Barefoot and Glovehanded

After lots of research and contemplation, I've decided to shift up my lifestyle significantly. Though I still believe in the benefits of going barefoot and will continue to do so, I am increasingly aware of the risk for viruses and bacteria that can be spread from person to person through bare hands. I have had a few instances lately of getting sick and cutting my hands or fingers on various objects.

It is because of these concerns that I've decided to regularly wear medical-grade gloves in daily life. They will provide a barrier that will both guard against infectious diseases and offer some protection against cuts.

We've heard it over and over that the best way to stop the spread of infection is to wash your hands. As I hate having dry skin and I think constant hand washing could lead to that, the next best thing is to regularly wear gloves. I figure, if surgeons wear them to keep surgeries safer, why not I wear them all the time to keep myself safer? I really do think it will help based on some of the evidence I've seen.

As far as their protective properties, let me first say that I'm tired of nicking or cutting my hands. Scratches just annoy me and I know they can lead to infection. If I wear protective gloves, even simple surgical gloves, they can be what catches on items that are capable of scratching or cutting me. While not being able to protect against every risk, I truly believe my risk of injury will go down significantly.

Since some evidence (PDF link) shows that surgical gloves can lose their protection over time, I intend to change them out no less than every two hours throughout the day. In cases when they might get overly contaminated from food or other, ahem, activities, they'll be changed outright afterward.

Now I won't wear gloves all the time -- THAT would be ridiculous, right?! I'll take them off at bedtime...and that's probably about it. Eight hours of barehandedness a day should be enough to keep my skin healthy.

This practice begins TODAY, April 1. I figure it's as good a day as any. To wait any longer would be foolish.*

What do you think? Am I just being paranoid? What would you do to negate the risks of infection from bare hands? What are you doing today to improve your health? Please leave your comments in the section below.

* - If you didn't figure it out by now, APRIL FOOLS! There's no way I'd ever do any of this, though it does provide an interesting commentary on what risks are actually out there and how people irrationally interpret and react to them. We really do have a higher risk of getting sick and injured via our hands than our bare feet.