When most of us hear the word "diabetes," the first word that pops into our minds is blood sugar but the long-term illness can sneakily damage things behind our backs, particularly in places we hardly pay attention to—such as our feet. One such overlooked complication is Charcot foot, a rare-seen yet serious diabetes side effect.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 29 million Americans now have diabetes and 86 million have prediabetes. In 2012, complications from diabetes cost the nation $245 billion in healthcare expenses and lost productivity.

A recent study in Clinical Diabetes and Endocrinology has uncovered a startling knowledge deficit: a majority of general doctors and non-podium specialists do not know about this life-threatening condition. That degree of ignorance is worrisome, given that when left untreated, Charcot foot has the potential to result in permanent deformity, amputation, or life-threatening infection.

Charcot foot is a potentially severe, though uncommon, complication of diabetic neuropathy, an ongoing high blood glucose level condition that injures nerves—usually in the feet. These damaged nerves cause pain not to be felt, so an otherwise small injury or infection can be ignored and left untreated. Eventually, that undetected injury will launch a chain reaction of bone and joint deterioration, resulting in swelling, structural abnormalities, and in very bad instances, even permanent disability or amputation.

The connection is all in the nerves. With diabetic neuropathy blunting the body's sense of pain, individuals don't even know they've hurt their foot. They just keep going, keep utilizing the damaged limb, and unwittingly continue to traumatize it. The end result? The bones get weaker, joints get knocked out of place, and the foot structure caves in—often called the "rocker-bottom foot."

In advanced stages, Charcot foot, if left untreated, can result in chronic ulcers, infections that penetrate the bone, and ultimately, amputation. Scarier still? Most physicians acknowledge that they aren't aware of the initial signs, allowing the condition to go undiagnosed and treated.

What Is Charcot Foot?

Charcot foot (also Charcot arthropathy) is a serious diabetic complication that results when damage to nerves—diabetic neuropathy—removes sensation in the feet. When there is no pain to warn of injury, a minor break or infection can escalate into a disastrous erosion of joint and bone framework in the foot or ankle. In extreme situations, it results in a total collapse of the arch of the foot, leading to severe deformity.

The American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society reports that the injuries can be painless, but the damage can be limb- or life-threatening if not treated quickly.

How Diabetes Sets the Stage for Charcot Foot?

Diabetic neuropathy causes peripheral nerve damage and typically affects the legs and feet. With time, the damage to nerves results in loss of sensation and makes it difficult—or even impossible—to feel pain, pressure, or heat.

Now let's say you've broken a bone in your foot but you never experience the pain. You just keep walking. Gradually with each step, the damage increases, causing joint malalignment, bone resorption, and distorted foot architecture. That's basically how Charcot foot starts and develops—quietly, insidiously, and frequently undiagnosed.

Why Most Doctors Miss Charcot Foot?

In the survey of 400 non-foot-specialist clinicians, more than two-thirds of them confessed to knowing "little to nothing" about Charcot arthropathy. General diabetic foot care is taught commonly, but specific complications such as Charcot foot are not yet included in general medical knowledge for many specialties.

This implies patients may remain undiagnosed until the condition is well advanced. Authors of the study emphasize the importance of greater awareness and renewed training, particularly given diabetes diagnoses continue to increase worldwide.

Charcot Foot Symptoms to Watch For

While Charcot foot is uncommon, it does have early warning signs. The problem is spotting them before the damage is permanent. Symptoms are:

• Redness or skin color change
• Swelling, with little or no pain
• A feeling of warmth in the foot (especially if one foot feels noticeably warmer than the other)
• Changes in foot shape or structure
• Instability when walking

Remember: even if it doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t mean it’s not serious.

How Charcot Foot Is More Than A Health Complication?

Charcot foot itself is a complication of diabetes, but it can lead to an alarming range of further health issues:

Permanent deformity: The foot can change shape permanently, leading to mobility problems and inability to find shoes.

Ulcers and infections: Changes in the structure of the feet increase the risk of non-healing wounds that develop into severe infections.

Amputation: In severe cases, part or all of the foot must be amputated.

Systemic infection: If infection spreads to beyond the foot, it becomes life-threatening.

These complications highlight the importance of early detection, appropriate footwear, and proactive diabetes management.

Is Charcot Foot Preventable?

If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes or prediabetes, regular foot checks should become part of your daily routine. Early detection is your best line of defense.

If Charcot foot is treated early, walking and mobility can be maintained—albeit with rest, elevation, and not putting pressure on the foot. Swimming or cycling are good substitutes for walking or running. For advanced stages, medical treatment may involve custom orthotic devices, immobilization, or even surgery. Coordination with a podiatrist or diabetes care team is critical in order to avoid permanent damage.

Although we always discuss high blood sugar, the complications downstream thereof—including those that influence your nerves, kidneys, eyes, skin, and yes, your feet—receive no less notice.

It's time to think beyond blood sugar levels. Charcot foot is a good example of how diabetes can quietly ruin your body in ways that will never be reversible if it isn't detected on time. The best part? With heightened awareness, early detection, and ongoing care, many of the worst consequences can be prevented.

If you or a loved one lives with diabetes, don’t overlook the feet. What seems like a little swelling could be a big red flag. Speak to your healthcare provider, schedule regular foot screenings, and remember: feeling nothing doesn't mean there's nothing wrong.

For the very first time, there are now more kids around the world who are overweight or obese than there are who are underweight. A new report from UNICEF, an organization that works for children, shared this news. It says that 1 in 10 children aged 5 to 19—that's 188 million kids—are now living with obesity. This puts them at a higher risk of getting serious health problems later in life.

The report looked at information from over 190 countries and found that since the year 2000, the number of underweight children has gone down, but the number of kids with obesity has gone up by a lot. This is happening in almost every part of the world, except for a couple of regions in Africa and Asia.

What Is Causing The Rise In Obesity?

UNICEF's report highlights that this rise in obesity is not a matter of personal choice but is driven by unhealthy food environments. Ultra-processed and fast foods are now everywhere—in stores, schools, and online, thanks to powerful digital advertising that targets young people.

For example, a global poll found that 75% of young people recalled seeing ads for sugary drinks and fast food in just one week. This kind of marketing makes them want to eat these unhealthy foods more. These foods are high in sugar, unhealthy fats, and salt, and are replacing the nutritious foods children need to grow and develop.

Some countries are taking action. In Mexico, where processed foods make up 40% of children's daily calories, the government has banned the sale of these items in public schools, which will benefit over 34 million children.

How Can We Lower The Risk Of Global Obesity?

The economic and health costs of this trend are staggering. If we don't act, the global cost of being overweight and obese is expected to exceed $4 trillion annually by 2035. To fight this growing problem, UNICEF is urging governments and other organizations to take immediate action:

Better Food Policies

Governments should create mandatory policies to improve children's diets. This includes clear food labels so families know what's in their food, restricting how junk food is advertised to kids, and using taxes or financial support to make healthy food more affordable.

Encourage Healthier Choices

We need to launch initiatives that teach families and communities to demand and support healthier food options. By empowering people to make better choices, we can build a culture where nutritious eating is the standard, not the exception, in every neighborhood.

Ban Junk Food in Schools

Schools must become safe havens for healthy eating. This means completely stopping the sale of ultra-processed foods and junk food on school grounds. We also need to ban food companies from marketing their products or sponsoring any school events.

Protect Public Health

It's crucial to set up strong rules to protect public health policies from being influenced by big food companies. These safeguards will ensure that government decisions about what kids eat are based on science and public well-being, not corporate profit.

Help Vulnerable Families

We must expand financial aid programs to help families with low incomes afford healthy and nutritious food. By addressing poverty and increasing access to good food, we can ensure every child has the foundation they need for a healthy life.

A 30-year-old man, let's call him Satvik, came to see a doctor with a very private and worrying problem. Dr Sudhir Kumar MD, a neurologist, shared this interesting case on the social media platform X. He explains how the problem had left Satvik feeling anxious and embarrassed, however, it wasn’t just his health, but this problem had left his marital life in disarray.

For the past two months, Satvik had started experiencing a mysterious symptom, which was causing him a lot of pain. He had been getting a severe headache every time he was about to have an orgasm. The pain would last for hours afterward and was so bad that he started avoiding intimacy with his wife. His wife, confused and hurt, began to worry about their marriage, wondering if he was no longer attracted to her or if he was seeing someone else.

“By the time Satvik came to see me, their relationship was under silent strain.” The mysterious headaches had driven a wedge in their relationship, so they sought the help of Dr. Sudhir But was it something that only happened to him or was it a condition that was causing him pain?

Can Sex/Orgasm Cause You Headaches?

Dr. Sudhir, who had seen this before, suspected a condition called Headache Associated with Sexual Activity (HSA). To be safe, he ordered a brain scan to rule out any serious issues like a bleed in the brain, fortunately the scan came back to normal.

The doctor explained that HSA is a recognized and treatable medical condition. Since Satvik's headaches weren't happening very often, he was advised to simply take a tablet about an hour before intimacy.

Six weeks later, Satvik returned to the clinic with his wife, and they were both beaming. "You not only cured my headaches," he said, "you saved our marriage."

What Can Causes Headaches After Sex?

According to Mayo Clinic, a headache can sometimes strike during or after sexual activity. This is a recognized medical condition, and it's more common than you might think. These headaches can appear in a couple of ways: as a dull ache in the head and neck that gets worse with excitement, or as a sudden, severe, throbbing headache that hits just before or at the moment of orgasm. Some people experience both types.

These headaches usually last for a few minutes but can sometimes go on for hours or even days. They often happen in "clusters" over a few months and then may disappear for a year or more. For some people, it's a one-time event.

Any type of sexual activity leading to an orgasm can trigger a sex headache. While most cases are not linked to a serious condition, those that come on suddenly are more likely to be caused by an underlying medical issue.

Men are more likely to experience these headaches than women, and people who have a history of migraines are also at a higher risk.

Important Lessons to Learn from Such Cases

This story offers some important lessons for everyone:

It's a Real Condition: Headaches related to sex might sound strange or even embarrassing, but they are a legitimate medical condition.

Don't Ignore It: If you experience a sudden and severe headache during intimacy, especially for the first time, you should always see a doctor. It's important to rule out more serious causes, even though they are rare.

Treatment Works: With the correct diagnosis and treatment, these headaches can be managed, and most people recover completely.

For medical professionals, this case highlights the importance of ruling out serious conditions first, making a proper diagnosis, and then providing effective treatment. A simple, empathetic explanation can also go a long way in calming a patient's anxiety, sometimes even more so than the medication itself.

Global warming is changing how diseases spread, and dengue fever is a prime example. Once mostly found in tropical areas, this mosquito-borne illness could increase by as much as 76% in parts of Asia and the Americas by 2050.

This is according to a new, comprehensive study that found that even small increases in temperature are significantly boosting the disease's spread. The research provides the first direct evidence that a warming climate has already made dengue more widespread.

Dengue fever can cause flu-like symptoms, and without proper care, it can lead to severe bleeding and even organ failure.

What Does "Goldilocks Zone" for Dengue Mean?

Mosquitoes that carry the dengue virus do best in a certain temperature range. The number of dengue cases is highest when the temperature is around 82°F. This "Goldilocks Zone" means that a small rise in temperature can cause a big increase in the disease. For example, places that were once too cool for dengue are now becoming perfect for it, leading to a big increase in cases in countries like Mexico, Peru, and Brazil.

The study found that climate change was responsible for an extra 4.6 million dengue infections each year between 1995 and 2014. Depending on how much more the planet warms, cases could go up by another 49% to 76% by 2050.

How Can We Protect Our Health From Rising Dengue?

With warmer weather and the monsoon season, there's a sharp rise in diseases like dengue and malaria, as well as viral fevers and respiratory infections. According to Dr. Neha Sharma, Attending Consultant at Fortis Hospital, these illnesses can severely affect vital organs. For example, dengue can harm the liver and platelets, while untreated malaria may damage the kidneys and brain. Dr. Sharma advises people to be aware of the early symptoms, such as:

• Persistent high fever
• Severe body ache and rashes
• Sudden fatigue or unexplained vomiting
• Sudden breathlessness or a drop in urine output

If you experience these symptoms for more than 48 hours, she recommends getting blood tests like a CBC, dengue NS1, and malaria antigen test to get an early diagnosis. Other important diagnostic tools include a chest X-ray and an ultrasound of the abdomen. She also highlights crucial precautions that are often overlooked:

• Avoid walking in floodwaters to prevent infections like leptospirosis.
• Regularly clean AC filters and damp areas to stop bacterial and fungal growth.
• Stay well-hydrated, as dehydration can worsen these infections.
• Do not self-medicate with painkillers or antibiotics, as this can hide symptoms and lead to worse complications.

How Can Be Combat Illnesses Like Dengue On A Global Scale

The researchers say their estimates are likely on the conservative side, as they don't include data from large areas like India or Africa where detailed information is hard to get. The recent appearance of dengue cases in parts of the U.S. and Europe shows that the disease is already expanding its reach. To combat this growing threat, the study highlights two crucial approaches:

Climate Mitigation

By reducing greenhouse gases, we can lessen the future spread of dengue. By reducing greenhouse gases, we can lessen the future spread of dengue.

Adaptation

We need to improve ways to control mosquitoes, make our healthcare systems stronger, and get ready to use new vaccines.

The findings from this study could also be used to hold governments and companies accountable for the damages caused by climate change. As one of the study's authors noted, climate change is not just about the weather—it's having a direct and dangerous effect on human health.