How well do your feet feel, look and work? Based on the number of people you see limping and walking around in orthopedic boots many people seem to be having significant foot pains and problems. It appears many people are requiring custom insoles, orthotics, special shoes, and even foot surgery to help deal with foot problems that started a long time ago. With the key functions, our feet play to allow us to move, stand and walk this blog is dedicated to helping fix feet problems fast and prevent problems from occurring in the future.
“It is quite obvious that if you have foot problems over time it will take a significant toll on your emotional, mental, and physical health.” — Michael Morningstar
We are doing a lot of walking during these crazy coronavirus conditions and I naturally look at other people’s alignment, foot placement, and overall posture to look for telltale signs of foot strain, stress, and structural issues.
This blog is dedicated to helping people prevent and even reverse foot problems that can contribute to major health issues limiting your quality of life by using simple solutions. Walking is one of the best forms of exercise and fitness routines when done with proper footwear, form, and function. When walking is done with cheaply designed and made footwear, improperly fitting shoes, and poor posture it is only a matter of time before your feet and the rest of your body will be stressed and suffer. So now is the best time to start looking at your feet, shoes, and walking form to see if there are telling signs of problems in the making or maybe already present and impacting your health and well-being. There is no excuse for not investing a little money and time to determine if the condition of your feet and your shoe selections are putting you at greater risk for foot damage, impairment, and more serious issues. If you let foot problems go on for too long it can affect your back, hips, knees, and neck alignment and lead to major debilitating disabilities and even worse structural issues.
Almost any kind of foot problem can escalate to create significant problems to your overall health and well-being. This blog will share many things to be aware of and look for to identify foot problems and begin corrective actions before things get worse and possibly require major medical interventions. Anyone can learn about basic foot care and begin making better choices and decisions regarding their feet and footwear. Our feet are the foundation for traveling and walking. Our feet must be a high priority if being happier and healthier are important. Common sense says healthy feet are essential for being grounded and getting around the earth.
Happy Families Start with Healthy Feet
Most children have happy and healthy faces and feet because they run around barefoot a lot. Being barefoot and free of shoes allows the bones, joints, muscles, and tendons in the feet to develop, flex and function properly. When you see kids running around and parents walking with their kids you typically see happy and smiling faces. Over time the children are told to wear shoes more often and the parents often buy shoes that do not fit properly or well. Many shoes are designed and made with cheap materials and mass-produced to sell to parents for big profits. Since most parents have many pairs of shoes they want their kids to have and wear shoes also. Some parents even put shoes on infants that are not even walking yet. This is not a good idea for financial and health reasons. The longer a toddler can go barefoot the better for the development of healthy feet.
Wearing shoes that are poorly designed, shaped or fitting affects the development and growth of the child’s feet which affects their overall growth and development. When the foot is impaired or impinged it starts a chain reaction affecting the alignment of the back, hips, joints, and legs. Over time shoes affect the foot mechanics of the stride and strike and this can transfer up the body affecting other areas with each step. Every aspect of the design and manufacture of the shoe affects the feet and the rest of the body. Some serious foot problems start with flawed fashion footwear having high heels, thick soles, and tight fit.
Fix Your Feet
After decades of abusing our feet with excessive shoe wearing, lack of barefoot time, poor foot care, and poorly fitting shoes it should be no surprise when feet develop pains and problems like bone issues, bruises, bunions, callous, corns, cracked heels, falling arches, foot fungus, heel spurs, infections, ingrown toenails, neuropathy, plantar fasciitis, poor circulation, sore feet, sores, and tendon problems, These problems all started a long time ago and the body did many different things to deal with the abuse you did to your feet and body. Unhealthy footwear leads to unhealthy feet.
Some simple things you can do to help your feet now and maybe even reduce and reverse foot problems:
- Aloe vera is a magic medicinal plant that can help feet skin problems.
- Avocado is good to eat and avocado oil is good to rub on your feet. A great time to apply it to your feet is before bedtime. Wear socks and sandals to avoid slipping.
- Avoid petroleum jelly, chemical soaps, and treatments.
- Barefoot outdoors walking at least a few hours a day is very beneficial for healthy feet and grounding. Try walking on grass, sand, soil, and small stones to activate reflexology meridian points and stimulate foot function and health.
- Bicarbonates like baking soda can be consumed and used in a foot bath for healthy feet.
- Bitters: Bitter-tasting foods like basil, bitter melon, dandelion, jackass bitters, neem, and rosemary are very beneficial nutrition sources and help with health and immune function. Many green plants have a bitter taste and are very alkalizing. to support our feet and health.
- Boots can be a big problem because they often restrict blood circulation. They also restrict the full range of motion of all the bones, cartilage, joints, muscles, and tendons in our feet. Many people end up with weak ankles from wearing boots too early and too long. Boots over long periods of time hold in excess moisture and can lead to bacteria and foot fungus problems. Chemical powders put in boots and shoes can be absorbed by our feet and contaminate our body and health.
- Cabbage wrapped around the feet during our sleep is a folk medicine remedy.
- Calcium bentonite clay mixed with water to form a clay gel can be helpful for feet in many ways. Apply this to the feet right before bed and after it dries put on some socks to sleep with it on overnight. Wash off first thing after waking.
- Castor oil is another well-documented folk medicine remedy.
- Colloidal silver has been found to help many people with persistent foot infections. Some band-aids even have silver in the gaze to help prevent infections.
- Coconut oil consumed internally and used externally on the feet is a real treat for our feet and health. Using coconut oil to massage the feet can provide many benefits. Read about the benefits of coconut oil and you will understand the many ways it can help your body and feet.
- Dancing barefoot is very beneficial for many reasons and because it feels good.
- Earthing also referred to as grounding is very important to maintain healthy feet. Go barefoot whenever you can.
- Epsom salt warm water foot baths with 2 drops of essential oil like eucalyptus, lavender, or tea tree are great for helping us keep our feet healthy.
- Essential oils are very beneficial for feet. Try eucalyptus, lavender, lemon, neem, orange, oregano, peppermint, sage, and tea tree are great.
- Exercise and fitness for feet are vital to keeping all the bones, cartilage, ligaments, muscles, and tendons in tip-top condition.
- Extra virgin Olive Oil massaged on feet helps for great skincare.
- Foot fungus is a major problem for many people and there are many helpful tips like essential oils in this list to help your feet be fungus-free.
- Garlic is great for boosting your immune function and is also great as a poultice for your feet.
- Green tea consumption, as well as green tea foot baths, can be very beneficial.
- Herbal Teas, Tinctures, and Tonics can all provide holistic health benefits. My previous blog goes into great detail.
- Honey (raw) can be very healing and therapeutic for feet. Honey (raw) is also good for you in moderation. Excess High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) and refined sugar consumption can lead to diabetes and obesity which often lead to major foot problems and neuropathy that can lead to infections and amputation.
- Hydrogen water made from a powder or hydrogen water machine may be a healthy way to boost your overall health.
- Inserts and insoles may help with better foot support and reduced foot pain which may help promote more walking and wellness. Many shoes have cheap insoles that offer very little foot support for optimal foot protection so consider replacing them with quality ones.
- Iodine can be a good way to get rid of persistent foot fungus. Iodine is essential for health. It has been used topically for over a hundred years. Some people use one drop in 24 ounces of water to boost their immune system during periods of high infection and pathogen activity.
- Massaging our feet is a real treat and can help in many ways. Massaging our body and feet with high-quality food oils is good for maintaining healthy skin. Massage can help circulation and make you aware of potential foot numbness.
- Minerals are like magic molecules when it comes to health and vitality. Without the right minerals and trace elements, we become sick and weak.
- Minimalist and natural footwear can help provide better options: Altra, 3rd Planet, 5 Fingers, Kuru, Moccasins, River Sandals, Sanuk, Vivobarefoot, and Zero drop.
- Nail polish and nail polish remover can be very harmful to your feet and overall health.
- Onions chopped or sliced are great for boosting your immune function and are also great as a poultice for your feet.
- Plant-based nutrition and protein are fantastic for building strong bones, cartilage, and muscles.
- Proper shoe shape, size, and support are vital for feet to stay healthy. See the list of minimalist footwear above.
- Running can be very hard on our back, feet, knees, and hips. Running on concrete, in low-quality footwear, or with incorrect alignment and form can create massive problems.
- Sesame oil used externally and/or internally is a great health therapy.
- Shoe shape, size, sole, and support play a major role in happy and healthy feet. Probably 80% of shoes are potential problem promoters for your feet so choose wisely.
- Slipping and tripping have resulted in many ankle, foot, hip, and knee injuries. One bad fall can result in problems for life. Improving agility, balance, strength, and tone can help prevent falls. Proper shoe lacing and tying are essential for people of all ages.
- Socks can help your feet or harm them. Natural fibers and well-fitting socks can help keep your feet healthy and ready for more walking. Many socks are too tight and cut off the circulation to the feet and lower legs.
- The standing surface can affect our feet and entire skeleton. Standing on concrete for long hours is very stressful. This is where quality shoes and cushion mats come in handy.
- Trim toenails correctly to prevent problems. Ingrown toenails are a major problem and can lead to serious infections, pain, and suffering. In some people, it can even result in amputation.
- Twisted ankles can be a major problem. Elevated shoes, high heels, and other shoe styles can lead to serious ankle and feet issues like bunions, callous, and corns.
- Walking alignment, gait, and stride can be key factors in staying happy and healthy or being unhappy and unhealthy. It is well worth the effort to get these checked out by a functional physiologist or physical therapist who can help identify any issues and help you resolve them.
- Watch out for any podiatrist who quickly recommends expensive orthotics or surgery without doing a proper gait and stride analysis and then trying physical therapy for a least a year or two first. They should also check 3 pairs of your shoes to identify issues. I know some people who had foot or knee surgery for alignment, footwear, and stride issues that are worse off than before the surgery.
Passion for People & Planet
The passion and purpose of Morningstar NEWS are to condense many hours of research down to two minutes of education, information, and inspiration for a healthy lifestyle and mindset. This blog shared the many causes and concerns regarding feet and footwear and the benefits of investing the money and time to take better care of your feet to help your emotional, mental, physical health in 2021 and beyond.
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