My feet feel like they're burning - how can I stop it? DR ELLIE reveals the secret to treating this excruciating syndrome

My feet consciousness similar they are burning astatine nighttime and it disrupts my sleep. Soaking them successful blistery h2o seems to assistance but lone temporarily. What tin I do?

Dr Ellie replies: Burning ft syndrome is simply a recognised information wherever radical acquisition symptom and heaviness successful their feet, peculiarly astatine nighttime time.

Symptoms thin to beryllium related to the nerves – the fibres that nonstop electrical signals from the assemblage to the brain.

The nerves are liable for however we acquisition sensations specified arsenic vigor and pain.

Burning feet tin sometimes beryllium caused by a vitamin B deficiency – a important nutrient recovered successful foods including nutrient and fish.

It is besides linked to chronic alcohol problems, diabetes and thyroid disease.

A GP tin transportation retired humor tests to place if 1 of these could beryllium the cause. Treating those conditions whitethorn assistance combat the symptoms.

Soaking the feet successful acold – alternatively than blistery – h2o does supply patients with immoderate relief.

However, patients with nary wide origin of their burning ft syndrome tin besides beryllium fixed medication.

This includes amitriptyline, gabapentin and pregabalin, which artifact abnormal nervus signals. This should trim the symptom and amended sleep.

I'm 74 and person discoid eczema. It seems to get worse successful blistery weather. The creams don’t look to marque a difference. Could my statins and humor unit tablets beryllium to blame?

Dr Ellie replies: Discoid eczema is an itchy tegument information which triggers circular reddish patches. Sometimes, caller medicine drugs tin trigger it.

It tin hap anyplace connected the body, excluding the face. The patches thin to beryllium adust and crusty.

As we age, the tegument obstruction becomes little effective, which means that it tin get dehydrated and irritated. This is however discoid eczema occurs.

The cardinal to tackling discoid eczema is rehydrating the skin. One mode to bash this is utilizing an emollient – which is different connection for moisturiser. Some communal emollients you tin bargain from astir chemists see E45, Diprobase and Cetraben.

Patients request to usage these regularly – a minimum of doubly a day. They should besides usage the creams successful ample amounts.

For a discoid eczema patient, a ample 500g tub of emollient shouldn’t past longer than a month.

Most pharmacists volition banal aggregate ones and should beryllium capable to assistance patients prime the 1 that is close for them.

Alongside emollients, a GP tin prescribe steroid creams for the patches to trim the inflammation. But these volition lone enactment if the tegument is good hydrated with an emollient.

It’s besides important to place triggers that marque the eczema worse. Lathery soaps, bubble baths and definite types of washing detergents tin origin this issue.

Heat is besides a known tegument irritant, truthful it’s important to support rooms successful the location cooler. Some patients besides find that utilizing a humidifier volition halt the tegument drying retired erstwhile the heating is on.

If a tegument information started astatine the aforesaid clip arsenic a medication, this could besides beryllium a trigger. It mightiness beryllium worthy discussing switching to an alternate medicine with a GP to spot if the symptoms improve.

However, ne'er halt taking medicine drugs without telling your household doc first.

I americium owed to person a trapeziectomy connected my close thumb, but I’m disquieted that I could endure nervus damage. Is this process safe?

Dr Ellie replies: Nerve harm is ever a anticipation aft an operation, but the chances of it occurring are low.

The trapezium is simply a small bony connected the wrist close astatine the bottommost of the thumb. It is simply a communal tract for osteoarthritis – the achy associated problems caused by semipermanent deterioration and tear.

Not lone does osteoarthritis successful the trapezium impair question of the thumb, it often leads to changeless symptom due to the fact that of however often we usage our thumbs. A trapeziectomy is simply a process which involves wholly removing the tiny bone.

For the bulk of radical this is some harmless and effectual astatine reducing symptom (patients besides clasp the bulk of question successful the thumb adjacent without the bone).

Research suggests that astir 15 per cent of radical who person a trapeziectomy make immoderate signifier of nervus harm successful the tegument astir the thumb, which tin pb to numbness oregon tingling. A 3rd of patients besides person continued symptom oregon weakness aft the operation. For these reasons, surgical procedures similar this would lone beryllium offered to the astir severely affected arthritis patients. Given the aggravated symptom this information tin cause, astir radical opt for country and instrumentality the tiny hazard of side-effects. But that is simply a determination wholly for the diligent – and nary 1 other – to decide.

GPs indispensable not disregard underweight adults 

I powerfully hold with the increasing calls for GPs to wage much attraction to older patients who are underweight.

Last month, erstwhile wellness caput Dame Patricia Hewitt, 76, revealed she astir died portion connected vacation aft suffering dehydration. She was successful infirmary for six weeks. Doctors said her debased assemblage value – 7st 11lb – was successful portion liable for her terrible symptoms and dilatory recovery.

When patients are underweight, their assemblage lacks vigor reserves which tin beryllium important erstwhile patients autumn ill, peculiarly if they devour less, further weakening them.

Yet GPs excessively often absorption connected tackling obesity and hide to place underweight older adults, who could beryllium referred to a fare specializer for treatment. We request to bash much to assistance these patients. Have you fallen sick owed to being underweight? Write and fto maine know.

Will a 2nd NHS app help? 

I'm sceptical of the Government’s latest program to amended NHS crab care.

Earlier this month, a caller app, called Cancer 360, was announced. It is meant to bring crab patients’ aesculapian information into 1 place. The Government says it volition ‘cut waits and prevention lives’. But I americium confused by this program (not to notation the bold claims astir the bully it volition bash for patients).

It’s existent crab patients often conflict to easy entree their records. This is due to the fact that galore are seen by assorted doctors successful abstracted departments – sometimes successful antithetic hospitals. But wherefore isn’t this accusation being brought unneurotic wrong the NHS App?

Why connected Earth are we adding different app to the mix? It’s apt Cancer 360 volition look the aforesaid problems arsenic the NHS one. Hospitals volition not beryllium required to instrumentality portion successful the app, meaning galore patients volition neglect to spot a difference.