Earthing for Earth Day
In light of Earth Day, do yourselves a favor and spend 30 minutes walking around barefoot. Ok, you may think this is silly, but after you finish this article, you will see what amazing health benefits you will get from that barefoot 30 minutes. I am always on the lookout for treatment options that are the most natural, and least invasive, in order to produce the most profound effect possible.
That is why when I heard about earthing, or grounding, I was very interested on its potential for healing. I know that when I walk around in grass barefoot, I feel calm and it is a go-to for me to help relieve stress. However, I did not know what was biochemically happening and have been beyond impressed with the research that has come out regarding the healing effects it can have on the body.
What exactly is earthing and how does it work? Earthing is walking, sitting, standing or sleeping outside with your bare feet or body touching the earth’s surface. If you are not game for sleeping in your backyard, or spend most of your time indoors at work, you may also receive the benefits by simple conductive systems, such as a bed mat that conducts the earth ground energy to the body by a grounding wire system.
Earthing works because the surface of the earth contains many electrons and we are electrical beings. We can see this is the way our cardiovascular and nervous system work. This is why things like antioxidants are healthy for us: they repair the damage free radicals have on the body such as inflammation. It appears that, just as we need the vitamins and energy that we get from the sun, we also need the energy from the electrons that we get from the earth. All living things on earth use this electronic connection with the earth, except humans. Over time, we have evolved from spending all day with direct contact to the earth, to spending our whole day indoors, away from the earth and the sun, using rubber soled shoes which block this electromagnetic connection and sleeping indoors. We have essentially eliminated all contact with the earth’s electrons.
Fortunately, in the past several years, researchers have been studying the effects that reconnecting with the surface of the earth has on our bodies. Evidence is starting to suggest that the earth’s energy actually creates a stable internal biochemical environment in order for the body to function normally. Without this influence, we may have helped contribute to a variety of the chronic diseases that are dealt with today. We are understanding this connection now by all the diseases and imbalances that earthing now appears to treat.
A review of the research of earthing has shown a variety of health conditions that may benefit from this simple process. Studies show that earthing can help treat cardiovascular issues, stress, insomnia, pain, diabetes and can help balance hormones. It may even be able to help prevent osteoporosis by its ability to decrease mineral excretion such as calcium in the urine. If a drug could do all this, it would be deemed a wonder drug!
How earthing can treat cardiovascular disease comes from studies that demonstrated decreased blood viscosity (thickening/clumping), decreased variable heart rates and lowered pulse rates. A decrease in fasting blood sugar has also been shown, which has implications in decreasing diabetes, which can also affect the cardiovascular health.
Earthing has also been shown to balance your hormones, specifically stress hormones. In addition to stabilizing the “fight or flight” response in the body, it also stabilizes abnormal cortisol response which can lead to increased feeling of anxiety and insomnia. This would explain why earthing studies also show stabilization of abnormal sleeping patterns and resulted in better more restful sleep with a decrease in waking times through the night. In addition to this, it also appears that earthing was able to balance thyroid hormones which can also lead to restoration of a number of symptoms, including fatigue, digestive concerns and mood to name a few.
Finally, chronic pain in the muscles and joints have been seen to be reduced by continuous earthing. Earthing has been shown to decrease the biochemistry that leads to inflammation. Since this is one of the main factors in all disease, this implication is profound. However, inflammation, as we know, is a huge factor in pain response. This may be because, as the negative antioxidant electrons in the earth pass through our bodies, they neutralize the positive free radicals that lead to inflammation and pain.
Who would have known that connecting to the earth would be such a profound and simple way to keep us healthy! So what is the best way to earth? Just spend 30-40 min sitting, standing or walking with your bare feet connected to the earth. If the ground is wet, this is even better as it allows for better conductivity. Do not walk on asphalt or wood, as this blocks the conductivity. You can also purchase bed sheets, or mats, that are grounded to the earth by a wire, that can conduct the electrons to you while you sleep, to simulate sleeping on the ground. So as you are walking around barefoot on our Mother Earth today celebrating Earth Day, give her some gratitude for giving us the gift of health!
