INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Once heel pain begins, or if you have a history of plantar fasciitis, see a foot doctor to evaluate the condition and recommend treatment options.  Do not ignore heel pain.  Once it starts, it can get worse - and when it gets worse, it can be excruciating.  You may be contributing to the damage by waiting to seek treatment. Pain from plantar fasciitis often is felt with the first steps of the day. Your doctor can prescribe medications and therapies that can help to treat the problem. See your doctor if your symptoms are not improving, getting worse, or if your pain is sudden and severe. Medical attention is warranted if the area becomes reddened or swollen, or if you are not able to put any weight on your foot. It may prove helpful in reducing the pain and allowing the area to heal by taking weight off the foot by using some type of support while walking. Reduce walking as much as possible for 7 to 10 days. Upon recommendation by your doctor, custom orthotics may help to treat the condition, reduce the pain, and help to prevent any further damage.  Custom orthotics are inserts designed specifically to help establish a solid foundation based on the problems you are having with your feet. There is some controversy about custom-fitted orthotics primarily surrounding their high cost and lack of scientific research that support their use.  Many doctors recommend trying heel supports that can be purchased at a local drugstore before investing in custom orthotics. In some cases, prescription medications and/or steroid injections may help to reduce the inflammation and help to manage the pain.  The most common over-the-counter medication group recommended are those that are considered anti-inflammatory agents. Medications that fall in this group include ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin.  Follow your doctor’s instructions regarding the use of any prescription or over-the-counter medications. Use a belt or towel wrapped around the ball of the foot, and pull on both sides of the belt to stretch the ball and top of the foot towards the body. Stretching the foot, plantar fascia ligament, and heel area in this manner reduces the pain felt with the first mornings steps. For people that experience intense pain with their first steps in the morning, using night splints can help to reduce the pain and assist with mobility. Night splints provide consistent pressure, keeping the foot and heel in a somewhat strained position. By doing so, the first morning steps are much less painful as the muscles and ligaments involved are healing. Working with a physical therapist can help to improve your functioning so that you can bear weight on your injured foot and reduce the amount of pain. Recent work suggests that manual manipulation of the foot by a trained physical therapist may be helpful in restoring mobility. If other measures have not worked for you, then your doctor may recommend corticosteroid injections. These injections can provide some temporary pain relief, but they are not recommended as a long-term solution since repeat injections can damage the plantar fascia.

SUMMARY: See a specialist if you have pain. Seek medical attention if symptoms persist for more than 2 weeks. Use crutches or other support. Consider custom orthotics. Take prescription medications. Stretch before you get out of bed. Use night splints. Participate in physical therapy. Consider corticosteroid injections.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: There should be a gaiter specifically for the right and left foot. You should be able to tell by the design of the gaiters, or there may be a marking. You will know the gaiters are on the right foot if the underfoot straps are on the outsides of your feet. If you have full length gaiters, wrap them around your ankles and calves. Wrap them around your ankle if they are shorter than full length. Hook the gaiters all the way down your leg if you have hooks. Zip the gaiters if you have zippers. There should be a strap at the bottom of your gaiters. Tighten the straps as much as you can. To secure the strap, you will most likely need to pull the strap through a buckle. Make the gaiters tight enough so that snow or debris doesn’t have a way to fall in. Don’t make them too tight, however, or you could cut off your circulation. You will also have to tighten the calf enclosure if you have full length gaiters. The enclosure may be a string you have to pull on or straps you have to buckle. You should have a strap left undone on each gaiter. Put the straps under the bottom of each foot. The straps should be under the middle of your shoes. Thread the straps through the buckles, tighten the buckles, and then you’re good to go. Make sure there aren’t any gaps left in your gaiters before going outside.

SUMMARY: Make sure the gaiters are on the right foot. Wrap and zip up the gaiters. Tighten the gaiters. Slide on the bottom strap.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: If you use more shreds, then your smoke will last longer.  Make additional small holes on the sides so the smoke will go in all directions.

SUMMARY: Buy some ping pong balls, you will need at least two for each bomb. Use a knife to cut one of the balls to shreds. Cut a small hole in the other ball big enough to put the pieces from the first ball in. Wrap it in a few layers of foil but leave the hole open. Read the tips and the warnings below before lighting it.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Hold the spectrum up to a light, putting the viewing port (the paper tube) over your eye and aiming the viewing slit at a light. You should see the full light spectrum, from red to purple. Look at a candle flame, a flashlight, a street light, and so on by aiming the viewing slit at different lights.  If you are having difficulty seeing the light spectrum, try adjusting the paper tube. Remember, it must be facing the disk inside the box. Use caution when examining sunlight: never look directly at the sun through the spectrum.  If you want to observe the sun, look at the sunlight bouncing off of the clouds or a white wall. Record how different light sources look in the spectrum by writing down the light source (such as “candle flame”) then using colored pencils to draw the colors you see. You can also use a camera to take a picture of the spectrum through the viewing port, although this can be a bit tricky.  An incandescent light bulb produces a continuous spectrum of light with no bright lines because of the tungsten in it. A fluorescent bulb produces distinct, colored lines that come from mercury vapor. Hot gasses produce light that is made up of only a few colors, which the spectrum allows you to see individually. Some examples are: what colors were the individual bands of light reflecting? Was there an order to the colors? If so, name the order. Did different light sources look differently? How and why?  Look for specific colors. Are all the colors of the rainbow present? Observe the spacing between the colored lines. Are they close or far apart? Spectrums make great science fair projects. Ask an adult for help finding out more information about your local science fair or other similar competition.

SUMMARY:
Examine different light sources. Record your observations. Ask scientific questions about the spectrum in class or with friends. Enter your spectrum and observations in a science fair.