What a dentist says about feet

Today I'll tell you what a dentist thinks about feet.

It may sound strange, but it's worth reading, because in the end it all makes sense.

The thing is that Irene started to get interested in feet, and in minimalist footwear, doing a master's degree in Clinical Posturology in which part of the syllabus was given by podiatrists who explained to her the importance of the foot as a sensitive organ, just like the eyes and the mouth.

And they emphasize the vital importance of direct contact, or as direct as possible, of the foot with the ground from birth.

When I asked Irene why a dentist had decided to study clinical posturology, she replied that she comes from the world of neuro-occlusal rehabilitation, where great importance is attached to hard, dry and fibrous chewing.

She said:

"So from there I became entangled with the importance of nasal breathing for the mouth to function well, and in the same vein I was seeing how the posture of the whole body is affected when the mouth is wrong and vice versa.

The straw that broke the camel's back for my decision was when I was treating a patient with terrible vertigo, and it disappeared, but also lowered his blood pressure (he had to stop taking antihypertensive drugs) and improved his eyesight... I was already hallucinating.

I thought it was a coincidence. Now that I've studied I've seen that it's no coincidence, that everything makes sense, and that the knowledge of the foot, visual and occlusal receptors are fundamental in taking clinical cases forward".

When I read this I stayed with doubts.

Foot, visual and occlusal sensor?

So the feet are related to the mouth and the eyes?

I asked her for more information.

She says:

"You know how you are positioned in relation to the outside world by what you see,

what you touch,

what you hear,

and what you feel from your skin, especially from the soles of your feet;

and, although it may not seem so, also from the mouth.

Even if your ears and eyes are covered, you know if you have your legs crossed or your head turned, for example.

Most of the information from outside comes to you through the soles of your feet.

They help you to maintain a correct body posture, with your spine straight, shoulders and eyes level, mouth closed and breathing through your nose.

There is a balance between the muscles, bones and joints of your body and the sense organs.

Everything in the body is interrelated.

If you step on a boulder, the discomfort will make you move your foot, so your whole leg will move a little, and with it your hip, which in turn is linked to the spine, and the spine goes to the neck, forcing you to change the position of your jaw and head.

When you move your head, even a little bit, it makes the position of your eyes change and you have to adjust your eyesight in order not to lose your balance.

But unfortunately, we mistreat our feet by enclosing them in shoes that prevent us from feeling what we are stepping on.

As inside the shoe the foot can't help to balance the body, because it doesn't feel. You have to take advantage of the rest of the structures to try to achieve it.

So any change goes up the spine to the head, and affects both the skull and the jaw. Therefore, the jaw can become misplaced, leading to malocclusion (the upper teeth will no longer fit properly with the lower teeth).

So because of the inactivity of the feet you can end up with an appliance in the mouth, but the real cause of the problem - the feet - is not being treated.

The reverse is also true.

If your mouth fits wrong, the rest of your body may have to adapt by changing the way you step, the way you walk, the way you move when lifting, and so on.

And it may be easier for you to have a sprained ankle, or foot pain that the podiatrist will treat, but will not get to the real cause: the mouth.

Modern life leads us not to use our feet (modern footwear), nor our mouth (if we can grind it, why chew it) and the same goes for our eyes.

And so we are, the trio of insoles-glasses-orthodontics.

When what we need is to walk feeling the ground, to chew feeling the food and to play outdoor.

The life of the feet is to feel what you step on.

The life of the mouth is to feel what you eat".

Irene Iglesias, dentist specialising in Neuro-Occlusal Rehabilitation and Clinical Posturology.

After a few months Irene wrote to me again. In this case to tell me how well she had done with a Be Lenka on a trip to the countryside (I'll tell you about this another day) but she left me just one sentence:  

"What we eat nowadays is for the mouth is like wearing Nike Air trainers on our feet".

It's up to you.

For every day I wouldn't think about it:

• Be Lenka City for men,
• Be lenka Royale for women
• Be lenka Jolly for children.

Health starts in your mouth and ends on your feet.

Antonio Caballo.