morton's neuroma.. pt 2.. or,

more about my feet than you ever wanted to know.

according to everything i've read this is a fairly common condition. (if it's so common, i asked myself, how come i haven't heard of it? and then i thought about all the people i know who complain about their feet.)

at any rate, after a quick browse through some of my own books, and another glance through the internet, i've decided on a five-prong approach - one for each toe. :)

first of all, it seems obvious that if you want to decrease the stress on the nerves of your feet, the first thing to do is to reduce the load they have to carry. like most of us, i could lose ten pounds and not miss it. so for the sake of my poor aching feet, i will summon up the willpower to say no to some of the more indulgent things i eat - like sweet potato fries and cream in my coffee (i'll lighten up to whole milk). in terms of activity, that will more of a challenge. however, my yoga routine is approximately 22 minutes on the floor - no weight bearing required. and once my daily level of activity is tolerable - i intend to add walking... slowly. but while these are longterm intentions, i have found i do better with small and concrete goals. my goal for the next three days, therefore, is to make the more weight-loss likely food choice, to follow the Angel Way Guidelines religiously - pardon the pun - and to do my yoga routine twice a day.

the second prong of my approach includes reiki and accupuncture. im calling my chiropractor today for an accupuncture appointment. i spent last night giving myself copious amounts of reiki.

the third prong involves gel pads, orthotics, and ice packs under my feet when i write. im also going to find a foot exerciser thingy so i can massage my feet while writing. (i think that qualifies for multi-tasking.)

the fourth involves aspirin and ibuprofen, judiciously and preventatively, as well as consultations with some of my herbalist and homeopathically minded friends.

but the fifth is the most important, and the one that might take the most time, because it involves understanding what the pain means, and the lesson it's bringing me. this is the piece most often neglected and overlooked, especially in western medicine as it's practised today. like the subconscious, the body has no words. it speaks in aches and twinges, rumbles and sighs, and i believe that all our woundings are felt and manifested on every level of our beings.

so what does it mean that the pain feels like a nail in each foot? to what have i been nailed - willingly or otherwise?

and furthermore, the war will end. blessed be.