Bare Feet and Health - what is healthy about walking barefoot?

That is is healthy seems also to be the opinion of a major German health insurance company... The cover of one of their ad fliers can be viewed HERE. The page also contains an article, printed in their most recent member magazines called vigo (published bi-monthly, Issue 04/2006).
Since there is no online version of the article, and the original is in German, you will find a translated plain text version of it there, as I posted it to the SBL mailing list.

After pointing out the 'hazards' to bare feet and giving a few tips as to how to train your feet a bit and keep them in shape, it is now time to explicitely say what the health benefits in walking barefoot are...

• Foot odor:
  A not too nice and common problem... the odor originates in bacteria, cracking up the chemical components of sweat and using them as sustenance, hence leaving something behind. Walking barefoot may also result in perspiration, but since bare feet are always exposed to fresh air, the sweat will evaporate before the odor sets in.
  By the way: sweat as it is does not smell at all... it contains water, salt, and little extra organic components... it's the aformentioned bacteria using the substance that create the smell. Walking barefoot as often as possible has been recognized by now as being a measure of solving this malodorous problem... Since bacteria grow best in moist and warm environments, socks and shoes provide an ideal living space for them.

• Athlete's Foot
  Athlete's Foot is an infectious fungus disease... so much for the scientific short (very short) description... Walking barefoot will prevent the growth of bacteria and fungus considerably (as, just like bacteria, fungus prefers warmth and moisture - see above - and finds perfect living and growing conditions in socks and shoes.). This does not mean, that walking barefoot will banish Athlete's Foot forever... you might contract it somewhere, but barefooting can keep it from spreading and becoming a big problem. By the way, it has not been proved empirically as yet, that walking barefoot regularly might increase the risk of contracting Athlete's Foot. But, since the risk of contamination, so to speak, is only comparingly high in public swimming halls and gym locker rooms and showers... By using the protective disinfection spray dispensers provided there, the risk is minimized. Other environments have not as yet been known to be dangerous in this respect.
  A simple rule here would be (as with the smelly problem...): Keeping feet bare equals keeping them free from problems.
  As for the fear of catching parasites by barefooting: such things can happen, but only in the tropical regions of Southeast Asia, for instance. A barefooter living in not so hot regions does not have to worry about these at all.

• Circulation
  Being a smoker, I know of the danger of clogged arteries in my legs being one of the main risks of it... Walking barefoot is by no means a patent solution to that, but it is a fact, that walking barefoot on different and sometimes rough surfaces gets your circulation going, sending a tingly feeling through feet and calves... this tingling is the 'motor sound' of the circulatory system running normally, so to speak, and it also indicates skin growth on the bare sole, in which dead tissue (callous) is jettisoned and new skin is built up. All in all, this is a rather pleasant feeling which constitutes a great deal of the overall pleasure of barefooting. Also, walking barefoot in cool weather conditions can boost circulation, too. German pastor Sebastian Kneipp is probably the best-known ambassador of health by walking barefoot on dew-covered grass as well as doing what we refer to as snow-footing.

• Muscles, tendons, ligaments...
  As pointed out earlier, walking barefoot takes a lot of strain from the tendons and ligaments in the ankles and knees, when done right. It also provides a sort of special training for the muscles in the foot (yes, there are muscles running alongside the soles, especially considering the ball of the foot) and the back of the calves. As I pointed out earlier as well, I used to have problems with pain in my ankles and knees, especially considering the ligaments in the ankles and the tendons of my knees (there, mainly, the menisci ). Since I got back to walking barefoot regularly, these problems are done and over with. Not that I walk less... on the contrary, rather... It's just that barefooting takes strain off these problem areas.

• Foot reflex zones...
  And, last but certainly not least, there are the now famous foot reflex zones. By walking barefoot, you stimulate them as well, thereby sending stimuli to various organs of your body, prompting them to kick into action... It may sound kinky in this respect, but some people have been reported to get sexually aroused by walking barefoot... This may not be the perfect example of how the foot reflex zones work, but a valid one, nevertheless.

About the social acceptance of bare feet

It is a common misjudgment among people to associate someone who prefers to walk barefoot with drop-outs, junkies, hippies and beggars. There are such people going barefoot as well, but in general, such a judgment does not at all apply to all barefoot people. The preference of walking barefoot is not connected to socio-economic status, political views, intelligence, education, or religious beliefs. Barefooters are found among all kind of people, those being responsible members of the society, working for instance as engineers, software designers and programmers, lecturers, authors, or company directors.

As Paul J. Lucas, Michael M. Berrow and Richard K. Frazine stated in the newly-made position paper of the Society for Barefoot Living:

" (...) All we have in common is the belief that going barefoot is more comfortable than wearing shoes, more beneficial to our foot health, and more sensually enjoyable. Many among us like to go hiking in bare feet, and consequently are very environmentally aware and eager to protect the world we live in. (...)"

The aforementioned position paper contains a great deal of information about the social acceptance of barefooting, the prejudice against it, the discrimination of barefooters, health aspects and is more detailed and well-researched than my little page can ever be... Furthermore, it is only a part of a whole website connected with barefooting, namely, the WWW site of the Society for Barefoot Living. Currently, the paper can also be downloaded from the location linked above in PDF format.

Just a few short notes on the social acceptance of bare feet and legal aspects by myself as well...:

• "Can't you afford shoes..?"
  One of the discriminating questions (and probably the most-asked question of all those nasty ones), barefooters are confronted with... Like I stated before, bare feet are not an indicator of a barefooter's wealth and riches... It's no index for the socio-economic status of a barefooter... I, personally, have enough money to buy shoes, and I own a few good pairs... but I rather put it the other way around: I can afford to walk barefoot , for I trained my feet to become the sensitive tactile instruments providing me with an enhanced sensation of touch they were naturally intended to be... And that's an indicator of my personal wealth, for I consider 'rich' not only being of a materialistic, monetary meaning... It can also be connected with feeling - and I do not want to miss the richness of feeling the ground I tread on. Sadly, society does not seem to accept this view as a whole.

• "Must be one of those homeless or beggars..."
  See above... remarks like these mark barefoot people with a nasty stereotype... True enough, often homeless and poor people have no shoes, cannot afford them, thus walk barefoot, being forced to do so. Barefooters like me do it by choice. This does not mean that I do not sympathize with homeless and poor people, just by stating here 'I'm not one of THEM', as it would constitute a stereotype of another sort - Creating an elite of voluntary barefooters of all age and social strata. Barefooters are aware and alert people. Walking barefoot creates an emotional state of happiness and bliss, awareness for nature and one's surroundings, and hence, also benign feelings to all there is in this world. And that includes the poor, the homeless, the neglected.

• "How can you walk around here with your dirty feet...????"
  Bare feet are no sign of disrespect, vandalism or the like. Bare feet are silent (if a barefooter walks the proper way...) and do not mark or damage the surfaces they touch. In fact, as far as barefoot hiking on forest trails is concerned, bare feet are , on terms of ecology, the best of hiking gear, as a bare foot leaves virtually no imprint, even in moist dirt, in comparison to heavy hiking boots. Thus, hiking in your bare feet will prevent erosion, and can help to keep natural trails as good as new for a very long time... And barefooting in towns, on paved roads is really very unlikely to cause any damage to those surfaces.

• "The looks of these filthy bare feet offends me and other people here..."
  This is the most-used point in telling barefooters to leave shops, or public buildings... and it is the only weapon the enemies of pedal nudity have... It has to be noted, that bare feet constitute no violation of current laws or Health Dept. Regulations in the U.S. - concerning the latter it has to be noted that there are regulations concerning e.g. the clothing and hygiene of restaurant and shop employees, but there are no regulations whatsoever concerning the patrons (i.e. customers)!! If a shop/restaurant is stating that entering in your bare feet is forbidden by Health Dept. Regulations, it is simply a lie!
  As far as Germany is concerned, there are no hints whatsoever in the penal code, that would make walking barefoot an illegal act, nor are there any in the Civil law or the Common law. As fare as regulations are concerned, it's roughly the same as in the U.S.: there are Health Dept. Regulations concerning employees, not patrons.
  However, in accordance with the German Civil law, shop and restaurant owners may include a set of rules concerning clothing into their individual rules of the house... but this does not constitute a law, and a barefooter encountering such a rule may have to attend a different shop or restaurant.

  If anyone has any knowledge about the legal state of bare feet in other countries (Europe, Asia, Africa, whereever...), please mail me what you found/know... I will publish the results with appropriate credits here and also distribute it to the Society for Barefoot Living mailing list (with your permission only, of course!!).

Environmental and health hazards from wearing shoes!!

There is something else to walking barefoot, that makes it acceptable from both a health and a social point of view: Many shoes, especially those sold at low prices in large chain shoes stores, are manufactured in Third-World countries, namely India... Read here about the environmental disasters this causes in those countries, as well as the health hazards not only for the workers there, but also for the shoe-wearing consumer right here!!

Some barefoot kindred spirits of influence I met on the 'Net...

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• Paul J. Lucas
  Founder of the Dirty Sole Society, as the Society for Barefoot Living was known back then, former maintainer and webmaster of its web page, author of the SBL FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) list, administrator of the SBL mailing list... he does it all. Having found the SBL HomePage and reading the FAQ got me to join the SBL and engage into interaction with kindred spirits on bare soles. Paul is, so to speak, one of the Gods of our barefoot Pantheon... (if not the Godly Overlord there... thinking of the ancient Greek pantheon, he might be Zeus, who - as we now know... - was barefoot as well, or at least: we know it from ancient Greek art, that he was!)

• Richard Keith Frazine
  If Paul is one of the Gods of the SBL Pantheon, Richard Frazine is definitely another one of them... Founder of the Barefoot Hikers of Thomaston, Connecticut, and author of a 'bible of barefooting', as some barefooters have called it - The Barefoot Hiker , a capacity on the field of pedal nudity... :)

  Nota Bene: Even though the book out of print, you can view it, as Richard has put it onto the Web in a full HTML version ... just click on the title above to connect to it, have a good read, and then try venturing out on unknwon grounds, having them sing at your bare feet...!

  
  Thanks to his book, I was able to enjoy walking barefoot safely, and lots of my tips here are based on reading his book and following his tips and guidelines.
  (I'm wondering now, which ancient Greek God would befit him...? Perhaps Poseidon..? The mighty patron of the Earth, who was also called the Lord of Horses..? Considering Richard's barefoot hiking experience, one might think, that he has collected quite considerable mileage on his bare feet, and that he - like a divinely-bred horse - is up to travel any distance...)

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  OK, before overdoing the pantheon metaphors, I'll rather stop here... it was just a crazy idea coming to my mind, and seeming appropriate... I hope Richard and Paul don't mind my comparison... I think they won't, since I compared them to divine barefoot entities of one of the greatest ancient cultures, after all...!!

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Please note: You can find a lot of general information links about barefooting right

HERE!

You will, for instance, find the SBL HomePage link there, an HTML version of the FAQ on barefooting (by Paul J. Lucas), some other web-based interest groups on walking barefoot, and many more...

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