There is an emerging body of knowledge about one of our natural resources that’s simple, abundant, free, and critical to our health. Consider the raw materials necessary for our survival; air, water, sunlight, and the products that nourish and shelter us. There is one more resource that’s usually left out. It’s one that we are only now beginning to fully appreciate. It’s something that was literally stolen from us by “progress.” Progress in the form of technology.

It’s the earth itself

We know that the planet earth naturally creates a negatively-charged electromagnetic field on its surface. As we stand barefoot on the earth, we possess the same charge.

The human body is meant to get grounded. Electrons from the earth move through us at the speed of light and normalize the innate electrophysiological activities of the body. This is what’s called grounding or earthing. When you are connected to the earth you will find that any device designed to measure your body’s electrical charge will match that of the earth’s charge.

At this zero point, the body’s systems effortlessly perform their varied functions to ensure homeostasis. That’s the condition of balance, equilibrium, or internal stability; it’s what humans experience as wellness.

The body’s electrophysiological field must be maintained for properly functioning homeostatic control. For example, nutrients pass through cell membranes because of different charges that facilitate the attraction of incoming nutrients and repulsion of outgoing waste products.

Human beings are natural conductors thanks to the electrolytes dissolved in our body fluids. Scientists have known for decades that positive electrons, in the form of free radicals, can wreak havoc and disrupt a variety of body systems. Grounding is the best antioxidant available to us because it safely and easily neutralizes the effects of these harmful free radicals. So, what’s the problem?

Rubber is a problem

Historically, humans walked barefoot. In time, we protected our feet with natural materials, including silk and leather, which are good conductors. Rubber held so much promise but it used to have a fatal flaw. It melted in the heat and cracked in the cold; that is, until Charles Goodyear figured out a process for stabilizing or vulcanizing rubber. The plastics industry wasn’t far behind.

So here’s what we used to wear on our feet. This is a photo of the world’s oldest shoe — 5,500 years old! It’s made of leather.
And here’s what we wear today:

Increasingly, soles of shoes started being made of rubber and plastic. Crocs and sneakers, to be sure, but even high-end leather shoes and boots often have rubbery soles, for grip and economy.

For at least the last fifty years, we have been insulating ourselves from the natural ground. Mother earth. We’ve stopped grounding.

We’re also assaulted by unnatural EMFs

In addition, we are under a constant barrage and assault from other sources of unnatural electromagnetic fields that have given rise to serious health concerns. (Fearless Parent™ recently ran two posts on the health risks of wireless technology and an open letter to Apple’s CEO.)

In our everyday lives we are showered with electromagnetic waves by devices that are plugged into an electrical source. The flow of electrons via electric current sparks life and utility into the appliance. The movement of electrons through a wire creates an electromagnetic field. Everything in your house that is plugged in creates a new electromagnetic field and those fields become exponentially stronger when they are in use. These same fields are created by the wires running through your walls. These fields do not require media for travel and they radiate in every direction unimpeded.

I would add the following points to the recent discussion on Fearless Parent about wireless technology:

1. Our wireless devices have thermal and non-thermal effects. They heat biological tissue and affect the body’s natural EMF frequencies.
2. Studies have shown that EMFs are impacting our REM sleep, leading to impaired learning and memory. Long-term effects remain to be seen.
3. Many insurance companies are so alarmed by the evidence that they exclude from coverage health issues related to cell phone radiation.
4. Brain surgeons limit their cellphone use and counsel patients never to hold them to their ears.

Grounding is good

A growing body of research, including a review of studies (involving indoor-testing methods under controlled conditions that simulate being barefoot outdoors) published by the peer-reviewed, open access Journal of Environmental and Public Health, shows that Earthing can be beneficial in:

• • Reducing inflammation by defusing excess positive electrons
  • Reducing chronic pain
  • Improving sleep
  • Increasing energy
  • Lowering stress and promoting calmness by reducing stress hormones.
  • Normalizing biological rhythms including circadian rhythm
  • Improving blood pressure and blood flow
  • Relieving muscle tension and headaches
  • Reducing menstrual discomfort and female hormonal symptoms
  • Accelerating healing (it is used in some places to prevent bed sores!)
  • Eliminating jet lag
  • Protecting the body from EMFs
  • Shortening recovery time from injury or athletic activity
  • Reducing or eliminating snoring
  • Supporting adrenal health
  • Reducing primary indicators of osteoporosis
  • Improving glucose regulation
  • Improving immune response
  • Improving Heart Rate Variability (HRV)
  • Improving delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS)
  • Shifting from sympathetic to parasympathetic activation
  • Shifting autonomic nervous system (ANS) balance

Earthing appears to be the only practical remedy we currently have to ward off the deleterious effects of the unnatural electromagnetic fields that are contributing to the sickening of our people.

Realistically, how do I pull this off?

Many of us are indoors more than we’d like, for work and parenting, or due to disability, inclement weather, or geographic inconvenience. For most of us, our public and private activities, and those of our neighbors, immerse us in a soup of harmful energy fields. Truthfully, we’re not just bathing in these fields. They penetrate us to our core.

Sometimes the simplest piece of advice is the most difficult. We all need to get outside whenever we can for as long as possible. We should consider prioritizing this as we would a fitness routine. Walking or sitting barefoot on moist grass or sand is a wonderful addition to a daily routine. And if it’s cold outside? Buy a pair of 100% leather-soled shoes expressly for this purpose.

Some people swear by earthing sheets (half, full, queen, king) for the bed and pads for the office, and patch kits for inflamed areas. There are pricey health or energy blankets touting remarkable testimonials of healing and restored sleep. I’ve not tried the blanket but I did buy a pad a couple months and like what I see so far. Stay tuned!

John Marelli, DC has been a chiropractor in private practice for over 35 years in New Jersey. He is a healer, a mentor, a professional photographer, and a proud father and grandfather. His two children were planned home births and never received vaccinations. John was the first chiropractor to serve the Island Nation of Micronesia where he spent one month treating several thousand patients and photographing his new friends.

Resources

Earthing: Health Implications of Reconnecting the Human Body to the Earth’s Surface Electrons, Journal of Environmental and Public Health – 2012

Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever? – 2010

Grounding is a Key Mechanism By Which Your Body Maintains Health – 2014

Grounding or Earthing: How Your Body Generates Electricity – 2014

The Grounded Movie (and review) – 2013

PHOTO CREDIT: iofoto

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