Foot Problems

Diabetic Foot Ulcers

To begin with I am not a doctor but I do as much research as I can when one of my products can have an application that does not necessarily have to do with the outdoors as a sporting purpose.

Several weeks ago I received an e mail letter from an individual who told me he was diabetic and had cold feet all of the time when he was in the great outdoors. He already had a pair of my pack boots with Sunwalker inserts and then he ordered my Lamilite socks. Between the two products he found he had warm feet. Diabetics develop poor circulation as they age which accounts for cold feet and fingers.

I have received several e mail letters from people telling me that the socks are terrific at keeping their feet warm and dry as well. These people are not as far as I know diabetic. You can find these accounts on the web site in the category titled “testimonials”. In some cases I have also e mailed them from the “newsletter/commentary” site.

Earlier this week I read an article in Textile World magazine about “DIABETIC FOOT ULCERS” a foot ailment. I have no knowledge of this ailment. If you do not know about it, it is a very disturbing ailment that many diabetics suffer with. In order to find out about it I went to the internet which is fantastic for information. I also spoke with my doctor who surprised me when this is an area of medicine he has studied deeply.

The article was to introduce a new product to the market that diabetics could wear, it is a sock that has sensors in it so they can worn the diabetic wearing them of and I quote; “the first signs of an ulcer forming”. When diabetics age they lose the feeling in the soles of their feet, so if they step on a sharp object for instance they do not know and the hurt is not transmitted to the brain as it would in a healthy person. If they are cut and do not know it an infection will happen and ultimately lead to an ulcer. As anyone who is a diabetic, or has a family member who is diabetic, or a friend who is diabetic, knows these ailments can lead to very serious health issues that in many instances lead to infection, gangrene and amputation.

I wrote an article last year about the Marines recognizing that they had to do something about the many Marines who were in the field that also developed foot ailments because they could not dry their boots. So they spent who knows how much money on a research and development of a shoe dryer. It is because of this project that I have a shoe dryer, better, more durable and less money than what they are buying, but that is how it goes. After all is said and done they are not addressing the real problem and these new sensor socks are not as well. The problem is getting rid of the moisture that the foot generates.

The largest concentration of pores in or on the human body is located in the feet, 250,000 per foot. When the rest of the body is not generating much perspiration the feet are generating a great amount. Therefore, since we know that body produced moisture is our enemy specifically when the temperature is below 40 degrees F that moisture will do what it is supposed to do; draw the heat from our skin surface and the consequence is cold feet. However, if the first layer of clothing (socks) covering your feet happens to be made from non-moisture absorbing synthetic material that is 100% vapor permeable the moisture will as a vapor move through the spaces between the yarns that the material is made of and if the next layer making up the sock is an insulating layer that also does not stifle the movement of the moist vapor as Lamilite has proven for the last 30 years to do that will mean the heat from the foot is the force driving the moisture away from the foots skin surface. Now we have a shoe of some sort over the Lamilite socks, it can be a shoe or a boot. Either is lined with the Lamilite against the inside of the boot which is made of leather. UNDER NO CONDITION DO YOU WANT ANY MATERIAL THAT WILL CLAIM IT IS BREATHABLE SUCH AS GORETEX OR ANY OF THE KNOCK OFFS. These materials are GUARANTEED to keep the moisture not as a vapor but now as a liquid inside the footwear which will eventually get back to your skin and start the process of damaging your feet. Specifically if you are diabetic!

When I was growing up in the 40’s to 60’s all we had available were leather shoes and canvas sneakers. We played ball when it was 80/90 degrees for hours and nobody had foot sores other than blisters now and then. Today you see ads on TV for all kinds of potions to get rid of foot ailments; why? My opinion because almost every shoe made has the bogus “waterproof/breathable” film in it.

My advice for diabetics is to look into my Lamilite socks. If you are a young person with diabetes the earlier in life you start using socks that DO NOT retain the moisture coming out of those 500,000 pores the better off you will be as you age. All of the best wool socks that are available will absorb moisture just like cotton socks do and that keeps your feet soft and moist, which is not good.

If you are healthy to begin with then you will want to maintain your foot health so as you age your feet will not be a problem. Science has come a long way over the years and science tells us dry feet are happy feet.