Stephanie L. Tourles - Natural Foot Care: Herbal Treatments, Massage, and Exercises for Healthy Feet

HERBAL TREATMENTS, MASSAGE,
AND EXERCISES FOR HEALTHY FEET

STEPHANIE TOURLES

To my parents, Mike and Brenda Anchors,
for their guidance and patience, and for instilling in me the
courage to pursue my lifelong dreams.

The mission of Storey Publishing is to serve our customers by
publishing practical information that encourages
personal independence in harmony with the environment.

Edited by Pamela Lappies and Julia Rubel
Text design and production by Sue Bernier and Erin Lincourt
(based on original design by Carol Jessop, Black Trout Design)
Production assistance by Jennifer Jepson
Cover design by Carol Jessop, Black Trout Design
Cover art by Laura Tedeschi
Illustrations by Kathy Bray and Laura Tedeschi
Indexed by Hagerty & Halloway

1998 by Stephanie Tourles

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages or reproduce illustrations in a review with appropriate credits; nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other without written permission from the publisher.

The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. All recommendations are made without guarantee on the part of the author or Storey Publishing. The author and publisher disclaim any liability in connection with the use of this information. For additional information please contact Storey Books, 210 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams, MA 01247.

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Printed in the United States by Malloy
10 9 8 7 6 5 4

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Tourles, Stephanie L., 1962

Natural foot care / Stephanie Tourles.

p. cm.

A Storey Book.

Includes bibliographical references (p. ).

ISBN 978-1-58017-054-3 (pbk.)

1. FootCare and hygienePopular works. 2. FootWounds and injuries

TreatmentPopular works. 3. FootMassagePopular works. I. Title.
RD563.T68 1998
617.585dc21

9819917
CIP

Id like to extend my gratitude to the following people who shared their talents and expertise to help bring this book to fruition: My husband, Bill, for his loving support and encouragement when writing this manuscript seemed a daunting task and for enduring scores of take-out dinners; my grandparents, Earl and Phenie Ashe, for passing on their wisdom about the world of growing things and for giving me an incredibly green thumb; my grandmother, Grace Anchors, for her help in obtaining information on Cherokee Indian herbal healing methods; my mother-in-law, Nancy Sullivan, for her love of the green world and her inspiration to create all things beautiful; my editor, Pamela Lappies, for her book idea and for asking me to give it life; Andrea Murray, for her interesting twist of combining reflexology with herbalism; William Rossi, D.P.M., for his refreshing and insightful views of the human foot and its care; Carol Frey, M.D., for her article and research materials; Walter Pedowitz, M.D., Board Member of the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society, for his expertise and humor; Sherry Ketchum of Birkenstock; LeeAnne Sullivan, owner of Cosmetique in Hyannis, Massachusetts, for the fabulous pedicure and entertaining foot care stories; Ruthann Foss, for her generous nail care information; Jean Argus, for her recipe and herbal supplies; Julie Bailey, for her calendula oil recipe; Lisa Hanley, for information on my favorite Dr. Scholls Exercise Sandals; David Teufel of L.L. Bean, for information on Bavarian Wool Clogs; David Meyer, for Clarence Meyers herbal folklore recipes; Rebecca Slama, for Easy Spirit shoe information; Carole Imperiale of Schering-Plough HealthCare Products, Inc., for foot care brochures; The American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society, for their research materials and for answering my many questions; The American Podiatric Medical Association, for foot care information; and the Pedorthic Footwear Association. Lastly, thanks, Douglas, for the joy, the laughter, and the hope.

To be honest, when my editor, Pamela Lappies, called me to ask whether Id be interested in writing a book on natural foot care, I was both pleased and disappointed. Although I was excited that my publisher wanted me to write another book the first words out of my mouth were, An entire book dedicated to feet? Who wants to read about feet? In my first book, The Herbal Body Book (Storey Publishing, 1994), I wrote one chapter about natural foot care and I thought that was plenty. But, as I started to ponder the topic in more detail and began talking to everyone I came in contact with about the subject, I soon realized that caring for the feet is a sorely neglected part of everyday personal hygiene leading, of course, to problems resulting from sore, neglected feet.

Anywhere you look or listen, be it magazines, television, radio, retail stores, or mail-order catalogues, youre bombarded with beauty industry media revolving around hair, skin, and nail care; diet and exercise programs; thinner thigh and anticellulite creams; hair color to restore your lost youth; or promises of whiter and brighter teeth in seven days. The humble foot is an often ignored body part. Products for the feet make up a very small percentage of sales in the health and beauty segment of the market. Why?

I have an inkling that one reason is because the foot is one of the leastseen parts of the body. Its not glamourous, it rarely gets shown off, so it doesnt receive the attention that other body parts do: The foot doesnt get styled, brushed, or buffed, and it doesnt need whitening or slimming. Its not used for attracting a mate (unless, that is, your mate of choice has a foot fetish). The foot is usually not exposed to the public, except during the summer months, when many people would rather hide their feet than showcase them. Ive never even heard of a contest for the most beautiful feet, have you? I bet even beauty queens dont have beautiful feet especially after forcing them into uncomfortable, 3-inch heels for hours, perhaps days, on end.

The average persons foot is just plain unattractive and taken for granted. Maybe you occasionally use a pumice stone to grind down your calluses, cut your toenails, massage lotion into your heels, or possibly even paint your nails. But the majority of the time you ignore your feet and simply stuff them, day after day, into ill-fitting shoes and expect them to feel just peachy!

Theres actually very little literature about foot care available to the public, unless you know where to look or have an interest. But I hope to change that with this book. In it you will find topics on everything from nutrition for healthy feet to medical problems and their solutions, to advice on proper footwear, professional and home pedicures, and massage. I hope it will be an eye-opening book for you and make you think twice about your dogs and begin to appreciate them. Foot care shouldnt be a chore. With all the recipes in this book, youll soon look forward to feet treats as a way of unwinding or of perking up.