Counterculture 35: Foot problems
"First of all," says Dee, "when someone asks for a product or advice for a foot problem, what is the first question to ask?" (1)
Millie, the young Saturday assistant, comes out with the answer.
"And why do we ask that?" Dee goes on. (2)
Medicines counter assistant Anna volunteers the answer.
"Right," says Dee. "So, which types of customer should be referred to the pharmacist, and why?" (3)
Anna answers this question, too.
"And what other factors would lead you to refer someone to me?" (4) Dee asks. Trainee assistant Cate answers.
"That's excellent so far," continues Dee. "Now let's talk about athlete's foot. Who can tell me what OTC treatments are available and what advantages and disadvantages they may have?" (5)
Senior assistant Amanda answers this question.
"And who can give a list of tips for people who suffer regularly with athlete's foot." (6)
Trainee assistant Bea comes up with some points and Amanda adds the rest.
"Finally," says Dee, "who can tell me what the cause of verrucas is and what other common skin problem has the same cause and, basically, how verrucas are treated?" (7)
Questions
1. What are the answers to Dee's questions (which have been numbered).
Answers
1. Who is it for?
2. There are some people who should be referred to the pharmacist and may need to be referred on to a doctor or chiropodist.
3. Elderly people - their eyesight might be poor and they may not have the manual dexterity or suppleness to reach and treat their feet. Diabetics - possible eyesight problems, circulation problems that could cause make a foot problem worse, and nerve damage that might stop them feeling pain from worsening damage. Very young children – they should not normally have foot problems.
4. If skin is cracked or weeping. If the problem has persisted for a very long time.
5. Fungistatics, including miconazole, clotrimazole, tolnaftate and undecenoates, which slow down the rate at which the athlete's foot fungus grows. They need to be applied up to 2-3 times daily until the infection has cleared and for two weeks after to stop it returning. A fungicidal, terbinafine, which kills off the fungus more quickly and usually works within a week. One formulation of terbinafine needs just a single application.
6. Wash feet regularly and dry thoroughly afterwards. Wear cotton socks. Allow feet to ‘breathe' as much as possible. Wear flip-flops in public swimming pools and showers to guard against infection.
7. A virus. Warts. With substances that gradually destroy the skin tissue that the virus has infected. They include salicylic acid, lactic acid and silver nitrate. Most products must be used daily for up to about 12 weeks (silver nitrate is used for just a week), until all the affected tissue has been worn away. Preparations must be applied very carefully so that healthy skin surrounding a verruca is not destroyed.
