What do your feet say about your health? Just as the eyes are “windows to the soul”, feet may be called “windows to your health”. Alternative medicine and exercise provide ways to better understand the body through the feet, and to stimulate the feet for better foot and overall fitness.

In many cultures, health practitioners study the feet to determine someone’s physical status, and how to treat their disease.

In many Eastern medicine practices, practitioners study channels throughout the body. These channels refer to energy pathways, including blood circulation and nerve signals. Meridians, chakras, and sen lines are all examples of the different names given to energy channels by different Eastern medicine practices.

These energy pathways are often believed to start and end in the feet.

Reflexology is one study of the feet and its relationship to overall health. Trained reflexologists believe that meridian channels travel through the body, ending in points in the feet. These points correspond to muscles and organs in the body through which energy flows. Reflexologists stimulate these points, improving circulation to points along the meridians that need a boost.

We also know that the feet are complex structures, anatomically. They support pressure, weight, impact forces and torque. They perform an impressive workload!

For fitter feet, there are many exercises that we can practice. Since most Americans sit a lot throughout the day, there are many opportunities to stretch each foot. Try drawing the alphabet with your toes. Write whole words and sentences. Wiggle your toes like a kid in a sandbox.

We can also increase blood flow in the feet by rigorously tapping them. You can play percussion on your feet with > finger-tapping, > clapping, > slapping, and > cupping the hands. Perform these with your hands, creating directional patterns.

Improving the health of the feet is believed, in many medical practices throughout the world, to improve our overall health.

Considering their hard work, our feet can give us few troubles if we care for them. Here are a few ways to prevent foot injury:

• Don’t hesitate to replace old shoes. Always wear supportive footwear.
• Stimulate and soothe your feet. Receive regular foot massage.
• Get alternative medicine treatments, such as reflexology and acupuncture.

Just as we should be nourishing our bodies and souls, we must also care for our “soles down below”!

Nina Schnipper offers natural pain relief through massage therapy and fitness training at Higher Spa & Studio in Basalt, Colorado. You can visit www.HigherSpa.com/recovery.html for more information about natural pain relief.