How I Got My Wiggle Back

How I Got My Wiggle Back
A Memoir of Healing
Anthony Field with Greg Truman

Any parent who has spent any time at all watching children’s television with their kids is well acquainted with The Beatles of the pre-school set: The Wiggles. Anthony Field is a founding member of the popular children’s group, and it is telling to The Beatles connection that prior to this venture, Anthony and his brothers had an Australian rock band named The Cockroaches. Anthony and The Wiggles are a worldwide phenomenon, being named the top-earning Australian entertainers for four years in a row and earning upwards of $40 million in a year. The Wiggles have sold over 17 million DVDs and four million CDs, an amazing number which exceeds many superstar musicians. This spectacular success was not much gratification to Anthony as throughout his career he has been plagued by a series of inexplicable and debilitating health issues.

Inexplicable Ailments

Anthony’s health problems started his mid twenties, first with a stubborn case of clinical depression which brought overwhelming sadness and anxiety as well as suicidal thoughts, then proceeding onto various digestion problems. Due to The Wiggles’ punishing touring schedule, Anthony found himself on the road for an inordinate amount of time and with the topsy-turvy eating and sleep patterns that come with long-term travel he began to gain weight. Soon his ailments graduated to severe and troubling foot, ankle, knee and back pain, along with various sprains and strains.

Nothing Seemed To Work

Anthony saw a variety of medical doctors, chiropractors and alternative healers who came up with diagnoses for fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, hernias, and a plethora of unresolved back pain issues. These medical experts would usually dispense good advice along with a laundry list of medicines, but nothing seemed to help Anthony to any significant degree. Anthony had discolored teeth since childhood so he had them capped to a pearly white for his media appearances. On the first night of an American tour the entire group was out for some of that famous New York City pizza and after one bite Anthony’s caps came out with the pie. A dentist was quickly sought and after many hours and thousands of dollars of dental work another set of caps was implanted. This work may have brought his smile back, but only superficially as he started to suffer from constant body pain, neck stiffness and intense headaches along with mysterious circulation problems and a blooming of varicose veins.

Massive Dental Work

A dental specialist was called in and told Anthony he required immediate extensive corrective surgery. Anthony decided that it was so extensive that he wanted to go home to Australia and his dentist to have it done. The Australian dentist discovered that the work that had been done in New York was significantly substandard. Over a short period of time Anthony had a staggering 23 root canals, teeth were removed, titanium posts put in, and crowns and caps replaced. Unfortunately, his health problems continued unabated and Anthony continued to be examined by a broad range of doctors who were unable to assist him in any meaningful way.

Dr. Stoxen Diagnosed Anthony By A Gait Examination

After visits to an endless array of medical professionals Anthony met Dr. James Stoxen, a Chicago chiropractor. Unlike the others before him, Dr. Stoxen was able to swiftly diagnose the source of Anthony’s problems, and he did so by a simple examination of his gait! Dr. Stoxen is the originator of the Human Spring Approach dealing with the interconnected mechanism that governs and protects the way the body moves, and he applied his methodology to determine that Anthony’s Spring was broken due to a weakness in the pronator-supinator cuff muscles supporting the arch of the foot. The spring suspension system muscles of Anthony’s pelvis were inherently weak leading to his crippling lower back pain. Dr. Stoxen helped Anthony reset his spring suspension and taught him the critical exercises required to keep his entire muscular system working at top efficiency. Working with a chiropractic colleague Dr. Rich Gringeri, Anthony was put on a proper whole food diet, along with supplements and digestive enzymes, which helped him to reset his entire Human Spring.

A Quarter Billion Ground Collisions

Dr. Stoxen’s revolutionary anatomical and kinesthetic concepts are based on the human body being a spring mechanism, not a lever one as is currently acknowledged by medical practitioners. By utilizing the Human Spring mechanism you can protect your body from the over quarter billion collisions with the ground you will experience in your lifetime through a marked improvement of your walking and running processes. Dr. Stoxen accurately diagnosed the breadth of Anthony’s chronic symptoms to a breakdown and lockage of his own Spring, and his remarkable and unique insights into this aspect of the human body can be applied to virtually anyone plagued by chronic and otherwise unexplained aches, pains, and various symptoms.

Keeping The Spring Working

To this day, Anthony works very hard daily performing the specific exercises taught by Dr. Stoxen to keep his Spring working at optimal levels, and he continues to be free from the pain and symptoms which plagued him through most of his adult life. And that’s how Anthony Field Got His Wiggle Back!

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I was recently invited by the editors of shoedigest.com to write an article which addresses the question: Should Walkers Go Bare? To the surprise of everyone involved I managed to get the entire article written without once dropping in a mention of Lady Godiva or Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover model Kate Upton. The article is all about bare feet, and I analyzed the various advantages whereby barefoot and minimalist footwear walking can be better and healthier for you than imprisoning your feet in $200 worth of leather and latex. There’s a really naughty joke there but it’s soooooooo far from family-friendly that I’d be tarred, feathered, and run out of Crown Point on a rail so let’s proceed…

I’ve rarely seen rusty nails stuck in feet

In the article I discussed that scientific research has proven that shoe wearing populations tend to have more back and knee problems, greater instances of arthritis, as well as varied foot problems and deformities. We’re not talking Chinese foot-binding here, but strictly conventional shoes: everything from penny loafers to the most expensive sports shoes lucratively endorsed by basketball stars. I explained in the article that the primary argument against barefoot walking is that you might step on a rusty nail but in my two decades as a podiatrist I have rarely seen patients with items like that stuck in their feet, so it’s about as likely as Rosanne Barr actually succeeding in getting elected President.

Minimalist footwear provides protection + comfort

The development of a broad array of minimalist footwear adequately tackles head on the arguments about foot protection and comfort. After all, even though I am a barefoot evangelist I sure wouldn’t want to walk with unprotected soles on the asphalt parking lot of the Tucson WalMart on a July afternoon. The magnificent new minimalist footwear manufactured by top ranked shoe companies such as Asics, Brooks, Nike, Reebok, and Sketchers allows any walker or runner to benefit from the unquestionable health benefits of barefoot exercise without leaving foot skin sizzling on hot asphalt in Arizona, or frostbitten on the ice in Minnesota.

Transition gradually to the barefoot lifestyle

Although minimalist footwear is the greatest thing since sliced bread or even better (try strapping Wonder Bread to your feet and see how well you walk), I advise against a sudden barefoot epiphany which sees you toss your entire Imelda Marcos collection of shoes into a dumpster. You likely have been wearing supportive shoes since you were knee high to a grasshopper so an overnight transition to barefoot walking could lead to injury. The support within the shoes you’ve worn forever has likely weakened some of your foot and leg muscles, so you need to build them back up gradually before you can join the barefoot brigade. You should also consult your friendly neighborhood podiatrist (or Friendly Foot Care!) if you have any medical issues which can affect your feet such as diabetes, poor circulation, or deformities. Tell them Dr. Mike sent you… and no, we podiatrists don’t work on commission!

Once you try bare, you won’t go back to Air

I’m looking forward to writing more articles for the readers of shoedigest.com and hope that I can continue to spread the word about our wondrous feet and the benefits of barefoot activity.

I have lost my old footwear
I don’t care, I’ll go bare
Bye, bye Nike LeBrons
They weren’t very good to me.
Pronated me, hee, hee, hee.
Bye, bye Air Jordans
I won’t miss that little foam wedge beneath me
If you see ‘em don’t tell ‘em where to find me
I have lost my old footwear
I don’t care, I’ll go bare
Track shoes, bye, byeeeeeeeeeeeee!

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Dr. Nirenberg treats a diabetic foot

Although it is becoming so widespread that many Americans are taking it for granted, there is ample medical evidence to prove that diabetes is a very serious and potentially deadly disease which is affecting one out of every twenty people… and the number is rising daily. Diabetes is no laughing matter as our lifestyle which is increasingly centered on consuming massive quantities of empty calories while sitting on our ever-expanding netherregions is not-so-slowly killing us.

Foot care is required in Type 1 & 2 Diabetes

I was recently interviewed for an article in Northwest Indiana’s The Times newspaper entitled Importance Of Foot Care For Diabetics: Regular Checks Are Vital For Healthy Living, where I discussed the necessity for all diabetics to take meticulous care of their feet.

Diabetes is classified into two types:

• Type 1: This is the diabetes that is generally inherited and surfaces at an early age. Most sufferers of Type 1 diabetes require continual insulin injections and there is no practical cure.
• Type 2: This is the diabetes that is developed in adult life, almost always in part from overeating and making poor food choices. This diabetes type can be  delayed or in some cases, reversed through weight loss and proper diet.

Diabetes disrupts blood flow through your body

Diabetics suffer from disruption of their circulation system which affects many parts of the body such as the kidneys and eyes, and in many cases the foot. About one quarter of all diabetics will develop problems with their feet, primarily through diabetic neuropathy which can cause severe numbness to the point where the patient will no longer be able to feel heat, cold, or pain. In my practice I have actually pulled out sharp objects from the feet of diabetics which they didn’t even know were there! Unless you’re a professional firewalker or a fakir who walks on a bed of nails, the last thing you want is to have your feet this immune to pain!

Tips to avoid diabetic foot problems

The best way to ensure that you don’t have problems with your feet is to adhere religiously to the treatment regimen administered by your physician to keep your blood sugar levels within acceptable parameters, maintain a healthy low fat diet, and it’s also a good idea to follow these tips:

• Don’t cross your legs for extended periods of time
• Keep your feet away from extreme cold or hot conditions
• Don’t wear socks or garters which restrict your legs to the point where blood flow to your feet is minimized
• Use a quality moisturizer to avoid the skin on your foot from drying out and cracking
• Switch up your exercise routine to activities that are fairly gentle on your feet, such as swimming or prone exercises
• If you’re smoking stop now

Check your feet daily with a mirror

Furthermore, it is a good practice for diabetics to check their feet once a day with a mirror to ensure that there aren’t any cuts, sores, blisters, or bruises that they could not ordinarily see (previously I reported on a scale that has a mirror built in so you can see your feet and your weight). You spend a considerable amount of time in front of the mirror making sure that your hair is “just so” and that nasty forehead zit doesn’t make you look like a Cyclops, so you can certainly spend 30 seconds a day checking your feet for problems that might turn you into a modern day version of peg leg Captain Ahab. At the first sign of problems “run don’t walk” to your nearest podiatrist to have your feet checked and treated before the new, small problem turns into a crisis which may require an amputation! Your feet are precious and you need both of them, so don’t jeopardize their health… or very existence!

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The Adam's Effective Sipes

As a passionate adherent of the minimalist footwear phenomenon, I was heartily anticipating the opportunity to try out Altra’s newly released Adam. I found it to be an extremely versatile, balanced, and comfortable shoe that is supremely well adapted to everything you can do with your feet: from walking, to running, to just loafing around. This shoe is so advanced that just like the Adam who launched the human race, it is sure to launch a new era in minimalist footwear.

Comfort through technology

The comfort level of the Adam minimalist shoe truly has to be experienced to be believed. It seems to be a cliché that they are as comfortable as wearing nothing at all, but in the case of this advanced Altra shoe it’s very true. They are supple, flexible, and snug while still allowing plenty of room for your feet to move unhindered. The Adam seems to have taken minimalist footwear technology, design, and engineering to the next phase, and walkers, joggers, and runners everywhere can rejoice… and throw their expensive, heavy, and stultifying traditional running shoes in the nearest river!

Seamless removable footbeds

The performance rubber outsole of the Adam is what Altra has termed the BareSole, and at an almost paper thin 3.4 mm it starts to feel like an extension of your own feet. Footbeds are included to be fitted within the Adam but they can be left out if you prefer to really get that just-about-barefoot feeling when you’re walking, jogging, or running. The footbeds are free of stitches or seams so they also contribute to the heavenly level of comfort of this amazing minimalist shoe. I also never had the secure-cinch strapping budge by one millimeter all the time I was wearing them! These shoes are more secure than a Swiss bank account!

Razor sipes provide phenomenal traction

The Altra Adam not only does a great job protecting the feet from any roadside or trail hazards such as broken glass and sharp rocks, but it also provides cat-like traction on wet, slippery, and icy surfaces. The soles are molded with what Altra calls razor sipes and the best way to describe how they work is to drive your car in snow with regular street tires, and then change over to an aggressive tread winter tire. The difference is palpable as when you’re wearing the Altra Adam, you feel like you have so much traction you can walk or run anywhere at any time. Except straight up walls. Leave that to Spiderman.

Protects and cools your feet

Even though I’m writing this in Northern Indiana in January when I can only dream about heat, the Altra Adam seems like one of the best choices for barefoot runners on hot asphalt. The sole’s design and the breathable stretch fabric upper are so well thought out and engineered that the Adam should do a great job of keeping your feet cool through the warmest days on the most sizzling tarmac: The kind that would leave bare feet looking like you just walked across hot coals! On a nice hot summer day you want a nice T-Bone steak charred on the outside, not the soles of your feet!

The Altra Adam is a very impressive minimalist shoe which I recommend to anyone. It’s exactly what you want for casual and competitive running, and with the Adam shoe’s comfort, balance, and traction, it’s a natural complement to anyone engaging in my FloWalking method of better walking (http://www.flowalking.com/)!

To learn more about the amazing Altra Adam, check out http://www.altrazerodrop.com/

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One of the most notable problems that people who practice yoga have with regards to their feet is that in some positions their bare feet can slip and cause a fall. There are few things worse in yoga than doing a Garudasana Eagle Pose and end up crash landing on your beak because your foot slipped out from under you! Socks and slippers do not allow the toes to be free enough to grip and balance properly, plus they can overheat the foot causing it to sweat and slip even further.

Maximum traction, foot (and toe) flexibility, and breathability

Stick-e Yoga Socks http://www.stick-e.com/yogaaccessories.html solved all of these problems by engineering special socks specifically for the practice of yoga, pilates, karate, dancing and other athletic pursuits where maximum traction and foot flexibility is a prerequisite. Libby Andrews of Stick-e Products LLC invented this remarkable new form of minimalist footwear, and I can confidently say that she did a magnificent job. They’re really amazing!

 Stick-e Yoga Socks have cut outs for your toes so can better grip the floor or mat, and more importantly, so they can work! Most people do not think much about using their toes when walking or doing activities, yet toes are very muscular or as I say in my FloWalking http://flowalking.com/ workshops: “toes are tiny but mighty.” Men, in order to keep your self-respect, only use this motto about your toes and no other part of your anatomy.

Andrews has also designed the socks with a Stick-e bottom, so the next time you are doing the Adho Mukha Svanasana Downward Dog pose, you are less likely to end up sprawled out like a greyhound on a skating rink! The Stick-e surface held up well, even after I spent 90 minutes on the treadmill doing my FloWalking workout.

1/3 of yoga practitioners still wear basic socks or shoes

It’s estimated that yoga currently has over 20 million followers and about a third of them continue to wear socks or even shoes during their exercises because they are shunning going barefoot. All yoga enthusiasts, whether barefoot or wearing socks or shoes should try the Stick-e Yoga Socks to experience the ultimate in foot comfort, traction, and flexibility. Once you try some of the most basic yoga exercises while wearing these socks, you’ll never do yoga in any other way!

Superlative for FloWalking

I recommend Stick-e Yoga Socks to all my patients who do yoga, but now I’m able to encourage people on yet another activity which these amazing socks are absolutely perfect for: All of the features that allow Stick-e Socks to provide such superlative advantages when practicing yoga are equally applicable to individuals who are engaged in FloWalking [http://flowalking.com/]! The additional comfort, freedom, control, and traction allowed by the Stick-e Yoga Socks can be a boon to any FloWalker! Let me leave you with a bit of yogic wisdom: Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape!

To learn more about Stick-e Yoga Socks and Andrews’ other amazing Stick-e products go to http://www.stick-e.com/yogaaccessories.html

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Some people consider the fact that more and more people are successfully running barefoot some kind of scientific enigma. The “Free Your Feet” graphic below makes some of the science behind barefoot running easy to understand simply and eloquently. This artistic and pleasantly graphic interpretation of the various statistics and historical facts which support barefoot running makes some exceptional points:

Bulky Shoes Are Failing Us – Running while wearing athletic footwear exerts more strain on the joints of the leg and foot than walking in high heels!

The History Of Running Shoes – The Tarahumara of Mexico can run for two full days, covering up to 300 miles non-stop, wearing only leather thongs or tire strips!

The Science Of Barefoot Running – A comparison of the heel strike which is predominant when running with shoes vs. the more relaxed position of the bare foot landing on its ball.

The graphic goes on to show that traditional running shoes have been proven to create an extra:

• 54% hip rotation torque
• 36% knee flexion torque
• 38% knee varus torque

The graphic does close with a warning that transitioning to barefoot running is a process which should be done gradually, starting out with brief jogs before graduation to longer runs. It’s a recommendation which I heartily endorse!

Check out the entire graphic at: http://www.xraytechnicianschools.net/free-your-feet/

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FloWalking [http://www.flowalking.com/] has become a career dedication for me. I have personally witnessed such outstanding positive effects from individuals who have adopted this completely innovative way of walking that I am committed to do everything within my power to spread the word so that as many people as possible around the world will be able to enjoy its considerable benefits.

Some of the latest medical research has demonstrated a link between the posture and poses you adopt in your everyday life. This is an hitherto unsuspected link to hormonal balance in your body based on your physical actions. I’ve just written a post at [www.flowalking.com/2011/11/a-simple-secret-to-walking-longer-faster-and-harder] discussing these important clinical studies.

Researchers have proven that persons and animals judged to be physically stronger and more powerful than their peers are found to have higher levels of testosterone and lower levels of cortisol in their body. Consider testosterone Popeye’s Spinach and cortisol Superman’s Kryptonite and you’re starting to catch the drift.

…If we can have high testosterone and low cortisol not only could we delay or better endure the pain of muscle fatigue and thereby walk further, faster and harder, but we would likely boost our immune system, prevent high blood pressure and improve our memory.

Check out that post and let me know what you think. The prospect that posture has hormonal benefits is certainly an astounding new development in medical science and one that promises future breakthroughs in the field.

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Photos show a young woman with a tumor in the big toe of her foot.

Every so often people come to see me with the most interesting foot problems. Most recently, a young woman came to see me with a tumor in her foot.

Having seen my share of cancers in the feet of my patients, that was my first concern. The Worst Case Scenario is the way that we doctors are trained to think. Most days I provide my patients with reassurance: “it isn’t fracture”, “you do not need surgery” etc.

Giving reassurance is great. It eases a patient’s anxiety and they feel better, even if their foot is still sore. It’s like a verbal placebo. I am certain that if someone decided to market a talking box which featured a doctor’s reassuring voice informing prospective patients not to worry as all is just fine, the workloads among physicians would diminish to a considerable degree!

Informing a patient they have a fracture, a tumor, or must have an amputation performed is difficult. In fact, some sources say that the term “cancer” is one of the most terrifying words there is in many languages. People fear cancer more than “heart attack” or “stroke,” even though these can also be lethal.

When my staff tells me I have a phone call from a pathologist, it is rarely if ever good news. Pathologists are quite like the tax collectors of the medical sector: Everyone is well aware that taxes have to be paid but whenever you get a call from the tax collector, prepare yourself to experience the pain. Even though I try to be positive, I have found patients are generally grateful when I promptly tell them bad news.

Fortunately, in this young woman’s case, the tumor turned out to be benign. She went on to heal up well and has never seen this ugly beast again. Below are the surgical photos and a photo of the woman’s foot when it was all healed up.

Warning: They are very graphic so you might not want to scroll down to see them if you just had a big meal.

Though I find such cases interesting, I hope no one reading this has to ever deal with this type of problem.

I recall an experience I had as young intern. At a meeting one night at the hospital I had asked an older doctor, “Did you see anything interesting today?” He replied, “No, and that’s just the way I like it.”

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As we get older we lose the awareness of our bodies we had when young

As the creator and prime evangelist of FloWalking, I am committed to raising awareness to as many people as I can about how walking can affect every part of your body. A proper walking motion can ease pain, prevent injury, and help bring on a state of total health and fitness, while the wrong walking motion can cause severe problems which can drastically affect your entire life.

I’ve just written a post on the FloWalking site that should be of interest to anyone with feet:

Do you know where your feet are? This may seem like a silly question, but many people look down at their feet as they walk. The main reason for this often unconscious habit is because these people lack a good, healthy sense or awareness of where their feet are in space at any given time. These people are likely to have a poor awareness of most of their body.

They may be aware they are in the process of walking from Point A to Point B, but they may not have much clear sense of the particular movements which their anatomy is executing in order to take them there. From the neck down, they might as well be a blob. When we consider the latest statistics which demonstrate that an all-time historical high has been achieved in the number of obese, unfit individuals, we can come to the unfortunate conclusion that most of us are little more than blobs of blubber. Thankfully FloWalking is easier, better, and more effective than a shot of Antiblobicillin

To find out more about the FloWalking revolution for health, fitness, and just plain feeling great, check out my post over at http://flowalking.com/2011/11/the-most-overlooked-aspect-of-walking-and-fitness/, and get your own shot of Antiblobicillin. It’s effective, it’s free and there is no fast talking TV announcer claiming that “side effects may include Mange, Restless Pinky Syndrome, Smellie-Pheet Disease, or Werewolfism.”

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Dr. Seuss book that my five year old son loves to have me read. I’m not too sure that Dr. Seuss based the book on a real fox, but if the good doctor were still alive he could write the true-life story, Doc In Socks, about Dr. Steve Gangemi. Gangemi is a chiropractic physician who has become known by the nickname of The Sock Doc from his habit of wearing only socks or even going barefoot in his chiropractic office. Unlike other habits that could land you in jail, shunning your shoes isn’t only legal, it is good for you.

Gangemi has been trained in a variety of specialties ranging from functional neurology to applied kinesiology. Although he does not specialize in the treatment of foot ailments, he believes that healthy people have healthy feet which do not require cushioned, supportive shoes. Gangemi proposes the concept that feet can send you signs and signals about your overall health, and that these clues are well worth pursuing in order to arrive at a state of complete health, literally from head to toe!

Gangemi states that the feet are the foundation of your body. With approximately 7,000 nerve endings in each foot, feedback from your feet can affect your overall health. Any foot impairment, injury, pain, dysfunction, or the wearing of footwear can (and often does) impair sensory feedback, balance and y muscle-skeletal function. Given that we take thousands of steps a day, day after day, the end result can be injury, arthritis, pain or other problems.

Gangemi also explains that an ache in one part of our body may be (and often is!) the result of a problem somewhere else in the body. For example, he explains that pain in your knee may be due to a muscle imbalance in the foot, improper footwear, poor diet, or even stress.

One of the fundamental tenets of his practice is that rarely will an unhealthy person not present with problems in their feet, and it is these bases of the entire human anatomy which can reflect and influence the health of the organism as a whole. Wearing improper footwear can disrupt the normal walking gait, and that can have a knock-on effect which can point to problems being experienced elsewhere in the body.

Gangemi prides himself on dealing with his patients’ health problems on a cause oriented individual level, and highly recommends the barefoot lifestyle. He believes that everyone can benefit from walking barefoot, not just multiple sport athletes and dedicated runners. The wearing of built up shoes featuring supportive orthotics and plush padding benefits few if any people, since going barefoot equates with improved lower leg function and balance which has an impact on overall health.

Steve “Sock Doc” Gangemi’s website (http://sock-doc.com) is a treasure trove of information on every aspect of educating athletes and other interested people about injury, prevention, and treatment to help them live longer and healthier lives. Gangemi provides cutting edge information on injuries, training, racing, nutrition, gear and much more.  Dr. Seuss would be proud of him. And so am I.

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