Tourette's Syndrome and Reflexology
I hiked Mt Batur in Bali a few days ago and I heard an eye-opening anecdote. When my hiking guide — Kadek Bagawata — showed up, I was quite surprised. He was topless, barefoot, and wore only a sarung.
I thought he was going to change into a proper hiking outfit. He did not...
He was very wholesome by the way. Before we embarked on the hike, he expressed gratitude that we're all able to come together and celebrate this hike together. He encouraged us to sing along with him on the journey. Yeah... he carried a guitar and a drum for the hike. That is insane. I've only seen that in video games, not in real life!
Because of his bare outfit, I thought, “oh, the terrain must be easy.” Well, it wasn't. There were screes. So many loose rocks and pebbles. He walked on them like it's nothing!
At the summit, we were greeted by a blanket of dense mist instead of a rewarding sunrise. At the top, I asked him why he decided to hike barefoot. Apparently, he had a good reason. He developed Tourette's Syndrome when he was 11. By chance, he discovered that his condition was hugely alleviated when he hike up the mountain barefoot.
That's when it hit me. Well, that could make sense. Tourette's is a nervous condition. As far as I understand, reflexology works by stimulating the nerves.
As always, that made me meditate on how much we're taking for granted today are actually good for us? I wore shoes from when I was a little kid and it became something normal. But, is it really normal for humans to wear heavily padded footwear? What's the history of shoes? I know there's a barefoot running movement. I haven't quite wrapped my head around that topic, but I shall explore that.
Brb, going to walk on some stones downstairs...