Feet

Please note what I write below is how I work and my personal opinion. Part of being able to diagnose depends on my ability to examine patients without making them feel uncomfortable which I believe I do well. I know myself that there is always a part of us that we may or may not like, we may just be shy or have encountered an issue with another doctor. I know for sure children are initially wary of me as they immediately think I am going to prick them with needles.

I would like to believe I make patients feel relaxed so they can reveal themselves to me. Majority immediately also open up about their personal life which gives me a better understanding of what is really going on with their health as external influences and relationships do impact our health more than we realise.

Some patients do make a great show of facial expressions, hand gestures, etc trying to distract me from looking deeply into their inner nature but what they do not realise that within the first couple of minutes of seeing their face I have already had an internal glimpse of them and made up my mind on their diagnosis and then the interrogation process is to confirm my diagnosis. If I ever have trouble diagnosing, I look carefully at the patients feet as well as smelling them. I often see much more than I bargained for.

Millions of people now have foot problems whether its bunions, calluses or swollen areas. Many people try to rationalise these bumps or bunions on their shoes as that is what they have been indoctrinated with. Ok yes it may rub against your shoes making it painful, but what really caused these things in the first instance. Children rarely have bumps and bunions. The original cause was not your shoes although they may be the problem now. The real cause if far deeper and more revealing of your life.

In TICM, there are what we call 6 meridians that flow up and down our legs and through various parts of our feet. By looking at the condition of each toe, a TCM doctor (depends on training) should be able to tell about their patients Spleen, Bladder, Gallbladder, Stomach, Liver and Kidney health. There is so much to talk about on feet, I will just give out the interesting juicy things.

People with bunions tend to be stubborn. The bunion appears because the Spleen is trying to eliminate excess energy and waste. The energy is blocked at the Spleen and tends to back up along the meridian causing swelling in the capillaries eventually leading to a bony mass on the side of the foot near the big toe. If the person continues to treat the Spleen badly, excesses will continue to accumulate, calcify and create a large bunion. Leave it long enough, you will develop a disharmony between Liver and Spleen as big toe belongs to these two organs.

Swelling of the second toe indicates that the Stomach has been burdened and is attempting to eliminate excess energy that is trapped. A longer second toe indicates a powerful Stomach, the person has a great appetite, will tend to overeat, put on weight easily and suffer from gout or arthritis. I have a long second toe but those who know me it is not for food. People with a strong Stomach can eat anything without regret which will eventually overburden the Liver creating a Liver and Stomach disharmony.

If the big toe overlaps the second toe, it means the Stomach is weaker than the Liver. In which case I would request you avoid stimulants, refined sugars, acidic food which all cause harm to Stomach. Such person is likely to suffer Stomach problems too and must watch what they eat. These people should chew their food properly and avoid food and drink that overstimulates the Liver such as alcohol, sour foods, strong spices, etc.

The fourth toe resembles the Gallbladder. This toe is also a site for a bunion and if one does appear then I know this person has a troubled Gallbladder so I would ask them to avoid fatty oily foods causing the Liver and Gallbladder to become over congested with the wrong foods.

How a person’s shoes ware out also tells a story. Generally, if the tip is worn, it means they are always in a hurry, neurotic. Heel being worn out means Kidney and lower back problems, inside of shoes worn means problems with Intestines and sex organs and if the outside is worn, indicates Gallbladder and Liver problems.

The smell of a person’s feet also tells a story and generally it is Dampness if sweaty indicating Kidney or Spleen issues. Generally, it is the larger people who tend to have sweaty and smelly feet.

Nails also indicate health issues and a persons constitution. Vertical lines is usually Liver problems, round nails is Lung issues, bumps could mean worms in Intestines, grooves can mean malnutrition or poor digestion, square nails could mean high blood pressure or strong constitution and spoon nail could mean anaemia or low blood pressure.