tennis balls for sore feet

October 13, 2008 in acu-point, acupressure, ankle, feet, pain, recycling, sprain, sustainability, wellness, wellness tip | Tags: plantar fasciitis, tennis ball, foot, massage | No comments

I can’t say enough about how useful tennis balls are for dealing with shoulder pain. (See the Video here.)And I’ve recently become a convert to tennis balls to help with sore feet, especially as people ask about dealing with foot soreness, ankle pain and issues like Plantar faciaitis.

Just as you would use a tennis ball (or two) to relieve tension in the upper back/shoulders, you can do the same with the feet.
Take a used tennis ball, and put it in a sock. You can use the tennis ball alone, but I think the sock helps keep the ball from rolling around.
Before starting, stand in your socks or bare feet on a flat surface, and check in with how your feet feel. Notice any discomfort.
Sit down in a chair that allows you to sit straight, with both feet on the floor.
Start by rolling the tennis ball under that foot that is bothering you (or bothering you more). Roll the ball slowly–ball of foot, arch and heel areas– , and notice if there are any places where it feels especially good, and stop at those points for a few deep breaths. If you feel any pain, stop.
If you think your foot can bear more pressure, take your foot off the ball, and stand up. Roll the ball under your foot again; this time put as much weight on the ball as feels like a good massage. Take a few deep breaths as you bear your weight on the ball. Touch a wall or furniture if you need for balance. If you feel any pain, stop.
Take your foot off the ball, and once again stand with both feet on the floor. Notice how you feet feel, compared to before, and compared to each other. The foot you just massaged with the ball should feel flatter on the floor.
Sit back down and do the same with your other foot. Even if you don’t have discomfort in that foot, or think it needs a massage, spend at least a minute to roll the ball under it. Following the principle of yin/yang, it’s always a good idea to give attention to the other side. You’ll likely feel that the other foot feels flatter on the floor, too.

If you’re at home and have the time, you can follow up by giving both feet a massage with your hands.

If you want to get the benefit of this at work, take a tennis ball and roll it under your feet while you work. You can do it while you’re working, or dedicate a few minutes to the above exercise. Your feet, the rest of you body, and your mind will thank you for the brief but effective break.

You are encouraged you to seek the advice of a qualified health care provider for questions about a medical condition.
your medical family tree

October 1, 2008 in health, wellness | Tags: disease, family history, medical history, medical records | No comments

In an article titled “Tracking your family health history“, Dr. Lori Wiviott of Harvard Medical School suggests that it’s not only important to keep track of your own medical history, but also to create a medical history of your family, since many diseases are genetic.

The article contains a simple guide on how to create a medical family tree. This seems like the logical extension from the importance of keeping personal medical history information. I wonder if the My Life Log includes a place for family history?
power of knowledge: your medical history

September 29, 2008 in health, wellness | Tags: medical records, medical information, health, medical | 1 comment

While I’m a big proponent of self-knowledge for helping with personal wellness (e.g., having a good sense of how you are personally affected by stress in your life), I have been haphazard with my own medical record-keeping. If I had to come up with all my medical records, including a hospitalization years ago in another country, I would be in big trouble.

I just came across a very simple, but potentially hugely valuable tool: MY LIFE LOG.

MY LIFE LOG, A Medical and Personal Diary, can help provide valuable information for doctors and prevent medical errors in treatment and diagnosis. Doctors are like detectives. The more clues they have, the quicker they can diagnose their patient’s problems. A patient who has kept a personal health diary that includes their family medical history and makes that information available to healthcare providers is being pro-active in their own healthcare.

You can buy the logbook — which looks nice; and sure beats the folders of paper I have scattered about. Would encourage me to consolidate the information. They also offer the option of downloading a PDF with all the pages (I assume) that are in the book, so you can print what you need and put into a binder. I like this idea because:
Less expensive, and saves on shipping costs ($ and carbon output)
You can print only the pages you need
You can print extra pages that you may need that might not be in the bound version

I’ll consider this as an option to help me declutter and truth about enzyte get organized, and support my Everyday Wellness.

My Life Log: www.mylifelogbook.com
stretch your toes for healthier feet

September 17, 2008 in ankle, health, sprain, stretch, wellness | Tags: ankle, bunion, feet, orthopedist, plantar fasciitis, toe stretcher, toes | No comments

What are those things?!?!? They are toe stretchers. They help stretch out toes that are cramped together, and help release and relieve sore feet and ankles.

I’m writing about this today because I’ve recently had healthy toes and toe stretchers on my mind.
WEAK ANKLE: The ankle I fractured last year still bothers me occasionally, and my first reaction is to spread my toes (on both feet). Why do I do this? Because I feel great when I spread my toes: I take a nice deep breath, my feet feel more relaxed, my ankle feels better… and I actually feel good all the way up my legs to my back. Toe stretchers would allow me to spread my toes–and get the benefits–without effort.
BUNION: I asked my mom about her problem ankle. She showed me her feet, and lo and behold, the big toe on the foot with the problem ankle turns in; she’s starting to get a bunion. The toes on the other foot, however, are lined up nicely, and she doesn’t have any ankle problems on that side. I think toe stretchers would help her toes align better, which will stablize her foot and strengthen her ankle.
PLANTAR FASCIITIS: A student in a wellness class asked about addressing plantar fasciitis. I think toe stretchers can help address this. (Also, rolling your feet over a tennis ball can help relieve some pain, too.)

I have to say that I personally have not used these, though I’ve tried them on once and they felt great. You can read the account an MD has written about her decision to try them to prevent stiff feet, and how they beat her trip to the orthopedist.

They are available in several brands, which look pretty similar: Yoga Toes (which you can only buy on their website), Healthytoes (which is available on Amazon and less expensive than Yoga Toes) and Genki-Kun (which claims to be the original from Japan; their sizing is confusing).

To Buy:
Healthytoes BLUE color, Small or Large
Healthytoes PINK color, Small only
SMALL fits Women’s shoe sizes: 5.5 to 10.5; Men’s shoe sizes: 3.5 to 9.5
LARGE fits Women’s shoe sizes: 11 and up; Men’s shoe sizes: 7.5 to 10+
(SIZING TIPS: Sizing is approximate and may vary according to width of foot. The majority of Women with medium-width feet will wear a size Small. 99% of Women new to toe stretching should order the size Small. — From the Healthytoes website.)

Genki-Kun products are available, too, but their sizing is confusing.

Yoga Toes sells directly; more expensive individually, but there’s a discount on volume.
video: tennis ball trick for shoulder and neck

September 17, 2008 in acupressure, back, fatigue, headache, health, neck, pain, shoulder, stress, wellness | Tags: video, shoulder, neck, pain, fatigue, reduce, stress, tennis ball | No comments

TENNIS BALL TRICK? A tennis ball can reduce stress and fatigue, as well as address shoulder and neck issues

Click To Play

This is part of Elephant Pharmacy’s Share the Wellth program. To leave a comment or a question about this tip, click here.

See more videos.
addressing anxiety with deep breathing (for kids and adults)

September 15, 2008 in acupressure, anxiety, breath, breathing, wellness, wellness tip | Tags: anxiety, breathing, children, school | No comments

A few days ago, I talked with a mother of a 7-year-old boy who has experienced a great deal of anxiety in situations that are new: places, people, scenarios.

This mom told me that what has really helped him cope better is the simple — yet not always easy — act of deep breathing. She was shocked to learn that indeed, her son didn’t know how to breathe deeply. His breath was extremely shallow.

Here is how she has helped him to learn to breathe more deeply.
He lies down, and she places a book on his tummy — right on top of the bellybutton is a good marker.
He is encouraged to take a breath that’s deep enough (to fills the belly) and make the book go up.
This mom also used her hand, instead of a book. She placed her hand firmly on her son’s tummy so that he felt the resistance and could breath into her hand. This is probably a great step to take when deep breathing is difficult to attain at first.

The new school year has started, and this deep breathing has helped a 7-year-old make that transition with greater comfort.

How could it help you or a child or adult you know? You can do this yourself, either lying down, or sitting up or standing, with your hand on your belly.