Ty Tries Baby Feet

My wife really likes to do spa stuff at home. She has a whole routine she does every Sunday night. It is very cute. She has also gotten me to do some of these things with her. I have worn these under eye things that are supposed to make my eyes less baggy, and it did not work, at least for me. I've let her use a nail file on me because I am too afraid to do it myself. I let her and my daughter paint my nails before. I have used scented shower steamers and fancy lotions just to see if it works. None of it makes a noticeable difference to me, except this new thing she had me do this past Saturday.

She had this thing called Baby Feet on her Xmas list and I bought it for her. I think she has done this before, but I do not remember. Hell, I may have done it with her for all I know. I cannot remember. But this past Saturday she said she was going to do it and asked if I wanted to try. Now, a bit of a preamble to explain why I was so eager. I do get athlete's foot quite often. I run everyday, and even though I have great shoes and socks, athlete's foot is just part of the game for me now. It doesn't hurt, but boy oh boy does it itch. I have scratched myself raw before. Sorry to be so gross, but it is true. And I use all kinds of creams that I have purchased and that a podiatrist has given me. They work, but I do not do it enough to make it completely go away. It is all on me. So I figured that I would give these Baby Feet a try. I am going through some athlete's foot right now, so this seemed like the perfect time to try it out. These Baby Feet are supposed to make your feet feel soft like a baby's. That is what the package says, that is what the people online have said and that is what my wife said when she showed me how to put these things on. So when my wife busted these out I was intrigued.

Baby Feet is literally a bag with some goo and water in it. You put that on your feet and tape them shut. Then you are supposed to put on socks and simply wear the Baby Feet for an hour. We did just that, removed them after an hour and washed our feet. After about 30 minutes I complained to my wife that nothing was happening. My feet were still itchy, no skin was flaking off and my feet felt like those of a 39 year old runner. She told me it would take a few days. Well here we are, three days removed, and things are starting to happen. First off, I have not had to scratch them at all the past three days. That has been a relief. My feet also feel tighter, which my wife said is a sign that it is starting to take effect. And today when I got home from my run and after I got out of the shower, I noticed the skin was flaking away. It is starting to work. And it feels great. I am enjoying this odd feeling. I am also super hopeful that this is a new way to deal with my athlete's foot. I'm not so sure it will cure it, but it has been simply wonderful not having to itch my feet. All of my skepticism is fading away. These Baby Feet are working, at least it seems.

This is the first "spa" thing that my wife has had me try that really seems to be doing its job, and I love it. I may keep you all informed later, I do know this can be kind of gross for some to read. But I was so excited to talk about it, and I have a blog, so here you go. Baby Feet is super cool, and I highly recommend it for runners looking for a relief from athlete's foot or any type of foot issue they may have. It is awesome.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Kirk Reflects on the Present and Future of Meditation

Embrace Serenity

According to Wikipedia, Meditation is a practice in which an individual trains the mind or induces a mode of consciousness, either to realize some benefit or for the mind to simply acknowledge its content without becoming identified with that content, or as an end in itself.

Meditation is often associated with Eastern religions such as Buddhism, Confucianism, or Hinduism. While it certainly has its roots in religion, what intrigued me was some studies done around different aspects of meditation. While there were some very flawed studies on meditation beginning in the 1950s, there is a growing subfield of neurological research that focuses on the processes and effects of meditation. Using fMRI and EEG to peer into the bodies and minds to see what happens while meditating and which changes occur to those who meditate regularly.

Meditation can refer to a variety of different practices, but most research that I see focuses on a type commonly known in Western society as mindfulness. Mindfulness is described in Bhante Henepola Gunaratana’s Mindfulness in Plain English as “a state of presence of mind which concerns a clear awareness of one's inner and outer experiences, including thoughts, sensations, emotions, actions or surroundings as they exist at any given moment”. Personally, until I started the practice myself, it was hard to wrap my head around exactly what mindfulness is. The closest I can come to describing my own experience is to say that it is being present in the experience of the moment and holding that presence without judgement of it.

Research has shown both physical and mental benefits to the practice of mindfulness. According to a study published in Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, depression was significantly reduced in patients with three or more previous episodes after mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT).  Another intervention known as mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) has shown promise in helping with physical conditions such as chronic pain. A study from the Journal of Behavioral Medicine shows that during a ten week program using MBSR statistically researchers noted statistically significant drops in present-moment pain, negative body image, inhibition of activity by pain, mood disturbance, anxiety and depression. As a result there was a decline in pain medication use and a rise in level of activity and feelings of self-esteem. Many of the participants of the study remained compliant with meditation as part of their daily lives in the 15-month followup.

Another area where mindfulness can be helpful is in focusing attention. One area shown to improve is sustained attention where those who meditate are better mentally prepared to complete a task. Selective attention is another area where meditators are better able to limit their attention to a specific sensory input. Lastly, executive control attention, the type of attention that we use to inhibit distraction, is improved through practicing meditation.

Many benefits are to be gained by using meditation, but there have been some adverse effects reported as well. In the case of some with certain psychiatric conditions, there have been reports of worsening symptoms. However, these cases have been very rare and more research needs to be done in those cases. It is also worth noting that meditation is not suggested to be used as a replacement for conventional intervention or an excuse to delay seeing a doctor, but there is little risk in giving it a try.

We cannot hope to improve our physical attributes without exercising the associated parts of our body. Similarly, we cannot hope to improve our mental attributes without exercising our mind through examination of our consciousness and learning to become in tune with how we experience awareness in the present moment.

As far as my personal experience with meditation is concerned, I have noticed changes in myself since I started regular meditation in January of this year. Less depressive thoughts, more patience, more empathy, less distraction, a stronger sense of interconnection, and decreased substance use are just some of the changes may have been influenced in part by my experiences in meditation. I have also made conscious efforts in these areas and self-educated through a lot of reading, but I certainly feel that these efforts have been aided by taking a daily time for myself in meditation. The key has been regularity.

If you think you could benefit from some of these effects, perhaps meditation is worth a try. There is little risk and if you find that after trying it for awhile that it is not for you, it is no harder to stop than regular physical exercise.

Have you tried or been interested in meditation? Let me know more about your own experiences in the comments.

Kirk Aug

Kirk is busy finding ideas, and technology, that will improve the world around us. Follow him on twitter @kirkaug.

The SeedSing (half) Year in Idea Farming

We have a few ideas

Part of SeedSing's mission is to highlight the ideas and technology that will create a better future. We call this collection of essay's The Idea Farm. Contributors seek out and discuss these innovations on the pages of the website. What began as a few book reviews posted in the Politics/Society portion of SeedSing has grown into its own community. Join us as we highlight the (half) year in Idea Farming.

Kirk Aug started his posting career on SeedSing by taking a look at the unintentional benefits brought to us through piracy. He stayed in the world of computers and customization with a look at a future without an installed dedicated operating system on our computers. The use of one's electronic devices may one day allow us to communicate with anyone around the world. The pirates of yesterday have become the innovators of tomorrow.

How we conduct our day to day lives through technology is rapidly changing. Your car will soon not need your participation to get from point A to point B. The Microsoft Band and Android Wear watches started occupying space on our wrists long before Apple's offering. Even as we speak, unmanned drones are slowly filling our skies, confusing many of library patrons. The productivity of one's office is rapidly changing. Guest contributor Matthew Young highlighted many new technologies beneficial to the business world.  While there does not seem to be a lot of use for 3-D printing in the home, the technology is radically transforming the world of manufacturing. The technology innovations of today will be parts of our normal lives in the future.

The Idea Farm was not only about looking at future tech. Tina S asked us why we celebrate stupidity in our society. RD wanted to know if it is time we give up on the poisonous ideas of capitalism. Kirk wanted to give a proper name to the communicator he carries around to make calls and search the internet. The future is full of questions and uncertainty. Once we have worked our way through these questions, it is best to relax and mediate.

The Idea Farm was very interested in the food of the future. One of our most popular posts came from Kirk and asked us all what is real food. The rise of lab created nutrition may create a safe and guilt free hamburger. If the idea of eating something that looks and taste to natural turns you off, one could always take a sip of some Soylent. The farms of tomorrow are being cultivated in the lab.

The world we are creating is exciting and unknown. Electronics have moved away from the desktop and inhabited every aspect of our world. Hunger and global climate change can be reversed with some of the innovations surrounding nutrition. We have a lot to be hopeful for, and a lot to be anxious about. When the drones fill you with dread, go home and have a nice meditation session. It will all be ok.

RD Kulik (and the SeedSing contributors)

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing. Come join the conversation of tomorrow by writing for SeedSing today.