Expert Article

Shoes That Kill

Footwear and its affect on health 

Does your feet throb after a night out with friends? Does your knee feel sore? Does your backache? Do you know why? You are wearing the wrong shoes!

Dozens of research have been published in the last few years showing that most footwear do more harm than good, including the extremely cushioned and supportive running shoe that you own! According to some podiatrists, comfortable shoes do not necessarily mean that they are healthier for your feet (Adams). Goes against intuition right? In the next few minutes, I will explain the problem with most shoes and what alternatives are better.

The problem with shoes

I will start of talking about the worst of the worst: Heels. To the guys reading this article, high heels might not be your style, but I promise that this article will be relevant to you soon, just keep reading.

In the last few years, the average height of high-heels has gone from 3 to 5 inches. As a result, doctor visits for foot complaints have increased by 75% (Voss).  Anyone who has ever worn high heels can tell you that they are hell. Walking in heels increases pressure on the knee joint by more than 26%, causes the center mass of the body to shift forward, the hips to move out of alignment, and increase the curvature of your spine (de Burca, Demelza).  Sure the extra curve on your back might make your butt look great, but is it really worth the discs on your spine breaking down? Or muscle spasms?

The effects of high-heels on the foot deformation are just as bad: bunions, hammertoes, stress fractures, tendinitis, and plantar fasciitis. I would show you a picture of an actual foot, but for the sake of the squeamish, I’ll show a drawing instead:

It’s obvious that high heels are unnatural and are no good for the body. So the solution seems to be to wear flat shoes right? What most people don’t know is that so-called supportive trainers are also just as bad.

Shoes with cushioning encourage the wearer to land on the heel first when moving instead of the ball of the foot or flat-footed.  Landing with the heel not only causes stress injuries, but also alters the natural stride and posture of the body. In other words, running with your heels first creates an unnatural walking pattern and puts a lot of pressure on your joints. In fact, according to a research conducted by Daniel Lieberman, a professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard, heel runners experience a collision force of 960 times more for every mile they run compared to those who run on the balls of their feet (Hendrick).

  

So if heels are bad for you, and so are most flat shoes, what do you wear?

The alternative

As Irene S. Davis, the Direct of Spaulding National Runner Center explains, “We’ve over-support our feet [with shoes] to the point that our foot doesn’t have to do what it’s designed to do, and when you support a muscle, it doesn’t have to work as hard. When it doesn’t have to work as hard, it gets weak” (Helmer).  The easiest way to prevent this would be to walk and run barefooted. After all, we weren’t made for shoes and our body went through years of revolution to perfect the design of our foot. By going barefoot, we naturally shorten our steps, are more prone to land on the ball of our feet, and flex more in our knees, hips, and ankles for softer landing on hard surfaces.

Unfortunately, walking around in most cities without shoes is frowned upon and even dangerous (I had to pull glass out of my friend’s foot once), so the next best alternative would be wearing ‘barefoot shoes’ or ‘minimalist shoes’. The most well known example of these would be the Vibram FiveFingers. I personally don’t like how they look so thankfully other brands have started producing similar and better looking products. I will list a few that I have heard good reviews from:

·      Vivobarefoot (this brand specializes in barefoot shoes for both sports and casual footwear):

•         New Balance Minimus
•         Inov-8 Bare-XF
•         Merell Vapo Glove
•      Toms 

I wear minimalist shoes whenever I can now, and I love it. My knees have been hurting less, my posture has been improving, and I even feel like I’ve been running faster! However, if you do plan on joining me on the barefoot shoe lifestyle, I would suggest that you do so gradually. From personal experience, I can tell you that your body needs time to build up the muscles on your feet and calves. If you stress it too much, you will be sore.

Works Cited

Adams, Jill U. "Comfort Shoes Aren't Necessarily Good for You. How to Find the Support You Need." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 11 Nov. 2013. Web. 29 Sept. 2016. <https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/comfort-shoes-arent-necessarily-good-for-you-how-to-find-the-support-you-need/2013/11/11/99846312-40dd-11e3-8b74-d89d714ca4dd_story.html>.

De Burca, D. Wear More Flat Shoes to Heel Feet. London (UK) Apr 08,2009 International Newsstand; ProQuest Central

Hendrick, Bill. “Barefoot Running May Have Health Benefits.” WebMD, n.d. Web, 27 Sept. 2016. http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/news/20100127/barefoot-running-laced-with-health-benefits.

Helmer, Jodi. “Barefoot Running: Should You Try It?” WebMD, n.d. Web, 27 Sept. 2016. http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/new-exercise-trend-barefoot-running.

Voss, Gretchen. “Are Your Shoes Killing You?” CNN. N.p., 4 Nov. 2011. Web, 27 Sept. 2016. <http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/04/health/shoes-feet-hurt-body/>

From Moo to Steak: Growing A Farmer book reflection

Gross, that’s my first impression... I never really thought about where my food came from until I started reading Growing a Farmer by Kurt Timmermeister. The first half of the book follows Timmermeister’s journey in detail about how he started his farm: his attempts on different generating profit from different products, his problems, and his failures. The second half of the book goes focuses more on how animals are slaughtered and butchered.  So if you do not want to know how animals are killed for consumption or (if you are like me) is very visual, I would skip over chapter 11-13.  The last few chapters conclude with the condition of his farm now: he gains most of his profit from artisan cheese, hosts farm dinners, and are able to produce everything that he and his guests consume.

However, while the amount of detail provided in the last few chapters did catch me by surprise, it did change my perception of food. I have a new found respect for farmers and all the work they have to put in. It also helped me recognize the luxury I have.  When I want a piece of steak, I can walk down the street to the grocery store and choose what piece I want from nice and clean packaged boxes. I do not have to deal with the struggle of taking the life of an animal, cutting it up, and cleaning it.

Shoes That Kill (draft)

Footwear and its affect on health 

Does your feet throb after a night out with friends? Does your knee feel sore? Does your back ache? Do you know why? You are wearing the wrong shoes! Dozens of research have been published in the last few years showing that most shoes do more harm than good, including the extremely cushioned and arch supporting running shoe that you own. According to some podiatrists, comfortable shoes do not necessarily mean that they are more supportive or healthy (Adams). Goes against intuition right? In the next few minutes, I will explain the problem with most shoes, what shoes are better, and what to do if you are already experiencing some side effects from wearing unsuitable shoes.

 The evil shoe

In the last few years, the average height of high-heels has gone from 3 to 5 inches (Rein). As a result, doctor visits for foot complaints have increased by 75% (AAOS).  Anyone who has ever worn high heels can tell you that they are hell. Heels increase the chances of ankle injuries, bunions, hammertoes, stress fractures, tendinitis, plantar fasciitis, and other ligament injuries. It makes sense: you are balancing your weight on a thin stiletto and all the pressure is on your toes. But did you know that supportive running shoes could cause just as much damage? Shoes with cushioning encourage the customer to land on the heel first when moving (something called heel strike). This alters the stride and posture of the body, and therefore creates a unnatural walking pattern.  To be continued...

That farm life though...

When I think of farmers, I picture the stereotypical old man and lady with baggy clothes out with their cows plowing fields. But hey, maybe that’s just me based on what I have seen after spending some time in the countryside in Taiwan. However, after reading the book Growing a Farmer by Kurt Timmermeister, I now have a completely different perception and a new found admiration for farmers. 

The book starts of Timmermeister – a few years out of college at age twenty-four, and is about to open his first restaurant. Timmermeister gives an intimate and detailed walk-through of his experience managing his business. From the very first chapter, you can immediately tell that Timmermeister is a passionate man and always pursues what he loves. However, as his restaurant develops, he becomes more and more disgusted by how food is processed (to the point where he stops eating at his own restaurant), and instead starts focusing on food quality and his farm. Timmermeister begins to educate himself by attending lectures, reading books, and basically any resources he could get his hands on. Through trial and error his farm eventually starts making profit and he takes you on a detailed journey through his growth and development.

I have read about half of the book already, and to be honest, I cannot immerse myself into it. It is an easy and straight forward read but it is not the type of book that I am normally interested in. Nevertheless, it has been educational and eye opening. Timmermeister explains how he runs his farm in detail and is blatantly truthful, which I love! For example, Timmermeister explained how he impulsively bought his first cow and was unprepared for the labor needed. It hurt not only his hands but also his pride. Overall, the biggest take away I have from the book at the moment is perseverance. Timmermeister never gave up on what he wanted despite how difficult it got. He tried different things, failed, learned, and tried something new until he found what worked for him. This is a characteristic that I deeply admire. 

 

Formosan black bear

 What is a Formosan black bear? (I am going to assume most people don’t know what they are since I didn’t know till about a few years ago). Formosan black bears are endemic bears in Taiwan. They have thick black fur with a distinctive white v-shape or crescent mark on its chest – giving them their nickname, “moon bear”. 

This species of bear has been listed as endangered since 1989 and is also on the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, which basically means that these bears are very close to extinction. What I found interesting was that according to a research conducted by National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Formosan black bears managed to survive while other wildlife in Taiwan have gone extinct is because of the myths surrounding this animal. Different Taiwanese aboriginal tribes have different myths but they all believe that killing a Formosan black bear will bring bad luck. For example, the Taroko tribe believes that the white marks on the bears represent the moon and that the bears are the “king of the forest”. Therefore, if you kill a Formosan black bear, you will be cursed and cause family disasters.

There are an unknown number of Formosan black bears left in Taiwan, but a video released in 2009 showing a mother with 2 cubs have renewed people’s hope to preserve this animal.