Cover Story

Tootsy talk

By Sarah Roberts

ROCKFORD WOMAN

Aug 26, 2008 @ 06:58 PM

“My feet are killing me.” That may be an exaggeration, but taking care of your feet can improve overall health and well-being. One-fourth of the body’s bones are in the foot, and after all, our feet are our foundation. Podiatrist Dr. Mary White states women have more foot trouble than men do. No surprise there; 90 percent of us wear improperly fitting shoes.

“Feet are very expressive,” says reflexologist Gretta Anderson. In some cultures feet are read in the same way palm readers read hands, Anderson says. No matter what our culture, our feet tell a lot about us. 

Reflexology dates back 5,000 years to Egypt and is used today for pain management, or simply because it feels good. The bottom of the foot has more than 7,000 nerve endings; pressure applied to a certain point in the foot corresponds to a specific part of the body. If you are experiencing shoulder pain, for example, the reflexologist can tell this from cues in your feet, (primarily a feeling of grittiness, lumps, or a pain reaction), and be able to alleviate the pain with certain techniques to that zone in the foot – for the shoulder, it’s just below the small toe.

Anderson said she battled chronic pain for 30 years. With regular reflexology, she can be pain-free with no meds. The results she experienced prompted her to become a reflexologist. Client Kim Greyson-Bost has plantar fasciitis. “Foot pain is not fun,” Kim says. “Gretta knows how to make it feel better. I’m good to go again.”