Yea, I think a lot about feet. Partly because I get asked a lot of questions about feet, partly because of my own issues with foot injuries. I'm a dancer after all. My feet are pretty important! It occurs to me that most people take that as obvious, but what is more striking to me is that people don't realize the importance of their own feet until they hurt! It's not just dancers that suffer from foot injuries.
A lot of my clients ask me about "foot support." After many years of trial and error for myself, in depth study and simply watching my clients and students, I have come to a few conclusions and realizations of simple facts.
Fact: Feet have muscles in them. Like any part of the body you want to be healthy and functional, those muscles need to be stretched and strengthened.
Fact: Our modern day world provides us with lots of hard, flat surfaces that don't do much to sufficiently challenge our feet to become strong.
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MY THOUGHTS :
If you train your feet like you would any other area of the body you want strong and healthy, say like a bicep in your upper arm, you'll be on the right track.
Our feet need protection and challenges, not support.
You don't put a rigid brace on your arm to carry groceries. You do cover your arm with a coat... or a wetsuit, to protect it from the cold.
If you lift your own groceries your muscle gets stronger. Lift a dresser and you will be sore, prompting the natural desire to stretch out your arm.
Of course you would wear a cast if your arm was broken. The same goes for feet. If you have an injury then your feet do in fact need support until the injury heals....but remember what an limb look likes when it comes out of a cast? The same thing happens to the muscles of the feet if you always wear support. They atrophy. In my opinion foot orthodics are like a cast. Wear them when you are injured or the challenges to your feet (standing for a 14 hours shift at work maybe) are greater than the abilities of your foot, but don't expect your feet to hold you up if you wear them all the time!
We need to interact with our environment to strengthen our bodies to meet the challenges of that environment. Tom Myers (anatomy guru and demi-god in my opinion) says the amazingly adaptable fascia in our bodies will reconfigure to the demands we place (or don't place) on it. (He is not the only person who says this but his work is well documented.) I agreed! Feet are no exception.
Get out there and challenge those feet. Kick off those shoes (Lots of interesting thoughts if you search natural running.) walk barefoot in the sand (great strength and stretch program!) and dance!!!
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Pharmaceutical-free flu!
I have been meaning to write about this for a month!
I thought I was coming down with a cold after some teaching in Albany back in Jan. It was a Monday. The work was intense and on the flight home the 20-something guy next to me sniffled all the way from New York to Cleveland. (It was very tempting to stick a tissue under his nose and yell "blow!") I was not feeling quite right by Wed so I started my Echinachea tea, increased my vitamin C and Zinc and kept going to work. Thurs night teaching Adult Modern Dance was rough. Mostly I just felt tired and attributed it to the work and travel. Friday morning up to teach Pilates Mat class was harder. By the time I got to the studio I knew I was sick. I called off class and headed to Whole Foods. I really wanted to try to ride this one out without traditional pharmaceuticals (which give me fitful sleep and dry out my whole body) and see if it was any better than the suffering I had seen so many people around me experience. This was not a cold, it was the flu and I had it. Judging by the holes in my schedule with cancellations the prior few weeks I figured it might take me weeks to get back to 100%.
Much to my surprise I was back to work on Tues and feeling back to normal by the end of the week. Many people were surprised and wanted to know how I escaped the protracted crud. I though this might be a good thing to post! This is what I did:
Friday Morning the fever came. I took this as proof of the flu, even though the onset of the illness was slow, the fever spiked quickly. I knew Oscillococcinum is the traditional homeopathic medicine for the flu and it's really attainable now in "regular" drug stores so I got some. I picked up more herbal teas and found Umcka for cold and flu symptoms like my runny nose. It was listed as a tradition African root for these symptoms so I though I'd give it a try since there are no drug interactions. I also got a tincture of Echinachea with Goldenseal. I went home and got into bed.
There I stayed right through until Monday. I took my doses of my herbal and homeopathic meds right on the clock. I was a chain tea dinker. Once the pot was low I had another kettle on. I took the tincture of echinachea with goldenseal 5 times a day. I slept a lot!
What I noticed about the Umcka was that it did not completely take away my sneezing and running nose, but it reducedthe symptoms a great deal. I knew it was working on some level because when it was time for another dose my symptoms were increasing in severity. The remedies I took let me really rest, not the drug induced pass out that traditional cold remedies usually give me. I was also able to sleep at night and did not wake up with that "hangover" feeling. I was amazed at how much I was actually sleeping and every time I woke up I felt a bit better (and drank more tea.)
By Monday I felt pretty good, though tired. I was able to stop the Ocillo, but kept up the Umcka and Echinachea and goldenseal until the bottle were gone. I also continued zinc and Vitamin C until the end of the week. By Friday I really was 100%. It was amazing. I usually end up with Bronchitis after a cold or flu and sometimes a sinus infection.
Oh yes, I also used my neti pot several times a day and did eucalyptus and peppermint inhalations immediately after each time to ease my congestion. Not to be graphic to heighten the "gross out" factor, but honestly, judging by what came out of my nasal sinuses when I used the neti pot, I am sure this saved me from a sinus infection.
Take it for what it is... just my experience. Read up on homeopathic medicine and herbal remedies. When using a neti pot make sure you always boil your water first! Use common sense. If your fever won't break, your symptoms worsen or you have new ones, things come out of your head that suggest infection then GET TO A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL!!!
As for me... I'll be going this route next to start time I get sick. Maybe above all, allowing myself to slow down, get in bed and get better, in spite of what my day planner said, may have been the greatest thing I did for my healing. (I also feel good about the fact that I did not pass my germs on to my clients, students and friends!) Think about it.
Take care of yourself. Eat well, rest well, move well, and wash your hands often. Don't get sick to begin with!
I thought I was coming down with a cold after some teaching in Albany back in Jan. It was a Monday. The work was intense and on the flight home the 20-something guy next to me sniffled all the way from New York to Cleveland. (It was very tempting to stick a tissue under his nose and yell "blow!") I was not feeling quite right by Wed so I started my Echinachea tea, increased my vitamin C and Zinc and kept going to work. Thurs night teaching Adult Modern Dance was rough. Mostly I just felt tired and attributed it to the work and travel. Friday morning up to teach Pilates Mat class was harder. By the time I got to the studio I knew I was sick. I called off class and headed to Whole Foods. I really wanted to try to ride this one out without traditional pharmaceuticals (which give me fitful sleep and dry out my whole body) and see if it was any better than the suffering I had seen so many people around me experience. This was not a cold, it was the flu and I had it. Judging by the holes in my schedule with cancellations the prior few weeks I figured it might take me weeks to get back to 100%.
Much to my surprise I was back to work on Tues and feeling back to normal by the end of the week. Many people were surprised and wanted to know how I escaped the protracted crud. I though this might be a good thing to post! This is what I did:
Friday Morning the fever came. I took this as proof of the flu, even though the onset of the illness was slow, the fever spiked quickly. I knew Oscillococcinum is the traditional homeopathic medicine for the flu and it's really attainable now in "regular" drug stores so I got some. I picked up more herbal teas and found Umcka for cold and flu symptoms like my runny nose. It was listed as a tradition African root for these symptoms so I though I'd give it a try since there are no drug interactions. I also got a tincture of Echinachea with Goldenseal. I went home and got into bed.
There I stayed right through until Monday. I took my doses of my herbal and homeopathic meds right on the clock. I was a chain tea dinker. Once the pot was low I had another kettle on. I took the tincture of echinachea with goldenseal 5 times a day. I slept a lot!
What I noticed about the Umcka was that it did not completely take away my sneezing and running nose, but it reducedthe symptoms a great deal. I knew it was working on some level because when it was time for another dose my symptoms were increasing in severity. The remedies I took let me really rest, not the drug induced pass out that traditional cold remedies usually give me. I was also able to sleep at night and did not wake up with that "hangover" feeling. I was amazed at how much I was actually sleeping and every time I woke up I felt a bit better (and drank more tea.)
By Monday I felt pretty good, though tired. I was able to stop the Ocillo, but kept up the Umcka and Echinachea and goldenseal until the bottle were gone. I also continued zinc and Vitamin C until the end of the week. By Friday I really was 100%. It was amazing. I usually end up with Bronchitis after a cold or flu and sometimes a sinus infection.
Oh yes, I also used my neti pot several times a day and did eucalyptus and peppermint inhalations immediately after each time to ease my congestion. Not to be graphic to heighten the "gross out" factor, but honestly, judging by what came out of my nasal sinuses when I used the neti pot, I am sure this saved me from a sinus infection.
Take it for what it is... just my experience. Read up on homeopathic medicine and herbal remedies. When using a neti pot make sure you always boil your water first! Use common sense. If your fever won't break, your symptoms worsen or you have new ones, things come out of your head that suggest infection then GET TO A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL!!!
As for me... I'll be going this route next to start time I get sick. Maybe above all, allowing myself to slow down, get in bed and get better, in spite of what my day planner said, may have been the greatest thing I did for my healing. (I also feel good about the fact that I did not pass my germs on to my clients, students and friends!) Think about it.
Take care of yourself. Eat well, rest well, move well, and wash your hands often. Don't get sick to begin with!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Who cares what I think anyway?
Someone suggested I start a blog about all the many things that I do. I thought, "Who cares what I think?" I thought a blog was a pretentious airing of mind clutter.
Hmmm.
It turns out that quite a number of people want to know what I think. I get asked all the time for recommendations on footwear, pillows and mattresses, doctors, moisturizer, exercise videos and equipment, food, medical treatments, movies and books, where to vacation and a host of other things I have no business giving advice about.
I have come to realize however, that I do know a lot about a number of things, that I have real expertise in some areas and that it is ok to offer an opinion about something even if it has not been "clinically proven!"
So, here is my attempt dear clients, friends, fans and followers to "give the people what they want." Please understand that the posts to follow are only my opinion. Sometimes my opinions are backed up by science, research or my various training, sometimes my clinical observations in Massage Therapy, Pilates, Dance or Yoga, sometimes just a hunch or preference. I will try to be clear about the basis of my opinions. I will try to stay away from airing mind clutter.
Hmmm.
It turns out that quite a number of people want to know what I think. I get asked all the time for recommendations on footwear, pillows and mattresses, doctors, moisturizer, exercise videos and equipment, food, medical treatments, movies and books, where to vacation and a host of other things I have no business giving advice about.
I have come to realize however, that I do know a lot about a number of things, that I have real expertise in some areas and that it is ok to offer an opinion about something even if it has not been "clinically proven!"
So, here is my attempt dear clients, friends, fans and followers to "give the people what they want." Please understand that the posts to follow are only my opinion. Sometimes my opinions are backed up by science, research or my various training, sometimes my clinical observations in Massage Therapy, Pilates, Dance or Yoga, sometimes just a hunch or preference. I will try to be clear about the basis of my opinions. I will try to stay away from airing mind clutter.
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