TO: All asthma researchers, doctors, and patients.

The purpose of this yearly post is to stimulate interest and discussion
about the biomechanical effects of shoes on degenerative diseases, such
as asthma.  Chiropodist Dr. Simon J. Wikler pioneered efforts to
understand the influences of shoes in the 1950's, but his work was
neglected during the subsequent drug- and diet-based approaches to
medicine.  However, the prolific footwear historian and podiatrist Dr.
William A. Rossi clearly demonstrated throughout his publications that
shoes influence the posture of the human body.  Therefore, using the
posture-based approaches to medicine of the distinguished orthopedist
Dr. Joel E. Goldthwait, I have expanded Dr. Wikler's insightful work to
include a variety of illnesses and conditions whose causes remain
unknown.

Asthma is just one example of diseases that seem to be related to the
use of footwear.  In his 1953 book, Dr. Wikler notes, "The allergic
diseases mirror almost exactly the trends in foot deformation.  Such
diseases were relatively rare until the wearing of deforming shoes
became widespread, but now they are called a disease of civilization.
Peoples who wear only non-deforming footwear or none at all are
relatively immune to allergic manifestations such as hay fever,
bronchial asthma, eczema, urticaria, migraine, allergic types of common
colds and sinusitis, contact dermatitis, and sensitiveness to heat and
cold."

You may find my thesis regarding shoes and disease on the Internet at:
http://www.shoebusters.com
Thank you very much for considering my novel approach.

James Semmel
Albuquerque, New Mexico