Going Barefoot - For And Against post 641

For Going Barefoot 

Going barefoot is fun, sensual. Some say it can improve posture. 

But is it good for you, long term, in all weathers, in all countries, at all ages? Surely shoes offer protection. Sports shoes. Hiking boots. Snow boots. 

As a child,  in the UK, I was warned about not going barefoot, in swimming pools and even other people's houses, to avoid picking up verrucas, athlete's foot and other infections.

Clearly ill-fitting shoes can cause damage. Shoes which are too tight. Pointed. Making hammer toes. Bunions.

Africa

I read one claim that 'millions of people go barefoot in Africa every day'. 

Who says? What authority? What do people who do it in Africa say? What do doctors and hospitals in Africa say?

African Teachers and Doctors

 I googled 'barefoot in Africa, good or bad? Up came a video from Ghana. 

On the one hand, fishermen were keen on going barefoot.

I could not. Not in the resorts I visit. Hot sands. Uncomfortable pebbles. Beach litter. 

In the sea? Jellyfish. 

Holidays and Hiking

What about running through the jungle? Hiking? You need hiking boots supporting your ankles. You often get broken toe nails. 

In Singapore before walking up Bukit Timah (Bukit is Malay for hill) we were advised to buy leechproof socks. They are also used in Borneo. They have a tight weave. You can also buy tickproof socks elsewhere.

Tropical Singapore

In the tropics you are advised to cover up against mosquito bites. in Singapore my Japanese friend Yumi got dengue fever from being bitten by a mosquito on a golf course. She was hospitalised.

My husband went running regularly with the Hashers. He once snagged his leg on a piece of metal from a fence. He ended up in hospital. Septicaemia, blood poisoning. In his left knee. "I was running towards a road, and whilst looking at the road I tripped over a broken concrete post, and banged my knee which started bleeding. It would not dry up, the scar, despite anti bacterial cream. After three weeks, I felt naueaus and took a taxi to A and E, ended up in hospital for 5 days with drips, blood tests, antibiotics."

My husband climbs volcanoes in Indonesia every year, sleeps in hammocks on the sides of hills. He sayd, "You could not run around the jungle barefoot unless you had leather feet, and it would not be wise even then." 

Every year a hasher gets bitten by a snake. Posters show all the kinds of snakes, emergency numbers, emergency action. You do not want to tread on a snake. Certainly not in bare feet. 

People walking back to civilsation from plane crashes lose their shoes and end up with feet lacerated by thorns, branbles, tree roots, not to mention insect bites.

Hospitals in Africa report that they see cases of ringworm. Guinea worm, and foot rot.

My Barefoot and Unprotected Feet Accidents

At home I have broken a toe from kicking something, falling over.

I came home from maternity hospital wearing slippers and trod on a nail. Unable to walk for days.

Whenever I am too lazy to put on shoes I kick against something and regret it.

In Singapore even modern, clean, newly built apartments get cockroaches. 

I have even had a spider in the bath.

Barefoot? Try it, if you like. But don't say I didn't warn you.

Useful Websites

https://clfcharity.org.uk/appeal/shoes-for-orphans-in-uganda/

https://time.com/6284245/walking-barefoot-health-risks/

https://theflainstravel.com/leech-proof-socks-borneo/

https://www.southtees.nhs.uk/services/community/podiatry/footwear-advice/