Burning feet is characterized by severe aching, stinging and burning sensation of the feet. This may also be accompanied by sweating, swelling and inflammation of the affected foot/feet. While usually the burning sensation is limited to the soles of the feet, at times the pain may extend up to the ankles and the lower legs. Although the pain remains persistent throughout the day, it is usually at night that it intensifies.
Cause-specific Remedies
Inappropriate Footwear: A sensitivity or allergic reaction to the leather dyes used in leather footwear, or the material of the socks one is wearing can trigger off the burning foot sensation. Sometimes dampness in the foot caused by perspiration retaining cotton or woolen socks may lead to a mild and local form of burning feet.
# Remedy - Choose mesh shoes over leather ones. Also opt for socks made of cotton. This will allow the feet to breathe and prevent sweaty feet.
Erythromelalgia: Erythromelalgia - also known as the burning foot syndrome - is a medical condition which results in severe burning and aching of the feet. This is caused by circulatory and nervous system related problems or thiamine deficiencies.
# Remedy - Consuming foods that are rich in vitamin B (like whole grains, nutritional yeast and brown rice, peanuts and raw wheat germ, many types of green and yellow vegetables and dairy products including milk and butter) can help relieve the problem. â BE WARNED, They can also aggravate your EM as well âŚ
*** In my personal experience any Wheat Based Products are the cause of the EM Flare-Ups and so are SOY based products and processed foods that use Alginic acid, also called algin or alginate, is an anionic polysaccharide distributed widely in the cell walls of brown algae, where through binding with water it forms a viscous gum. The chemical compound sodium alginate is the sodium salt of alginic acid. Its empirical formula is NaC6H7O6. Sodium alginate is a gum, extracted from the cell walls of brown algae.
Sodium Alginate (E401) is extracted from brown seaweed. It is used as a stabilizer for ice cream, yogurt, cream, and cheese. It acts as a thickener and emulsifier for salad dressings, pudding, jam, tomato juice, and canned products. It is a hydration agent for noodles, bread, cool and frozen products. In the presence of calcium and acid mediums, it forms resilient gels. It is a cold gelling agent that needs no heat to gel. It is most commonly used with calcium lactate or calcium chloride in the spherification process.
Sodium salt of alginic acid (E400), a natural polysaccharide, produced by different seaweeds of the family Phaeophyceae (Macrocystis pyrifera, Laminaria digitata, L. cloustoni, Ascophyllum nodosum)
High concentrations lead to impairment of iron uptake, as the iron is bound.
E-number |
E400 |
Name |
Alginic acid |
Function |
Stabiliser, gelling agent |
Foods |
Soft drinks, yoghurt, jam. |
Description |
Obtained from brown sea weed. |
E-number |
E401 |
Name |
Sodium alginate |
Function |
Stabiliser, gelling agent |
Foods |
Syrups, sauces, ice cream, fruit drinks, fruit pie fillings. |
Description |
Derived from brown sea weed. |
E-number |
E407 |
Name |
Carrageenan |
Function |
Stabiliser, gelling agent, thickener. |
Foods |
Milk drinks, ice cream, biscuits, jam, processed meats, pastries. |
Description |
Mixture of polysaccharides produced from a variety of red sea weeds. |
Carrageenan: E407 - Processed eucheuma seaweed (PES) (407a)
- Bulking agent
- Carrier
- Emulsifier
- Gelling agent
- Glazing agent
- Humectant
- Stabilizer
- Thickener
A Food Additive Thatâs Not as Safe As You Think
If you look towards the back of the ingredients list on many processed foods youâll frequently see an ingredient called carrageenan. Like lots of other confusing sounding food-stuffs, most people blithely consume it daily without a scintilla of awareness about what it actually is or whether or not itâs good for you.
Overall carrageenan is (mostly) harmless, but it has a variety of troublesome side effects that shouldnât go unnoticed, most notably high correlations to colon cancer, inflammation, and a depressed immune system.
Carrageenan is a polysaccharide thatâs derived from red seaweed. On a molecular level itâs actually very similar to plastic and is popular for that reason. It bends easily but snaps back into place, which makes it a useful additive to foods, gels, and foams.
Itâs long been used to improve the texture of food, and the earliest reported uses of red seaweed to improve a foodâs characteristics dates back to 600 BC in China. It began to be used commercially in the west starting in the 1930â˛s, and about 80% of the worldâs red seaweed is harvested in the philippines.
Carrageenan is cheap, fairly docile, and easy to crank out. So itâs used in a lot things. Youâll often see it in milk products to improve viscosity, especially plant milks since they donât have any cream. Its others uses include but are not limited to:
- toothpaste
- gummy products
- dairy products/plant milks
- beer
- shoe polish
- shaving cream
And the list goes on. Youâll often see carrageenan used in conjunction with agar, guar gum, or xantham gum.
Carrageenan has always gotten a free pass from the health community. Itâs frequently used as a vegan alternative to gelatin and recently herbivores have come to its defense because dairy companies have been framing it as a âweird additiveâ in its milk commercials.
Carrageenan has a long and notable history of significant correlations to different types of cancer and acute-inflammatory responses which are not good for you, to say the least.
Inflammation
I was surprised to see that the most relevant, cited papers had little to do with carrageenan as a food additive, but instead focused on its ability to induce acute inflammation in rats. Hereâs the page I saw:
After digging a little deeper into the literature I was surprised to find that by far the most notable aspect of carrageenan in medical research is its clockwork like ability to induce oedema and other inflammatory responses in rats. Theyâve been doing it in labs for more than 40 years.
Carrageenan ingested in large amounts promotes inflation in two ways: it depresses the activity of macrophages (big immune cells that act like garbage collectors) and induces the creation of histamine, Cox-2 and prostaglandins, all inflammation inducing compounds.
Cancer
Regular ingestion of carrageenan also has a high correlation to different sorts of gastrointestinal cancers in rats. Most of the research done on the carrageenan/cancer relationship has been done in southeast Asia, and thus is not as well publicized as other harmful food additives like MSG.
However, the trail of research on this issue is long, and pretty consistent. Carrageenan (particularly the âdegradedâ kind) regularly induces carcinogenesis, neoplasia, and intestinal lesions. By far the most impressive research in this issue was carried out by a professor named Kazuo Wakabayashi, whoâs centered in Japan (I believe).
I wonât bore you and write The Unabbreviated Scholarly Review on Carrageenan and Carcinogenesis, but let me point out two relevant studies for you to chew on:
- A clinical study conducted by Wakabayashi found that rodents were fed daily with a 5% carrageenan aqueous solution had a 100% incidence rate of colon metaplasis after 15 months.
- As far as I know there have been no clinical studies conducted on humans, but they have been performed on mice, rabbits, guinea pigs, and mice and they all show a connection between carrageenan and colon cancer.
Food for thought. - So Is Carrageenan Safe?
Throughout most of the world carrageenan has been deemed âgenerally safe.â And in modest quantities it is, just like most other additives you consume in processed food.
However, Iâm a bit miffed at the lack of attention its received for its potentially harmful side effects. The health community typically likes to throw stones at any and all preservatives added by the industrial process, and are quick to point out any harmful correlations that have been brought up in medical research. For example, the correlation between MSG and obesity has received a lot of scrutiny.
So Iâm not sure why carrageenan gets a free pass. It shouldnât.
Research and References on Carrageenan
Vinegar, R, et. al âQuantitative Studies of the Pathway to Acute Carrageenan Inflammationâ Federation Proceedings. 1976, pgs. 2447-2456.
URL: http://ukpmc.ac.uk/abstract/MED/976489
Di Rosa, M, et. al. âStudies of the Mediators of Acute Inflammatory Response Induced in Rats in Different Sites by Carrageenan and Turpentineâ Journal of Pathology. May, 1971. Pgs 15-29.
URL: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/path.1711040103/abstract
Wakabayashi, Kazuo, et. al. âInduction by Degraded Carrageenan of Colorectal Tumors in Ratsâ Cancer Letters. January 1978, pgs. 171-176.
URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304383578942374
Watanabe, Kenshi, et. al. âEffect of Dietary Undegraded Carrageenan on Colon Carcinogenesis in F344 Rats Treated With Azoxymethane or Methylnitrosureaâ Cancer Research. December 1978, pgs. 4427-4430.
URL: http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/38/12/4427.full.pdf
Tobacman, Joanne. âReview of Harmful Gastrointestinal Effects of Carrageenan in Animal Experimentsâ Environmental Health Perspectives. October 2001, pgs. 983-994.
URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1242073/pdf/ehp0109-000983.pdf
Guay, Jocelyne, et. al. âCarrageenan-Induced Paw Edema in Rat Elicits a Predominant Prostaglandin E2 Response in the Central Nervous System Associated with the Induction of Microsoma PGE2 Synthase-1âł Journal of Biological Chemistry. June 2004, pgs 24866-24872.
URL: http://www.jbc.org/content/279/23/24866.full.pdf+html
Salvemini, Daniela, et. al. âNitric Oxide: A Key Mediator in the Early and Late Phase of Carrageenan-Induced Rat Paw Inflammationâ British Journal of Pharmacology. Pgs 829-838.
URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1909531/pdf/brjpharm00083-0008.pdf
Carrageenan is a compound extracted from red seaweed that is added to improve the texture and mouth feel of foods. Its widespread use as an additive in foods began in the 1930s, initially in chocolate milk, and now it is found in yogurt, ice cream, soy milk, almond milk, deli meats, and meal replacement shakes.
For decades different groups and scientists have been trying to get the FDA to ban carrageenan as a food additive due to potential damage that it can cause to the digestive tract. More recently, this argument has been reignited with a consumer report and petition by the advocacy and food policy research group Cornucopia entitled, "How a Natural Food Additive Is Making Us Sick."
However, the FDA has yet to reopen the review on the safety of carrageenan, citing that there is no new data to be considered. The FDA doesnât seem to be acting stubborn here, as just last year they considered and subsequently rejected a petition by Joanne Tobacman, M.D., a professor at the University of Illinois, to ban carrageenan. Dr. Tobacman has been researching the additive and its impacts on inflammation and inflammatory diseases in animals and cells for the last 10 years.
What should you do? Right now there really isnât any data in humans that shows it poses adverse health effects. However, there is animal and cell culture data that does suggest it could cause damage to your gut and exacerbate inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohnâs disease. For some people, the red flags from the animal data is enough to warrant removal from their diet, while others would prefer to see these same negative findings in human studies before swearing off a particular ingredient.
This is an individual decision. One of the great things about food in America is that we have a myriad of choices. Personally, I donât think the data at this point warrants the time to check labels and buy carrageenan-free products. With the increased buzz surrounding carrageenan, Iâm sure weâll have additional research in humans in the future to give us a more definitive answer.
Diabetic Neuropathy: People suffering from diabetes may develop some form of nerve damage and this may result in burning feet. This medical condition is known as diabetic neuropathy. While the presence of high levels of blood sugar can affect the nerves in any part of the body, the nerves in your feet and legs are much more susceptible to the condition.
# Remedy - Appropriate treatment to control diabetes and keep blood sugar levels within normal range along with opting for a healthy lifestyle can help control the problem. NOT so with EM.
Fungal Foot Infections: Fungal infections like Athlete's foot develops in moist areas between your toes and on other parts of your foot, thus resulting in itching, inflamed red skin, stinging and burning sensations in the foot.
# Remedy - The best way to prevent Athlete's foot is by washing and drying the feet. A doctor may also be able to recommend the correct powders or other medication forms as remedies for Athlete's foot.
Hypothyroidism: Hypothyroidism results in an inadequate production of certain hormones. This results in joint pain and burning feet, obesity and heart diseases.
# Remedy - Treatment using a synthetic thyroid hormone is usually a safe and effective way of relieving the pain once the proper dosage is established.
Other Remedies
â People suffering from this disorder should wear mesh shoes or ones with an arch support. If possible, socks should be changed halfway through each day. Magnetic therapy insoles can also help provide relief.
â Regular exercising and massaging your feet can improve the circulation in the feet and help relieve the symptoms.
â Eat green leafy vegetables containing vitamin B complex as it is very healthy in this condition and helps in early recovery.
â Niacin (Vitamin B3) should be added to the diet, the richest form of which in brewer's yeast. Other sources are wheat bran, wheat germ, whole grain products, milk, green vegetables, beans, peas, peanuts, yogurt and egg yolk should be taken regularly. NOT for my EM, makes it worse âŚ
â Intake of certain vitamin supplements especially vitamin B1, vitamin B2 and pathothenic acid can reduce or eliminate the nerve inflammation and burning feet. In addition to that the intake of vitamin B6 and B12 supplements can eliminate the pins and needle sensation. Does NOT work for my EM.
â Cold foot baths will stimulate and give strength to the feet. (Can cause more damage)
â Avoid long periods of standing.
â Certain cooling creams or ointments can help relieve the symptoms.
â Pain relievers like aspirin or acetaminophen can also help provide relief. (for some)
Addressing the underlying conditions or these home remedies might be effective but treatment of burning feet needs the cause to be established. For this you would need to consult a podiatrist, rheumatologist or a neurologist.
PLEASE try different foods that you think cause FLARES in EM and see what you find â you might be surprised as I was/am ⌠Elimination diet/s are the only way to test foods/food additives âŚ. 5 days without the things you think may be causing you grief and them maybe up to 3 days of eating the eliminated food/product â this must be done for each one separately â one at a time otherwise you will not know what it is that is causing the problem âŚ
Caffiene is a big NO NO for me âŚ. ACID foods are a NO NO â Tomatoes & Pienapple are two that come to mind â there are others â even Lettuce is no go âŚ
Everything you can do to help yourself is of some benefit âŚ.
Regards â
Greg â (frostbite)
COOMA NSW
Australia
PS â If I donât respond straight away then please donât worry as I might not be feeling to well.
