The Croc Epidemic

An Article on Slate that my bestest friend pointed me towards!

How a heinous synthetic shoe conquered the world.

Her are some of my favorite excerpts....

"Shoe fashion tends to swing dramatically on the pendulum from practical to beautiful, largely because shoes are even more utilitarian than clothes—and stylish clothes are rarely as uncomfortable as stylish shoes. Since everyone needs shoes, they are particularly susceptible to the tipping point phenomenon: When enough people are wearing ugly but comfortable shoes, others jump eagerly on the bandwagon, thrilled to be released from the bondage of straps and buckles. And so Crocs represent a kind of rebellion—a vanguard of the comfort movement."

'What is more certain is that some podiatrists are alarmed by their patients' fanatical embrace of Crocs; most Crocs, doctors point out, provide only moderate support. "I'll get people with strained arches because they've been running around in Crocs for five days," said Arnold Ravick, a doctor of podiatric medicine in Washington, D.C., and a spokesman for the American Podiatric Medical Association. "When it comes to shoes, people mistake comfort for support. Comfort is fool's gold—a soft gushy shoe that makes your arches collapse," he told me. "Crocs are popular because they're inexpensive and interchangeable. For people with certain problems, they can be a good shoe. Are they good for your foot, in general? No."

I have to totally disagree with the above podiatrist, except that yes if people are used to wearing shoes with lots of support and then cold turkey go to Crocs, there will be problems. So note to anyone reading this Crocs will not make your arches collapse, in fact over time your feet will get stronger, BUT be sensible and use moderation when switching shoes... any kind of shoe need a slight adjustment period.

the curse of flip flops

I feel the need to make a public service announcement stating the reflexive and body ills that wearing flip flops cause. I want to add that these things don't occur in all people who were itty bitty shoe-like things, but I feel the need to discuss. So since it is my blog you have to listen to me, or skip this entry and move on :D

Remember the stages of walking? Heel strike, weight flow and toe off. Can you guess which ones don't happen with flip flops, itty bitty sandals and other strappy things that barely exist?

If you guessed all of them you'd be correct. Most people don't do a heel strike because there's no padding, the shoe might come off and the toe piece might become dislodged leading to tripping. The flow of weight doesn't happen because you never started a proper step, and you are most likely shuffling keeping weight solely on the ball of the foot, scraping your way through the day. (It makes a good noise though) And of coarse you wouldn't toe off at the end of the step because Hello? shoe would go flying and then... and well then you'd just look dumb.

Now you can get around some of this by gripping your toes. That way you could do the stages of walking, but then you'd eventually end up with lovely foot pathologies like claw or hammer toes, a tight tibialis anterior, and cramps in the arches of your feet.

Reflexively the ills of this types of shoe include: lung issues, lungs also include grief issues in Chinese medicine, sinus congestion, headaches, reduced endocrine function, (pituitary, thyroid, hypothalamus, pineal) digestion woes like constipation or irritable bowl, breast health, spine issues (especially thoracic and cervical spine). And that's just the major reflexive effects.

Emotionally it could lead to dragging, feelings of depression, tiredness, heaviness, inability to cope, inability to be happy, and many many more. Why? One because of the reflexes you are effecting and two because of the posture you are forced to take when utilizing these types of shoes.

So wear your cute slip on strappy sandals to get from point A to point B and do not use them as a everyday practical shoe, because ladies (and gents) they aren't any better for your health than a 6 inch heel.

As a bodyworker there are two times a year I have an influx of foot pain clients and they are when the seasons change to sun and back to rain. Why because people have just changed their shoes. So if you have complains about foot pain, leg pain or increased back pain with no injury or change in activity of your clients. Ask if they've change the shoes they wear most often. If the answer is yes, start an education process and get them hooked up with info in this blog or other places so they can wear sexy cute shoes (in moderation) but maintain healthy strong feet (permanently)

Anatomy Sites

Just found this giant list of anatomy sites (with quizzes if you want them) so I'll send you over to them:

http://www.bodyworkonline.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3176

Also here is another one, I've just been over there playing with their bone quizes:

http://getbodysmart.com


If you find more email me and I'll add them!

Shoes

With an upcoming class centered on foot pain, that I am co-teaching, I shall dive head first into shoes.

First off feet aren't supposed to look like shoes. If you look at a babies foot you will see that feet are big at the toes, not pointed. If you look at an adult who hasn't worn shoes most of their lives you will see that feet are huge. Feet are the size of your forearm as Julia Roberts points out in Pretty Woman. (See my post on triangles)

Ideally toes should spread apart 1/4inch between each toe. Practice toes spreading, my boss once said that this allows for miracles to enter your life. Who couldn't use more miracles? And if you can get them by spreading your toes hey! I'll take some.

So I digress, shoes... There are 4 important factors to choosing a good shoe.

1. Toe box room, the shoe should be wide enough in the toes area that the sides of the shoe do not push on your toes at all. To get this measurement right the best thing to do is trace your foot at the end of the day and cut it out and put it in shoes. If the paper folds the toe box is too small.

2. Flexibility, the shoe should bend. Not just at the toes but in the arch area as well. It doesn't have to bend a great deal, it just needs to move. If this area of your foot is not allowed to bend, that is all your digestive reflexes being held hostage. Most shoes today have a metal shank in them which is one of the reasons we have to remove our shoes at airports now. Metal is bad! The foot needs to flex while walking. Metal is only good if you are a construction worker and are liable to have heavy things fall on your feet and smash them.

3. Heels. Where do I start? Do I start with the appalling fact that heels have been linked to breast cancer since 1948? Or how about the fact that it throws your neck forward, your low back collapses and your spine is whacked out of alignment from top to bottom. Maybe I'll start with the fact that you can't freaking walk in the bloody things without over using all your muscles so you're more tired at the end of the day. Or how about the lovely toe distortion they provide, causing millions of people bunions and ugly deformed feet. Heels for partied a big yes, heels for daily use... Well I've said my piece.

4. Strap on or tie on. Your shoes must attach to your feet, if they don't you will walk around all day long with tension in your toes caused by gripping the shoe so you don't kick it off. If you are amazing you can learn to relax your toes while wearing flip flops, but it takes practice and concentration. People who wear backless shoes or flip flops often don't do all three stages of walking which causes tension in the spine and and over/under stimulation of certain reflexes. My suggestion buy the strappy sandals instead of the flip flops. And make sure the slip on shoes are firmly attached to your feet or buy a style with a strap.

Proper shoe measurement is a lost art form: there are 3 measurements. Heel to toe, width measured in A,B,C,D,E,EE and arch length which is measured from your heel to the first metatarsal-phalangeal joint. Measure your feet at the end of the day, when they are spread out. Make sure your shoe salemans does all three or see if your local reflexologist has a measuring device.

Never "break in" a shoe, if it doesn't fit now it never will, you are in effect breaking down your feet not breaking in the shoe. Your feet will shift before the shoe does, causing bones to move out of alignment and eventually pain in the body.

To end I would liket to sahre my favorite brand of shoes Keen

Walking

My partner and I went hiking yesterday in the Cascades off I-90. It was beautiful, the trees are brilliant yellows, reds and green. It was overcast but that just makes the colors stand out more.

While walking I realized how much gets processed and how amazing it is to just be. There were quite a lot of people around, didn't see them, just heard them and it made me realize how utterly noisy we are as creatures. We have lost our sense of balance in nature and it seems to compensate we create noise. I almost always hike in silence. I stop often and point out small flowers, or places where there are 6 colors of moss and lichens, or a red leaf on a rock by the creek, but I point and smile, I don't yell.

There was this quote I once read and have lost track of but essential it said, "there is no problem in my life I cannot walk away from." I love this for it's metaphysical and physical qualities. I have found in my own life this is true, any depression I have found myself in is healed by the simple act of walking, even just around the block. It's the getting up and starting that's the hard part.

I was reading the next book in this series Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity. The author talks about adding a weekly walk to your routine. (She does morning pages and artist dates, in case you don't know here work.) She talks about the walk being a place where creative solution happens. For me walking is much like receiving a reflexology treatment, with the added benefit of being in nature. In reality it is a reflexology treatment. If you are wearing the correct shoes, your feet are being moved through all ranges of motion and your body is pumping blood and your feet are being worked by the earth, the tree roots, and the rocks you wander over. I recently read and article on hiking barefoot. I'm not sure I would recommend this activity to most of my clients, but someday I think I will have to try it myself, just for the experience and the extra reflexology you would receive.

Some quick thoughts on hiking shoes. Most are a gimmick and an unnecessary expense. Having said that yes I own a pair, but I also hike a lot and do some really tricky terrains and need some extra ankle support on talus slopes. If you are doing well maintained trails, without huge shifts in terrain your normal tennis shoes or my favorite, Blundstones (Australian for boot), are perfect. If you want the hiking boots, here are my guidelines for a good pair. There must be room in the toe box so you can spread your toes and feel more grounded when walking on rocks, tree trunks, and in slippery or mucky ground. There can't be and excessive mount of room or on steep slopes downhill for an extended period of time you will jam your toes (head reflex) repeatedly and also potentially get blisters on your heel (pelvic/ low back reflex) You must be able to tie the shoe around your foot without pinching, but it must tie snugly so your foot doesn't slip forwards or back causing callousing and blisters. It must be flexible in the arch, not the toe, the arch YES I am serious, you should get some movement in the shoe. The only exception to this rule is if these are boot that you will attach crampon (ice climbing metal spiky things). It is also really nice to have water resistant shoes. In recent testing conducted by me at the local REI there were 10 plus types of hiking shoe/ boot and only one brand fit these criteria. My partner and I have been long time fans of these shoes for outdoor use and if they ever go out of business we will cry. My favorite hiking shoes are made by Vasque but Merrill does ok as well.

"walking should be and effortless exercise" states Wickler, a man whose research we quote often in our foot pain classes at Seattle Reflexology. A podiatrist was once asked what the best exercise for the feet is and he stated there is no comparison to walking. Walk as much as you can, for as long as you can." There will be much more on walking and shoes in the days to come.

Get out, take a walk, enjoy nature and solve all your problems with simple exercise.

Oh and here is the third book in the artist way series that I was referring too Walking in this World

Triangles

I just recently finished teaching a class on the structure of the foot. It is fascinating to me how much abuse the feet can take. We daily demand that they carry us through our lives and rarely do we thank them with a reflexology session, a foot rub, or even a good soaking.

After class I realized I had left out some vital information. Education on the triangles of the feet.

If you place your foot down on the ground you will notice a peculiar thing. Your foot should be shaped like a triangle with the heel (calcaneus) being the peak and the toes the base. Now put any standard pair of woman's or men's dress shoes near by and notice. Hum the triangle goes in the opposite direction with the peak being at the front. Who designed this? And what were they thinking? Now we can go into all sorts of theories with the predominate one being sex but I'm not going to open that can of worms in this post.

There are three bones that all students of yoga, tai chi, and qi gong are familiar with. These bones form your triangle of support and balance. They are the calcaneus (heel), the base of the 5th metatarsal (ball of foot under pinky toe), and the base of the 1st metatarsal (ball of the foot under great toe). When you are standing still you should be giving equal weight to all these bones with compensations for balance being made between the 1st and 5th. If this triangle is compromised due to foot deformities caused by shoes or injuries a person will most likely feel unbalanced while standing and walking at all times. This, in my opinion, will further lead them to feel unbalance in their whole life.

To strengthen both the feet and to correct issues that are forming here is a great exercise:
Stand with feet as close together as possible (ideally medial arches almost touching) If this is not possible due to feelings of instability place the feet in alignment with the hips or the shoulders and move them in as strength is gained. Now when you have found your balance in this pose (called mountain in yoga) lift all your toes off the ground. This will show you where that triangle of support is as you will be forced to stand only on it. Hold toes up for at least 30seconds. When you place your toes back down try to place them one at a time, focusing on creating space between the toes. If two toes are sticking together gently reach down and separate them. Rest in mountain pose to feel this new balanced place. Eventually try doing this exercise one foot at a time.

Foot Baths

I truly believe that if everyone came home at the end of a long hard day and stuck their feet in warm water the world would right itself and all would be well. In short a foot bath can save the planet.

Here are the benefits:
* warming to the whole body
* warmth helps release tension in the whole body
* purifying
* cleansing
* the addition of epsom salts can facilitate toxin release
* helps release any adhesions in the foot through heat and relaxation

Here are some ways to make it fun with additions:
* flower petals bring color, joy, and add a sense of luxury
* salts (sea salt, epsom salt, dead sea salts) not recommended if you have high blood pressure
* baking soda
* bubble bath or liquid soap
* essential oils
* make a strong cup of tea and add that for smell and toxin releasing or calming properties (chamomile, ginger and other herbal teas are the best to use)
* light a candle to soak by

Here is a lovely little book with other wonderful goodies.