High heels are fun, mysterious, playful, and exciting. Although I am certainly not anti-heel, there was a timely article recently that continues our look at the long-term health effects of wearing high heels. Source: FYI Living A recent study found that high heels shorten calf muscles and cause muscle stiffness. The study compared two groups of women; one group of 11 volunteers had worn high heels at least five days a week for two years or more while the other group of nine women had not. The study found that subjects who always wore heels had shorter calf muscles, stiffer Achilles tendons and less ankle motion than their flat wearing counterparts. No matter how great they look, constantly wearing high heels can cause damage and pain from bunions to shrinking your calf muscles to sprained ankles from falling. Here are a few tips to help with heels. 1 Make sure your shoes fit properly. 2. Feet swell sometimes. Before wearing new shoes, stretch them out first by wearing them with socks around the house. 3. Get cushiony shoe inserts for extra padding 4. Scuff up the bottom if there is no traction so you don’t slip and twist your ankle. 5. Stretch out your calves. 6. Wear open toe shoes to relieve pressure and scrunching on your toes. We’re not suggesting you never wear heels again; they are fun. But if you’re going to be doing a lot of walking or you’ll be on your feet all day, bring some flats with you. Take a little break and put on some cushiony, flat walking shoes; a short walk is not only good for your legs and feet but also for your heart and waistline.
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What do you use to see with? If you said your EYES… you're wrong. How about hearing? If you said EARS… wrong again! You don't actually see with your eyes or hear with ears. Those are just end organs for collecting light and sound waves from the environment. To actually see and hear, you have to interpret those waves with your BRAIN first. So in reality, you see with your Nerve System. You hear with your Nerve System. All your experiences of LIFE come from your Nerve System. You literally LIVE in your Nerve System. When your sense organs gather information from the environment, your Nerve System deciphers and responds to that information to keep you alive and well (adaptation). That's a pretty important job. Chiropractors care a great deal about your Nerve System for this reason. If it gets stressed or damaged, there goes your ability to respond successfully to your environment… and there goes your ability to experience a rich, healthy LIFE! So what does that have to do with you? Are you feeling burned out? Having a hard time coping with stressful situations? Or just feel disconnected from the world? Maybe it's time for a little Nerve System house cleaning. Chiropractic adjustments keep your Nerve System 'clear' so you can respond to life's challenges in a healthier way. Like… Your boss' last minute work request 10 minutes before quitting time or, Your kids telling you at 5:45 that their soccer practice was rescheduled for tonight at 6:00… Or any of life's unexpected surprises that make you want to pull your hair out! You deal with them better when you're under regular Chiropractic Care. Content provided by Principle33. The human foot and ankle are relatively small structures that have to support the rest of our bodies. Since they are so small, they also have to be perfectly designed in order to take the wear and tear of daily walking, running, turning, pivoting, jumping, and landing. In the interests of fashion and beauty, many women decide to wear high heeled shoes. Although undeniably glamorous, the ultimate effect of the high-heeled shoe is to focus your body's entire weight onto one tiny part of your foot: the area of the foot just behind the toes. The majority of the foot (especially the heel) is no longer involved in bearing weight and distributing force. High heels have been linked to bunions, corns, callouses, pain in the ball of the foot, and even knee, hip, and back pain. All that said, I am not entirely anti-heel. I believe that moderation and judiciousness should be used at all times. Health problems certainly arise if high heels are a daily staple of your wardrobe, but wearing heels for special occasions should not warrant a scolding from your doctor. You should certainly consult your doctor, however, if you decide to rid yourself away of a high heel habit: if your body is used to wearing heels regularly, going cold turkey can cause a whole variety of other biomechancial problems. BBC News recently ran a story on high heels and an increased incidence of osteoarthritis: The Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists said the UK could be facing an "arthritis crisis" due to increasing levels of obesity and poor footwear.
The most common form of the condition, osteoarthritis, causes pain and stiffness in the joints and affects at least eight million people in the UK. The condition is more common in women. A poll of 2,000 people for the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists found that a quarter of women wear high heels every day or "frequently". But experts warned high heels can alter the body's posture and increase pressure on the foot, ankle and knee joints, increasing the risk of osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is caused by stress to the cartilage and can result from injury or from general wear and tear on the joint. The poll also found that 77% of both men and women do not wear shoes designed specifically for the sport they are doing. This can cause injury and stress on the joints, increasing the risk of the debilitating condition. Feet first Professor Anthony Redmond, a podiatrist and arthritis researcher from the society, said arthritis could occur at any age, not just as we get older. He said there were some simple ways of helping to prevent it. "Choosing the right footwear will help minimise the stress placed on the feet and joints during everyday activity and helps reduce the risk of injury and joint damage. "For daily wear, the recommendation is to opt for a round-toed shoe with a heel height of no more than 2-3cm (one inch) and with a shock-absorbent sole to help minimise shock to the joints." Professor Redmond warned that if people wear trainers while doing exercise trainers they should be designed specifically for the sport they are doing. "Those who wear trainers that are not designed for sporting activity are placing themselves at real risk. "With forces through the joints exceeding eight times the body weight during some sports, the importance of matching the right footwear to the activity cannot be overstated." The survey also found that while 65% have suffered stiffness or pain in their lower body and feet, only half have sought help for their symptoms. Experts say people should be on their guard because arthritis is on the rise, with 60% of cases in feet. Professor Redmond said: "If you do experience frequent pain in your feet or ankles, don't ignore it, as something can always be done. "Some forms of arthritis start first in the feet and early treatment is vital to achieving the best long-term outcome." I remember learning the food pyramid in school as a child. I'm afraid I don't remember the food pyramid itself, though. Fortunately, the name gives away the shape of the object, so I could probably do a nice job of recreating the outline of the image, although my guesses at daily portion amounts and sizes would probably be embarassingly wrong.
Since memorizing the numbers of the food pyramid were widely recognized as an ineffective tool, the government has unveiled a new numberless reminder of how to eat well. It's the "My Plate". The name of it is actually brilliantly evocative of the "My Space" generation. The icon itself has a shiny next-gen brightness that ought to appeal to children. Whether it helps us eat better or not is a difficult question. We all know that we're supposed to drink water and that fresh fruits and veggies are good for us. Yet most of us continue to eat a diet of processed foods and sugary drinks. Is it important whether or not we remember that "grains" goes in the orange box, and that the orange box goes in the upper right hand corner of the plate? Not really. What is important, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is to: • Enjoy your food, but eat less. • Avoid oversized portions. • Make half your plate fruits and vegetables. • Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk. • Make at least half your grains whole grains. • Compare sodium (salt) in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals, and choose foods with lower numbers. • Drink water instead of sugary drinks. For more information on the latest push in healthy nutrition, visit www.choosemyplate.gov. The FDA released a warning to women who take birth control pills containing drospirenone this week. This active ingredient, found in such popular brand name contraceptives as Yaz, Yasmin, Safyral, Gianvi, Ocella, and Beyaz, has been recently shown to dramatically increase the chances of blood clots in women. Although these recent studies do seem to conflict with older studies, the FDA issued an alert to all OBGYNs, doctors, and patients.
Ironically, the ingredient drospirenone was introduced into birth control medications in an attempt to reduce the risk of blood clots. According to Wikipedia, Bayer disclosed over a hundred lawsuits that had been filed by 2009 regarding side effects of the Yaz and Yasmin brand contraceptives. Also in 2009, the FDA cited Bayer for low-quality drosperinone, which could have other potentially harmful side effects. It has long been reported that birth control products which contain estrogen, hormones, and other active ingredients such as drospirenone have caused an increased risk of potentially fatal blood clots (the main cause of strokes and some types of heart attacks and lung damage), breast cancer, cervical cancer, liver tumors, and even diabetes. The World Health Organization has classified some birth control pills which contain both estrogen and progestin as carcinogenic. Although blood clots are normally associated with older individuals, even young women are now experiencing leg discomfort and other symptoms which may be due to their birth control pills. Blood clots often begin in the legs, so if you are a women on birth control, please pay special attention to your symptoms and report them to your friendly local Peoria doctor right away. |
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DisclaimerUnless otherwise attributed, all content is written by Kyle Johnson, DC, of Johnson Family Chiropractic of Peoria.
All images used are under Creative Commons license. Although every effort has been made to provide an accurate description of our chiropractic care and its benefits, the information given on this website and blog is not intended to be, nor should it be interpreted as, medical advice for any condition. If you have any questions regarding your condition, you should seek the help of Dr. Johnson in person, so that he may properly assess your condition. This blog is provided by Johnson Family Chiropractic of Peoria, S.C., proudly located in Peoria, IL. |