Take Care of Your Feet and Your Whole Body Feels Better

Have you ever noticed that if your feet hurt, your whole body hurts?

Likewise, when you do something to be nice to your feet, like a hot foot bath or even just prop them up while you watch TV or read a book, then the tension and aches begin to drain from the rest of your body too.

Do you know why this is?

It probably has a lot to do with why reflexology works so well. In case you don't know, in reflexology they have mapped out your entire body onto the bottom of your foot and a reflexologist can affect various parts of your body just by working on your foot. They can do the same thing with the palm of your hand and with your ear, but they usually work on the feet.

Another possibility is through the meridian system in the body. Without getting heavily into Eastern Medicine, there are 12 main meridians in the body, one for each major organ. Half of the meridians either begin or end in the feet while the other half begin or end in the hands. With that in mind, if your feet are tense and tired, than that energy can get to the rest of the body that is affected by those meridian channels.

How Do We Hurt Our Feet?

There are many ways in which we hurt out feet. Think about how our body is constructed. We have bones in our feet and they are assembled in such a way that they support the rest of the body. The foot is designed so that we stand on an arch of bone and tendon to absorb the impact of our steps.

Women's high heeled shoes completely change how the foot supports the body. They force bones that were intended as flexible shock absorbers into solid struts. Ouch. And that isn't even getting into all of the other changes in posture that the body has to make in order to keep a woman upright on those things.

Wearing any kind of shoe is bad enough. They confine and smother your feet. How well would you function if you were wrapped head-to-toe in leather or canvas? You can't breathe and you feel like you are drowning in your own sweat. Your feet need to be able to breath. Fresh air allows your feet to cool off.

Sometimes we have to wear shoes to protect us from the surfaces that we walk on. Our feet were designed for walking on the earth. Concrete floors are a man-made surface that is too hard for us to stand on for long. Concrete floors also insulate our feet from the Earth's electrical and magnetic energies, energies that we draw on to balance and energize our bodies.

What Can We Do To Help Our Feet?

Women need to get rid of the high heels. As a massage therapist, I cringe every time I see someone in heels because of the damage they are doing to their body.

When you get home, take the shoes and socks off and give your feet a chance to breathe. If you can, take a short barefoot walk in the grass. Even better, if you live near the beach, take a barefoot walk in the surf. It's called "earthing".

You can't get away from wearing shoes in our "modern, civilized society". What I have found that really helps my feet are a good pair of magnetic insoles. Slip them into your shoes and the magnetic energy will help your feet to stay relaxed and energized throughout the day.

Take care of your feet and they will take care of you.

Wayne Woodworth

PS. If you are curious, check out this post that I wrote about the magnetic insoles I use.

Magnets for Healing

People have been using magnets to heal the body for thousands of years.  There is documented evidence that the ancient civilizations of the Hebrews, Arabs, Indians, Chinese, Egyptians, and Greeks all used magnetic therapy. According to legend, Cleopatra wore a magnetic amulet on her forehead to preserve her youth and beauty.

Today, scientists and doctors worldwide are researching the use of magnets for healing and pain management. Dr. Oz recently did an episode on the healing powers of magnets where he said, “Magnetic therapy will revolutionize pain management.” I believe that is right.

People use magnets now to deal with headaches and other discomforts. You can find them in magnetic mattress pads to help you sleep better. Doctors already use FDA-approved magnetic devices to encourage bones to heal and there are clinical studies showing that magnetic insoles can help diabetic patients deal with peripheral neuropathy.

How do magnets work?

All cells in the body are basically the same, regardless of what type of cell they are. All cells contain ions, positive and negative charged particles that conduct electromagnetic pulses in the cell. A cell cannot live without these ions.

For a normal, healthy cell the ions in the cell are distributed with all of the positive ions on one side and the negative ions on the opposite side. The ions outside of the cell align with those inside so that opposite poles are together with the cell membrane between them. This allows fluid, oxygen and nutrients to move freely in and out of the cell, while maintaining the natural balance within the cell (homeostasis).

In a diseased or injured cell, the charged ions mix together and the cell loses its polarity. This results in a  cellular imbalance. Fluids from outside the cell penetrate it, which then push vital nutrients, hormones and electrolytes (salts) out of the cell. The cell loses its ability to function properly and begins to degenerate. If this is not corrected, the cell will die.

When a static magnet is placed over an injury, the magnetic field penetrates the tissues and the damaged cell and helps to energize the cell and re-establish its magnetic poles. The ions are put back into their proper place in the cell, the extra fluid in the cell is returned to the surrounding tissues reducing inflammation, and the cell regains its natural healthy state. That's healing.

Magnets work by reducing the inflammation in the area of an injury, which helps promote healing and reduce pain. The ancient healers knew about the healing power of magnets and we are now rediscovering this.

Wayne Woodworth

PS. Check out more articles I have written about using magnets for healing.