Page last reviewed April 19, 2024 by Dr. Drew Sinatra, N.M.D., F.A.C.N, L.Ac.
You’ve heard about “grounding,” otherwise known as “Earthing,” and want to learn more about what this practice is. More importantly, you want to know how it might benefit you…Let’s start with the basics…
WHAT IS GROUNDING, A.K.A. EARTHING?
Grounding, or Earthing (you can use these terms interchangeably), is connecting with and absorbing the Earth’s natural energy, or electron flow.
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!
HOW DID GROUNDING BEGIN?
Although it might sound “new age,” grounding is certainly not a new phenomenon; people have been attuning with Earth energy for as long as humans have been alive on earth. We 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.
Modern life, while certainly more convenient and comfortable, has disconnected us from Earth’s sustaining energy. We no longer walk around barefoot as our main mode of travel. 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. Unfortunately, we live like cut flowers, detached from Earth energy.
Today’s grounding is simply going back to that age-old wisdom, and reconnecting to that nourishing energy. The only difference now, is that we’ve developed technologies that enable us to connect with Earth energy without being barefoot outdoors…barefoot substitutes, if you will. Such substitutes include indoor grounding devices such as conductive mats, bedding, and wearables that, when connected to the ground port of a grounded home or office outlet with a simple cord, connect you to Earth energy via the ground wire of the outlet. In recent years, modern technology has also brought us grounding shoes, footwear through which Earth energy can flow into our feet.
HOW DO I GROUND?
It is very simple; you've no doubt done it before! Walk barefoot on a natural earth surface like grass, sand, dirt; you can also stand barefoot on stone, brick or unpainted concrete that (is also unsealed and) sits directly atop one of these earthy surfaces. Like your body, these are conductive surfaces and the Earth's energy flows through them and into your body. Wood, asphalt (pavement), and vinyl, on the other hand, are not conductive.
You can also absorb Earth energy through your hands or any other body part making direct skin contact with a natural earth surface. Why do some people instinctively walk barefoot in the grass, or lie down in the sand at the beach? It feels good! Beyond an enhanced sense of well-being, though, grounding also offers numerous benefits to health and well-being.
WHY SHOULD I 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 counteract inflammation through the transfer of negatively-charged electrons from Earth’s surface into the body. Once in the body, those electrons neutralize positively-charged, destructive free radicals involved in acute, as well as chronic, inflammation. In essence, the Earth's energy makes the ground beneath our feet an extremely effective and abundant antioxidant! And it’s often free. No pills, no prescriptions. All you have to do is reconnect.
WHAT ARE THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF GROUNDING?
As far as studies go, initial research has shown promising and exciting results. Though not all the mechanisms are clearly understood, grounding is associated with improvements to health and wellbeing, including:
-better cortisol levels, which positively impact sleep;
-improvements in heart rate variability, blood oxygenation, and blood viscosity / zeta potential, all of which support optimum cardiovascular health;
-better immune response to injury including less delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and faster wound healing; and
-very recent research even demonstrates protection against, and shortened duration of, viral illnesses.
Want to dive deeper into the health benefits of Earthing?
READ “Grounding – The universal anti-inflammatory remedy” by Stephen T. Sinatra, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.A.C.N., C.B.T, Drew Sinatra, N.M.D., F.A.C.N., L.Ac., Step Sinatra and Gaétan Chevalier, Ph.D. Published Feb. 2023 in the Biomedical Journal.
The research into cardiovascular benefits is especially exciting. One of the Earthing pilot studies 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.
Additionally, testimonials from both laypeople and medical doctors (found in the book, Earthing: the most important health discovery ever?) have also provided supportive information about improvements in circulation, blood pressure, arrhythmias, and neuropathy.
Another promising study showed how Earthing contributes to a de-stressing and balancing effect on the nervous system, and as a result, on heart function.
CAN GROUNDING HELP WITH SPECIFIC CONDITIONS?
As mentioned above, initial studies indicate that Earthing supports cardiovascular health, and thus it may help protect against, or mitigate the effects of, heart disease and type II diabetes.
As a source of negative free electrons that are thought to counteract free radical (or oxidative) damage in the body, ground energy has great potential as an anti-inflammatory. Since “it is now accepted that chronic inflammation is a major underlying condition of many age-related diseases, such as atherosclerosis, arthritis, cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, dementia, vascular diseases, obesity and metabolic syndrome,” any therapy that works to reduce inflammation could, in theory, help even minimally with such conditions.
The same logic applies to grounding’s positive impact on autonomic nervous system activity. By helping balance the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system branches and relaxing us, grounding helps our bodies manage the physiological effects of stress (which can include chronic inflammation). Like inflammation, chronic stress is linked to the development of numerous conditions, including “cardiovascular dysfunctions, diabetes, cancer, autoimmune syndromes and mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety disorders.” It follows that, by promoting a relaxation response in the body, grounding may help people improve the abovementioned conditions.
All that said, grounding is not a magic bullet that will cure all inflammatory conditions. Rather, it holds promise as an anti-inflammatory lifestyle practice, like several other healthy lifestyle practices. Ultimately, more research into grounding’s effects on specific health conditions is needed to determine its value as a preventative or therapeutic.
WHAT ARE THE SIDE EFFECTS OF GROUNDING?
Most people, when they first start Earthing, feel calmer and more relaxed. They sleep better and some feel less stress and/or pain. Some people feel a subtle tingling sensation in their feet and bodies. This tingling is thought to possibly result from improved circulation and infusion with Earth energy.
That said, not all people feel better when they first start grounding. Some have reported feeling no difference after grounding and a few people even report feeling worse. Although rare, flu-like symptoms of tiredness, body aches headaches or malaise have been known to occur, and this is thought to be a detoxification reaction. Grounding is something man evolved doing. If someone has been disconnected from Earth energy most or all of their lives, they may temporarily feel ill when Earth energy starts flowing through their bodies and helps move waste and toxins out of the body (if you’ve ever had a colonic, then felt really dizzy or ill, you’ll know what we mean by a detox reaction). For these people, symptoms of unwellness usually taper off within a week or two. Learn more about what to expect when you first start Earthing here.
WHO DISCOVERED EARTHING DEVICES?
In 1998, Clint Ober, who was 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, 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 release of Earthing: The most important health discovery ever, a groundbreaking book written by Clint Ober, well-known cardiologist, author, and electromedicine expert, Dr. Stephen Sinatra, and veteran health writer, Martin Zucker. This 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.
In 2023, Dr. Sinatra’s book, Get Grounded Get Well, which was co-written by his son, Step Sinatra, and Sharon Whiteley was released with even more information and insights about the power of grounding to improve health and well-being.
Today, Mr. Ober continually fine tunes and improves his line of Earthing products, which soon will again include grounding shoes!
IN CONCLUSION…
While we live in a modern world, 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. To learn more about grounding, read one or both Earthing books co-authored by Dr. Sinatra. And don't forget to visit the Earthing Institute here to learn more about Earthing through research studies and articles.
Page last updated August 22, 2024.