Human beings evolved in connection with the Earth's energy. We walked barefoot and we slept in contact with the Earth never realizing that its surface contained limitless, natural, healing energy. Walking around barefoot is not our main mode of travel any longer. We live indoors much of the time and when we do walk or run outside we wear rubber soled shoes which prevent our feet from being able to absorb the Earth's subtle energy. Rubber is not conductive, but our bodies are!
So here we find ourselves. Civilized in a modern world, but disconnected from a primal, powerful source of energy and healing. See, the Earth is basically a six sextillion (that's a six followed by twenty-one zeroes) metric ton battery that is continually being replenished by solar radiation, lightning, and heat from its deep-down molten core. The natural rhythmic pulsations of energy flowing through and emanating from the surface of the Earth keep the biological machinery and global life running in rhythm and balance-and that includes you! Unfortunately, we live like cut flowers, detached from the nourishing Earth energy. Earthing, also known as grounding, is simply reconnecting to the Earth's healing energy.
How do you ground? It is very simple; you've no doubt done it before! Walk barefoot in the grass, sand, dirt or on concrete. Like your body, these are conductive surfaces and the Earth's energy flows through them and into your body. Wood, asphalt, and vinyl, are not conductive. You can also connect to the Earth's energy by using simple barefoot substitutes. Barefoot substitutes consist of mats, bands, patches, and sheets, that when connected to the ground port of a grounded home or office outlet with a simple cord, connects you to the Earth's energy via the ground wire of the outlet.
Why should you ground? In recent years, inflammation has come to the forefront of medical attention and has been recognized as the leading trigger of chronic pain and most major health disorders, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, arthritis, Alzheimer's, and cancer. "All roads to chronic disease lead through inflammation," researchers are increasingly saying. Bodies are on fire. Earthing appears to extinguish the flames through the transfer of negatively-charged electrons from the surface of the Earth into the body where they neutralize positively-charged destructive free radicals involved in chronic inflammation. The Earth's energy makes the ground beneath our feet an extremely effective and abundant antioxidant! And it's free. No pills, no prescriptions. All you have to do is reconnect.
The phenomenon of Earthing was discovered in 1998 while Clint Ober, a retired pioneer of the American cable TV industry, sat on a park bench watching people walk by. He realized that every one of us wears rubber soled shoes and that these shoes prevent us from connecting to the Earth. He knew from working in telecommunications that it was necessary to ground cable systems to protect them from other electromagnetic signals in the environment which would cause interference in the cable transmission. He began to wonder what benefits humans could receive from connecting with the Earth and he set out to find the answer. After configuring simple grounding systems that could be used indoors (www.earthing.com), Mr. Ober discovered, first on himself and then on others, that the very same stabilizing influence of grounding used in telecommunications on wires could also lessen pain and improve sleep for humans when connected to the Earth. He subsequently set off on a scientific odyssey, working with researchers including biophysicists and electrophysiologists, and developed comfortable Earthing systems that people could use indoors.
2010 marked the groundbreaking release of Earthing: The most important health discovery ever? Earthing was written by Clint Ober, well-known cardiologist, author, and electromedicine expert, Dr. Stephen Sinatra, and veteran health writer, Martin Zucker. The Earthing book tells the story of the powerful, natural, phenomenon of reconnecting to the Earth and introduces the scientific findings being compiled through research as well as a multitude of testimonials that have been received from people who have grounded. The book has been published in multiple languages around the world and in 2011 the Earthing book won the 2011 Nautilus Book Award. This was a great honor as the Nautilus Book Award recognizes books that promote spiritual growth, conscious living & positive social change.
Several Earthing pilot studies have very exciting implications. One, on the electrodynamics (zeta potential) of blood cells, indicates that Earthing significantly improves viscosity (blood thickness), inflammation, and flow. There are clear indications that individuals with diabetes, who have inflamed blood and a high risk for cardiovascular disease, may benefit greatly from Earthing, both preventively and therapeutically. Testimony from both individuals and doctors, have told of improvements in circulation, blood pressure, arrhythmias, and neuropathy. The study has been published by the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine and can be read online here:
http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/acm.2011.0820
Another study showed how Earthing contributes to a de-stressing and balancing effect on the nervous system, and as a result, on heart function. This study, published in Integrative Medicine: A Clinician's Journal, can be read online here:
http://imjournal.com/pdfarticles/IMCJ10_3_p16_24chevalier.pdf
A review of all the Earthing research conducted to date can be found at the online website of the Journal of Environmental Health and Policy here:
http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jeph/2012/291541/
Today, we live in a modern world and we learn more about the natural world around us every day. We now understand that we don't have to live like cut flowers any longer. Whether you choose to reconnect by walking or running barefoot, or by using barefoot substitutes, reconnecting to the Earth's subtle energy is easy, safe, and simple to do. For the whole story of Earthing, please listen to the free audio version of the Earthing - Click here to view the Earthing Book. And don't forget to visit the Earthing Institute to learn more about Earthing through the research studies and articles here.