PIPPY LANE

What the heck is this right? I recently started having horrible pain in my feet. I was trying everything under the sun to get relief and I couldn’t get it under control. I just wonder if people are living with this pain because they have never heard of Plantar Fasciitis. I hope I can shed some light on this topic for you if you are suffering with this.

According to www.webmd.com, your feet have thick, fibrous bands of tissue that is called “fascia.” The fascia reaches from your heels to your toes. These tissues support the muscles and arch of your foot. If the tissues get stretched too far, you can get tiny tears in the facia’s surface. Hence, the foot pain. Plantar Fasciitis can cause heel spurs which are bony growths that will form in the foot.

What causes plantar Fasciitis? There are several things that can play a factor in this. Men usually do not get Plantar Fasciitis. However, they can. Woman are the unlucky souls that seem to have the most trouble with this. Plantar Fasciitis is more likely to strike if you are on your feet for several hours a day, overweight or as you get older and age.

Other things that will increase your risk of developing Plantar Fasciitis :

• Wearing worn-out shoes with thin soles.
• Have flat feet or a very high arch.
• Frequently wear high-heels.
• Have tight Achilles tendons or “heel cords.”
• Have a unusual foot position or have an unusual walk.

My foot pain was getting so bad that it was debilitating. I couldn’t even walk through a grocery store to get groceries without having to come home and ice my feet. I had to figure out what was wrong and fix it.

I went to my chiropractor and told him about my foot pain and he did a few tests on my feet and new right away what was wrong. He was able to treat my Plantar Fasciitis with some ultrasound and graston technique. Graston technique is where a stainless steel tool scrapes the knots out of, in my case, the bottom of my feet. Painful? Yes. I am not going to lie. Very painful at times. Was it worth it? Absolutely. I also went to a good shoe store (Body ‘n’ Sole) and got proper inserts for my shoes. Between the inserts and the treatment from my chiropractor, I am happy to say that I am almost pain free from Plantar Fasciitis in less than a month! Thank the good Lord above! I don’t know how people live with that kind of pain. As you read this, I hope you are not suffering from Plantar Fasciitis, but if you are, I hope this has helped you in some way.

I had heard doctors and family members talk about their blood pressure from the time I was very young but never really understood the importance of having a normal blood pressure until I was pregnant with my first daughter and researched it along with all the pregnancy and childbirth information. I have always believed in being a good consumer and learning about your health and making decisions based on knowledge, not opinions. It wasn’t until I was working as a Medical Assistant that I realized that the majority of people really don’t understand blood pressure and how significant a role it plays in our health. I hope this post helps answer questions and concerns you might have about blood pressure.

So what exactly is high blood pressure? High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is when the force of blood pushing against the walls of your blood vessels, is consistently too high. To survive and function properly, oxygenated blood is carried from your circulatory system throughout your body. Your heart beats and causes pressure that pushes the blood through tube-shaped vessels (capillaries, veins and arteries are all part of the vessels), otherwise known as blood pressure. The blood pressure causes forces that you probably have heard before. The first force is systolic pressure. This happens as blood pumps out of the heart and into the circulatory system using the arteries. The systolic number is the top number that reads when your blood pressure is taken. The second force is diastolic and occurs as the heart is resting between heart beats. The diastolic number is bottom number that reads when your blood pressure is taken. Pretty cool huh? Our bodies are amazing temples.

Many people have high blood pressure and they are not even aware of it. According to the American Heart Association nearly half of American adults have high blood pressure. Your probably wondering what is considered high blood pressure. Normal blood pressure for systolic (the top number) is less than 120. Normal blood pressure for diastolic (the bottom number) is less than 80. High blood pressure is a “silent killer.” You may not experience any symptoms at all. Lifestyle choices such as diet and exercise choices and physical attributes can put you at a higher risk for having high blood pressure. If you ignore high blood pressure and don’t make changes to lead a healthier lifestyle, the damage that is done to your body could be significant. You could have a heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, loss of vision, sexual dysfunction, angina, microvascular disease, arteriosclerosis, increase risk of diabetes, high triglycerides, etc… the list is scary!

What can be done to fight the war of high blood pressure? Here are some things that I am going to focus on even though I don’t have high blood pressure. I believe that it is important to stay on top of things before they turn into a problem. Quit smoking, routinely get your blood pressure checked, if you have high blood pressure please work with your doctor and take medications properly, lose weight if needed or maintain a healthy weight, manage stress (I know this is a hard one), exercise regularly, drink limited alcohol, and get a buddy to encourage to do the things that will improve your health! Please join me in a healthier you. Please be aware of your health. It is so easy to abuse your body. I am so very guilty of it myself. I have habits I need to break so I can live a longer life. It’s hard. My demon is Coca Cola. I wish I would have never started drinking soda. Stay strong, be mindful and enjoy life my friends! Please feel free to share how you are being a healthier you.