact on the hypothalamus’s ventromedial nucleus that gives you a feeling of fullness and puts an end to your desire to eat more. You can also make use of a unique blend of Peppermint and Lemon essential oil which is very effective for weight loss than using it separately.

Grapefruit essential oil: This mind-blowing oil has been in prolonged use in the treatment of cellulites contributing to reduced fat cells. It has diuretic, fat-dissolving, appetite suppressant and detoxifying properties to assist in weight loss, burning excess fat deposits and control your longing to eat extra.

Apart from these essential oils, you can also make use of cinnamon essential oil, ginger essential oil, lavender essential oil, basil essential oil, geranium essential oil and rose essential oil for deriving the fullest benefits by marrying nature and get ready to break up with obesity and no more overweight as well.

Reference Link:

  1. What are essential oils? Therapeutic Properties of Essential Oils by The International Federation Of Aromatherapists (IFA)
  2. Hypothalamus by Wikipedia
  3. The Ayurvedic Guide to Diet and Weight Loss: The Sattva Program by Scott Gerson