Reconnecting With The Earth

By Jamie Ann Montiel, originally published at http://eatgenius.com/reconnecting-with-the-earth/

Humans have always lived in direct physical contact with the earth (the ground) until relatively recently in our history when shoes and beds (and our modern lifestyle in general) have enabled us to live more comfortably but at the same time has disconnected us from a primordial source, contact with which is vital for our health and wellness. The earth’s surface is negatively charged and provides a limitless supply of free electrons as a result of global atmospheric conditions. These electrons are part of the earth’s energy and they are absorbed or transferred to all living things when they make direct contact with the earth. People oftentimes say that walking on the beach barefoot is relaxing and walking barefoot on the earth does indeed contribute to improved relaxation, increased feelings of well-being and stress relief. But it also has a profound effect on the body, positively influencing many physiological processes.

The human body is a good conductor of electricity and all chemical reactions that occur in the body are electrical in nature – at the microscopic level where ions are transported across cell membranes to more obvious reactions like the transmission of impulses along nerves. During cardio-pulmonary resuscitation when dangerous arrhythmias that can cause a fatal heart attack occur, the heart is defibrillated, meaning an electrical charge is sent to the heart in an attempt to return it to a more normal electrical rhythm. Even subtle changes in electrolyte concentrations in the blood can have profound effects on many vital functions, such as the pumping of the heart. In a group of studies conducted by Sokal and Sokal, grounding caused significant changes in serum electrolyte concentrations, affected thyroid function and glucose metabolism, and influenced the immune system’s response to vaccines. The results were all positive in that the effects corresponded to heightened (healthy) responses, namely, shifts toward physiochemical equilibrium of the intracellular environment and extracellular fluid, increased basal metabolic rate due to enhanced thyroid function, increased utilization of glucose by cells and an accelerated immune response to vaccine toxins, respectively. These are but a few effects of grounding which have many health implications.

Grounding the body relaxes the nervous system. Grounding has neuromodulatory effects, meaning it directly influences the functioning of the autonomic nervous system. According to an article by Sokal and Sokal, grounding causes immediate changes on electroencephalography or EEG (recorded electrical activity of the brain) and electromyography or EMG (recorded electrical activity of the muscles). It activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is the preferred state of the autonomic nervous system. In one study, the effects of grounding were immediate and were indicated by a decrease in skin conductance. Grounding allows the nervous system to function properly and restores the natural electrical status of the body and therefore stabilizes the body’s internal electrical environment.

Being grounded to the earth decreases one’s risk for cardiovascular disease by thinning the blood; this allows blood to flow more smoothly through blood vessels. The more viscous the blood and the more easily it coagulates, the greater the risk for conditions such as hypertension, stroke and heart attack. Chevalier et al. have found that grounding reduces blood viscosity by altering the zeta potential or the electrophoretic mobility of red blood cells. Grounding significantly increases the zeta potential of red blood cells, making them more negatively charged. The surfaces of (healthy) red blood cells possess a strong net negative charge, or zeta potential, which affects their space in relation to each other. The higher the repulsive charges amongst the red blood cells, the more space between each cell. More space means less clumping or aggregation, lower blood viscosity and less resistance in flowing through blood vessels. Live blood cell analyses after grounding showed less red blood cell aggregation than before grounding occurred. Chevalier et al. also found that grounding increases heart rate variability, higher levels of which are indicative of the cardiovascular system’s ability to better adapt to stress.

Grounding the body to the earth normalizes biological clocks. One study found that subjects who were grounded during the night for an eight-week period showed a re-synchronizing of their circadian rhythms as evidenced by normalization of cortisol hormone levels. Normal cortisol secretion is lowest at night after midnight and peaks at around eight in the morning. Abnormal cortisol levels occur in response to disturbed circadian rhythms as well as other physiological and psychological stressors. Subjects also reported improved quality of sleep (they fell asleep faster, woke up less often during the night, etc.), had less pain, more daytime energy and reduced stress in addition to the normalizing of diurnal cortisol profiles.

The negatively charged electrons absorbed during grounding act as anti-oxidants by neutralizing positively charged reactive oxygen species or free radicals, thereby reducing inflammation. Inflammation is thought to be the cause of all disease and it is postulated that electrons absorbed by the body during grounding migrate to areas where inflammation is present and counteract the damage being caused by free radicals. Free radicals act by stealing electrons from molecules, these molecules then become unstable and steal electrons from other molecules and this continues indefinitely and causes damage to cells and eventually tissues and organs until anti-oxidants arrive to donate their electrons and neutralize the free radicals. In a study involving grounding and exercise, it was found that grounding after exercise reduces pain, particularly delayed onset muscle soreness, speeds the recovery process and subjects also did not have the typical immune system response of sharp increases in white blood cells post exercise, indicating very little inflammation had occurred. Sokal and Sokal have already shown that vaccinated subjects exhibited a healthy, accelerated immune response after grounding in response to vaccine toxins. Reduction of inflammation through grounding has also been shown with thermography (infrared medical imaging).

Grounding offers some protection from certain electromagnetic frequencies that are found in the environment. The body is quite sensitive to electrical fields, internal and external. When the body is connected to the earth, it’s electric potential is the same as the earth’s. Sokal and Sokal found that when the body is grounded, the electrostatic potential on the body and in venous blood decreases to approximately -200 millivolts, becoming negatively charged like the earth, whereas an ungrounded person has an electrostatic potential of about 0 millivolts. When the body is grounded, it essentially becomes an extension of the earth and as such, reduces or pushes away electrical fields from the body (in the same way that red blood cells with a higher negative charge repel each other). Unnatural man-made currents emitted from electrical appliances, electrical wiring in buildings and power lines and can interfere with the body’s electrical energy and consequently, its metabolic processes. Some people are very sensitive to electromagnetic fields and can manifest vague symptoms such as headaches, insomnia, anxiety, depression and chronic pain, which can be mistaken for other disease conditions. Grounding confers some protection from electro-pollution that is so prevalent nowadays.

In order to reap the benefits of grounding, your feet (or any other part of your body) should be in direct contact with the ground, whether it is grass, dirt, sand, rock, stone, clay or concrete as long as there is all bare earth underneath it. Being in the ocean or any other natural body of water is also considered direct contact with the earth. In fact, being in the ocean or on wet sand or dewy grass is more conducive to grounding than drier surfaces because water acts as an excellent conductor. Similarly, if your feet are wet and are placed on conductive surfaces, this also acts in the same manner. Surfaces that will not conduct electrons from the earth to your body are asphalt (which contains petroleum), painted surfaces, wood, rubber and synthetic materials such as plastic. Feet are more conducive to grounding than are other body parts because of the large amount of nerve endings relative to the surface area compared to other body parts. The higher you are from the ground (not touching the earth), the more electrical voltage you’re exposed to. Those who live or work in high places like multi-story buildings are subject to more electrical disturbances. Grounding can also be simulated through the use of grounding pads made of conductive material or electrodes like those used in electrocardiography (ECG) placed on the body and then attached to a wire that connects to a metal rod that is planted directly into the earth or that can be plugged into the ground port of properly grounded outlets (as was done in all the grounding studies).*

Ground yourself on a regular basis for better health. The effects of grounding usually occur within an hour of being in contact with a natural conductive material or surface and the effects also begin to diminish after being disconnected from that material. This is why it’s important to ground as often as possible, in order to continuously replenish the body with a supply of electrons. Spend as much time as you can barefoot outdoors, weather permitting. Grounding the body to the earth is just as important as exposure to sunlight and clean air, proper nutrition, adequate physical activity, rest and sleep. Grounding seems to be promising in alleviating and even treating many disease conditions and can even be thought of as a universal antidote for illness in general. Who would have known that the secret to better health, the fountain of youth, has always been with us, literally underneath our feet, and we can access it at any time.

Sources:

Chevalier, G. et al. (2013). Earthing (grounding) the human body reduces blood viscosity – a major factor in cardiovascular disease. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 19(2): 102-10.

Chevalier, G. et al. (2012). Earthing: health implications of reconnecting the human body to the earth’s surface electrons. Journal of Environmental and Public Health, 2012: 291541, 8 pages.

Ghaly, M. & Teplitz, D. (2004). The biologic effects of grounding the human body during sleep as measured by cortisol levels and subjective reporting of sleep, pain and stress [abstract]. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 10(5): 767-76.

Oschman, JL. (2007). Can electrons act as antioxidants? A review and commentary [abstract]. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 13(9): 955-67.

Oschman, JL. (2009). Charge transfer in the living matrix [abstract]. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 13(3): 215-28.

Oschman, JL. (2008). Perspective: assume a spherical cow: the role of free or mobile electrons in bodywork, energetic and movement therapies [abstract]. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 12(1): 40-57.

Sokal, K. and Sokal, P. (2011). Earthing the human body influences physiologic processes. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 17(4): 301-8.

Sokal, K. & Sokal, P. (2012). Earthing the human organism influences bioelectrical processes [abstract]. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 18(3): 229-34.

Sokal, P. & Sokal, K. (2011). The neuromodulative role of earthing [abstract]. Medical Hypotheses, 77(5): 824-6.

Read more on grounding:

Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever? – by Clint Ober, Stephen Sinatra & Martin Zucker

* Do not attempt to ground through electrical outlets unless an EMF consultant has assessed and reduced EMF levels in your home.

https://www.emfwarriors.com/reconnecting-with-the-earth/