DOES HILLARY WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES?

    You bet she does.  So does Obama.   You can't be on your feet or on some bus all day wearing high heels or cowboy boots.   Well, you can, but your feet will hurt severely.   Like the Governor of Colorado.   He wears cowboy boots all the time and I know that dude has got some sore feet at night.   Why do I mention this?  Because it's time for a

SHOE UPDATE: YOU DON'T HAVE TO WEAR CROCS

    As I was dropping some serious cash in "The Walking Store" over the weekend, I realized I may be pushing Crocs too hard as the perfect shoe.   In fact, there are a number of brands that make shoes that are good for your feet.   Most of these shoes have the same key factors I mentioned with respect to Crocs:

1. Good arch support

2. A heel slightly higher than the forefoot (1/4 to 1/2 inch or so)

3. Plenty of room for the toes up front, or a "wide toe box"

4. Good padding

    I met an extremely knowledgeable foot surgeon at a sports medicine conference, and she told me that she thought perfect shoe for preventing foot pain already existed- and it wasn't my beloved Croc.  She thought it was the "Dansko clog."   And she knows more about feet than I do.

    My brother swears by Ecco shoes, or at least he used to.   I got a pair once in Amsterdam and somehow I lost them, but I remember they were pretty comfortable.   The pair I got at the mall this weekend were "Mephisto" brand, and as I examined them closely I was shocked- they had all the features I admire so much in my Crocs, at only 6 times the price!   Unlike my Crocs, however, they are not too hideous to wear at work.

BOTTOM LINE: Buy some Crocs first, so your feet will know what they are supposed to feel like.  Then take them to the mall so you can use them as a "starting point" from which to explore buying more comfortable shoes.  If you have a brand you swear by, leave a comment so I can discuss it here!

READER QUESTION OF THE WEEK: WHEN SHOULD I GO TO THE E.R.?

     This is a very, very tough question to answer.   It's probably much easier to discuss when you SHOULDN'T go to the E.R.  But in either case, we often don't really know who should and who shouldn't go to the E.R. until they have gone to the E.R. already and been diagnosed , and in that case we're using hindsight.

     In reality, it will take me all year to answer this question.  However, let's start with some general rules and work toward the specifics over the next 12 months.

RULE #1: Unless you are a doctor, no reasonable doctor expects you to know when or when not to go to the E.R.   So don't feel bad about it if you do go.

RULE #2: If you don't have HEALTH INSURANCE, you may have to go to the E.R. for many of your health care needs.   By definition in this country, if you don't have health insurance, you probably don't have a regular doctor.  So what are your options?  A free or sliding-scale clinic, if you happen to live in one of the relatively few cities that has one; or perhaps a drop-in Urgent Care clinic, which is a type of clinic that is rapidly growing (largely due to how many people in this country don't have insurance).   

RULE #3: THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE: If you think something is going seriously wrong with your health, MENTAL OR PHYSICAL, and it's not something that can wait until the next day, you NEED TO go to the E.R.  If it's during clinic hours you can certainly call you're doctor's office first for an appointment or advice, and if it's evening there may be an Urgent Care clinic you can go to.  But if it's at night or early morning, the E.R. is usually the only place to go.

RULE #4: IF YOU'RE bleeding and it's not minor, go to the E.R.  "Minor" means bleeding that is not internal, and bleeding that you can stop relatively easily.

RULE #5: IF YOU'RE HAVING A HARD TIME BREATHING, go to the E.R.

RULE #6: If you've overdosed on a drug or medication, OR if you're contemplating suicide, go to the E.R. 

RULE #7: RULE #3 is the most important.  Read that one again.

         More later.  Dr. Tofuhead has a lot to think about regarding this question, but that's a good start.