Authorities on foot health say that keeping an eye on your feet is just as important as keeping an eye on your overall health. Your feet can signal problems with undiagnosed diabetes, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease and even cancer, they say.

That means that watching your foot health can help you catch undiagnosed conditions before they do permanent damage.

“I teach my patients daily foot inspections,” says Dr. Christopher Sloan, a podiatrist practicing at the Desloge Foot Care Center in Desloge, Mo. “By doing that, you know what you have, and you know what it looks like.”

Sharon Plummer, a nurse practitioner with the Endocrinology Foot Clinic at the St. Louis University School of Medicine, explained that feet have the longest nerves and arteries in the body and that they’re at the lowest part of the body. That makes them the body’s early warning system.

Gravity is the reason, says Dr. Johnny Benjamin, director of the Joint Implant Center and Medical Specialty Procedures Surgery Center in Vero Beach, Fla. Disease can be detected because as your blood circulates to the lowest part of your body, if your heart isn’t strong enough to pump it back efficiently, problems arise.

If you have diabetes, the extra sugar damages the nerves and other tissues. If your heart is weak or you have high blood pressure or other cardiovascular problems, your feet may swell. If vessels clog with impurities, tissues die and must be amputated.

“When the heart can’t pump the fluid correctly, gravity pulls that fluid down into your feet,” Benjamin says. “You end up thinking it’s a problem with your foot or your leg when it’s a problem with your heart. Kidney disease also can cause swelling.”

People need to watch for changes in color and feeling, Benjamin says. “If there’s a darkening or discoloration of their toes that happens fairly suddenly, that can be an indication there’s a blood flow problem.”

Unexplained sores and lacerations signal loss of feeling in the feet, and that signals diabetes.

In the case of swelling, “If you press on the swelling and you leave a divot, that can mean that your heart is not functioning correctly, even congestive heart failure,” Benjamin says. And, he says, “… a little blue or reddish, that could be vascular problems.”

Finding a problem can give doctors a head start on treating it, he says.

“When you find one of these symptoms, you work backward to find out what’s causing the problem that’s manifesting itself in your feet,” Benjamin says. “Swelling doesn’t come from a problem with the feet. It comes from a problem with the heart.”

WHAT THE FEET REFLECT

For people with or without health problems, look for signs that can signal impending problems. Experts say all of these problems can be magnified for smokers.

Plummer says, “When someone smokes and looks at their toes and they’re darker and blue-red, you wonder if smoking is giving you vascular disease, and the answer is yes.”

Smoking causes circulation problems in healthy people. So if you smoke, expect your toes and feet to darken. Experts say that’s caused when poor circulation causes the veins to back up like a clogged drain.

Otherwise, here are some problems that can be detected by just looking at your feet.

DIABETES

This is the disease that most shows itself in your feet. And undiagnosed or ignored diabetes can lead to foot amputation.

“I diagnose 30 to 40 cases of diabetes a year for people who didn’t know they were diabetic,” Sloan says.

The American Diabetes Association reports that in 2002, more than 60 percent of lower-limb amputations not because of an accident were for people with diabetes. That adds up to 82,000 people.

A major symptom is numbing in the feet and toes. Formally known as neuropathy, numbing is the primary predecessor to amputations. It means tissues and nerves aren’t getting a good blood supply. When that happens, they die.

The surplus blood sugar stream damages the walls of blood vessels and nerve endings. The result can be so severe that people find wounds on their feet and don’t know what caused them.

STROKE

If you’re older and you suddenly start tripping a lot, you could have had a mild stroke.

“Nerves automatically lift the feet when they walk,” Plummer says. “You don’t have to think about it.”

A foot not lifting properly is called “foot drop.” Something is inhibiting the nerves. A mild stroke, a back injury or diabetes can cause foot drop. Smoking enhances these effects.

The wrong shoes

Although poor-fitting shoes aren’t classified as a disease — although podiatrists believe they should be — corns, calluses, hammertoes and ingrown toenails are problems for millions of people.

The key is to take care of problems as soon as you see them. Don’t wait for pain to become unbearable.

Then invest in a couple of pairs of shoes that fit right.

CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

Swelling often is a sign that your heart isn’t pumping fluids through your body with enough force. Fluids settle in lower legs, ankles and feet.

Press on a spot on a swollen foot and if it leaves an indentation and the color lightens drastically for a few seconds, you need to report that to your doctor quickly. The diseases could be hypertension, congestive heart failure, hardened arteries, kidney problems or other vascular problems. Smoking enhances this problem.

OBESITY

Doctors say the most common groups of people complaining about foot problems are obese and elderly people.

Obesity can cause any of the above problems as well as arthritis.

“The feet can tell when you’re carrying too much weight, and that’s a common cause of pain,” Plummer says. “Your feet were designed to carry a certain amount of weight. So people who are obese will complain of pain.”

SKIN CANCER

Your toes beneath the nails can indicate a very rare but dangerous form of skin cancer.

Beneath the toe, a bruise will appear for no reason, then it won’t grow or shrink, and it doesn’t grow out with the nail as a bruise would.

The vast majority of the time, toe discoloration is because of fungus or a bruise.

THYROID GLAND PROBLEMS

Brittle nails can mean problems with the thyroid gland.

SEE YOUR DOCTOR

All of the experts agree: Don’t self-diagnose. But experts also agree that educating yourself on the possibilities is vital.

Research your condition, says Plummer, and compare symptoms with your family history and other risk factors.

“Doctors love informed patients,” Plummer says.

___

KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR FEET

Mary Doerr, foot-care nurse with the Diabetes Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, teaches people how to keep an eye on their feet. Doerr and other foot-care experts offered these tips on keeping your feet problem-free.

Keep them clean. Wash your feet every day with mild soap and warm water. Especially if you’re older, test the water with your hand. This is important because if you’re suffering from a loss of feeling you won’t scald your feet. Dry your feet completely, making sure you get between your toes. Damp toes become bacteria motels. Drying powders help.

During your inspection, look for changes: redness, cracks in skin, sores, color changes.

If you have a blister, cut or sore, watch how quickly it heals. If it takes more than a few days, see your doctor. Slow-healing sores are a sign of diabetes, and long-lasting sores have a better chance of becoming infected.

Do not endure foot pain.

Wear healthy socks. That means no cotton. Cotton traps moisture inside the shoe, and that creates a welcome home for germs.

Wear shoes that fit. Shoe manufacturers have made orthopedic shoes almost unnecessary. Shoes come in every width, stiffness and size.

___

RESEARCH YOUR FOOT

Foot problems

www.epodiatry.com/foot_problems.html

Find a list of links to dozens of foot problems

Mayo Clinic

www.mayoclinic.com

Type “healthy feet” in the search engine.

NIH/Medline Plus

www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/footinjuriesanddisorders.html

Foot health for seniors

www.acfas.org/press/backgrounders/seniors.htm

___

(c) 2007, St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Visit the Post-Dispatch on the World Wide Web at http://www.stltoday.com/

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

_____

ARCHIVE PHOTOS on MCT Direct (from MCT Photo Service, 202-383-6099): Search on: travel cuba feet; life feet; health plantar; fash toes

For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

Contact: Amie Hornbaker, +1-301-581-9221, aehornbaker@apma.org, or Craig Fritz, +1-301-581-9220, cmfritz@apma.org, both of APMA

BETHESDA, Md., April 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — What if someone told you, you could walk your way to better health? With 65 percent of American adults considered to be overweight or obese, walking may be one way to battle the bulge. However, if you lack motivation, a prescription to walk may be just what the doctor ordered. That’s the premise behind a 48-week pilot walking program conducted by 16 member physicians of the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA).

The study, funded by APMA, examines two groups of nearly 250 overweight patients located across the country. The objective is to determine if a podiatrist’s care can make a difference in maintaining a long-term walking routine. The participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. Group A participants will be given a written walking program and doctor discussions about the benefits of a walking program. These patients will be given a walking prescription which will include a 12 week calendar to document steps taken per day from the pedometer.

Group B patients will receive no walking prescription, no hand- outs, and no doctor discussions about the benefits of a walking program and will only be given a pedometer and instructions to walk. Body mass index (BMI), cholesterol, blood pressure and other health stats will be monitored on a regular basis for both groups. To qualify for the study, patients must be 18 years or older, at risk for obesity with a BMI of 27 or higher and cleared to participate in the study with no major health conditions, such as a heart attack, stroke or loss of sensation in the feet. Both groups will receive a free pair of Asics walking shoes to utilize in the study.

“Our walking study helps cement two important concepts,” said Dr. Bryan Caldwell, the principal investigating podiatrist in the study and a professor at the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine. “We have known for years the health benefits of walking, as well as the positive impact a podiatrist’s guidance can have on his or her patient’s health. We hope the combination of the two will result in a positive outcome for people who struggle with their weight on a daily basis and will ultimately save lives.”

Obesity is the second leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. A poor diet and lack of physical activity are two of the biggest contributing factors. For this reason, podiatrists participating in the study will record participants’ weight and amount of steps every four weeks using software designed specifically for podiatric research and information sharing from Integrated Physician Systems.

“Implementation of a viable walking program under the care of a podiatrist has great potential,” said APMA President Dr. David Schofield. “Podiatrists have a vested interest in their patients’ well being, without healthy feet, walking is not an option.”

For more information about APMA’s walking study or how to gear up for walking, go to http://www.apma.org/walking.

Founded in 1912, the American Podiatric Medical Association represents the nation’s premier foot and ankle physicians. The Association has component societies in 53 locations in the U.S. and its territories and a membership of close to 11,500 doctors of podiatric medicine. For free foot health information, contact APMA at 1-800-FOOTCARE (1-800-366-8227) or visit http://www.apma.orgon the Web.

SOURCE American Podiatric Medical Association

(c) 2007 U.S. Newswire. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.

In their examination of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, McLean, et al., noted that “consideration of the entire lower extremity contributes to an understanding of injury mechanisms.”1 Excessive foot pronation has been found to be an underlying cause of some ligament injuries in the knees and is a contributing factor in many instances of knee pain. Both treatment and prevention of knee problems require the evaluation of the foot and ankle for pronation. Poor healing and recurrent knee injury can often be traced to biomechanical problems, including hyperpronation. In many cases, flexible, custom-made foot orthotics are needed in order to ensure a good recovery and to avoid future knee conditions.

Knee Biomechanics

The knee has a remarkable level of stability, despite the incongruent joint surfaces of the tibia and femur. These two contrasting joint surfaces articulate only with the help of the crescent-shaped menisci. Through their weight-distribution and shock- protection properties, the menisci help guide movements between the convex surfaces of the distal femur and the almost-flat superior surfaces of the tibial plateau.

A second knee joint involves articulation between the femur and patella. The integrity of this joint is dependent on the coordinated contraction of the quadriceps muscles and the proper positioning of the patella on the saddle-shaped femoral surface. Normal knee-joint movement includes pivot flexion and extension, with external tibial rotation on the femur during the last 10 to 20 degrees of extension.2

However, conditions that produce excessive rotation of the tibia relative to the femur make the knee susceptible to the development of several degenerative conditions. The ACL prevents excessive anterior glide displacement of the tibia on the femur, hyperextension and internal tibial rotation. A review of normal and abnormal biomechanics of the gait cycle reveals why ACL injuries are among the most common ligamentous injuries of the knee.3

The Foot/Knee Relationship

Pronation of the foot in the contact period helps to absorb shock and is normally accompanied by internal rotation of the tibia relative to the femur. Excessive pronation during gait will transmit damaging forces up the kinetic chain. It is the excess of these rotational forces that result in repetitive microtraumas. If this conversion of torque in response to pronation occurs beyond normal limits, the tibia can subluxate in internal rotation.

The most common cause of degenerative joint disease is the presence of abnormal biomechanical forces on a normal or healthy joint. The next most common situation is the application of normal forces on abnormal cartilage. Excessive pronation, which causes internal tibial fixation and stretches the ACL, creates the necessary ingredients for both of these processes to occur simultaneously.

In their study comparing measurable drop of the navicular due to pronation with the incidence of ACL injury, Beckett, et al., found the injured subjects had higher navicular drop scores.4 In another study, Loudon, et al., measured postural faults as predictors for the occurrence of noncontact ACL injury. Seven postural positions were measured: pelvis, hip, sagittal knee, frontal knee, hamstring length, ankle pronation and navicular drop. Postural distortions, including knee hyperextension, excessive navicular drop and excessive pronation, were significant predictors for ACL injury.5

Remember that knee pain often precedes visual radiographic evidence of degeneration. The navicular drop test can be a good preventative screening tool.

Comprehensive Knee Care

Conservative care for nontraumatic knee pain and degeneration should include the following:

* adjustments to provide proper alignment and remove restricted motion (especially internal tibial rotation fixation);

* orthotic support to control excessive pronation and internal tibial rotation; and

* rehabilitative exercises to build the muscles and improve stability.

Custom-made, flexible orthotics support the bones and soft tissues of the feet in their proper position of function. By correcting pedal imbalances (which can cause excessive pronation and tibial torsion), orthotics help prevent overuse injuries and knee- joint degeneration. Research published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics showed that custom-made orthotics improve the structural alignment of the foot, thereby creating a more symmetrical foundation throughout the entire kinetic chain.6 Further research has shown that custom-made, flexible orthotics decrease (normalize) the Q-angle and improve patellar tracking. This indicates an improved functional alignment of the knee and leg.7

Developing muscles helps to stabilize the knee joint and lower the incidence of serious injury.” Rehabilitative exercises, including strengthening and coordinating contraction of muscles involved in flexion, extension and rotation, will help enable the patient to perform a range of movements to build strength in muscle groups interacting with the knee.

References

1. McLean SG, Liptert SW, van den Bogert AJ. Effect of gender and defensive opponent on the biomechanics of sidestep cutting. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2004;36(6):1008-16.

2. Logan AL. The Knee: Clinical Applications. Maryland: Aspen Publishers, Inc., 1994.

3. Bergfeld J, et al. Injury to the anterior cruciate ligament. Phys Sportsmed, 1982;10:47-59.

4. Beckett ME, et al. Incidence of hyperpronation in the ACL injured knee: a clinical perspective. J of Athletic Training, 1992; 27(1):58-62.

5. Loudon JK, Jenkins W, London KL. The relationship between static posture and ACL injury in female athletes. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther, 1996;24(2):91-97.

6. Kuhn PR, Shibley NJ, Austin WM, Yochum TR. Radiographic evaluation of weight-bearing orthotics and their effect on flexible pes planus. J Manip Physiol Ther, 1999;22(4):221-226.

7. Kuhn DR, Yochum TR, Cherry AR, Rodgers SS. Immediate changes in the quadriceps femoris angle after insertion of an orthotic device. J Manip Physiol Ther, 2002;25(7):465-470.

8. Roy S, Irvin R. Sports Medicine Prevention, Evaluation, Management and Rehabilitation. New Jersey: Prentice Hall; 1983.

Mark N. Charrette, DC, is a 1980 graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic. He resides in Las Vegas. For more information, including a brief biography, a printable version of this article and a link to previous articles, please visit his columnist page online: www. chiroweb.com/columnist/charrette.

Copyright Dynamic Chiropractic Mar 12, 2007

(c) 2007 Dynamic Chiropractic. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.

Running: You either love it or you hate it. In my case, a fun activity for my family on a Saturday morning consisted of us all lacing up our running shoes and going for a nice jog.

My sister and I grew up tagging along on visits to the track while our parents trained for another marathon or road race, the allweather surface putting out its familiar rubber and grass smell in the warm California sun. I was game for a few laps, while my younger sister ran stiff-armed for 100 meters yelling, “I don’t wanna!” Of course, she’s the one who now runs for the elite Cal Coast Track Club and is edging up on the 2008 Olympic Trials qualifying time for 800 meters.

Running is a lifestyle. It relieves stress, promotes overall physical and mental health, prevents disease, and new studies have suggested that overall physical fitness is linked with intelligence. It’s a meditative, step-after-step-after-step exercise that can realign us after a long day behind a desk.

While I won’t begin training in earnest for the 2008 150-mile Marathon des Sables until November, it’s got me thinking about increasing mileage over the summer, building a nice base to launch from when a couple of back-to-back four-hour runs will be necessary.

If you enjoy running, you’ve probably increased your mileage too quickly at one point or another, which inevitably leads to injury. Paying attention to your body’s reaction to increased mileage is key, but a rule of thumb is to go for a 10-percent increase each week.

But there are so many other variables that play on the 10- percent rule that it is far more prudent to follow a few common- sense pointers by Olympic top finisher, coach and exercise physiologist Pete Pfitzinger in his aptly named article “How to Safely Increase Your Mileage.”

Increase your steps:

Pfitzinger recommends that runners tack on mileage one week and then stay at that mileage for a couple of weeks before increasing again, giving the body time to adjust and preventing burnout.

Reduce training intensity:

When increasing mileage, Pfitzinger says, it’s best to reduce the speed and intensity of each overall run until another week or so, then resume at your original intensity.

Not all miles are created equal: Your experience on a trail run will differ from a concrete sidewalk or crowned asphalt road. It’s easier on your body to run on softer surfaces and in shoes that suit the biomechanics of your body. For example, I recently purchased a pair of motioncontrol Mizunos with an archsupport insole to prevent my high arches from overpronating — falling inward — and inflaming my ligaments and muscles.

Give yourself a break:

Pfitzinger’s most commonsense rule says that high mileage isn’t for everyone. Setting a target goal such as a marathon will help focus your training, but if you just want to enjoy running purely for the sake of running, high mileage isn’t necessarily good in and of itself.

Whether running is a means for weight loss, stress relief or just a celebration of the body’s abilities, for so many people who start, it becomes the way they live.

“Running is the time I solve all the worries of the world, write books, letters and is hands-down my most creativethinking time of my day,” said Lisa Smith Batchen, a renowned adventure racer, coach and the only American woman to win the Marathon des Sables. “Running saved my life when in deep depression and, God willing, I will be running for the rest of my life for overall mental, physical, personal and spiritual health.”

When it comes to increasing mileage, Smith Batchen suggests a 10- percent increase every two weeks, but she hastens to add this depends on the runner, his goals, ability and background.

My sister, Holly Hobson, frequently fits in long runs at the end of a long day of work in southern California. Her training runs can drag on for miles, but I always hear from her the same joyful report of each episode: She never tires of it.

“Running has made me a really confident person,” she said. “If you start running (whether it’s competitive or recreational), there’s no doubt that you start feeling better about yourself. When I go out for my run, it’s my chance to get away from everyone and everything and just think.

“But it’s not to just relieve stress, it’s also to go out on the streets, or the trail, or whatever it may be and be free. The trail doesn’t care what you look like or how fast you’re going, it’s just you running and hearing only the sound of your breath.”

(c) 2007 Albuquerque Journal. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.

Contact: Amie Hornbaker, +1-301-581-9221, aehornbaker@apma.org, or Craig Fritz, +1-301-581-9220, cmfritz@apma.org, both of APMA

BETHESDA, Md., April 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — What if someone told you, you could walk your way to better health? With 65 percent of American adults considered to be overweight or obese, walking may be one way to battle the bulge. However, if you lack motivation, a prescription to walk may be just what the doctor ordered. That’s the premise behind a 48-week pilot walking program conducted by 16 member physicians of the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA).

The study, funded by APMA, examines two groups of nearly 250 overweight patients located across the country. The objective is to determine if a podiatrist’s care can make a difference in maintaining a long-term walking routine. The participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. Group A participants will be given a written walking program and doctor discussions about the benefits of a walking program. These patients will be given a walking prescription which will include a 12 week calendar to document steps taken per day from the pedometer.

Group B patients will receive no walking prescription, no hand- outs, and no doctor discussions about the benefits of a walking program and will only be given a pedometer and instructions to walk. Body mass index (BMI), cholesterol, blood pressure and other health stats will be monitored on a regular basis for both groups. To qualify for the study, patients must be 18 years or older, at risk for obesity with a BMI of 27 or higher and cleared to participate in the study with no major health conditions, such as a heart attack, stroke or loss of sensation in the feet. Both groups will receive a free pair of Asics walking shoes to utilize in the study.

“Our walking study helps cement two important concepts,” said Dr. Bryan Caldwell, the principal investigating podiatrist in the study and a professor at the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine. “We have known for years the health benefits of walking, as well as the positive impact a podiatrist’s guidance can have on his or her patient’s health. We hope the combination of the two will result in a positive outcome for people who struggle with their weight on a daily basis and will ultimately save lives.”

Obesity is the second leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. A poor diet and lack of physical activity are two of the biggest contributing factors. For this reason, podiatrists participating in the study will record participants’ weight and amount of steps every four weeks using software designed specifically for podiatric research and information sharing from Integrated Physician Systems.

“Implementation of a viable walking program under the care of a podiatrist has great potential,” said APMA President Dr. David Schofield. “Podiatrists have a vested interest in their patients’ well being, without healthy feet, walking is not an option.”

For more information about APMA’s walking study or how to gear up for walking, go to http://www.apma.org/walking.

Founded in 1912, the American Podiatric Medical Association represents the nation’s premier foot and ankle physicians. The Association has component societies in 53 locations in the U.S. and its territories and a membership of close to 11,500 doctors of podiatric medicine. For free foot health information, contact APMA at 1-800-FOOTCARE (1-800-366-8227) or visit http://www.apma.orgon the Web.

SOURCE American Podiatric Medical Association

(c) 2007 U.S. Newswire. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.

LONDON: It requires no gym subscription, no spandex, Lycra or legwarmers and is an activity to which even the most fitness-phobic individual might not be averse. So what is the latest exercise trend that we are being encouraged to embrace for the good of our health and the sliminess of our thighs? A daily stroll.

Earlier this month, the LA Times predicted that walking would be this year’s biggest fitness trend and that we will be taking to pavements in hordes akin to the jogging boom of the 1970s. Indeed, high-profile personal trainers on both sides of the Atlantic can now be spotted marching their clients around parks and pavements.

Lucy Knight, author of Walking for Weight Loss (Kyle Cathie), says that the benefits of walking are countless. You use pretty much the same muscles as running strengthening the hamstring, quadriceps, iliopsoas muscles at the front of the hips, calf and the gluteus maximus muscles with each stride but the activity is far kinder to the joints.

“It is not a high-impact activity,” she said. “So, while it strengthens and stabilises the muscles around your major joints, it reduces the wear and tear on the cartilage and minimises the risk of joint injury.” Researchers, too, are in no doubt that the resurgence of a daily stroll to boost health is much needed.

“Humans were designed to walk,” said James Levine, professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic college of medicine in Minnesota, who has studied the benefits. “We spent 7 million years of our history walking and now, all of a sudden we are sitting down. That is having a profound effect on our health.”

A daily walk has been linked to reducing the risk of heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis and diabetes. And studies have shown that a broader set of disorders from sexual dysfunction to cognitive decline can also be aided by a brisk walk around the block.

Indeed, Jo Ann Manson, professor of medicine at Harvard University, goes as far as describing a daily stroll as being “as close to a magic bullet as you’ll find in modern medicine. If there was a pill that could lower the risk of chronic disease like walking does, then people would be clamouring for it”.

Dawdling along while window shopping will not help you walk your way to fitness, says Knight. Instead, she suggests perfecting your power-walking technique.

Stand tall with your arms by your sides and pull your navel towards your spine so that your core muscles are working. Focus your eyes 5-6 meters ahead and keep your shoulders relaxed. Bend your elbows at a 90-degree angle and cup your hands lightly, rather than clenching your fists. Leading with the heel, take a step forward with your right foot and move your arms in opposition (As your left arm moves forward, your right moves back). Transfer your weight through the heel of your right foot.

“A common mistake is to allow the arms to swing from side to side rather than backwards and forwards,” Knight said. “Walking with straight, rigid arms is another bad practice. It is much harder to walk at any speed without the propelling motion of the arms.”

Using your old running trainers for walking will do you no favors, says Knight. “Running shoes are generally high at the heel to control the motion of the rear foot,” she explained. “But this feature is not necessary for walking and only causes you to overwork your shin muscles, resulting in soreness and inflammation.”

Instead, she recommends a walking-specific trainer or shoe with a flexible sole “that has more bend in the toe than a runner’s shoe” with cushioning at the heel and breathable upper.

Walking boots and sandals are unsuitable for power walking, Knight says, as “they are more inflexible with stiff soles”.

A specialist sports shop will be able to advise you on appropriate footwear. Manufacturers of the fashionable MBT footwear claim that, because the soles cut away at the heel and front, the shoes encourage your foot to roll forward, requiring you to work harder. As a result, they are said to tone you up and fight cellulite. Doubtful, some physiologists say, but it may be worth a try.

Walking on softer surfaces, such as mud, sand or grass, or going uphill automatically means you will use more energy. Unlike on a pavement, every time your foot hits soft ground it creates a small depression so that the leg muscles must work harder to push upwards and forwards for the next step.

Walking on cobblestones, or on ground as rocky as you can find, may have even greater benefits.

Last year, physiologists at the Oregon research Institute found that cobblestone-walking, an activity rooted in traditional Chinese medicine, leads to a reduction in blood pressure. It is thought that the uneven surfaces stimulate acupressure points on the soles of the feet, thereby regulating blood pressure.

If you were to buy one piece of equipment to aid your walking program, Knight recommends a pedometer. “Some models allow you to input your stride length and then calculate the distance covered and calories burned,” she said. “They provide you with the motivation constantly to improve your performance.”

The Guardian

(c) 2007 China Daily; North American ed.. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.

In the United States, over 95% of our health care dollars are spent on diagnosing and treating preventable diseases. This staggering number ought to be a clarion call to become active for everyone who has, for one reason or another, developed a sedentary lifestyle. Wellness is at the center of a movement to establish goals that will help increase or maintain an individual’s physical activity level. The attention that wellness programs have received from industry and the corporate world is based on the fact that healthy employees are happy employees. Companies that have adopted wellness programs into their culture have found that the annual health care cost for participating employees is much below the national average, and absenteeism is also lower than the national average. The benefits to people who take on wellness programs as an important part of their lives are: participation in regular physical activity, lower stress levels, better weight management, improved sleeping patterns, and increased energy throughout the day.

Mulvihil (2003) suggested that wellness was, “A set of organized activities and systematic interventions, offered through corporations/ worksites, managed care organizations, and governmental/community agencies, whose primary purposes are to provide health education, identify modifiable health risks, and influence health behavior changes”(p. 1). Wellness is something we all hope to achieve. Wellness encourages citizens of the world to understand that social, economic, and environmental circumstances deeply affect our personal health and the quality of life we hope to enjoy. With our fast-paced, over-committed lifestyles, we often overlook how much we eat, what we eat, and how much exercise we get. We are a culture surrounded by guilty pleasures-too many to enumerate here, but chocolate is one that comes to mind. Our lack of willpower may be our eventual downfall…. pass me another slice please!

Wellness can’t happen by itself. It has to be nurtured and worked on within the constraints of our lives. Wellness institutes are springing up all over the planet. Their programs are based on helping us establish a balance in the social, occupational, spiritual, physical, intellectual, and emotional dimensions of our lives. All these dimensions relate to and affect each other. We can be lured by the suggestion that “wellness” is a place to relax, a place far away from the pressures of the world, a place to renew the spirit and reenergize the soul. While the notion may be true, wellness is hard work and takes discipline to achieve. Wellness requires participants to be proactive in their attainment of a healthier existence and the search to be the person that they choose to become.

In this issue, we examine technology and wellness. This can be an exciting and challenging field for technologists to engage their expertise. For Instance, the same sensors that are used to measure tension and stress on materials can be adapted to measure the stress level in the body. Patients who receive biofeedback training can be tested using devices that measure jaw pressure. They are given a reading of the resistance created when teeth-grinding occurs. A doctor will use this baseline number to determine a course of action that the patient can use to reduce stress that causes the teeth- grinding event. Temperature sensors can also be used to measure what is happening in the body. Generally speaking, we are fascinated by body fat. A new test called a bioelectrlcal impedance test is used to determine body fat percentages. Small sensors are placed on one hand and one foot. A low power radio frequency pulse is then passed through the body to measure water content. The amount of body fat is deduced from the readings obtained from the amount of water found in the body. Other interesting wellness technologies are directed at monitoring the health of senior citizens. Monitors that measure movement, mental state, and physical state have become commonplace as seniors take more responsibility for their own health. Data collected from the monitors can be downloaded at a caregiver’s office for analysis. Our exercise machines are also good examples of data-collecting technologies. How many of us log in to our treadmill or orbital cycle with a password? The purpose for this is to measure our progress during the session or over a longer period of time. The data entered can show us what we need to work on and can be used to motivate us to do better.

Certainly, the Internet has had an impact on wellness too! How many visits have people made to sites like WebMD, The Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Alliance, The American Chiropractic Association, or the International Home Remedies Project, to ensure that their symptoms are not fatal? The fact that these sites exist is testimony to our awareness of the importance of wellness.

Be well! And above all enjoy this issue.

reference:

Mulvihill, M. (2003). The Definition and Core Practices of Wellness. Retrieved February 6, 2007 from www.awlp.org/ awlp/pub/ nwftn_Deflnltlon_Practices_ Wellness.pdf.

Charlie McLaughlin is the Field Editor for T&C. Charlie is the Chair of the Department of Educational Studies at Rhode Island College and the coordinator for the Technology Education program. He can be reached at cmclaughlin@ric.edu.

Copyright International Technology Education Association Mar 2007

(c) 2007 Technology and Children. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.

Then Lundquist, 42, who works in Orange, Calif., starts applying pressure to Hernandez’s hips. “Oh, he just kicked me!” Lundquist says, referring to the 36-week old baby inside Hernandez’s belly.

Close to 10 minutes later, Hernandez, 36, stands up and feels relief. Two more weeks and she’ll be ready to deliver, hopefully with no complications.

That’s not the same story she heard four weeks ago, when an obstetrician told her she was facing a Cesarean delivery (C-section) because the baby in her womb was in a high-risk position. A childbirth educator referred her to Lundquist, a prenatal chiropractor certified since 2001 in the Webster In-Utero Constraint Technique.

CHIROPRACTIC TECHNIQUE

The Webster technique is an increasingly popular form of chiropractic medicine that focuses on helping pregnant women. Though complex in some ways, the basic idea is this: to help a pregnant woman feel comfortable enough with her body to help her give birth to a healthy baby.

Sometimes the manipulations include loosening the mother’s womb enough to allow the baby to shift from a high-risk position to a position that’s safer for the baby and more comfortable for the mother.

“(It) reduces interference to the nervous system, balances out pelvic muscles and ligaments which in turn removes torsion to the uterus. (It) allows the baby to get into the best possible position for birth,” said Jeanne Ohm, executive coordinator of the Philadelphia-based International Chiropractic Pediatric Association, the organization that certifies chiropractors on the technique.

Although the technique was initially used to help pregnant moms with breech babies, it is now used to help any woman with pregnancy-related complaints, said Lundquist.

Hernandez first visited Lundquist at 32 weeks of pregnancy. An ultrasound from her obstetrician’s office showed her baby was 180 degrees from the normal head-down position for birth, so her doctor told her she needed to start considering the possibility of a C-section, a medical standard of care for breech babies but something Hernandez was hoping to avoid.

After two sessions with Lundquist, a new ultrasound showed the baby was in the proper head-down position. “I felt a great relief after the first adjustment,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez had been suffering with neck and back pain long before she got pregnant. She started horseback riding at age 3 and was involved in three car accidents. But the active real estate agent never thought the pain would haunt her pregnancy. Critically, she never thought her own pain might interfere with her baby’s development.

But it does.

Lundquist, in an essay she wrote about the Webster technique, said that during the last six months of a baby’s development in the womb, when 65 percent of the baby’s nervous system is growing, the fetus is extremely sensitive to pressures that can influence the “normal formation of structures.”

Among those “normal” functions is the baby’s position in the womb. If, by the 34th week, the baby isn’t in the correct position the baby isn’t likely to reposition without some outside help.

Breech babies aren’t limited to moms who have bad backs and necks.

Karen Lombard, 41, never had back pain, but her second baby was in a breech position before she visited with Lundquist last year.

Lombard didn’t feel any change after Lundquist applied the Webster technique. Although the baby wasn’t moved to a totally safe position, she was moved enough so the doctor could maneuver the baby before active labor. The doctor used a baby maneuvering technique known as the external cephalic version, or ECV, to get the infant into a healthier head-down position.

Lombard said the procedure was painful, but short and successful. She had a vaginal birth and her daughter, Danielle, is a thriving 4-month-old.

Lundquist saw Lombard for the first time when Lombard was 36 weeks pregnant, a point that Lundquist says might have been too late for the Webster technique to achieve the full effect.

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HOW IT WORKS

Lundquist loosens up tight spots she finds on the ligaments that suspend the uterus in the mother’s pelvis. She provides a gentle pressure with her thumbs on the ligaments on each side of the patient’s lower abdomen, avoiding direct pressure on the baby or putting any pressure on the uterus. If one of the ligaments is too tight, it could put tension on the uterus causing a tortional or twisting force, a condition called in-utero constraint.

Each session lasts about 10 to 15 minutes, with moms noticing the changes in 30 minutes to one hour after the treatment. But mothers say that their babies get very active during or soon after Lundquist’s manipulations.

“Immediately after the first treatment I felt he moved,” Hernandez said.

The technique doesn’t involve any risk, said Ohm, who has 25 years of chiropractic experience, 10 of which she has been teaching the Webster technique to the ICPA membership.

Lundquist usually is successful in readjusting the baby, though the success rate drops if her patients have passed the 34-week mark of their pregnancies.

“It’s good to look at the baby’s position by the 34th week,” said Sue Coffman, a Bradley childbirth method instructor who referred Hernandez and Lombard to Lundquist’s care.

According to the ICPA, the Webster technique has been found to be 82 percent successful in helping moms feel comfortable.

“I recommend (pregnant moms) visiting a chiropractor even if the baby isn’t breech. It’s really helpful,” Hernandez said.

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PREGNANCY COMPLICATIONS

Breech position: A fetus with the feet, buttocks or legs pointing down toward the cervix is said to be in breech position. Before birth, most breech fetuses change position so that the head points downward. Some, however, remain in breech position late into the last part of pregnancy.

Medical procedures used with breech babies

External cephalic version (ECV): an external procedure done by a physician to turn a fetus from any abnormal position into a head-down position before labor begins.

Cesarean section or C-section: a form of childbirth in which a surgical incision is made through a mother’s abdomen and uterus to deliver the baby. It is usually performed when a vaginal delivery would put the baby or mother’s life at risk. In the last decade it has been performed upon request.

Chiropractic procedure: the Webster technique

A chiropractic analysis and adjustment that reduces interference to the nervous system, balances pelvic muscles and ligaments which in turn removes torsion to the uterus, reducing the potential for intrauterine constraint and allows the baby to get into the best possible position for birth.

It was developed in 1978 by Larry Webster, founder of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association, to help breech babies turn to the proper head-down position for a vaginal birth.

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TIPS AND CONTACTS

Tips to help the baby get in the right position:

Sit on the “truck driver” position: on the edge of the seat with legs open

Sleep on the side, leaning a little forward

Exercise (especially stretch) and eat healthy and balanced meals

Talk with your obstetrician or gynecologist about any abnormalities before seeing experts in other fields

Address of Webster-certified chiropractors can be found at the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association’s Web site, www.icpa4kids.com

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(c) 2007, The Orange County Register (Santa Ana, Calif.).

Visit the Register on the World Wide Web at http://www.ocregister.com/

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

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Steps, that is.

Many of today’s fitness regimens recommend walking 10,000 steps per day. There’s only one problem: Almost nobody knows how far that is.

Do you burn 200 steps puttering around your house in the morning before work or a thousand? Does a walk around a city block knock off 5 percent of your daily goal or less than 1? Sure, you can guess or try to count all your steps. But that’s inaccurate at best and annoying to say the least.

Recently, in the name of good health, we bought a pedometer and measured various daily activities step by step. Walking the dog around the block? Going to the grocery store? Two hours of clothes shopping at a local mall?

We know how many steps it takes.

But we didn’t stop there. Just for fun we set out to find how far we’d go if we walked 10,000 steps all at once.

The answer: much farther than we thought. With our 10,000th step we wound up where? More than 5{ miles away.

We can hear your incredulity now.

“I have to walk 5-{ miles to reach 10,000 steps?

Relax. You don’t have to do it all at once. Remember, every step counts.

But why even bother trying to get 10,000 steps per day?

Two words: your health. And, yes, just by walking, you can make significant gains.

“I think 10,000 steps should be everybody’s daily goal,” said Kristie Harbaugh, owner of Twin Fitness in Overland Park, Kan. “I tell my clients to buy a (pedometer) and see how many steps they get,” she said. “Most people only get about half that.”

The idea of walking 10,000 steps per day is enjoying a renaissance in the United States. It originated in the 1970s with Japanese researcher Yoshiro Hatano, who advocated walking to help slim down his increasingly obese country.

Today walking has gained popularity for many reasons. It’s easy, there’s no equipment to buy and, unlike jogging or other high-impact exercises, there’s virtually no risk of injury.

And talk about health benefits. A University of Tennessee study published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise revealed women who averaged more than 10,000 steps per day had 40 percent less body fat and waist and hip measurements that were more than eight inches narrower than those who averaged fewer than 6,000 steps.

Then there’s the Amish. Researchers measured the daily steps of 98 Amish adults and found that men took an average of 18,425 steps and women took 14,196. Compare that with about 4,000 steps for the average American adult (other studies put this number at less than 3,000), and it is easy to see why only 4 percent of Amish adults are considered obese compared with 31 percent of the general population.

And attention older Americans: If you walk long enough, you could even trigger biochemical changes that grow new neurons in your brain. A study by researchers at the University of Illinois, published late last year in the Journal of Gerontology, says three hours of brisk walking per day can help reverse brain shrinkage.

But you don’t need to walk that long to see benefits. In an eight-year study involving 6,000 women, researchers at the University of California at San Francisco found that even a little extra walking can help you hold onto the neurons you have. High-energy walkers, the study found, held the line on cognitive decline far better than the more sedentary subjects.

By all accounts, your brain loves to walk. Walking increases blood circulation, and because it’s not particularly strenuous, your leg muscles don’t hog all the extra oxygen and glucose it produces. As you walk, you’re oxygenating your brain. It’s good for the rest of your body, too.

It increases your breathing, your heart rate and your lung capacity while shaping and toning your muscles. What’s more, numerous studies of senior citizens who walk regularly showed significant improvement in memory skills compared with non-walkers. Walking also improved their learning ability, concentration and abstract reasoning. Additionally, one study noted, stroke risk was cut by 57 percent in people who walked as little as 20 minutes per day.

Dixie Thompson, director for the Center for Physical Activity and Health at the University of Tennessee, said that because extra walking lowers blood pressure and helps the body process glucose, it also can dramatically reduce your risk for heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. Of course slow walking isn’t as good as fast walking, Thompson said, but it beats inactivity and still has health benefits.

There are even social and family-bonding benefits.

“People can walk in groups of two or three,” said Harbaugh of Twin Fitness. “The time passes very fast. That’s key, because people often become bored with their workout. If we can make it more fun, people will work out more. And I encourage families to go on walks right after dinner twice around the block and take their dog with them. If children see their mom or dad walking, that’s going to encourage them to become active, too.”

Bottom line?

There’s nothing to lose by aiming for 10,000 steps per day. Look at it this way, experts say: Even if you reach only 8,000 steps, you’ve still doubled your amount of daily walking. And that will still pay big benefits.

Now get out there and start walking.

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How many steps per day are enough?

Use the following chart as a guide.

Under 5,000 steps = sedentary lifestyle

5,000 _ 7,499 = low-active lifestyle

7,500 _ 9,999 = somewhat active lifestyle

10,000 _ 12,499 = active lifestyle

12,500 plus = highly active lifestyle

Source: Catrine Tudor-Locke, assistant professor of Health Promotion at Arizona State University, in the January 2004 issue of Sports Medicine magazine.

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STEPS TAKEN IN EVERYDAY ACTIVITIES

Taking the stairs to the third floor instead of the elevator _ 62

Walking in to get your fast food instead of using the drive-through _ 74

Getting ready for work in the morning _ 245

Walking from one end of Oak Park Mall to the other _ 493

Going to church _ 528

Walking around an average suburban block _ 535

Walking around an average city block _ 594

Walking once around the inside of Oak Park Mall _ 778

Going to the library _ 680

$100 grocery trip _ 790

Two hours of clothes shopping at a mall _ 1,800

One-mile walk _ 2,060

2.5-mile walk _ 5,200

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(c) 2007, The Kansas City Star.

Visit The Star Web edition on the World Wide Web at http://www.kansascity.com.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

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ARCHIVE PHOTOS on MCT Direct (from MCT Photo Service, 202-383-6099): pedometer

ARCHIVE ILLUSTRATION on MCT Direct (from MCT Illustration Bank, 202-383-6064): HEALTH STEPS ILLUS

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Regularly exercising your southernmost appendages can strengthen muscles of the foot and ankle, warding off tendonitis, plantar fasciitis and foot pain, says Dr. Douglas Richie, a podiatrist in Seal Beach, Calif., and past president of the American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine.

A toned, strengthened foot, furthermore, can reduce the occurrence of “sore, aching feet,” often the result of muscle fatigue. Regular exercise can also improve flexibility, thus boosting mobility.

In foot fitness classes, students assemble for regular muscle- strengthening workouts. Carolyn Sery, a sales rep has been taking foot fitness classes off and on for three years, since painful bunions made standing on the job increasingly difficult.

On a recent Friday morning, exercise instructor Shuriu Lo and three students, including Sery, commenced their weekly 30-minute foot exercise routine. They scrunched their toes like little inchworms, scooting the foot forward and back. They raised their toes, then lowered them one at a time, starting with the littlest.

They interlaced their fingers in their toes, rotated each foot and walked over small rubber domes.

Then, toward the end, the students repeated some of the exercises while standing on a “hypergravity platform” — a vibrating exerciser that provided a little shake-n-bake foot buzz.

Sery credits the weekly class with helping her stay longer on her feet — and with less pain — during her job servicing accounts at greeting card stores.

“Feet are truly a metaphor for how you move through life,” says Erin Holloway, a licensed acupuncturist and health education specialist.

“If your feet are hurting, you’re not going to want to walk on them — and move forward with your goals, with your life.”

(c) 2007 Cincinnati Post. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.