Interview: Margaret Chesebro, Wigwam Socks

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Z-CoiL dealers Dr. Lotchie Kerch, Seattle, and Caesar Snee, San Francisco, along with Jack Olmsted, Z-Blog Reporter, talk with Margaret Chesebro, a field marketing specialist with Wigwam socks.



WigWam Video: Ironman Wisconsin 2007

In The News

Wigwam to benefit from fed move to restrict sock imports
Gannett News Service

Business & Technology | Power-generating clothes? Keep your shirt on | Seattle Times Newspaper

Business & Technology | Power-generating clothes? Keep your shirt on | Seattle Times Newspaper: "Scientists have developed a way to generate electricity by jostling fabric with tiny wires woven inside, raising the prospect of textiles that produce power simply by being stretched, rustled or ruffled by a breeze.

The research, described in the new edition of the journal Nature, combines the precision of nanotechnology with the elegant principle known as the piezoelectric effect, in which electricity is generated when pressure is applied to certain materials.
While the piezoelectric effect has been understood at least as far back as the 19th century, it is getting creative new looks, as concerns about energy supplies are inspiring quests for alternative power sources.

For example, a Japanese railway has experimented with mats, placed under turnstiles, that translate the pressure from thousands of commuters' footfalls into usable power. French scientists have proposed capturing energy from raindrops hitting a structure with piezoelectric properties.

For the research described in Nature, Zhong Lin Wang and colleagues at the Georgia Institute of Technology covered individual fibers of fabric with nanowires made of zinc oxide. These wires are 50 nanometers in diameter, 1,800 times thinner than a human hair."

Back Pain Spending Up, Relief Down - washingtonpost.com

Back Pain Spending Up, Relief Down - washingtonpost.com: "Americans are spending more money trying to ease back and neck pain, but new research suggests those extra dollars aren't buying more relief.

The increased expenditures were expected, said the authors of a study in the Feb. 13 issue of theJournal of the American Medical Association, but the lack of results weren't.
'This calls into question whether we're providing treatments to people who aren't going to benefit,' said study author Brook Martin, a research scientist in the department of orthopedics and sports medicine at the University of Washington, in Seattle. 'This calls for a need for more effectiveness studies and looking at which patients would benefit from treatments and diagnostic tests.'

'Spine problems are the most common reason why people of middle age have pain and disability, and we need to continue to search for better solutions because, although we have come up with newer techniques of treatments, we still have a large percentage of the of population with spine problems who are still disabled,' added Dr. Andrew Sherman, head of medical rehabilitation at the Spine Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine."

Interview: Dr. James Clough, DPM - The Cluffy Wedge

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Z-CoiL dealers Dr. Lotchie Kerch (Seattle), Hugh Solaas Shoe Safari in Old Town Silverdale (WA), and Caesar Snee (San Jose/San Francisco) along with Z-CoiL shoe owner Jack Olmsted talk to Dr. James Clough, DPM, about the Cluffy Wedge, a method that enhances the control of the foot as provided by a shoe, insole, or custom Orthotic.

"Unlocking the big toe joint can be your first and most critical step toward normal walking and physical harmony, by restoring your foot to healthy and correct function. As normal function is achieved, pressure on the ball of the foot is balanced. The entire foot and leg are brought into alignment and you are restored to a firm, stable foundation. This not only reduces your injury potential, but also enhances foot performance." - Cluffy.com

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The Associated Press: Power From the People, a Step at a Time

The Associated Press: Power From the People, a Step at a Time: "Researchers have developed a device that generates electrical power from the swing of a walking person's knee.
With each stride the leg accelerates and then decelerates, using energy both for moving and braking.
Max Donelan and colleagues reasoned that a device that helps the leg decelerate could generate power without requiring much additional energy from the person.
It's sort of like the way that some hybrid-electric cars produce electricity from braking.
With the device, a minute of walking can power a cell phone for 10 minutes, Donelan, of Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, said in a telephone interview. Other potential uses include powering a portable GPS locator, a motorized prosthetic joint or implanted drug pumps"

Z-CoiL Socks At End Of Month

Dealers are expecting the first shipment of Z-CoiL(r) ($1.99-$2.99) socks to arrive at the end of February.

I refuse to admit De-Feet - Z-Coil Shoes | money news blog

Z-CoiL owner blog post:

That pun was about as bad as they get, but I couldn’t resist.

I found some great shoes that I wanted to tell you about. They are called Z-Coils, and they’ve saved me endless pain and problems with my knees. They look funny (my daughter calls them my “Tigger” shoes after Pooh’s bouncy friend Tigger), but I don’t care. When you can be out of pain and able to walk all over, who cares? I feel like the z-coils are “shock absorbers” for my feet. Read More

Interview: Ann Thariani, Co-Founder Gilden Tree

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Ann Thariani is the co-founder of Gilden Tree. The small company in Omaha, Nebraska has been importing a pumice stone called the Footscrubber (photo) from Pakistan for over 17 years. Z-CoiL dealers Dr. Lotchie Kerch (Seattle) and Caesar Snee (San Jose/San Francisco) along with Z-CoiL shoe owner Jack Olmsted talk to Ann about her business, products and the educational program that has established for the families that produce their products.

New Z-CoiL(R) Pain Relief Footwear(TM) Store Opens in Rio Rancho, AZ

Z-CoiL® Pain Relief Footwear™ has now arrived in Rio Rancho, AZ to better serve residents who suffer from foot, leg, or back pain. Not your typical shoe store, Z-CoiL® specializes in a unique line of footwear designed to alleviate such painful conditions as heel spurs, plantar fasciitis, arthritis, and sciatica, and help restore people's mobility. The new retail store is located at 111 Rio Rancho Boulevard NE, about two miles north of Intel. The phone number there is (505) 892-7272.

The Rio Rancho store is the third corporate Z-CoiL® store to open in the greater Albuquerque metropolitan area. Invented in Albuquerque in the mid-1990s, Z-CoiL® footwear was first sold to the public from a small retail store on 4th Street in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque. Soon independent Z-CoiL® dealerships were cropping up across the country, opened by enthusiastic customers eager to share this product with other people in pain. Joined by a growing number of Z-CoiL® franchises, the company's distribution network now numbers over 140 locations across 42 states, as well as Canada and Puerto Rico. In 2006 a second corporate store opened in northeast Albuquerque, and the continuing demand for Z-CoiL® shoes has spurred this latest store opening in Rio Rancho.

"I have seen the amazing impact Z-CoiL® footwear has on people's lives," says Terrie Antal, Z-CoiL Footwear's Corporate Retail Manager. "Now with the Rio Rancho store opening, the convenience this will offer to all the families on the Westside means many more lives will be changing for the better. That is the vision and mission of this company." Read More

The Springy Soled Shoe Show

A 24/7 online video channel that showcases Z-CoiL owner's stories.

NOTE: To turn off the audio, click the speaker icon on the lower right of the player

Interview: Mike Gonzalez the CEO of Xtenex

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Z-Blog Reporter Show: Jack Olmsted and Caesar Snee, the owner of the San Jose and San Francisco Z-Coil(r) Pain Relief Footware stores, talk with Mike Gonzalez the CEO of Xtenex, the manufacture of The Ultimate Shoe Lace - Knotty Boys.

The Ultimate Shoelace is comprised of laces with pre-tensioned elastic knots that control lace movement through a footwear's eyelets. When stretched, the knots collapse for easy lace-up and adjustment. When tension is released, knots re-emerge to surround both sides of the eyelet securing a desired fit.

It differs from regular laces because it can customize footwear fit around personal comfort and performance needs. It stops lace migration which is a leading cause of footwear pain, discomfort, numbness, foot fatigue and Diabetic concern. It allows custom fitting throughout the shoe instead of limiting adjustment to just an ankle tension.

Sergey Brin, Google Founder, Talks A Little About His Z-CoiLs

Sergey Brin, a native of Moscow, received a bachelor of science degree with honors in mathematics and computer science from the University of Maryland at College Park. He is currently on leave from the Ph.D. program in computer science at Stanford University, where he received his master's degree. Sergey is a recipient of a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship as well as an honorary MBA from Instituto de Empresa. It was at Stanford where he met Larry Page and worked on the project that became Google. Together they founded Google Inc. in 1998, and Sergey continues to share responsibility for day-to-day operations with Larry Page and Eric Schmidt. (read more)

Sergey shows off his Z's at the end of this Google vid.

springy sole shoes story series playlist

In September 2004, I worked a 10X10 foot Z-CoiL booth at the Puyallup Fair for minimum wage and the opportunity to conduct interviews with owners of the springy soled shoes using a Kodak DC290 digial camera. Over 100 stories were recorded during the ninteen day Washington State event. Everyone that puts a spring in their step has a story.

If you would like to share your story and have it added to the playlist, simply create a video, add it to YouTube and tag it with "zcoil" or call into my online radio show (local phone numbers are available).

Seattle: Pain Relief is a Family Affair

Jack Moore came in from Tacoma with his wife, Anne, and son David. David is the third generation of the family to work at Boeing. Dad has had multiple injuries at Boeing working, with 23 years seniority, as a quality assurance inspector. 4years ago he stepped into a hole in a platform and his T4-T6 was inflamed. He was taking a lot of pain pills, having pain on a scale of 10, it was an eight. While undergoing an MRI, he saw several nurses walking in Zcoil pain relief footwear. Read More

Video: Z-CoiL Testimonials #1

Part 1: Audio interviews with Z-CoiL(r) owners at the 2004 Puyallap Fair.

Subjects: Work Accident, Auto Accident, Bad Leg, Jazzersize