It is so symptomatic of the problems of the medical system that some of the most medieval solutions to problems of the feet are proposed. What deviant mind came up with the idea that taking a scalpel to a foot or toe can cure a problem of pain? (probably the same person who said, diabetic sores and gangrene? lets chop it off. of course this person was not responsible for managing the diabetes. he just had the job of chopping off the rotting toe. but rotting toes were few and far between and he could not feed his family with an occasional toe chopping. and a new business blossomed). Another blossoming/gone crazy industry that defies comprehension is helmuts for infants and babies. Read my blog about them and square watermelons here:
I want to scare all you non-medical people to stay away from us/it and think for yourself. Anyone who is going to help you is someone who wants for you what you want.
First, I want to horrify you and shock you. Don't do it!
This foot belongs to my patient, Susie. She allowed me to take this photo and agreed that we should share it with the world. They kept telling her she need to have these surgeries for the pain. Nine surgeries later, this foot is all shriveled up. She just doesn't believe them anymore. She comes in for osteopathic manipulative treatments (OMT) now whenever she has a fall or pain. I treat her everything - always the feet, knees, hips, back, neck and head.
I previously said that anyone who is going to help you is going to want what you want. Relieve the damn pain. And can we do it without surgery? Can we do it without you charging me an arm and a foot? toe? ha-ha. sorry. I had to put that in. That person would be me. Ta-da.
Why? because I am a doctor and I have one bunion that I finally figured out.
and then click the link for My Big Fat Bunion II for picutures. Once you absorb all this new found information, we can continue our discussion...
Ready? Here goes:
I have decided to admit it. For some people, I am a miracle worker (their words, not mine). For another, I am a healer. I don't like either, but I am going to have to admit it. I don't like using the E word (energy) either primarily because it connotes a fru-fru out there mentality...look to future blogs when I do finally admit it and use it in the context of explaining the physics of strained biological systems...
There are osteopathic physicians who are a varied mix of skill and talent. The ones who are gifted with talent don't and can't explain well and they just get the job done. I like to figure things out. What? Why? and especially How? We need to be able to explain what we are doing with our patients.
My goal always is to get the job done, find and treat the cause, in as few visits as possible. I would prefer to be 'amazing' as opposed to being rich by milking multiple visits out of you
If you are still skeptical, read my blogs and subscribe to my YouTube channel as I continue to post the most amazing photos and stories.
Watch Deanna. She has been with me on and off x 6 months. Her pain was responding little by little. At first, she was coming in weekly, then we were able to space out her visits, every other week, then, once a month, then 2months. Now finally on this visit, after several great successes with different patients, I kept asking myself, what is the cause. I kept repeating it as a mantra. Once I decided that I knew the cause, the second challenge is figure out how to correct it for the patient. I realized something had changed in her body, because her tissues instantaneously softened. Then I saw a calm, perplexed look in her eyes that told me to get her response on camera and this is it...
Here is a copy of an email that Carla consented to me posting regarding her bunion:
Dr Hoang,
I wanted to write and tell you how grateful I am for the wonderful work you've done and are continuing to do on my behalf. I realize that I handed you quite a list of challenges, like my lifelong scoliosis, my back injury, my knee injuries, my leg length discrepancy and my legs not being straight, plus a few more issues as well. You have done an amazing job of correcting my scoliosis and the pain that went with it.
My legs are nearly the same length now and I no longer have to wear a lift in my shoe. I also have been able to stop wearing the expensive orthotics and special shoes. This will save me a lot of money in years to come and even though I've needed several appointments to get all these things straightened out, I'd rather be paying you to really correct these issues than spending the money on "band-aid" fixes like lifts and orthotics for the rest of my life.
I only wish I'd known about OMT before submitting to bunion surgery. My foot now has problems that even you aren't able to correct. And the sad part about it is that you probably would have been able to correct the bunion without the damage caused by my surgery. Fortunately, you were able to do 2 things to improve my foot. One thing you were able to do was to relieve the "too tightly wound rubber band" feeling inside my big toe and somehow give me the feeling back in the skin of my big toe. It had been numb ever since the surgery five years ago. It doesn't sound like a big thing, but it felt like I had someone else's toe stuck on my foot. It was weird and awkward and I really hated it. I feel more "normal" now being able to feel with my big toe again.
With all these problems, I was beginning to feel really old and like my active years were behind me. I'm now feeling much younger and have more energy, more flexibility and a greater awareness of my body and what it needs. And that's pretty special for someone turning 61 next month!
I look forward to our weekly sessions and will miss them once you've finished with me. I think I just may have to come see you once a year just to make sure everything is working right. And, of course, if I ever injure myself, I'll know where to come. Thank you for giving me a healthier option than the other ways I've tried (regular MD's, chiropractors, massage therapists, podiatrists, orthotics, etc.). They never did me any real good, but you're really correcting my problems. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Keep up the good work. I plan to tell anyone suffering with pain to come see you.
