WEBVTT - Can Going Sockless Be Bad for Your Feet?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff, Lauren Vogel bomb here. Sockless shoe fashions are

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<v Speaker 1>temptingly simple and care free, but medical professionals want you

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<v Speaker 1>to know that you could be putting your feet at risk.

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<v Speaker 1>But we spoke with Dr John Chisholm, a dietrist and

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<v Speaker 1>the president of the California Podiatric Medical Association. Chisholm, like

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<v Speaker 1>most foot doctors, is a big fan of socks. He

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<v Speaker 1>says that socks serve two important functions. They reduce friction

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<v Speaker 1>between the shoe and the skin, which prevents blisters and abrasions,

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<v Speaker 1>and they provide a physical barrier between the foot and

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<v Speaker 1>the microbial petrie dish that is a sweaty closed shoe.

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<v Speaker 1>Chisholm said, if you were to take a scraping off

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<v Speaker 1>of a well worn leather shoe, you'd find it's a

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<v Speaker 1>zoo of microorganisms that can cause disease in the human foot.

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<v Speaker 1>He notes that the number one threat is the athletes

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<v Speaker 1>foot fungus, which he said likes places that are dark, warm,

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<v Speaker 1>and don't have a lot of air circulation, like the

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<v Speaker 1>inside of a shoe. Chill notes that the athletes foot

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<v Speaker 1>Fungus is not only the cause of the classic raw

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<v Speaker 1>scaly patches between the toes, but also of most to

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<v Speaker 1>nail fungal outbreaks. Socks can stave off athletes foot in

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<v Speaker 1>two ways. First, they prevent the fungus from transferring directly

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<v Speaker 1>from the shoe material to the skin or nail, and second,

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<v Speaker 1>socks stop sweat from pooling the shoe by absorbing and

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<v Speaker 1>wicking sweat up the ankle and calf where it can evaporate.

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<v Speaker 1>If you're going sockless entirely for fashion reasons, there's a

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<v Speaker 1>simple solution no show socks. These extra low cut dress

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<v Speaker 1>and athletic socks are designed to stay hidden below the

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<v Speaker 1>shoe line while providing protection against blisters and sweaty feet.

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<v Speaker 1>Previously only available for the ladies, there are now lots

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<v Speaker 1>of no show socks designed just for men. But of

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<v Speaker 1>course some people can't stand the feeling of socks on

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<v Speaker 1>their feet, and since it's not saying the weather year

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<v Speaker 1>round in most places, you need to learn how to

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<v Speaker 1>keep those paws healthy inside of posed toe shoes. First,

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<v Speaker 1>a word about shoe powders. A light dusting of talcum

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<v Speaker 1>powder directly on the foot will keep things dry for

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<v Speaker 1>a while, but she Shulman says you should never pour

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<v Speaker 1>powder into the shoe itself. It just piles up and

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<v Speaker 1>soaks in sweat, trapping it in the shoe. If you're

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<v Speaker 1>prone to athletes foot, try an antifungal powder next. Keep

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<v Speaker 1>your sockless shoes on a rotation. Give each pair twenty

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<v Speaker 1>four to forty eight hours to air out and dry

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<v Speaker 1>out between sockless sessions. The longer the rest, the better.

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<v Speaker 1>Shulman says wearing shoes day after day without socks would

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<v Speaker 1>be like wearing your underwear day after day without washing them.

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<v Speaker 1>But the coolest solution, hands down is the stair a

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<v Speaker 1>shoe Ultra violet sterilizing device. This handy gadget can be

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<v Speaker 1>slipped into your shoe and uses UV light to kill

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<v Speaker 1>nine percent of fungal and odor causing microbes in a

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<v Speaker 1>forty five minute treatment cycle. The stair shoe isn't cheap,

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<v Speaker 1>so if you're looking for a more cost effective way

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<v Speaker 1>to eradicate microbes in your shoes, try a disinfecting spray

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<v Speaker 1>sold expressly for shoes, not lisol or similar household disinfectants, though,

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<v Speaker 1>because they're not supposed to be in contact with the skin.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's episode was written by Dave Ruse and produced by

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<v Speaker 1>Tyler Clang. The brain Stuff is a production of I

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<v Speaker 1>Heart Radio's How Stuff Works. For more in this and

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<v Speaker 1>lots of other practical topics, visit our home planet, how

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