In a world where we are obliged to navigate the challenges that arise while living through a global pandemic, health and wellness is at the forefront of our priority lists. We are forced everyday to make decisions that affect our health and wellbeing, with an awareness of the consequences like never before. But we haven’t always been this way. Unfortunately, according to the ​CDC​, 75% of the nation’s healthcare spending accounts for chronic diseases that can be avoided through preventative care. It is no surprise that the US healthcare system is built on the foundation of helping the already sick rather than preventing sickness to emerge. Think of it like a tree-the approach instilled in our healthcare system tackles the stem of the entity rather than the root. Wouldn’t it make more sense to put in more effort, money, and research on not getting sick to start with?

Health as defined by the ​World Health Organization​ is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity. In contrast, wellness is defined as ​an active process of becoming aware of and making choices toward a healthy and fulfilling life. ​Wellness​ is about being proactive towards optimizing your health and preventing a state of “Dis-Ease”. It is more than being free from illness, it is a “dynamic process of change and growth”, according to the ​Global Wellness Day.

Alternative medical professions, such as chiropractic, naturopathic and functional medicine, to name a few, prioritize total wellness and health within their professions. They view the entire wellbeing on an individual through the paradigm of the “Health Triad”. This pyramid-like model (see image below) represents the interconnectedness of chemical, structural, and emotional/spiritual health. The pyramid-like figure represents how when one side is positively or negatively affected, it invariably will have an effect on the other two sides. For example, when you experience a significant emotional stress or trauma, a cascade of chemical reactions will occur as a protection mechanism. In the reverse scenario, when a healthy diet and exercise is incorporated into someone’s life, they will likely feel better emotionally and physically.

The Health Triad is an outstanding paradigm that supports the argument for why custom foot orthotics are so imperative for our health and wellness. Direct trauma, overuse, and even the aging process of the bones, ligaments and muscles in the feet are a physical indicator for how much pressure we enforce on our feet. The average human will walk the equivalent of over 120,000 miles in our lifetime, expending 1.5x the amount of pressure of our weight. It is almost impossible to avoid some sort of pain or injury to our feet as a result of our physical anatomy and lifestyle choices. When our structural health is compromised, our emotional/spiritual and chemical health will trail not far behind.

The good news is, through education and access, Gothotics is working to help inform the public on preventative steps towards wellness as well as provide custom foot orthotics at a reasonable price. A step taken in a pair of Gothotics is a step taken towards better balance, fewer injuries, heightened strength, speedier healing time, more flexibility, and increased performance. More than this, every step taken in a pair of our custom foot orthotics is a step combating the negative stressors we expose our bodies to from our lifestyle choices. Now knowing the connectedness of each aspect of our health, wouldn’t you want to take initiative by preventing future sickness and support the structural wellbeing of ourselves?