Tri-State Neighbor: South Dakota Farm Newspaper

Q:My daughter's husband and two sons are barefoot guys. They walk all around the house and outside in the gardens in their bare feet. When they come in, they put their feet on upholstered furniture, sometimes even on pillows where they are going to put their faces.

They also have a cat that has the run of the house. I am concerned about germs. Am I being too picky?

A:We think you are being prudent. We recently interviewed Charles Gerba, Ph.D., the “guru of germs.” Gerba is a professor of microbiology at the University of Arizona. He has studied bathrooms, kitchen sinks, computer keyboards and now shoes.

Gerba has found that shoes are frequently contaminated with bacteria that could cause disease. If shoes can track fecal bacteria into the house, so can bare feet. Your daughter's guys should rinse their feet when they come inside to avoid spreading germs on couches and pillows. The rest of us may want to follow the Japanese custom of leaving shoes at the door.

Q:One of your readers requested natural recommendations for migraines. I had tried many migraine treatments. Then I developed wheat intolerance, and since quitting grains (wheat, rye, barley, oats), I have not suffered a migraine for almost two years. I also have not had IBS, brain fog or even the slightest cold. There are a lot of wonderful gluten-free products now. If only I had known, I would have quite a long time ago.

A:Gluten intolerance, or celiac disease, often has neurological symptoms such as migraines or forgetfulness. Not everyone with migraines has celiac disease, but it is worth testing to rule out this serious condition. It is treated by avoiding wheat, barley and rye.

Q:Can you help me? I've had a burning sensation on my tongue and the soles of my feet for weeks. I've tried Benadryl, OTC hydrocortisone cream and ice packs. Nothing is helping.

My internist has said everything looks all right (though I think the bottoms of my feet look red). I am diabetic and he did a blood test (HbAlc) that showed my blood sugar is under control.

I am presently taking metformin, Crestor, Lexapro, zolpidem and generic Zantac. I'd appreciate any thoughts.

A:Our first thought is to have your doctor check your vitamin B-12 status. Burning mouth and burning feet are difficult to diagnose, but both can result from vitamin B-12 deficiency. Your diabetes medicine metformin (Glucophage) is associated with an increased risk of vitamin B-12 deficiency (Archives of Internal Medicine, Oct. 9, 2006). Acid-suppressing drugs like ranitidine (Zantac) may aggravate the problem by making it harder to absorb this nutrient from food.

When vitamin B-12 levels fall too low for too long, people may experience irreversible neurological damage. Symptoms to watch out for include fatigue, confusion, loss of appetite, depression, burning tongue, poor memory, weakness and peripheral neuropathy (burning, tingling or numbness in feet or hands).

Q:My mother recently had surgery and now is experiencing significant memory loss. The doctor said that anesthesia sometimes affects memory. How long will this last, and is there anything we can do to help her recover?

A:Surgeons and anesthesiologists are aware that surgery may pose risks to mental function, especially in older people. They call this condition postoperative cognitive decline (POCD).

There is controversy as to whether the problem is brought on by anesthesia or by surgery itself. Some commonly inhaled anesthetics have been linked to dementia in mouse research (Neurobiology of Aging online, March 7, 2007). Gases like isoflurane and halothane lead to accumulation of beta amyloid, a compound that is thought to contribute to Alzheimer's disease. Injected anesthetics such as propofol and thiopental may be less likely to cause such problems (Neurochemical Research, August 2005).

For many surgical patients, POCD disappears within a year. A small number, however, may have lasting memory problems. We don't know of any way to reverse such cognitive decline.

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