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feet

Resources:

William Rossi, DPM:

Conditions:

  • Plantar fasciosis
  • Capsulitis
  • Toenail Fungus
  • Neuromas
  • Ankle Instability
  • Bunions
  • Hammertoes

Other Foot Topics:

  • Arch Support
  • Stiff Shoes
  • Heel Cushioning
  • Athletic Shoes

Handouts:

Recommended Shoe List

Placing metatarsal pads
 Dr. Glenn specializes in natural foot care.

What is natural foot care?

Natural foot care, like the rest of naturopathic medicine, is a wholistic approach to physical medicine.  It encompasses looking at the cause of physical ailments, treating them naturally with bodywork, stretching, exercise, natural anti-inflammatories, and hydrotherapy.  I also recommend surgery if it is needed.  I am not a surgeon, but I work directly with Ray McClanahan, DPM who is a very skilled surgeon.  I find that most podiatrists and orthopedic surgeons recommend surgery when there are much more simple solutions available.  If surgery ends up being necessary, all of the work to improve footwear and rehabilitate the feet will only help improve the outcome of the surgery as well.

How did I get so interested in foot care?
My interest in foot care began as a child in rural South Carolina where we were barefoot throughout most of the year.  The other kids my age and I prided ourselves on our thick-soled feet.  Although I had very thick skin on the bottom of my feet, I never reached the ultimate goal of being able to stamp out a hot coal without it hurting as one cousin could.

My interest in the idea of barefoot being healthy was renewed after attending Tom Brown Jr's Tracker School.  In classes and in his books, Brown speaks of the benefits of being barefoot or in mocassins for being quiet and safe in the woods, but also for general health of the feet, legs, and back.  For instance his teacher, Stalking Wolf, never wore a pair of modern shoes throughout his entire life.  He never suffered many of our modern musculoskeletal complaints including arthritis even into very old age.

After graduating from medical school, I began practicing with Ray McClanahan, DPM.  He was disillusioned with his practice after his first seven years because his patients were not getting better.  He decided to start reading more alternative literature and specifically the work of William Rossi, DPM.  Dr. McClanahan also traveled to Liberia and observed the feet of the people there who live barefoot or in sandals.  All of this study and observation led to a few important conclusions which also fit with the observations I have observed
  • Cultures who live barefoot or in sandals most of the time do not have the chronic foot problems that are common in shoe-wearing cultures.
  • Feet in cultures who do not wear shoes are shaped differently than feet in cultures who do wear shoes.
  • Feet in unshod cultures are widest at the ends of the toes instead of the ball of the foot as in shod cultures.
4 features in shoe design are major contributors to chronic foot problems.
  • Raised heel
  • Narrow toe box
  • Toe spring
  • Stiff soles

I am now opening a practice in Pisgah Forest, North Carolina.  Natural foot care is still a major part of my practice along with a general family practice and autism spectrum disorders.
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