So, you’ve decided to do your body a favor and take yoga classes. Good for you! Yoga, an ancient spiritual practice that originated in India, is now a hugely popular form of exercise considered good for the body, mind, and soul.
The combination of breathing, stretching, and meditation is purported to bring your blood pressure to a normal level, improve circulation, help prevent osteoporosis, reduce your risk for heart attack, and help treat and prevent back and arthritic pain. It also helps boost your immune system, reduce stress and depression, promote higher energy levels, aid in lung function (e.g. asthma), improve digestion, and soothe bowel disorders, such as colitis.
Note that not all of these health claims have been proven via studies yet; nevertheless, yoga is seen by many as the ultimate mind-body fitness regime.
However, there is one possible downside, which is currently being debated in the media and in medical circles — and it’s not pretty. We’re talking about foot infections.
In a recent New York Times article, Dr. Greg Cohen, a Long Island podiatrist, reported seeing a huge increase in patients with plantar warts and athlete’s foot — 50%, to be exact. Dr. Cohen attributes this jump in foot infections to the rising popularity of yoga, as he claims that most of his patients diagnosed with these problems say they practice this type of fitness activity.
If you’ve used a gym or a public pool, you might already be aware of the acknowledged risk for different infections caused by fungi, bacteria, and viruses. Any time you put a bunch of barefoot people together in one facility, and add in moist conditions (e.g. sweat or pool and shower water), you up the possibility of infections, such as staph and warts being, spreading.
Many gyms disinfect their fitness equipment to address this issue, but the New York Times article cites some sources as saying that many facilities don’t take the same care with their yoga mats.
The process of disinfecting yoga mats is described in the prestigious newspaper as “laborious and costly.” Because of this, some facilities might not take the care they should by cleaning the mats thoroughly on a regular basis. Moreover, some medical professionals are questioning the effectiveness of the different cleaning solutions used to wipe down the mats.
On the other hand, as reported in a MedPage Today article, other podiatrists are not seeing the same increase in foot infections. Even if there were such an increase, it might not be attributable to the yoga mats, according to another podiatrist, Dr. Marvin Silverman. Several medical professionals have pointed out that there could be many sources of the germs that cause plantar warts and athlete’s foot.
In fact, these can be picked up anywhere if a person is walking around barefoot, so it’s hard to point the finger at yoga mats in particular. Moreover, if a person just finishing a yoga session puts their hot sweaty feet into their shoes without taking a shower, then they are creating the perfect environment for existing bacteria (picked up anywhere along the way) to thrive.
It’s important to note that all of these accounts are based on the experience of individuals and not on hard, medical research. For a link between yoga mats and risk for foot infection to be drawn, studies must be done. Until then, I suggest taking your foot health into your own hands. Some gyms might be thorough in disinfecting their mats, but it’s best to bring your own. In addition, you should disinfect your own mat after every use — wipe it down with a bleach solution or “Lysol.”
Lastly, to make sure you don’t pick up any unwanted infections, always wear a pair of flip-flops or other footwear everywhere you go at the gym — especially the shower (the moisture in there makes it a great breeding ground for nasty viruses and fungi).
No matter what hygiene claims the gym makes, you need to take responsibility for your own health and well-being. With the proper precautions in place, you can enjoy the benefits of yoga fully!
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Tags: digesiton aids, exercise
