The Bunion Blog Archives – November-December 2007
Your Story
December 14th, 2007
I wish it were possible, but I know there's no way I can try every bunion treatment that I find or that is suggested to me. I picked a couple that made sense to me and want to stick to them for some time to give each a fair chance. But I'm sure there are others as well.
That's why I added a new web page to the site this week: your story. A place where you can tell how your bunions developed, how they affect your life, what you're doing or have done to cure them.
To tell your story, you only have to click on the link ‘your bunion story’ above and you'll be taken to a page where you can enter your story. It'll be turned into a web page for everyone to read. By sharing what you know about bunions, treatments, products etc, we might be one step closer to curing our bunions.
Energy healing
December 7th, 2007
I have to tell you about a book I'm currently reading. It's called Quantum Touch by Richard Gordon, and it's all about a way to heal with your hands. The author claims it's a technique that's very easy to learn and that everybody has this power within him or her. Fascinating!
The main principle behind the technique is the fact that two objects have the tendency to resonate with each other when they're close to each other. The author says for example that when a G is played on a piano, the G string on a guitar starts to vibrate too.
The same can happen in humans. When the vibration of one person (the practitioner) is raised and he places his hands on someone who is not well, this second person's vibration will raise too and thus helps to heal his or her body. In fact, the body is healing itself, stimulated by this higher vibration. Even bones can be readjusted by applying Quantum Touch – the book shows some pictures of people whose hips and legs are corrected by using this technique.
And if hips and legs can be corrected this way, why wouldn't it be possible to adjust misaligned toe joints? I'm not giving it a try right away, because I'm in the middle of another therapy, but it sure is something to keep in mind, don't you think?
Why wearing flipflops is good for you
December 1st, 2007
I came across an interesting piece of information this week when I was studying the bones and muscles of the feet. My goal was to understand what exactly is going wrong when you develop hallux valgus (‘hallux valgus’ being the condition where your big toe is turning towards your second toe). Bunions are often accompanied by hallux valgus, as is the case with my own feet.
So I was engrossed in this medical textbook (reading this kind of stuff takes ages, because I'm not familiar with most of the medical terms) when suddenly I read something that I found really interesting. I quote:
Others also note that hallux valgus rarely occurs in those who only wear sandals
and other types of shoe gear that keep the first and second digits separated. [...]
Kato reported that the deformity is not present in any of the ancient Japanese footprints.
Morioka reported that it does not occur in the forestry workers who wear jikatabi,
a rubber shoe that keeps the big toe separated from the other toes,
but has become common in a new generation whoe wear western-style logging boots.
(Source)
The author further mentions that the toes of a foot that has never worn shoes are in alignment with their respective metatarsals
(the bones leading up to them).
And the illustration accompanying the text shows that in such a foot the toes are indeed much wider apart.
While this information was sinking in, I suddenly recalled an interview I read a couple of months ago. It was an interview with the General Manager of Kumfs Shoes (a New Zealand shoe manufacturer and retailer). According to her, New Zealand feet tend to be wider than the average person's. I'm beginning to wonder now if that can be explained by the fact that Kiwi's prefer flipflops (or even no footwear at all) to regular shoes – something we immediately noticed when we spent some time in New Zealand a couple of years ago.
Now, I don't think I can realign my big toes by simply starting to wear flipflops. But I might be able to prevent the deformation to progress any further. So instead of wearing my flipflops only to and from the bathroom at night, I'll start wearing them more often. Fortunately, I own a pair of toe socks already (it's too cold to do without at the moment). The only inconvenience of wearing flipflops is that they don't go together with my insoles. Thus, I'll have to alternate.
Repetitive Strain Injury?
November 23rd, 2007
The other day I read that bunions might be considered as being a symptom of repetitive strain injury in your feet. Not so strange a concept really. Because think of it. On unpaved roads, every step is different. So different muscles of your feet are activated all the time.
By the way, did you know that each foot has 12 different muscles, 10 of which are located on the sole? They're there to be used! By walking on paved surfaces most of the time, and by wearing footwear that don't allow our feet to move freely, it could very well be that some of these muscles don't get the exercise they need, while others are being overused.
So what can we do to give our feet the variety of movement they need? Going barefooted as much as possible sure seems to be a good idea, but I'm afraid I cannot anymore – that'll be too painful for the ball of my second toes. But I can wear sandals or flip flops instead – footwear that allows my feet to move as freely as possible.
Another thing that seems like a good thing to do, is changing your footwear frequently. I have to admit I don't do this a lot (I have my favorite shoes that I put on as soon as I leave the house). But I think I should. Because wearing different shoes will activate different muscles in your feet.
And lastly, I could try to bring more variation in my way of walking (as I have absolutely no way of changing the surface I'm walking on). For example, I could walk on my toes for a few steps or on my heels. Turn my feet in, or out when I walk. Everything that gives all the muscles of my feet the exercise they need (and not just the same ones over and over again).
Bunion Phytotherapy
November 17th, 2007
Do you know what phytotherapy is? According to the Crystal Reference Encyclopedia phytotherapy – or herbalism – is the use of herbs to prevent and cure illness.
A lot of people are aware of the fact that certain plants, like tea tree and aloe vera for example, can be used to treat skin diseases. And that garlic helps to lower your blood pressure. But are there plants that can be helpful in treating bunions I wondered?
Yes, there are indeed. Especially when you suffer from bunion pain, you might want to have a look into these natural pain killers and anti-inflammatory agents.
Are You Wearing Yoga Sandals?
November 9th, 2007
Though I love my yoga toes, I cannot wear them very often: I'm on my feet for most part of the day. And though I tried, I really cannot walk on them!
But now I found out about these yoga sandals. Maybe you've heard about them or have seen them before, but I'm living in Europe and some things take a while before we pick them up...
Anyway, I wonder if some of you can tell me if they're comfortable when you have bunions. They spread your toes, which is good, but are they comfortable to walk on for a couple of hours? And doesn't the skin between your toes get irritated when you wear them too much? And what about wearing them with toe socks? Would that be possible? (It's too cold here to do without them at the moment!)
I've watched a video about yoga sandals on Youtube – the yoga teacher and some of her students (with bunions) seemed to be very pleased with the effects the sandals had on their feet.
Do you agree? Please tell me, what do you think about them?
Pamper Your Feet
November 2nd, 2007
For the last decade or so, I didn't really love my feet. Why should I? They didn't look nice, they caused me a lot of trouble when I had to buy new shoes, and they did hurt sometimes. So I tried to ignore them as much as possible. I didn't treat them badly, but I didn't pamper them either.
Now that I've decided to do something about my bunions, I realise I have to take good care of my feet – regardless the state they're in.
This concept dawned on my when I started taking daily foot baths. It felt good and my feet responded by looking better almost immediately. As if they were glad that I finally took care of them.
Gradually, I began looking for other ways in which I could pamper my feet. I realized how important it was that they were kept warm (I suffer from cold feet a lot). So I bought myself a pair of cashmere socks. And when I feel my feet are tired, I try to stop for a few seconds and give them a quick massage. Also, I bought a diamond callus rasp to keep my heels and balls of my feet smooth. Everything to show them I really do care...