1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:06,480 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey 2 00:00:06,519 --> 00:00:10,840 Speaker 1: brain Stuff, Lauren Vogel bomb here. Sockless shoe fashions are 3 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:14,560 Speaker 1: temptingly simple and care free, but medical professionals want you 4 00:00:14,600 --> 00:00:16,680 Speaker 1: to know that you could be putting your feet at risk. 5 00:00:17,480 --> 00:00:20,560 Speaker 1: But we spoke with Dr John Chisholm, a dietrist and 6 00:00:20,680 --> 00:00:25,040 Speaker 1: the president of the California Podiatric Medical Association. Chisholm, like 7 00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:28,840 Speaker 1: most foot doctors, is a big fan of socks. He 8 00:00:28,960 --> 00:00:32,640 Speaker 1: says that socks serve two important functions. They reduce friction 9 00:00:32,680 --> 00:00:35,640 Speaker 1: between the shoe and the skin, which prevents blisters and abrasions, 10 00:00:35,920 --> 00:00:38,600 Speaker 1: and they provide a physical barrier between the foot and 11 00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:42,200 Speaker 1: the microbial petrie dish that is a sweaty closed shoe. 12 00:00:43,320 --> 00:00:45,959 Speaker 1: Chisholm said, if you were to take a scraping off 13 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:48,360 Speaker 1: of a well worn leather shoe, you'd find it's a 14 00:00:48,440 --> 00:00:51,400 Speaker 1: zoo of microorganisms that can cause disease in the human foot. 15 00:00:52,320 --> 00:00:54,520 Speaker 1: He notes that the number one threat is the athletes 16 00:00:54,560 --> 00:00:58,080 Speaker 1: foot fungus, which he said likes places that are dark, warm, 17 00:00:58,120 --> 00:01:00,600 Speaker 1: and don't have a lot of air circulation, like the 18 00:01:00,680 --> 00:01:04,240 Speaker 1: inside of a shoe. Chill notes that the athletes foot 19 00:01:04,240 --> 00:01:06,560 Speaker 1: Fungus is not only the cause of the classic raw 20 00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:09,720 Speaker 1: scaly patches between the toes, but also of most to 21 00:01:09,920 --> 00:01:14,720 Speaker 1: nail fungal outbreaks. Socks can stave off athletes foot in 22 00:01:14,800 --> 00:01:18,560 Speaker 1: two ways. First, they prevent the fungus from transferring directly 23 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:22,200 Speaker 1: from the shoe material to the skin or nail, and second, 24 00:01:22,400 --> 00:01:25,600 Speaker 1: socks stop sweat from pooling the shoe by absorbing and 25 00:01:25,640 --> 00:01:28,600 Speaker 1: wicking sweat up the ankle and calf where it can evaporate. 26 00:01:29,880 --> 00:01:33,000 Speaker 1: If you're going sockless entirely for fashion reasons, there's a 27 00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:36,880 Speaker 1: simple solution no show socks. These extra low cut dress 28 00:01:36,920 --> 00:01:39,480 Speaker 1: and athletic socks are designed to stay hidden below the 29 00:01:39,480 --> 00:01:42,959 Speaker 1: shoe line while providing protection against blisters and sweaty feet. 30 00:01:43,520 --> 00:01:46,399 Speaker 1: Previously only available for the ladies, there are now lots 31 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:50,240 Speaker 1: of no show socks designed just for men. But of 32 00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:52,720 Speaker 1: course some people can't stand the feeling of socks on 33 00:01:52,760 --> 00:01:55,560 Speaker 1: their feet, and since it's not saying the weather year 34 00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:58,080 Speaker 1: round in most places, you need to learn how to 35 00:01:58,160 --> 00:02:02,559 Speaker 1: keep those paws healthy inside of posed toe shoes. First, 36 00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:05,760 Speaker 1: a word about shoe powders. A light dusting of talcum 37 00:02:05,760 --> 00:02:08,160 Speaker 1: powder directly on the foot will keep things dry for 38 00:02:08,200 --> 00:02:10,880 Speaker 1: a while, but she Shulman says you should never pour 39 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:13,960 Speaker 1: powder into the shoe itself. It just piles up and 40 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:17,320 Speaker 1: soaks in sweat, trapping it in the shoe. If you're 41 00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:21,799 Speaker 1: prone to athletes foot, try an antifungal powder next. Keep 42 00:02:21,840 --> 00:02:25,240 Speaker 1: your sockless shoes on a rotation. Give each pair twenty 43 00:02:25,280 --> 00:02:27,560 Speaker 1: four to forty eight hours to air out and dry 44 00:02:27,600 --> 00:02:31,160 Speaker 1: out between sockless sessions. The longer the rest, the better. 45 00:02:31,919 --> 00:02:35,320 Speaker 1: Shulman says wearing shoes day after day without socks would 46 00:02:35,320 --> 00:02:39,280 Speaker 1: be like wearing your underwear day after day without washing them. 47 00:02:39,320 --> 00:02:42,239 Speaker 1: But the coolest solution, hands down is the stair a 48 00:02:42,320 --> 00:02:46,480 Speaker 1: shoe Ultra violet sterilizing device. This handy gadget can be 49 00:02:46,520 --> 00:02:48,959 Speaker 1: slipped into your shoe and uses UV light to kill 50 00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:52,880 Speaker 1: nine percent of fungal and odor causing microbes in a 51 00:02:52,919 --> 00:02:56,480 Speaker 1: forty five minute treatment cycle. The stair shoe isn't cheap, 52 00:02:56,639 --> 00:02:58,799 Speaker 1: so if you're looking for a more cost effective way 53 00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:02,040 Speaker 1: to eradicate microbes in your shoes, try a disinfecting spray 54 00:03:02,120 --> 00:03:06,280 Speaker 1: sold expressly for shoes, not lisol or similar household disinfectants, though, 55 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:08,520 Speaker 1: because they're not supposed to be in contact with the skin. 56 00:03:13,840 --> 00:03:16,200 Speaker 1: Today's episode was written by Dave Ruse and produced by 57 00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:18,520 Speaker 1: Tyler Clang. The brain Stuff is a production of I 58 00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:20,720 Speaker 1: Heart Radio's How Stuff Works. For more in this and 59 00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:23,360 Speaker 1: lots of other practical topics, visit our home planet, how 60 00:03:23,400 --> 00:03:25,920 Speaker 1: stuff Works dot com, and for more podcast from my 61 00:03:25,960 --> 00:03:28,959 Speaker 1: heart Radio, visit the heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or 62 00:03:28,960 --> 00:03:30,600 Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.