Oak Street & Oregon Allergy Blog

Barefoot running is a growing trend, but I first encountered it many years ago in California. A friend of mine ran the trails of Sacramento without shoes. Like most early adopters of barefoot running, he abandoned his shoes out of frustration, having dealt with chronic foot injuries.

Bolstered by a bestseller

The idea gained popularity with the release of Christopher McDougall’s book, “Born to Run.” It’s a fascinating read – for runners and nonrunners – about the extraordinary endurance runners of the Tarahumara (Tara-oo-mara) Indian tribe. The Tarahumara can run up to 100 miles nearly barefoot, in thin sandals called huaraches.

Like the Tarahumara, most runners interested in “barefoot running” don’t actually run barefoot, but rather in “minimalist” shoes that allow for a more natural foot motion.
    
In contrast, most runners who wear a typical running shoe land on their heel with each stride. If you try that barefoot, it hurts. A barefoot runner, in contrast, lands on the ball of the foot or with a flat foot. This lessens the impact on the heel.

“Good Morning, Vietnam!” Many of a certain age remember this phrase from Robin Williams’ 1987 war-comedy film, which depicted life in Saigon during 1965.

Things have definitely changed since the end of the war in Vietnam in 1975. While still undeveloped in many ways, Vietnam is now in the midst of dramatic change, especially in the large cities. 

Some of the latest research on exercise applies to patients who struggle with depressive symptoms associated with chronic illness.

A study published in the “Archives of Internal Medicine” and performed by researchers in Alabama looked at exercise’s role in decreasing depressive symptoms in patients with chronic illness, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, fibromyalgia and multiple sclerosis. The study found that exercise did have an effect on improving patients’ moods, especially those who exercised regularly.

Every year, millions of Americans make a New Year’s resolution to eat right. But even with the best intentions, many of us struggle to keep that promise.

As we have explored in other posts, eating right and being mindful of our diet during the holidays are goals worth striving for to improve our health and well-being.

Most of us would agree that life can be stressful at times. Generated by adversity or unfortunate life circumstances, stress can often lead to distress. It also occurs, albeit in a different form, from a positive response to stressors, known as eustress.

Much on-going research is dedicated to uncovering ways to identify stress within our bodies and how to decrease or even temporarily eliminate it. To do so limits the potential risk of compromised physical, emotional and spiritual health.