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Monday, October 24, 2011

How To: Soothing Dry Cracked Feet

It seems dry, cracked feet becomes a bigger problem in the fall and winter months than the summer.  (At least I hear more about it from my clients during this time of year...)  Of course this can be due to the dryer climate both outside and indoors, but it can also be a sign of malnourishment or toxicity in the body.  It is best to take care of your feet year round so the problem doesn't get out of hand, in to severely cracking skin with bleeding.  Here are my recommendations for soothing dry, cracked feet.

1.) Drink more water:  Increase your water intake to, at minimum, half your body weight in ounces of water daily.  This helps to not only rehydrate your skin, but flush the lymph system to ensure toxins are moving to the colon and out of your body.

2.)  Increase your healthy fats:  If your body is deprived of the healthy fats (DHA & EPA), your skin will be the first to show it.  This doesn't necessarily manifest down in your feet, but all over your body you will notice dry skin lacking resilience.  I recommend everyone supplement at least 2-4 grams daily of a good clean fish oil or hemp oil.  Also add in plenty of healthy fats to your diet - avocados, coconut milk, eggs (the yolks!), nuts, grass fed meats, wild caught salmon..  Over time your skin will repair itself.

3.)  Begin a dry brushing regimen:  Read more about dry brushing here and begin your 3 month commitment, paying extra special attention (and pressure) to your feet.  You should notice huge changes in just one month, but allow at least 3 months for full effect.  I recommend dry brushing daily, just like we brush our teeth and shower.

4.)  Follow up your dry brush with a foot bath:  After you've sloshed off all the dead skin from your body, treat yourself to a healing foot bath (recipe below).  The Epsom salt pulls toxins from your feet.  The baking soda neutralizes the skin as toxins come out (can also substitute with apple cider vinegar).  The honey, oatmeal, aloe, and lavender sooth and replenish the skin.  Follow up the foot bath with a massage of olive oil, put on some thick socks, and let the healing nutrients soak in.

Dry Cracked Feet Bath

1/4 cup raw honey
1/2 cup dry oatmeal (can run thru food processor for finer texture)
1/4 cup pure aloe vera
1/3 cup Epsom salt
1/4 cup baking soda
20-30 drops pure lavender essential (or oil of choice)
Hot water to fill foot bath

Mix all ingredients together in the foot bath with water as hot as you can handle. Soak for at least 15 minutes. Simple, quick and easy but very relaxing and moisturizing!

If you suspect your body is suffering from more than simply dry skin, toxicity may be an issue.  It is correctable and you don't have to suffer!  Email me any time for advice and a free initial consultation on what could be going on and how to heal.

9 comments:

Tammy Stewart

I love doTERRA essential oils!! www.mydoterra.com/healthforapurpose They are MUCH stronger than any other oil and smell better so it saves money because you use less.

Unknown

Do you have a recipe for pumpkin cookies?? Couldn't find one on ur site, but its hard searching from this phone. :P cooked up a pile of pumpkin and looking for yummy desserts!
Nothing to do with cracked feet. :P

Healing Cuisine by Elise

Hi Ash! No pumpkin cookies recipe. I would love to experiment to make some for this fall, but Austin is occupying all my attention! :) If you come up with something, send the specs on to me. Would love to try it out! And GREAT IDEA to make the banana bread into pumpkin bread! And leave the choco chips in. ;) I'm totally trying that when I can get in the kitchen long enough to stir it all together!

Judee @ Gluten Free A-Z

Visitng from the Sustainable blog carnival. I have the WORST sore cracked bleeding feet. This is a great post and I'm trying it all. Thanks so much

Healing Cuisine by Elise

Welcome, Judee! Hope you find the foot treatment helpful in healing your feet!

Diane Jaquay

I've always had thick, dry, cracked skin on my heels, until I totally changed my diet over a year ago. I started eating a primal diet which includes a lot of healthy fats, and this summer, for the first time ever, my feet are smooth and soft. The really miraculous thing to me is that I didn't even have to DO anything to get them that way, it just happened. Pretty cool, huh?

Healing Cuisine by Elise

Hi Diane! That is wonderful! I hope you enjoy my recipes here at Healing Cuisine. You'll find that most will fit your primal lifestyle!

Loretta E.

Thanks for the Facebook reminder on this post! It's getting to be that time of year for me. I gotta focus on dry brushing becauseI really feel so invigorated when I do it...

Healing Cuisine by Elise

Yes, it's that time of year, Loretta. It seems October is the month I can really notice the dryness, too.

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