Tidbits of Eastern Wyoming 05/23/13

• With 26 bones, 114 ligaments and 20 mus-cles, a foot is an amazing invention. A quar-ter of the bones in the human body are lo-cated in the feet. (Add in the bones in thehand, and that accounts for fully half of ourbones.) Feet need to be structural marvels.

• Considerthattheaverageadulttravelsaround1,000milesayearonfoot,takingabout10,000steps per day. A typical 70-year-old humanwill havewalked a distance equivalent to go-ing around the circumference of the earthfour times.The feet strike the ground 17,000times in a 20milemarathon run, but even amile of gentle walking subjects the feet toabout 80 tons ofweight. Feetmust be sturdy.

• Although 98% of us are born with healthyfeet, 80 out of 100 Americans develop footproblems during their lifetime. At any givenmoment, about 30 million Americans sufferfrom foot problems, ranging from corns andingrown nails to club feet and fallen arches.

• Four timesasmanywomenasmendealwithfootproblems,mostlyduetohighheels.Podia-triststrace95%ofthe500knownfootailmentsto ill-designed shoes or improper foot care.

Published and distributed by Alimon Publishing, LLC - www.tidbitswyoming.com - [email protected] - 307-473-8661

May 23-29, 2013 Issue #470

TIDBITS® ANNOUNCES …FEET

by Kathy WolfeComealongwithTidbitsasweconsiderthemarvelofengineeringcalledthehumanfoot!

Continued on Page 5!

Page 2 Tidbits of Glenrock, Douglas and Wheatland May 23-29, 2013 Page 3 Tidbits of Glenrock, Douglas and Wheatland May 23-29, 2013

Page 4 Tidbits of Glenrock, Douglas and Wheatland May 23-29, 2013 Page 5 Tidbits of Glenrock, Douglas and Wheatland May 23-29, 2013

• If you keep aloe around for soothingyour skin after too much time in thesun, take this tip from J.C. in Florida:Keep the aloe in your fridge; it keeps itcool, and it feels even more refreshing.

• Want to eat more fruits and vegeta-bles? Keep precut fruit and easy veggiedippers like carrots, bell pepper stripsand celery at eye level in see-throughcontainers in your refrigerator. Themore you see it, the moreyou’ll eat it.

• Wedding Tip: To create a beauti-ful garland for banisters, use whiteor light-colored tulle, draped in sec-tions and gathered with a lovely bow.Twist the tulle around a string of clearlights for an even more dramatic effect.

• To create an easy resting mat for tod-dlers, sew three pillow cases together ina rowalong the longend.Whenneeded,stuffthreepillowsin,anditcreatesalongmat, suitable for naptime or TV time.

• Usewide, flat rubber bands, such as youmight find on a broccoli stalk, to iden-tify your drinking glass.Write each per-son’s name in permanentmarker on theband, and slip over the glass. Anotherbenefit? It makes the glass non-slip!

• M.R. in Wisconsin writes: “Chalkboard-paint is a wonderful creation for kids. Ifyou rent and can’t paint the walls, pur-chaselargesquaresofsmoothpressboardatabuilding-supplystoreandpaintthose.Then justmount them to the wall usingmirrorclips.Thekidsabsolutelyloveours!”

Send your tips to Now Here’s a Tip, c/o King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475 or e-mail JoAnn [email protected].

eredthatantibioticscanreducethenumberofbac-teria,andthusimprovethesmelloffeet.Whysomepeoplecarrylargeamountsofthisbacteriaandoth-ersdon’tisstillunknown,butisunderinvestigation.Itcouldbedifferencesinaperson’ssweatorpHbal-ance.Sinceit’snotagoodideatotakeantibioticstoreduceodor,thisvaliantresearchteamisnowtryingto findways to keep bacteria from sticking to theskin, topreventbacteria fromgettinga“foothold.”Around 80 million Americans suffer from smellyfeet.• One company called Sweet Feet combated footodorwithscentedsocks.Impregnatedwithvariousscentssuchaspowder,citrus,strawberry,andpeach,thefootsiesocksthrewoffalong-lastingfragrance.Theodorremainedeventhroughmanylaunderingsandthesockscostabout$20perpair.•Manypeopledonotwearthecorrectshoesizefortheirfeet.Oftenthisisbecausepeoplesticktothesizetheyweremeasuredforwhenyoungandfailtorealizethattheirfeetchangeshape.Turnthepageformore!

FOOT BINDING•TheonlythingworseforfeetthanhighheelswastheChinesepracticeoffoot-binding.Ayounggirl’sfeet were wrapped with a bandage ten feet long,strapped in afigure eight around the foot andan-kle. It was tightened daily and pulled so taut thatthe four smallest toeswere forced under the foot,breaking the bones.The bones in the arch of thefootwouldalsobreak,forcingthearchintoasharpi n - verted “V” shape. Every twoweeks the girl was given a pair ofs h o e s twotenthsofaninchsmallert h a n the previous pair. Infectiono f - ten resulted, sometimes fol-l owed by gangrene, amputation oft o e s , and even death. After twoyear s , the ideally deformed foot fita shoe only four inches long, andwould proudlybecalled“lotus feet”o r “lily feet.” Because womenw i t h lilyfeetcouldonlyputweighto n theirheels and couldn’twalkw i t h - outpain,theyhobbledwithaminc - ing step which men consid-e r e d charming.Nooneknowswhyt h e custombecamehabit,thoughi t ’ s conjectured that the practicew a s popular because it preventedu n - happy wives from runninga w a y . The practice began with thehigher classes inorder toprove thatt h e family was so rich that the

daughtersdidn’tneedtowork.H o w - ever, a majority of low-classg i r l s had their feet bound anywayin the hopes that theywouldfindah i g h - classmarriage.Onlythemostp o v - erty-stricken families, whose

daughters needed towork int h e fields, failed to follow thep r a c - tice. Beauty in the feet wasc o n - sidered more important thatbeauty intheface.Foot-bindingwast h e norminChinaforathousandyear s , until being outlawed in theRevo - lutionofSunYat-Senin1911.A1997 studyofelderlywomeninBe-i j i n g who had suffered from footb i n d - ingintheiryouthfoundtheytended to fall easily, were often un-able to risefromachairwithouthelp,c o u l d not squat, and had higherr a t e s ofosteoporosis.

FEET FACTS (continued):

•Highheelspreventtheanklesfromabsorbingtheir normal share of the force of walking,shunting it instead to the toes. A three-inchheel puts more than seven times the pressureontheforefootthanaflatshoe.Thispromotesmany foot ailments such as bunions, hammertoes,andneuroma,whichisapainfulthicken-ingofthenervethatconnectsthetoes.Astudyof 3,000 surgeries performed on the forefootfoundthat87%ofthebunionsurgeries,81%ofhammertoesurgeries,and89%oftheneuromasurgeriesweredoneonwomen’sfeet.•Highheelsalsoaffecttheknees.Astudypub-lishedintheBritishmedicaljournalTheLancetshowed that high heels cause strain and pres-sureonthejointthatjoinsthekneecapandtheunderlyingthighbone.Therotationalforcesontheinnerpartofthekneejointwere23percenthigherwhenwomenparticipatinginthestudywalked in heels than when they walked bare-foot.•Surprisingly, thebig toehasonly twobones,whiletherestof thetoeshavethree.Althoughnearly every bone in the body has an officialname, one exception is the toe bones. Theyare known only as “metatarsal digits #1-5.” Afourth-yearmedical studentatYaledecided toundo the injusticebybestowingnameson the

toes. He called them porcellus fori, porcellusdomi, porcellus carnivorus, porcellus nonvo-ratus, and porcellus plorans domun. In Latin,these names translate as little pig at market,babypigathome,meat-eatingpiglet,smallpigthathasnoteaten,andpiggycryingallthewayhome. Some orthopedic surgeons have pickeduphisnames,butdoctorshavenotyetgonehogwildovertheidea.•ThemeasuringdeviceinshoeshopsiscalledaBrannockDevice,after the inventorwhode-signed it in the 1920s. The firm is still goingstrong.•Notsurprisingly,theplaceonthebodywheretheskinisthickestistheheelofthefoot,whereit’sabout1/16thofaninchthick.Comparethattothethinnestskinonthebody—theeyelids—at 2/1000 of an inch.Although the heel is theareaonthebodythat is leastsensitivetopain,it’s also the sweatiest area.The 125,000 sweatglands in a single foot can excrete asmuch ashalfapintofsweatperday.ResearchdoneattheUniversityofMiamicenteredonfootodor.Howdoesaresearchteamstudyfootodor?Firstyougetabunchofvolunteerstositwiththeirfeetinplasticbags.Thenyouhavethelaboratorystaffsniffthefeet.Theydiscoveredthatpeoplewithfootodorhadlargenumbersofacertainbacte-riaontheirbodies—thesametypeofbacteriafound in Limburger cheese.They also discov-

ATTRACTIONSRock In The GlenDeer Creek StationEmigrant CrossingMormon MinesA.H. Unthank GraveBrigham Young Mail StationParker-Ringo GraveADA Magill GraveHayden Pioneer MonumentDeer Creek MuseumPaleontological Museum

May 25th - Lil Pokes Rodeo - South RecMay 25th - Beginning of Summer Party - Rusty’s Knotty PineJune 15th - Art In The Park - Glenrock Town ParkAug 2, 3, 4th - Deer Creek Days - Glenrock Town Park

GLENROCKHAPPENINGS

Page 6 Tidbits of Glenrock, Douglas and Wheatland May 23-29, 2013 Page 7 Tidbits of Glenrock, Douglas and Wheatland - For Advertising Call 307-473-8661 May 23-29, 2013

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Mydoctorgavemesomeveryunsettlingnews.HesaysIhavecataractsinbotheyes.Ihaven’tbeenabletosleepsincehetoldme.Myauntwasblind later in life. Idon’tknowthecause,butIdoknowthatlifewasverytoughfor her. I haven’t contacted the ophthalmologistmydoctorreferredmeto.I’mtooscared.Howarecataracts treated? How long is recuperation? —S.M.ANSWER: Ifadoctorexaminedtheeyesofmostpeople over 60, the doctorwould tell them theyhave the beginning of a cataract. Do you knowwhat a cataract is?Right behind thepupil is theeye’s lens, a small, ovalshaped, perfectly clearstructure.Thelensfocuseslightontheretinainthebackoftheeye,sowegetaclearpictureofwhatwesee.Acataractisasmudgeinthelens.Proteinsinthelenshavestucktoeachothertoproduceastaininthelenslikeathumbprintonthelensofglasses.Yourcataractmustnotbelarge.Youhavenocom-plaintsofitinterferingwithyourvision.Mostcat-aractsresultfromaging.Smoking,alcoholexcess,constantexposure tosunlightand long-termuseofhighdosesofcortisonedrugsalsocontributetocataractformation.Theevolutionofyourcataracttoonethatblursvi-sionisunpredictable.Theprocessispainless.Dif-ficultyseeingatnightanddifficultyreadingfine

printareearlysymptomsofcataractsaffectingvi-sion.Treatment isclose tomiraculous.When the lenssmudge greatly affects vision, the eye doctor re-movesthelensandreplacesitwithalensmadeof plastic or silicone. Cataract removal is doneasanoutpatient.Youcanbeupandaboutbytheeveningofsurgeryorthefollowingday.You’llbeastoundedattheminimuminconvenienceoftheprocedureandwiththevisionthatresultsfromit.DEAR DR. DONOHUE:What’sthebesttimetotake amultivitamin? I take one in themorning.ThatwayIdon’tforgettotakeit.—L.M.ANSWER: I believe this is the most frequentlyaskedquestionIget.VitaminsA,D,EandKarefat-soluble vitamins. They’re better absorbed ifthey’retakenafteramealthathassomefatoroilsinit.VitaminsBandCarewater-solubleandcanbetakenatanytime.I’mnotconvincedthatthetimingofvitamin-tak-ingisall that important.Takeyourmultivitaminwhenit’smostconvenient.

***DEAR DR. DONOHUE:Iliftweightssevendaysaweek.IseethatIammakingprogress.Myarmsaremuchbiggerthantheywere.I’vebeentoldI’moverdoingitbyliftingeveryday.AmI?—R.S.ANSWER: It’s not a good idea to perform thesameweightliftingexercisesonconsecutivedays.Muscles need a full 48 hours to recover, rebuildandgrowafteranintenseexercisesession.Adayofliftingandthenadayofrestisagoodschedule.

Youcanliftweightsdailyifyouwantto.Justdon’tworkthesamemusclesonconsecutivedays.

***Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer in-dividual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newslet-ters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475.

Therearemoreusablemineralsinoneglassoffreshsqueezedorangejuicethanin30gallonsofwater.

Cataracts Are Commonat Older Ages

Page 8 Tidbits of Glenrock, Douglas and Wheatland May 23-29, 2013

Memorial Day Flag Ceremony - Monday, May 27th @ 10 AMThursday, June 6th….Bob Ruwart Motors Grand Re-Opening and Ribbon Cutting. Sunday, June 9th….Wine Tasting at Sybille Canyon Vineyard from 2-5PM

DOUGLAS HAPPENINGSJune 6, 7, 8th -

WY High School State Finals Rodeo

July 21 - 26th - Converse County 4-H Fair

July 26th - Converse County 4-H Livestock Auction 6 pm

August 10 - 17th - WY State Fair