An ancient practice is backed up by newfangled scientific discoveries.
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“Earthing,” or the direct physical contact of the human body with the surface of the earth, is gaining a ground swell of support in wellness circles, thanks in part to two recent studies whose findings support earthing as a potential game changer in the fight against chronic health problems. Both studies point to the power of the earth surface’s electrons to promote positive physiological changes.
For the first study, “Earthing (Grounding) the Human Body Reduces Blood Viscosity – a Major Factor in Cardiovascular Disease,” which appears in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, a group of doctors and scientists “grounded” indoor subjects by attaching conductive patches to the soles of their feet and connecting them to wires inserted in the earth outdoors. By then applying an electric field to subjects’ blood samples, researchers were able to detect an increased charge in their red blood cells, indicating a reduction in the blood viscosity and clumping often responsible for cardiovascular disease.
For “Earthing: Health Implications of Reconnecting the Human Body to the Earth’s Surface Electrons,” published in the Journal of Environmental and Public Health, researchers looked at the potential ability of earth’s electrons to: 1) neutralize the free radicals that compromise immunity and trigger the inflammatory response; 2) regulate sleep cycles, and 3) regulate the secretion of stress-causing cortisol. Subjects were given conductive carbon fiber mattress pads to sleep upon, with only half the subjects actually grounded to the earth’s surface (and none aware of the group to which they were assigned). After one month, most grounded subjects reported improvement in symptoms such as sleep disturbance and chronic muscle and joint pain; most in the control group did not.
To learn more about earthing, go to earthinginstitute.net or check out the book Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever? (Basic Health Publications, 2010) by leading experts Clinton Ober, Dr. Stephen T. Sinatra and Martin Zucker.
