Does foot soaking reduce inflammation?

In a busy life, soaking your feet frequently can effectively relieve stress and physical fatigue, and it also has a great effect on promoting blood circulation in the body. Soaking your feet can also play a certain role in preventing physical diseases. Generally, putting different things in the foot soaking water can have different effects. However, soaking your feet will not have an anti-inflammatory effect, but it can stimulate the body's acupuncture points to effectively treat physical diseases.

Can foot soaking reduce inflammation?

Foot bath can promote blood circulation but cannot reduce inflammation

Foot bath benefits

1. Promote blood circulation

From the perspective of health preservation theory, feet are farthest from the human heart and bear the heaviest burden. Since ancient times, they have been regarded as the second heart of the human body. They are also the most likely to cause poor blood circulation. Medical texts record that "people's feet are like trees' roots. When a tree dies, the roots die first. When people age, the feet age first." For people with cold hands and feet, soaking your feet is a good way to promote blood circulation.

2. Stimulate the acupuncture points, reflex areas and meridians of the feet

Pressing the feet can also reflect whether there are problems with the corresponding liver. When doing a foot massage, you will feel pain and soreness when the masseur presses the feet, but after the massage, you will feel relaxed all over. There are 6 main meridians on the soles of the feet. Soaking your feet can stimulate these six meridians and help promote blood circulation.

3. Auxiliary treatment of diseases

Traditional Chinese medicine attaches great importance to the exercise and maintenance of the feet, and uses foot soaking and massage (foot therapy) to prevent and treat diseases. There is a folk saying that "rich people take tonics and poor people soak their feet", which shows the important effect of foot soaking. Modern people stay in air-conditioned rooms for a long time and like to eat cold food, so some people will have more cold and dampness in their bodies. Soaking feet can speed up the expulsion of cold from the body.

4. Improve sleep and eliminate insomnia

Persistent foot soaking also has a good effect on improving sleep. The feet are rich in nerve endings and capillaries. Soaking your feet in hot water has a gentle and effective stimulating effect on the nerves and capillaries. This warm stimulation is reflected to the cerebral cortex, which has an inhibitory effect on the cerebral cortex, thereby improving sleep and eliminating insomnia. Foot soaking can increase the blood flow rate and volume in the feet, thereby improving heart function, reducing heart load, promoting metabolism, and regulating meridians and qi and blood.

The best time to soak your feet

The best time to soak your feet

The best time to soak your feet is around 9 o'clock in the evening, as this is the best time to nourish the kidneys. Because this is the time when the kidney meridian's qi and blood are relatively weak, soaking your feet at this time will increase your body's heat, and your blood vessels will expand, which is beneficial for activating blood circulation, thereby promoting blood circulation in the body. Soaking your feet at night can also eliminate the nervous tension during the day, allow your tired kidneys to rest, and make you feel more comfortable.

How long is the best time to soak your feet?

1. The time should not be too long, it is best to control it within 15-20 minutes.

Soaking your feet for too long can easily cause the local blood circulation in your feet to be too rapid for a long time, thus causing cardiovascular overload. Moreover, in autumn and winter, if the skin is soaked in hot water for too long, it will easily become dry.

2. The water temperature cannot be too high.

When soaking your feet, the higher the water temperature is, the better. The best water temperature should be controlled below 50℃, and it should be hot but not scalding. Do not use your hands to measure the water temperature, it is best to feel it with your feet. Water at a certain temperature can stimulate acupuncture points, cure diseases, maintain health and strengthen the body.

Can pregnant women soak their feet?

Pregnant women can soak their feet. Soaking their feet in hot water before going to bed can promote blood circulation in the feet, avoid calf swelling, eliminate fatigue and improve sleep. But pregnant women should pay attention to the following points when soaking their feet:

1. The foot soaking time should not be too long, 15 to 30 minutes is appropriate.

Pregnant women should control the time when soaking their feet, generally about 15 to 30 minutes. Because during the foot soaking process, the human body's blood circulation speeds up and the heart rate is faster than usual. If the time is too long, it will easily increase the burden on the heart. In addition, since more blood will flow to the lower limbs, people with weak constitutions are prone to feeling dizzy due to insufficient blood supply to the brain, and in severe cases, even fainting may occur. Pregnant women should pay attention to their physical condition when soaking their feet. If they experience chest tightness, dizziness, etc., they should stop soaking their feet and lie down in bed to rest.

2. It is not advisable to soak your feet half an hour after a meal.

After eating, most of the blood in the human body flows to the digestive tract. If you soak your feet in hot water immediately after a meal, the blood that should flow to the digestive system will flow to the lower limbs instead. Over time, it will affect digestion and absorption and lead to nutritional deficiencies. Therefore, it is best to soak your feet one hour after a meal.