Home remedies for feet have often paralleled hand-care rituals — soaking cuticles, lotiony massages, paring away rough edges.

Imagine our surprise when tips starting popping up for foot remedies that seemed more appropriate for the mouth than the hoof. Some came from glam magazines, some straight from the horse's ... er, make that doctor's ... mouth.

Dr. Robert LaReaux, a Kailua podiatrist and foot surgeon, practices mainstream conventional medicine but is also familiar with tasty (and natural) methods for beautifying feet.

The good doctor suggests a peppermint foot rub. "It cools and stimulates your feet so it feels good. If the foot rub leads to foot kisses, it wouldn't be too bad."

(And, yes, the best would be edible, organic peppermint oil, available online, which is an extract of peppermint — be careful of ingesting peppermint-scented beauty products.)

Here are some footcare suggestions — think of them as "hoof and mouth" tips.