Question: I have had burning feet for the past 10 years. The soles of both feet turn very red and hot. I have had nerve tests, with no problems found there. I don't have to be standing. In fact, the problem's worse at night in bed. I am normal otherwise. I was low in vitamin B-12, so I get a shot of that once a month. I am desperate; you're my last hope.
- Mrs. P.G.
Answer: You've been checked carefully for the common sources of burning feet - nerves or circulatory malfunction. I realize it's small consolation, but you've joined a pretty big club.
Vitamin B-12 is a thought. A few people with burning-feet syndrome have been found deficient in that or other B vitamins.
Let's look to other possibilities. If your feet turn red and burn when they get a little warmed, as when under blankets, you might be dealing with erythromelalgia. Often aspirin can control that. But erythromelalgia can be a sign of something else going on, such as polycythemia. In that, the bone marrow makes too many blood cells.
Perhaps you've already considered such theories. If you have and are left short of diagnosis and treatment, all I can offer are some common-sense tips:
- Wear shoes that "breathe."
- Wear cotton socks.
- Soak your feet in cold - not ice-cold - water for 15 minutes a day.
- If you can use daily aspirin, take one before bedtime.
Question: Sometime back, I saw an item in your column that mentioned Dermablend, a preparation to use for vitiligo. I have been trying to find out where to buy it, but have had no luck. The product is not on my store's order list. I have the skin condition quite bad and would love to use it. How come I can't?
- Mrs. H.J.E.
Answer: Vitiligo is loss of skin-pigment cells, either in patches or over the entire body. The only explanation we have for it is an autoimmune process, in which the body's immune system turns on certain cells, in this case the pigment sites.
I have from time to time mentioned various treatments and products. I do recall mentioning Dermablend, and I am surprised that you have had trouble locating it. It is not a prescription item, and I am told it is sold in large department stores.
If you cannot find it in a store near you, try writing to the manufacturer: Dermablend Corrective Products Co., 8522 S. Lafayette St., Chicago, IL 60620.
While I'm at it, I should take the opportunity to give readers the address of the National Vitiligo Foundation: Box 6337, Tyler, TX 75711. Send a self-addressed stamped envelope.
Question: I enjoyed the article on ice-eating. I was known once as the "ice eater." Then my doctor gave me iron supplements and the ice age ended for me. You are right.
- Mrs. W.M.
Answer: Most definitely, iron deficiency anemia can create cravings for strange substances, like ice, cornstarch, etc. We call it pica. Your doctor was wise to look for this ("pica") to explain your iron deficiency.
Women with heavy menstruation and women or men with hidden hemorrhaging, as from the digestive tract, can also have this appetite aberration. Thanks for your testimonial.