From the Ground Up
When was the last time you looked at your feet? I mean really looked. Like many parts of the body, most people don’t think about their feet until there is a problem. Unfortunately, by the time we sense a problem (pain!), it is often because we’ve forced our feet into bad shoes for too long.
There are many opinions about footwear. Mine is not particularly driven by fashion, trend, or advertised function. I’ve found that when you apply a rational, anatomically-based perspective to how the body works, things just start to make sense.
Our connection to the ground comes through our feet. If we squish our toes, elevate the heel (to any height), or have lift in the toe, it is impossible to properly bear the weight of the body. Period. Over time, this enforces poor biomechanics through the entire lower kinetic chain. If you have a foot problem, you have a knee and a hip and a pelvis problem. Everything is connected. The brilliance of the body is such that it can and it will adapt, compensate, and put up with the trauma to which you subject it - to a point. From the ground up, this means looking at the relationship of your feet to the floor.
I recently had the opportunity to meet with and shadow Dr. Ray McClanahan, D.P.M. As a classically trained podiatrist, he employed the needle and knife approach of allopathic medicine to “fix” the “pathology” of the foot issues he saw. A combination of personal experience, exposure to the uncommon perspective of Dr. William Rossi, and a compassionate drive to find a better way heal and improve the quality of life in his patients led him to innovate a product called Correct Toes.
Dr. Ray McClanahan is an educator. He practices what he preaches and he preaches a Good Word. He believes in employing a preventative and conservative approach to not just alleviate your pain or complaint, but help to position your feet (and by extension your body) in way that honors natural movement and allows for healing to occur.
So check out his website, but more importantly check out your feet. If you draw a line from your first metatarsal to the tip of your big toe, is the line straight? Take the liner out of your shoe and step on it. Is the line still straight? What do you think happens when you cram a foot into a box that is too small for years? For decades? You wouldn’t do that to your hands. You only have one pair of feet. Wear them well.
What is Your Back Story?
The story of your spine is your “back story”. Many people know that the spine helps to protect the spinal cord, the neurological freeway that connects the brain to nerves in the body. The spinal cord is not a separate organ from the brain, and in many ways it can be considered the “back of the mind”.
We experience our world through our nervous system (brain, spinal cord, nerves, and sense organs). Sometimes, this world can be stressful on our bodies and our minds and this is reflected in the spine. The body will prioritize stability over freedom when it is under duress or if it perceives it is under duress. This means that whether the stress on the body and the spine is material (physical or chemical stress) or psychological (mental/emotional stress), the body and the spine will respond in the same way.
Sometimes it is important and necessary to trade stability for freedom, but more often than not this state is only beneficial when temporary. Life is the expression of motion and motion requires freedom. This is nowhere more apparent than in the spine. If the spine is not allowed to freely express movement through a balanced and coordinated range of motion, the entire communication system of the body becomes challenged. When there is reduced quantity and quality information being communicated within the body, especially when this occurs over long periods of time, we see the consequences of dis-ease manifest.
Dis-ease can take different forms. Dis-ease can look or feel like pain, fatigue, tension, or challenges with how the body functions. No matter what the symptoms, dis-ease in the body indicates a compromise to the body’s internal communication system.
The role of the chiropractor is, therefore, to address the compromise to body's internal communication system. In chiropractic, this compromise when found in the spine is called the vertebral subluxation. The chiropractic adjustment is an information signal delivered to mobilize the innate wisdom of the body, in order to allow the nervous system to reorganize where and how ease and dis-ease are present.
The stories that we write with our lives are the stories that are reflected in our spines. To see the integrated whole, we must acknowledge that nothing exists in isolation, there must be a balance of freedom and stability, and that this process of story writing is ultimately a creative one.
Winter Mint
As we transition from the chaos of the Holiday season back to the normalcy of routine and the onset of winter, I encourage several things to help boost the immune system. In addition to seeing your friendly neighborhood chiropractor, getting adequate rest (aka sleep), keeping hydrated (aka drinking water), and having clear lines of communication in your personal, professional, and social lives are some of the best things you can do to support your immune system and your overall well-being.
I would also like to share some info about one of my favorite warm winter beverages: peppermint tea.
The use of mint leaves in herbal, folk, and medicinal traditions has roots worldwide. The cultivation of mints in China and Japan is an ancient practice. Mint has been found in Egyptian tombs that date back to 1000 B.C. Mint was part of the pharmacopeia of ancient Greece and both Eastern and Western medicine utilize mint for a variety of ailments.
Peppermint (mentha piperita) is hybrid of spearmint and watermint, and as a perennial herb, it is naturalized throughout Europe and North America. It is purported to have many actions, especially as an essential oil, not the least of which include analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-septic, and anti-spasmodic. Historically, peppermint has been used as a digestive aid, to freshen breath, and to relieve headaches. Aromatically, peppermint has been traditionally used to soothe upper respiratory ailments. More recently, peppermint aroma has been shown to improve memory and reduce mental fatigue.
As any evidence-based empirical machine likes to do, Western medicine has studied this plant and its effects in its reductionist, sterile sort of way. They have studied its use as a pharmacologic “alternative” for conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), non-ulcer dyspepsia, and gastrointestinal spasm, and have come to the resounding conclusion that peppermint oil is “probably effective”. With regard to tension headaches, two trials have shown that topical application of peppermint oil is effective in reducing symptoms. In fact, in one of those studies, it was compared to acetaminophen (Tylenol), and was found comparable (“no significant difference in effectiveness”), with the difference being that the peppermint oil had no adverse effects.
More recently, a more detailed biochemical investigation into the protective effects of the phytochemicals in peppermint found several interesting results. Compared to industry standard anti-oxidant chemicals used to preserve food, peppermint essential oil was found to be a more potent scavenger of free radicals. In addition, clinical findings in rats showed a significant decrease in serum uric acid (marker for gout) and an increase in HDL (“good”) cholesterol.
Although these recent scientific claims support the medicinal aspects of a natural plant and it’s beneficial effects on the body, it is important to keep in mind the weight of tradition. The use of peppermint, peppermint essential oil, and all other essential oils and traditional remedies has been studied and refined for centuries. The appropriate use of them, as with any healing modality, needs to be put into context. Context means not looking at the results with disregard to the entire process. Ultimately, I encourage you to explore the “alternative” avenues of natural healing, but to do so with respect. For me, I am already looking forward to a cup of warm peppermint tea.