Welcome to Summer!
Long ago, Chinese medicine doctors studied the changes of the seasons. These observations of natural phenomena provided a framework for everyday living. Living in harmony with the natural rhythms of change provides one of the secrets of good health and long life. As long as one eats and sleeps in harmony with the seasons, disease
Spring
Element: Wood Climate: Wind Organs: Liver, Gall Bladder Orifices: Eyes Sense organ: Eyes Body Parts/Tissue: Muscles, Sinews Fluid Secretion: Tears Physical Manifestations: Nails, Hands, Feet Emotion: Anger Sound: Shouting Flavor: Sour Color: Green “Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.” -Goethe If we arrive
3D Printed Shoes
Seattle’s Oliver Brossmann has launched a company called Prevolve, which is offering custom, 3D printed shoes. Each pair of shoes they make is unique. Your feet are scanned, you select the cushion and tread you want, and then Prevolve uses their 3D printer to make your personalized pair of shoes. To learn more about the shoes
Wake Up! Spring Is Here!
As the days become warmer and brighter, nature rouses from her winter slumber and looks ahead to the new growth of spring. Nature, which has been at rest, storing and concentrating her energy under a winter blanket, now bursts forth with new buds, new life piercing the Earth’s crust. The rising energy of spring is
Winter: Walking Fearward
Element: Water Organs: Kidneys, Bladder In the Body: Affects bones, knees, lower back, genitalia, urethra In the Mind: Brings heightened alertness In the Spirit: Brings resurrection of desire for life Emotion: Fears and Phobias (Emotions are not meant to be static conditions within us.) Technically, fear is an apprehension of a future event, real or
Autumn: Staying Healthy in the Dry, Windy, and Cool Weather
We are now entering Autumn, the time of the Metal Element in Chinese thought and medicine. Autumn usually comes abruptly, and it is easy to see why the ancient Chinese considered this the “fastest-moving” time of the year. Having just moved through the Harvest period, and having received the fruits of her labor, Nature is
Staying in Sync with Late Summer
Are you in sync with the Late Summer phase of Nature’s creative cycle? This Late Summer, the season of harvest, when the time of flowering is over but Nature has not yet started its phase of decline is ruled by the Earth element and its color is YELLOW. It is special among the elements because
The Anthropology of Arch Supports
The Anthropology of Arch Supports By Chris Loper Long before I ever came to see Kandi Burke, podiatrists and orthopedists repeatedly told me I needed more arch support. Naively, I listened. Diligently, I obeyed. I have very high arches, you see, and I was suffering from pain in the ball of my foot. Arch supports,
Choosing and Fitting a Shoe
Italian men’s shoe designer, Olga Berluti, says of feet: “There are NO ugly feet. Feet are spiritual. They enable man to stand up. They free his hands. Now he can look at the stars.” Shoes are theater. Shoes are armor, protecting us from the urban grime of city asphalt. Shoes reveal our vulnerability. The elevation
The Trouble With Flip-Flops
Recent sunny days in Seattle have brought out sandals, flip-flops, crocs, and the like. Two clients arriving back-to-back with bunion pain were caught wearing flip-flops. As I greeted them, they both hid their flip-flops under the coffee table because they know I love to hate them!! If you have come to see me with foot