Diverse cultures from around the world have practices and literature around the concept of the Earth’s ability to enhance health.
Earthing, also known as Grounding, refers to contact with the Earth’s surface electrons by walking barefoot outside or sitting/working/sleeping indoors while connected to conductive surfaces that transfers the energy from the ground into the body.
A group of a dozen researchers has been studying the physiological effects of grounding from a variety of perspectives, which has led to more than a dozen studies being published in peer-reviewed journals. These have opened up a new and very promising frontier in the study of inflammation and related chronic issues.
This may sound far-fetched or too esoteric to be real, however, the studies have found that Earthing has a variety of incredible health benefits that everyone can take advantage of with no cost, including:
- Reduced Inflammation
- Improved Immune Response
- Improved Wound Healing
- Prevention / Treatment of Inflammatory Diseases
- Prevention / Treatment of Autoimmune Diseases
- Reduction of Cardiovascular Diseases
- Reduction in Chronic Pain
- Improves Mood, Sleep, and Reduces Stress
Grounding appears to reduce or even prevent the signs of inflammation following injury: redness, heat, swelling, pain, and loss of function. Rapid decrease of painful, chronic inflammation was confirmed using medical infrared imaging.
The hypothesis of how or why this happens is that connecting the body to the Earth enables free electrons from the Earth’s surface to spread over and into the body where they have antioxidant effects. In relation to wound healing, it is suggested that mobile electrons create an “antioxidant microenvironment” around the injury repair field, bypassing or preventing an inflammatory barricade that can block healing.
During many of the studies, blood measurements were taken before and after grounding to determine any change in blood cell fluidity, and results found a significant reduction in red blood cell clumping after grounding, which suggests cardiovascular benefits.
HOW TO GROUND YOURSELF
There are many ways to take advantage of earthing or grounding yourself. It’s easy and free! Remove your shoes and spend time walking on the Earth. It doesn’t matter if it is grass, dirt, mud, or sand, they all provide the same result.
Another option is to sit or lay on the ground with as much of your skin touching the Earth as you can.
Walking, wading, or swimming in natural water, like lakes, rivers, and oceans also provides the same benefit. Concrete also conducts the electrons; asphalt doesn’t.
The other option is to purchase grounding equipment. This equipment provides a link to the ground, typically through a conductive wire into things like shoes, bands, grounding mats, and grounding sheets or blankets.
WHY USE EARTHING/GROUNDING?
Since the research into this science is in its early infancy, there isn’t a lot of it yet, however, many anecdotal benefits have been experienced:
- Reduction in Chronic Fatigue
- Reduction in Chronic Pain
- Significant Reduction in Anxiety & Depression
- Improved Sleep length & reduction in sleep disturbances
- Reduction in Blood Pressure levels in patients with hypertension
The good news is that this doesn’t have to cost anything, cannot harm, and the potential benefits look promising!! So get those toes out & start connecting!!
For more information, see:
Healthline article: https://www.healthline.com/health/grounding
See the research here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4378297/