Preventing foot injuries in diabetics

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Dr. Paul Brand, whose pioneering research on leprosy in India during the 1940's spotlighted the value of wound prevention in treating that disease(  ... )

recognized that the decay of hands and feet associated with leprosy stemmed from the victims' loss of a sensation of pain in their limbs. That left them vulnerable to wounding themselves without realizing it and put them at high risk of developing serious infections.

Diabetics suffer a similar loss of sensation, called neuropathy, in their feet. In patients where it is identified, doctors often discover a wide range of other diabetic problems that are developing silently.

A high percentage of victims of foot neuropathy also suffer from the early stages of peripheral vascular disease, a narrowing of the arteries that carry blood to the feet. Once vascular disease has progressed to the point that it restricts blood flow to a wound site, the chances the wound will heal drop sharply. ( ... )

Wow. I know I sometimes get bruises and don't know why, but my feet I *notice*. I'm also very aware of how they look since I rub lotion into them once or twice a day (verra dry skin I have, yes indeed). That said, I knew my maternal grandmother had at least one foot amputated as a result of diabetes. So I may want to reference this info in the future.

Good advice in general...

Freewill Astrology:

Taurus Horoscope for week of September 1, 2005

You have the potential to be a great wizard in the coming week. Here's how to fulfill that promise: (1) Renounce grandiose fantasies of transforming lead into gold or frogs into soul mates. (2) Think small, be specific, get extremely pragmatic, and don't make up stories based on inconclusive evidence. (3) Take everything that's dreamy and hard-to-pin-down and bring it down to earth. (4) Don't bitch about the limitations; love them and use them to your advantage. (5) Treat idealism as a distraction unless it can be translated into concrete acts that do some good for actual human beings.

Dementia linked to decreased blood flow to the brain

While I'm on the topic of circulation problems...

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The findings, which appear in the journal Radiology, suggest that doctors may be able to reduce the risk of patients' developing dementia by monitoring how well blood is flowing to their brains and giving treatment if there is a problem, the researchers said.

Blood flow to the brain can be restricted by an array of problems, said Dr. Aart Spilt of the Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands, the lead author of the study.

High blood pressure is one: it can lead to stiffening and narrowing of the arteries. So, on the other hand, is low blood pressure, if the body is unable to compensate for the problem. Heart failure can also be a cause. ( ... )

Yet another reason to put down the computer and do something active....