The body has so much going on that it’s sometimes difficult to keep track of everything. We inadvertently neglect body parts that, if they could only speak, would give as a good and lengthy talk down.
No, these parts are not unessential add-ons to the body, like stickers to a laptop. They are also vital for the overall functioning of human anatomy, but for some reason, they do not get the love they deserve as other body parts do. Something to ponder on: there are dentists for kids, which speaks of how highly we think of the teeth, but where are the earlobe experts?
Not that the earlobes are severely forsaken. In fact, they did not make the cut for this list. In our book, here are four of the most unfairly neglected parts of human anatomy:
1. Belly Button
Back in 2007, news about a freak accident put the belly button in the public consciousness. The accident involved a teenager and her belly button stud. After suffering from a car crash, doctors realized that the belly button stud had burrowed into the girl’s body like a bullet, barely missing her spine.
The victim fought for her life. She survived. Meanwhile, belly button studs became a subject of intense debates, and for a while, belly buttons everywhere enjoyed the spotlight. But not for long.
People quickly forgot about the belly button. They forgot how this little hole in the stomach requires care, too. It should be thoroughly and regularly cleaned. Otherwise, there will be enough buildup of dead cells, oil, and sweat in that hole to host parties for bacteria and fungi. It’s not enough to run a bar of soap over it while showering, hoping for the suds to reach the hole’s depths and clean it. The belly button should be cleaned with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol.
2. Soles
The soles of our feet are some of the most used and abused parts of the body. They receive our entire weight every time we’re standing up, walking, or running. It’s unfortunate that we do not treat the soles of our feet as preciously as we do our skin.
The soles are too vital a body part that an entire alternative medicine was built around the idea that certain pressure points located in the soles could cure specific ailments. It’s called reflexology or zone therapy. That should be enough to warrant our utmost respect.
To show our respect for our soles, we must let them dry before putting on socks or shoes. We must moisturize them before going to sleep. We should choose footwear that fits our feet perfectly. And if we can afford it, we need to pay for a foot spa every once in a while. That should rid the soles of buildup dead cells and other impurities.
3. Back
It’s not that we intentionally neglect our backs. It’s just that the back is too difficult to reach if you’re not a born contortionist. So most of us settle with cleaning only the parts that our arms could reach.
That problem can be solved by a loofah attached to a handle. Scrubbing your back with a loofah should be done at least once a week. If not, the skin of your back will be coarse to the touch due to accumulated dead cells and dirt.
Aside from cleaning your back, there are other ways to care for it, such as consciously sitting and standing right. Yes, good posture does wonders on your back, which is where your spine is. Good posture follows the natural curvature of the spine.
4. Brain
We devote so much time improving the visible parts of our bodies that we forget to spend time taking care of parts that are not that obvious—or at least not at first. By that, we mean the brain. One way to take care of our brains is to read.
Reading literary works expands our minds. It improves empathy. It can even reduce stress. But it’s become harder and harder to focus on reading literature, such as a full-length novel, with all technological distractions at our disposal. That means that we need to devote extra dedication and effort to reading until it becomes a habit.
The human body is a complex design made of linked parts. If one fails, other parts will surely be affected. That should be enough to convince us to love our bodies as a whole.
Moreover, other people regard us as a whole, and not as isolated body parts. Muscles may look good when taken care of, but the sheer loveliness of those muscles will prove ineffective if the belly button stinks. The same goes for when the skin of a face looks flawless but between the ears is an empty cavern.
