Barefoot Lifestyle Has Its Dangers

(HealthDay News) -- Going barefoot is one of the simple pleasures of summer, but some who doff their shoes and socks suffer injuries such as cuts and puncture wounds. In some cases, those injuries develop infections that require surgery.

If you do go barefoot, check out these safety tips from the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons:

• Make sure you're vaccinated against tetanus. Teens and adults should get booster shots every 10 years.
• Apply sunscreen to the tops and bottoms of your feet to protect them from sunburn. Rare, but deadly, skin cancers can develop on the feet.
• Wear flip-flops or sandals around swimming pools, locker rooms and beaches. They'll help protect against cuts and abrasions from rough anti-slip surfaces and sharp objects hidden in beach sand, and prevent contact with viruses and bacteria that can cause athlete's foot, plantar warts and other foot problems.
• Use common sense. Every year, people lose toes while mowing the lawn barefoot and others suffer serious burns from accidentally stepping on stray campfire coals or fireworks. Remember that murky rivers, lakes and ponds can conceal sharp objects underwater.
• People with diabetes should never go barefoot, even indoors, because they may not "feel" a foot injury.
• If you suffer a puncture wound in your foot, see a doctor within 24 hours. A puncture wound must be cleaned properly and monitored throughout the healing process to avoid complications such as tissue and bone infections or damage to tendons or muscles in the foot.
• Inspect your feet on a routine basis for skin problems such as warts, calluses, ingrown toenails, suspicious moles, spots or freckles. The sooner a condition is detected, the easier it is to treat.

More information

The American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons has more about puncture wounds.

Leica Microscope & Equipment

FRANK SHALLENBERGER, M.D.

You don’t normally think of oxygen as a treatment for diabetes, but
according to Frank Shallenberger, M.D., H.M.D., director of the Nevada
Center of Alternative and Anti-Aging Medicine in Carson City, Nevada, ozone
(a less stable, more reactive form of oxygen) can produce remarkable
improvements in both the major and secondary symptoms of adult-onset
diabetes. The connection between the ozone and diabetes is the blood
circulation, Dr. Shallenberger says, as demonstrated in the following cases.

Virginia, 51, had been diabetic for five years and was taking Glucotrol, an
oral medication for controlling blood sugar levels. However, Virginia came
to Dr. Shallenberger seeking treatment for recurrent breast cancer, a tumor
that periodically grew then diminished.

Dr. Shallenberger decided to ozonate her blood as ozone is often used as a
healing substance in alternative cancer treatments. He drew 150 cc of
Virginia’s blood then injected it with ozone gas. Ozonating the sample of
Virginia’s blood took about 40 minutes, after which it was reinfused into
her body. He did this daily to address the cancer.

What surprised Dr. Shallenberger in this case was that not only the breast
cancer responded to ozonation (it started to dissolve) but so did Virginia’s
diabetes. Her blood sugar levels began dropping too low (a condition called
hypoglycemia) indicating that the ozone and Glucotrol were controlling her
blood sugar too well. Dr. Shallenberger reduced her Glucotrol dosage to once
daily, then soon after, as the low blood sugar trend continued, eliminated
the drug altogether. “Practically speaking, Virginia didn’t have diabetes
any longer,” notes Dr. Shallenberger.

How did ozone bring her diabetes under control? Diabetics always run the
risk of complications, such as loss of vision, heart disease, nerve
dysfunction, and gangrenous limbs. Diabetics usually have considerable
circulation problems such that the actual blood flow to their tissues is
diminished, explains Dr. Shallenberger. Patients often have difficulty
digesting fats (such as cholesterol and triglycerides) and their arteries
tend to thicken and harden.

“This is compounded by the fact that what little blood reaches their tissues
is less effective than it should be and is unable to deliver oxygen to those
tissues,” says Dr. Shallenberger. “The tissues become oxygen depleted, which
explains why diabetics have problems with gangrene and why they’re unable to
resist infections.”

A prime reason the red blood cells in the diabetic’s blood are unable to
release their oxygen is that a key molecule called 2,3-diphosphoglycerate,
or 2,3-dpg for short, is in reduced supply. Under normal conditions, 2,3-dpg
stimulates red blood cells which carry oxygen to deliver it to the tissues;
but if there isn’t enough of this molecule in the system, the red blood
cells can’t deliver the oxygen.

When you introduce ozone—that is, more oxygen—into the blood, more 2,3-dpg
is produced and the oxygen-delivery system and the efficiency of blood
circulation start to improve. The ozone also appears to enhance the activity
of cellular metabolism, the continual conversion of food into energy. Dr.
Shallenberger likens the metabolism-heightening effect of ozone to a similar
benefit to diabetics obtained through vigorous exercise. It oxygenates the
tissues and gets all the body processes running better, he says.

Levels of ATP, an important molecule which stores energy in the cells, are
also enhanced through ozonation. Among other functions, ATP helps each cell
maintain the integrity of its membrane, thereby enabling it to regulate the
passage of materials into and out of the cell, says Dr. Shallenberger. If
the cell membrane collapses, the cell dies; if a lot of cells die, you start
getting tissue death, and gangrene becomes a possibility.

Gangrene in a toe was a serious diabetic complication besetting Quentin, 50.
His diabetes was poorly controlled, mainly because he was reluctant to
comply with dietary restrictions, says Dr. Shallenberger.

Specifically, he didn’t want to give up drinking beer. Even with a daily
dosage of four Micronase pills (another blood sugar–controlling drug),
Quentin’s blood sugar level was around 230; a safe, normal level ranges
between 70 and 120.

Dr. Shallenberger already had worked with Quentin for two years, prescribing
dietary changes, herbs, and supplements, but when Quentin developed gangrene
on the third toe of his right foot and conventional doctors were scheduling
him for amputation at the ankle, Dr. Shallenberger decided to try ozonation.
“Quentin’s toe was completely black and they were going to amputate his
entire foot because the rest of the tissue was on the borderline of becoming
gangrenous, too,” he notes.

For Quentin’s treatment, Dr. Shallenberger added another element to the
ozonation procedure: chelation. The chelation would help improve Quentin’s
blood circulation by removing heavy metals and arterial plaque. Dr.
Shallenberger calls his combined treatment “chezone.”

Chelation improves blood circulation to the tissues, he explains, which
means they get more oxygen. This in turn improves their metabolic rate
(energy processing efficiency) and enables them to make better use of
glucose (blood sugar). When you have higher efficiency in using glucose, you
are much closer to controlling the diabetes naturally, says Dr.
Shallenberger. Using ozone, as stated above, helps the patient utilize the
available oxygen better, due to improved circulation. Combining chelation
with ozone in effect doubles the circulation benefits.

In addition to chezone, Dr. Shallenberger put an ozone extremity bag around
Quentin’s right foot, filled it with ozone gas, and left it in place for 20
minutes. In this way, the ozone was absorbed through the skin, an approach
that has proven successful in treating chronic sores and skin ulcers, says
Dr. Shallenberger.

Each time he gave Quentin a chezone treatment (ten in all, one per day), he
also ozonated his foot. After about two weeks, the foot was much improved;
the area between the ankle and gangrenous toe had healed which meant only
the toe would have to be amputated.

After the surgery, Quentin hurt his foot in such a way that the stitches
broke open and a large ulcerating sore formed. His doctors talked about
amputation again, but after another six weeks of chezone and foot ozonation
treatments, Quentin’s foot healed again. Following the first two weeks of
intensive treatments, Dr. Shallenberger gave him a chezone once weekly and
foot ozonation three times weekly. In ensuing months, Quentin received
maintenance treatments.

About ten weeks after the first chezone treatment, “the lesion in Quentin’s
foot was entirely healed and he was down to only two Micronase pills a day,”
says Dr. Shallenberger. “If I had been able to treat his toe before it went
black, I probably could have saved it.” As it turned out, Dr. Shallenberger
did save Quentin’s right foot twice. “I’m not convinced you can get all
diabetics off their medication. To me the point is how well you can control
the blood sugar.”

In the case of Leonard, 64, controlling his sugar intake was central to
being able to get his diabetes and gangrene complications under control.
Leonard, who developed diabetes six years earlier, was on insulin and
Glucophage (another diabetes drug) to control his blood sugar levels.

However, Leonard developed a blister on the sole of his foot; when this
became infected, his doctor cleaned out all the infected tissue, leaving a
hole in his foot. Over a three-month period, this wound failed to heal even
with antibiotics and Leonard’s doctors were talking about amputating his
foot.

Dr. Shallenberger started Leonard on the same combination chezone and foot
ozonation program that had worked so well for Quentin. Then he added a piece
of advice. “You must cut down on your sugar intake.” Leonard ate a lot of
white sugar in his diet and none of his conventional doctors apparently made
the link between high dietary sugar intake and the inability of his
infection to heal. “White blood cells, the immune cells that fight
infection, cease to function in the presence of elevated glucose levels,”
says Dr. Shallenberger.

After two treatments, Leonard’s foot was noticeably improved and his energy
levels were heightened. The initial progress motivated Leonard to comply
fully with the program. Dr. Shallenberger started Leonard on a series of
nutrients and remedies including chromium and vanadium, to help his body
utilize its natural pancreatic insulin.

People with adult-onset diabetes produce insulin but their system becomes
unable to use it, a condition called insulin resistance. In fact, the
pancreas of such a patient generally produces too much insulin; as the body
fails to act on this insulin, the pancreas produces yet more. The minerals
chromium and vanadium break this cycle and support the body in making use
again of pancreatic insulin, says Dr. Shallenberger.

Among the other elements of Leonard’s program were pancreatic enzymes (to
support pancreas function and to improve digestion; 400-800 mg three times
daily), the hormone melatonin (to bolster the immune system; 3 mg once
daily), and the hormone DHEA, levels of which tend to be about 50% below
normal in diabetics.

Low DHEA levels may help explain the characteristic weight gain in people
with adult-onset diabetes, says Dr. Shallenberger. He notes that DHEA doses
will vary with each patient. “Women should take enough (usually 10-25 mg
daily) to raise the serum DHEA-sulfate to between 2,000 and 3,000 mg/ml,
while men should take enough (usually 50-100 mg daily) to raise it to
between 3,000 and 4,000 mg/ml.”

He also gave Leonard a specialized product (made from the fungus Mucor
racemosus) called Mucokehl, developed in Germany by the Sanum company, and
now used selectively (as part of a line of several dozen similar substances)
by North American physicians. The Mucokehl would help regulate
microorganisms which affect the thickness and texture of the blood.

After a month of treatments, Leonard’s foot was completely healed, says Dr.
Shallenberger. As his blood sugar came under better control, Leonard was
able to lower his daily insulin intake and resume his busy life.

More information at:

• breast cancer
• cancer
• Chelation
• Live Blood Cell Analysis
• Leica Microscope & Equipment

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War against Aids must start with poverty

By James T. Morris
Being poor in the developing world is hard, but being poor, HIV positive and a parent of young children in a slum is living hell. This is the miserable lot of millions of people, especially in Africa, even if they do get some aid or manage to receive anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs).
On World Aids Day, for the first time in decades my colleagues at UNAids can point to some successes in the fight against this global pandemic, including reductions in HIV prevalence rates in a handful of countries and the increased availability of anti-retroviral therapy.
But I want to take this opportunity to focus on someone who is yet to taste these successes and who is fast running out of time, and food: Monica Mwikali.
Monica, 36, struggles every day to survive with her 10 children in the squalid Nairobi slum of Kibera, one of the biggest slums in sub-Saharan Africa.

Four of Monica’s children attend Stara Primary School, largely because they receive a free lunch and mid-morning porridge each school day from the United Nations World Food Programme.
BUT THIS remains a tale of our collective failure in the war against hunger and HIV/Aids, because Monica and her children in their one-room home still don’t have enough to eat.
"If I were given a wish I would want enough food and medicine to raise my 10 children," says Monica, who is HIV-positive and whose husband died of Aids five years ago. Five of her own eight children are HIV positive. She adopted two orphans after her sister died of Aids.
"My son Paul fell sick and I spent all my money on medicine and he still died one month ago. Now my 2-year-old son is very sick. The people giving us medicine have no food," says Monica, who blames her 2-year-old’s paralysis and blindness on anti-retroviral drugs provided without food.
After ARVs, good nutrition is the first line of defence in warding off the detrimental effects of HIV. Nutritious food can help people infected with HIV stay healthier longer. Without proper nutrition, the disease progresses faster and with greater severity. And adequate nutrition is vital to optimise the benefits of ARVs.
Shockingly, Monica’s story is nowhere near the worst case I have heard: similar tales are echoed across Africa.
Monica is one of 40 mothers in Kibera lucky enough to receive two kilogrammes of rice once a week provided by private donors to help her and her children.
WFP desperately wants to help Monica and her kids through the week. But the organisation cannot raise enough funds to give her children bags of food to take home for their families. This is a blight upon WFP, the international community and every one of us who can afford to give something.
The price of our failure is being paid by children like those that attend Stara School. Many resort to smuggling their lunch home to share with their brothers, sisters and sick parents. Quite a few handfuls of cooked beans and maize leave Stara stuffed in school bags and pockets. This means in turn that even those lucky children enrolled in schools with feeding programmes don’t get enough.
Let’s look at another mother in Kibera who is suffering from Aids. "I am so scared of dying before my children," says 30-year-old Medina Yahaya, who is bedridden, emaciated and very frail. Yahaya stopped taking her ARVs a month ago because she says they upset her stomach. She has barely left her mud-walled room for the past six months.
YAHAYA HAS four children she cannot care for. "The eldest is eight years old and the baby is just 16 months. Nobody will be there to look after them. I so want to live for them," she says. Two of them are old enough to receive WFP food at Stara School. The other two spend much of the day on the streets.
This brings me on to one of the hidden problems of living with HIV – the stress. Destitute and infected, parents in the slums find it hard to muster enough strength to keep themselves alive, let alone their kids. It is widely accepted that stress inhibits the immune function so the daily worry only worsens their health.
Slum poverty is particularly unforgiving. Every day, children play in ankle-deep human waste dumped in the narrow alleyways between the houses because the lack of toilets forces people to defecate in shopping bags, tie a knot and throw it into an alley.
And amid so much suffering, crime is rampant. Young children roam the alleys looking for any means to make money to buy a little food – often finding themselves dragged into crime or the victims of rape and sexual abuse.
"When the parent is sick, the children are sent onto the streets to look for food," says Josephine Mumo, the founder of Stara School. "Many end up being raped in the process. And the parents know that. They know they are risking their children’s lives."
"They suffer every time they send their children out.
But what can they do? If they could get food, they could recover, live longer, and look after and protect their children."
ARVs alone will not put an end to the scourge of HIV/Aids. There is still an urgent need for an integrated approach for all those who are HIV positive. Food must be part of it.
James T. Morris is the executive-director of the United Nations World Food Programme