We all make a big effort to look after our skin and hair, spend a fortune on products, and many of us have become almost obsessed with getting a perfect body down at the gym, but how many of us give any attention to our feet?
Whether it's the scourge of peripheral neuropathy (irreversible nerve damage in the hands and feet), lipodystrophy or lipoatrophy (abnormal loss of body fat or fat redistribution), or even mild diabetes, many people living with the virus find that severe pains in the feet get worse and worse over time.
Latest medical research suggests that subcutaneous fat cells in the body have the CCR5 receptor on their surfaces similar to the CD4 cells of the immune system. This means that HIV itself may

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be binding to and ultimately destroying these cells and reverses the previously held view that it is the antiretroviral drugs themselves which are causing fat loss or abnormal fat redistribution. But whether this turns out to be true or not remains to be proven.
On a more short-term and practical level, there are steps that you can take to cope better with peripheral neuropathy. Much of the numbness, tingling sensations and shooting pains associated with peripheral neuropathy can be lessened or even reversed by taking extra doses of Vitamin B.
Other research is looking into acetyl carnitine or extra Omega 3 oils (from oily fish) as ways of improving peripheral neuropathy. Again, the judge and jury are out on this, but it is clear that a decent balanced diet is essential for us all.
Regular monthly visits to a chiropodist are certainly worthwhile.
A good chiropodist will help you get rid of hard callused skin on the soles of the feet (the human

body compensates for the loss of fat on the soles by the build-up of keratin). They will certainly help you to keep fungal infections under control (the feet are particularly prone to