Diabetic Shoes

Welcome to Diabetic Shoes, a hub page specially created to bring information to diabetes sufferers about the effectiveness and assistance afforded by diabetic shoes and footwear. It may come as a surprise to those not touched by the disease either in themselves or in people close to them, that there are actually specially crafted and designed footwear that are made to cater for the needs of diabetics.

These specially adapted and health boosting diabetic shoes are excellent for helping to make the wearing of shoes a more comfortable experience for diabetics, while they can also help to reduce the symptoms of diabetes. This article has been put together to tell you how.

Diabetic shoes approach the problems faced by diabetics from two perspectives. One is that they are slightly larger than normal shoes with the ability to breathe better and to expand as the feet expand.This is because one of the problems faced by those with diabetes is that their feet swell up more readily and so find that wearing regular shoes can become uncomfortable after a while.

The other is that some are specially adapted footwear that take the reflexology theories and use them to help diabetics to reduce the severity of their symptoms.

They gently massage the soles of the feet stimulating the reflexology points to help bring relief or reduce the severity from some of the symptoms associated with diabetes.

How Do Diabetic Shoes Work?

Reflexology is an ancient method of healing where it is known that all parts of the human body are interconnected. The ancient Chinese use this interconnection theory, or as they see it the body's channels of energy, in all of their traditional healing and medical practices, the most popular and well known form being acupuncture. Modern science knows the interconnection theory as the bundle of nerves that are sread throughout the body and are all interconnected and controlled by the brain.

Interestingly, the Chinese have also known for many centuries that by regularly walking barefoot on smooth cobbles improves the general health of a person and has been known to both prevent and cure certain illnesses. This is because the uneven and knobbly surface of cobbles actually massage the soles of the feet.

Reflexology practitioners use pressure points on the soles of the feet to remedy problems that exist in other parts of the body, whether it be a stomach complaint, or a painful muscle group, or a headache etc. This follows the theory that all points in the body are interconnected and that certain nerve groups (or energy lines, whichever way you want to look at it) that culminate in the soles of the feet can be massages to stimulate healing in other parts or organs of the body that are connected. Massaging the soles of the feet in different areas is known to bring relief from many ailments.

In diabetics, the pancreas, which is responsible for producing the hormone insulin which helps regulate the blood/sugar levels, does not function correctly. This leads to the typical blood sugar level problems. Reflexologists believe that stimulating the area on the sole of the foot which connects to the pancreas helps to regulate its production of insulin which can bring about a level of relief in diabetes sufferers, although it is not seen as a complete cure.

With this in mind, diabetic shoes have specially formed insoles which have a layer of many small, soft rubber spikes pointing upwards, towards the soles of the feet. These act to massage the soles of the feet of the person wearing them, thereby emulating the massaging techniques of the reflexology practitioner.

By walking around in these specially adapted diabetic shoes, the diabetes sufferer gets a constant flow of reflexology massage to the soles of their feet which can bring about some relief from their condition and improve their overall levels of health as well.

Other Benefits of Diabetic Shoes

Another design feature of diabetic shoes is that they are also specially adapted to expand. This is because one of the symptoms of diabetes sufferers is that their feet can swell on walking. Diabetic shoes cater for that swelling by expanding, thus remaining comfortable to wear without restricting or pinching the feet as they swell.

Many people believe that diabetic shoes are ugly or unfashionable, but while that may have been the case when they were first marketed, modern versions of diabetic shoes are now good looking and fashionable with it, so you can wear a pair of diabetic shoes and still feel and look good!

NOTE: It should be noted that wearing diabetic shoes is not proven to cure diabetes, only to help reduce the severity of the symptoms. They are not a replacement for standard medical treatments for diabetes, which should never be stopped. A doctor or professional medical expert should always be consulted if you are in any doubt whatsoever.

Diabetic footwear is not restricted to shoes. There are also diabetic trainers, diabetic sandals, diabetic slippers and diabetic socks.

These are all designed around the same rubber spiked insoles that provide a constant massage for the soles of the feet plus the ability to expand comfortably as the feet swell.

In addition to the above, the special insoles used in diabetic shoes can now be purchased separately and used in normal shoes and other footwear. This allows diabetics to wear theyr normal shoes and still gain the benefits of the massaging properties of the insoles. The downside is that normal footwear does not expand, so if your feet do swell, you are much better off getting the specially designed diabetic shoes and other footwear to cater for this.