In recent years, a lot of interest has been directed at the use of silver in footwear. Silver has long been used as an antibacterial agent going back to ancient times. Today, it is used to cure burns and stop infection.

So, how does it affect the foot? Think about your shoes for a moment. Pick them up. Hold them to your face. Take in a deep breath…

Hesitant?
Why?
Do they smell?

That smell is a primordial soup of bacteria, ammonia, and denatured proteins (i.e. dead skin, etc…). It is known as an odor triangle. Bacteria takes up residence in your shoes. It eats the proteins and when it dies, the by-product is ammonia. That’s what has been growing and dying within in the warm, moist confines of your shoes. That is what stinks and what is worse, it is touching your feet!

But there is a savior. It is silver. What silver does is strangles bacteria. Silver stops the respiration and reproduction of bacteria which kills it, stopping odor from occurring. Once the bacteria is gone, the smell goes away.

That’s a relief. So silver can get rid the stink out of your nasty shoes. But how is this helpful to anyone but your spouse? Well, what if you were diabetic? We’ve all heard the horror stories of how people with diabetes can lose their toes and feet. Well, that happens because wounds occur and cannot heal because white blood cells are stopped due to poor circulation. Bacteria, found on the socks and shoes, enters the wound and then infection sets in. Now, if you had silver in your shoes, this would go to work killing off the bacteria and would prevent most of it from entering the wound. It isn’t fool proof, but it is a great defense against diabetic foot problems.

Silver comes with an added benefit for you, too. It helps prevent blisters and hot spots from forming. A blister or hot spot forms when there is a constant rubbing going on in the shoe. This can be because the shoes don’t fit properly or you are doing something repetitive – like walking or running! Well, just like rubbing two sticks together to make fire, rubbing your foot against the inside of your shoe will cause friction which will lead to a blister. Silver has a way of transferring heat. So, if it becomes hot at one point, the entire area takes on a little part of that heat and spreads it throughout the surface of the material. Basically, this means you won’t get blisters, because the heat isn’t concentrated on one area. Your foot stays cool and you don’t get the pain.

You can find all types of silver clothing all over the internet. Silver shoes are a bit harder to find. I know of only a couple of places that provide this type of footwear. You can find the shoes at www.footwearnmore.com. Here they have orthotics and socks with silver in them, as well. The site also has a variety of other products for people with diabetes or people that are just looking for comfortable shoes. Silver has a lot of benefits and is very much a secret in the footwear or diabetic industry. In the past three years, articles are just starting to emerge showing its’ benefits for people with diabetes. The sports industry has been using silver in its’ clothing for quite awhile and will soon be a known product in medical footwear.