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