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Originally Posted by Sharon
I was always taught that being barefoot was unhygienic / could lead to infections, worms, etc. Helpful or hogwash?
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typically its not unhygenic... If you cut your foot and continued to walk on the cut I would expect it to get infected, but other then that you should be fine...
the worms you can contract you get from walking on ground contaminated by the feces of already infected humans... and its almost non existent in america.
this is from the
www.barefooters.org FAQ
http://barefooters.org/faq/13.html
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Q13: What about catching diseases?
Athlete's Foot (fungus):
The following is an excerpt from a Dermatology Insights (vol. 3, no. 1, Spring 2002) article on athlete's foot by the American Academy of Dermatology:
Athlete's foot does not occur among people who traditionally go barefoot. It's moisture, sweating and lack of proper ventilation of the feet that present the perfect setting for the fungus of athlete's foot to grow. [Full text]
Therefore, by going barefoot, the perspiration from your feet evaporates just like it does from the rest of your body; your feet then remain cool and dry in the open air. The fungus can not survive under these conditions. As a result, going barefoot will most likely cure athlete's foot.
Hookworm (parasite):
This is almost entirely confined to tropical, third-world countries where people habitually walk in soil contaminated by the excrement of infected humans and domestic animals. In the 1940s, hookworm occurred in some regions of the southern USA but has largely disappeared even there thanks to improved sanitation. The chance of getting hookworm from barefoot hiking on trails in a temperate region such as North America or Europe is very small. Hookworm is easily treatable with vermifuges such as tetrachloroethylene: its prevalence in tropical regions is largely a matter of public health, due to poor sanitation and lack of access to medical facilities.
Ringworm (fungus: this has nothing to do with worms — it's a misnomer):
The same text about Athlete's Foot applies for ringworm. (Additionally, one can get it anywhere on one's body.)
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if your interested in spending time barefoot look around that site, lots of good info.