Are Shoes Wrecking Your Body?

June 4, 2014
Hosted by Mary J. Rogel, Ph.D., L.Ac.

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Guest Information

Episode Description

Foot pain can be more than just achy feet! One in four U.S. women suffers from debilitating foot pain, which can affect the function of other body parts, from knees and hips to the pelvis and spine. But the solution may be as easy as some simple changes and gentle exercises. My guest, biomechanical scientist Katy Bowman, M.S., will talk to us about how the foot is designed to work, what shoes we should and should not be wearing at different stages in our lives, and how to reduce or prevent foot pain and halt the cascade of damage throughout the rest of the body. Find out how something you do every day without giving it much thought, i.e., wearing your shoes, can disrupt or negate all the good things you are so careful to do for yourself. Learn how something as simple as the heels of your shoes can have an impact not only on the health of your feet but also on conditions as diverse as the strength of your pelvic floor and the density of your bones.

Rethinking Orthopedics

Archives Available on VoiceAmerica Health and Wellness Channel

I would like to shift our understanding and practice of orthopedic medicine away from the prevailing model of the body as a machine with replaceable parts toward an understanding of the body as a dynamic, adaptable structure with potentially reversible problems. If we shift our view of the body from the insides of the joints to the outsides of the joints, we get a different understanding of how they function. In this show, we will explore that adaptability and its consequences for structural alignment. My hope is to encourage health care practitioners to see new possibilities for, and to improve upon, their treatment methods so that their patients can derive more benefit from therapy, and to help people understand their orthopedic issues better so they can prevent problems, recover faster from ones they have, and work more effectively with their physicians and therapists.

Mary J. Rogel, Ph.D., L.Ac.

Mary J. Rogel is a licensed acupuncturist whose practice has a strong focus on orthopedics and body mechanics. Her approach differs from that of most practitioners in that she focuses on tendons and ligaments and their effect on structural alignment. This is her starting point for diagnosis and treatment not only of pain conditions, but also of internal medicine conditions such as digestion, breathing, and cardiovascular problems. Acupuncture is a second career for Mary. She holds a Ph.D. in social psychology from The University of Chicago and spent 10 years teaching psychology and 25 years doing health research and consulting before becoming a full-time acupuncturist. Mary is invested in sharing her unique methods with other practitioners. She has published a number of articles concerning her concepts and methods and is a licensed provider of acupuncture continuing education in Illinois. She has been teaching her style of orthopedic diagnosis and treatment to practitioners in various health care professions since 1991. In addition to teaching, Mary is the editor of Oriental Medicine Journal and does specialized editing of manuscripts and texts on topics in Oriental Medicine. Mary played a major role in legalizing acupuncture in Illinois. She served for many years on the Board of the Illinois State Acupuncture Association and was the Chairman of the Illinois Board of Acupuncture for the first 14 years after the Illinois Acupuncture Practice Act was passed.

Episode Directory

July 2014

June 2014

  • 6/25/2014: An Uncommon Look at the Lower Extremities. Listen Now
  • 6/18/2014: Managing the Medications Used to Manage Pain Listen Now
  • 6/11/2014: Animals Have Orthopedic Issues, Too Listen Now
  • 6/4/2014: Are Shoes Wrecking Your Body? Listen Now

May 2014



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