Health&Wellness Magazine September 2014 | Page 47

For advertising information visit www.samplerpublications.com or call 859.225.4466 | September 2014 Choosing the Proper Shoes & 47 CAN BE AS EASY AS 1, 2, 3 It’s time again for the kids to return to school, and if you’re like most harried parents that means that among the many last minute preparations for this yearly “right of passage” are the acquisition of clothes and shoes. When it comes to the latter, your child’s foot health is too important to allow your choices be dictated by fashion alone. After all, an oversized shirt or tight jeans are one thing but illfitting shoes are quite another. Understanding a few basic principles when choosing your child’s or even your own next shoe can insure that besides looking “cool” their/your feet feel great too! Properly designed and fitted shoes should provide support, protection, and in essence “link” the wearer with the ground. With this in mind the first considerations relate to shoe design. The curvature (straight, or curved-in) of the shoe’s sole should generally match that of the foot. Furthermore, it is wise to select shoes that provide control or shock absorption depending upon one’s foot type (normal, flattened, or high arched). A flat foot generally needs more control whereas a foot with a higher arch needs greater shock absorption capability. Control is provided via a 1 BROWN continued from Page 17 only in Kentucky but across the country, and her dedication serves as an ongoing inspiration to others.   A quote from a Hospice Newsletter sums her legacy up perfectly.  “….. it happens all the time to Gretchen Brown. She’ll meet someone at a store, or at a party, or just walking in her neighborhood. Upon learning that Gretchen is CEO of Hospice of the Bluegrass, the person will relate a detailed, sometimes tear-filled, story of the death of a loved one, and how Hospice care made that experience less painful.  Then the person will give Gretchen a hug.  “It’s one of the most satisfying aspects of my job,” Gretchen says. “It’s when I get to see what a real gift it is for families to have Hospice in their lives.” Because of her legacy, thousands of Kentuckians have received quality end-of-life care. stiffer sole or heel counter (that part of the shoe that surrounds the heel). Shock absorption comes primarily through the mid-sole and is dictated by such things as material density, and thickness. Secondary to design are fitting/ sizing considerations. The shoe must be of adequate length and width to accommodate the foot. To aid this determination your shoe salesperson should utilize a Brannock device which provides accurate measurements of these dimensions. When this tool is unavailable one can instead stand on paper and then trace the outline of each foot. These tracings can then be cut out and used as templates. First place them inside the shoe to be fitted. Then smooth them out fully and remove. If the edges are bent over at any point the shoe is too small in that dimension. For those who are less industrious, the old “stand by” method of simply standing in the shoe and feeling for the end of the toes can be helpful. There should be about one thumb breadth from the toe’s tip and the end of the shoe. This allows room for a sock and prevents potentially painful pressure against the toe nails. The width can be similarly assessed while standing using the 2 MEMORY continued from Page 20 pathways and chemical messenger producing similar side effects and problems with addiction and withdrawal. Incontinence drugs (Anticholingergics) alleviate the symptoms of overactive bladder and reduce urge incontinence. Drugs in this class are: Darifenacin (Enablex), oxybutynin (Ditropan XL, Gelnique, Oxytrol), solifenacin (Vesicare), tolterodine (Detrol), and trospium (Sanctura). An oxybutynin product, Oxytro