Take the word rice. What does it conjure up in your mind? Images of vibrantly green rice paddies in the Far East? Maybe a healthy dinner of whole grain brown rice topped with some steamed veggies? Some Mexican rice and beans? There’s no question that rice is a staple all over the world. In the…

Ankle sprains are one of the most common injuries of the lower leg. There are so many ways you can twist your ankle in an awkward way: running, jogging, stepping on an uneven surface, and even just standing up and putting weight on a tired ankle can cause a sprain. When it happens, the ligaments…

Strolling through the holiday gift section of a specialty grocery store the other day, we came across something kind of amazing: a beautiful 5-pound bar of dark chocolate. In case you’re having trouble picturing how big that is, it’s about 2 feet high and 1 foot wide. Twenty times bigger than the standard 4-ounce bar…

If you go through life never needing a doctor who specializes in feet, you’re one of the lucky ones. Many, many people experience problems with their toes, foot, or ankles – and the older you get, the greater your chances of running into foot pain. So who do you turn to when your “dogs” ache?…

There’s a joke that’s been shared on social media lately, and it goes something like this: Math Problem: Q: Johnny has 32 candy bars. He eats 28 of them. What does he have now? A: Diabetes. Johnny has diabetes. Okay, the joke does elicit a chuckle for cleverness (what grade would you give the sassy kid who…

For most Americans, the fourth Thursday in November is totally a food-centric day. Even though we may spend time away from the kitchen – attending a religious service to remember our blessings, volunteering at a local shelter, travelling to friends and family – let’s face it. It’s still pretty much all about the food. People…

Searching for medical information on the internet is a risky undertaking – you can get some really unsound advice. To be sure, there are reputable sites, including hospital and accredited foundation websites and our own extensive podiatry education library that serves our patients at Clifton Foot & Ankle Center. There are risks associated with consulting a computer with…

With Halloween upon us, the staff at Clifton Foot & Ankle Center has monsters and goblins on the brain. We know all too well that monstrous things can happen to our feet, so it’s a good time of year to think about what those things are and what to do about them. Scary things can happen… …to…

It’s been said that true health care reform isn’t going to come from Washington; it starts in your own kitchen. That’s probably a gross oversimplification of the health care debates being bandied about our government these days! But the choices you make in your own kitchen certainly do affect your individual health, so it’s a…

As we creep into the latter part of October (how did that happen?!), all of us in northern Virginia look forward to enjoying peak fall foliage. The many wooded trails of Lawrence Park or any of the other beautiful parks in Fairfax County are great places to get out and enjoy a hike, replete with…