In today’s microdose we’re talking about science, and specifically, the scientific method. I know that sounds incredibly boring but please stay with me because I feel this is an incredibly important topic and would argue that the scientific method a crucial tool we must each understand in order to successfully navigate our journey to better foot health (and whole body health).
2 questions I want to address:
- What is the scientific method and why is it important to understand it?
- How do we apply scientific thinking in our journey to healthier feet?
I want to start with a statement I have come to believe is true:
Truth cannot be taught, it must be experienced and explored
What can and MUST be taught: tools for exploring truth. Today is about our most powerful tooth for exploring truth: the scientific method.
Literacy
Literacy in language is the ability to read and write and it's a really important ability. Without it, we would struggle to communicate with others around us and most of human life revolves around working with and communicating with others.
Literacy is defined as: competence of knowledge in a specified area.
It seems today that the majority of people are science illiterate. They fundamentally misunderstand science, and specifically the fact that science is an ongoing process, not an end destination.
Being literate in science means having a fundamental understanding of the scientific method and being able to apply it at a basic level. Without basic literacy of science, we become vulnerable to believing things that others tell us without being able to test whether they are true or not. This makes us easily swayed to do things that might harm us long term.
If more people understood that science isn’t a set of facts or answers, but an ongoing process of asking good questions and doing experiments to test for truth, we probably wouldn't have been so badly manipulated into believing “the science” during the covid fiasco. We wouldn’t have so easily been coerced into doing terrible things to ourselves and others in the name of “science”.
For this reason, today's microdose is especially significant for me. When each of us has the tools to determine truth and when we take responsibility for thinking for ourselves, we become individually and collectively immune to lies and manipulation that can harm us.
The scientific method is important because it offers us a framework to explore truth and test assumptions against reality. It empowers us to be our own lead scientist in the process of health and it enables us to systematically test things to gain a deeper understanding of what is good for our health and what isn’t without having to believe what others say.
Applying scientific thinking in our journey to better foot health is really quite simple. We start by learning how our body works, we try something we think will help us feel better, we record results of how we feel/function, then we evaluate whether what we did actually helped us. If it did help, we keep doing it, if it didn’t, we try something different. And so on and so on. Health is simply a series of ongoing experiments and a mindful approach to learning what works and what doesn’t.
The scientific method is fundamentally the process of continually asking good questions and doing experiments to test results. Here is a more detailed explanation of steps in the scientific method and concrete examples related to foot health:
1) Ask yourself a question
I wonder how I can improve my foot health?
2) Do some background research to learn what is known about the topic and to understand principles we know to be true. This forms the foundation from which we can explore truth.
Background research for foot health: understanding the SAID principle, Natural footwear and Unnatural footwear (click on the words to read microdoses on those topics)
3) Create a hypothesis. A hypothesis is an educated guess about how things work. It's an attempt to answer your question with an explanation that can be tested. A good hypothesis allows you to then make a prediction.
Hypothesis: If I switch to wearing natural footwear, my feet will feel better.
Prediction: By wearing natural shoes that allow my feet to function naturally, my foot function will improve.
4) Test your hypothesis by doing an experiment
Experiment: I'm going to buy a pair of natural footwear and wear them for 6 weeks. Each day I will write down how my feet and body feel. If I have pain, I will note changes in the quality of that pain (intensity, frequency, location).
5) Analyze your data and draw a conclusion
In reviewing my notes for the past 6 weeks, it looks like my plantar fasciitis has become much less painful and my knees feel better after long walks. Seems like natural footwear has made my feet feel better and I will continue wearing them.
6) Repeat by asking another question
I wonder if wearing natural footwear for running would make me a better runner?
I wonder if spending less time sitting in chairs each day will make my low back feel better?
There's an ancient saying that goes something like this: Give someone a fish and they eat for a day. Teach someone to fish and they eat for a lifetime.
When it comes to foot health and health in general, my approach has never been to give people answers or tell them what to do/buy (giving them a fish). It has always been to help them understand how their bodies work and how to apply the scientific method (teaching them to fish) so they can feel empowered to make wise choices and take better care of themselves.
Understanding first principles and the scientific method serve as the ultimate fishing rod in the lifelong pursuit of health. I wish you all fruitful fishing.
Summary:
- Truth cannot be taught, it must be explored and experienced
- Science is a process, not a destination
- The scientific method is the ultimate tool for determining truth
- Taking responsibility for determining truth is the cost of freedom
Thanks for reading this and thanks for taking care of yourself.
I hope you found this article valuable and if you did, please share it someone who is ready to become their own health scientist in the pursuit of better health.
Ciao for now
Much Love
Nick