People’s Pharmacy: Listerine makes bare feet bearable
Q. Thanks for a tip you offered. A woman recommended a combination of Listerine and diluted vinegar for toenail fungus. She mentioned it also made her feet soft.
I don’t have nail fungus, but I do have a problem trying to get my feet presentable to go to work in sandals without paying for a pedicure every week. I tried soaking my feet in the solution, and I’m so thrilled.
It made my calloused feet look and feel better, and it also got the garden soil off bare feet better than a bleach solution. It’s a nice beauty aid for a barefoot-loving professional!
A. Thanks for sharing your success. Only old-fashioned amber Listerine should be used as a soak. Another reader tried the blue version and got blue feet as a result.
Q. I have taken pain relievers for years for arthritis pain in my knees and hips and plantar fasciitis in my left foot. I thought drugs like ibuprofen and naproxen were my friends.
My rheumatologist prescribed Celebrex, but suddenly my kidney enzymes soared, and I was told no more NSAIDs, ever! What can I take that won’t raise my blood pressure or kill my kidneys?
A. Many people get pain relief with over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve). Others do well on prescriptions such as Celebrex, diclofenac, meloxicam or nabumetone.
Chronic use of these medications can result in side effects, however. Like you, some people find their kidneys can’t handle NSAIDs. Others develop ulcers, high blood pressure, elevated liver enzymes or other reactions.
Readers searching for pain relief without such complications sometimes benefit from home remedies such as pineapple juice or gin-soaked raisins.
Others find herbs helpful: “I have osteoarthritis and can no longer take NSAIDs due to a spike in liver enzymes and a family history of heart disease. After I read in your column that turmeric is a powerful anti-inflammatory, I started taking it. Now I feel as well as I did on NSAIDs, with no side effects.”
We are sending you our Guide to Alternatives for Arthritis with pros and cons of arthritis drugs and other approaches such as home remedies and supplements like boswellia, ginger, MSM and turmeric. Anyone who would like a copy, please send $3 in check or money order with a long (No. 10), stamped (59 cents), self-addressed envelope to: Graedons’ People’s Pharmacy, No. AA-2, P.O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027. It also can be downloaded for $2 from www.peoplespharmacy.com.