The pulse of the Earth is the pulse of Life itself.

In the 1950s, we discovered the electromagnetic field surrounding the Earth, called the Schumann Resonance. In between the Earth and the ionosphere are a series of extremely low frequency (ELF) electromagnetic resonances which has connected all living things to the earth for all of time-- up until now.

Here’s the problem. Modern life disconnects us from our natural electric state and hinders our body's ability to function optimally.

Problem #1: If we consider the fundamental changes in our lifestyle over the past century, what seems to have been overlooked is our electrical connection to the Earth. All life has lived grounded electrically to the Earth at every point in life’s history, up until modern times. These days, we spend our days indoors, in cars, and even when we’re outside we wear insulated shoes that prevent us from connecting to the earth through earthing, also known as grounding. 

 

Problem #2: On top of being isolated from the harmonizing frequencies of the Earth, we are constantly bombarded with nnEMF (non-native electromagnetic frequencies). nnEMF is emitted from electric devices like cell phones, microwaves, wifi, powerlines, and even light bulbs. This type of radiation is extremely confusing, and damaging, to our biology. [1]

Being surrounded by man-made nnEMF and disconnected from the (native, low-frequency) EMF of the Schumann resonance disrupts our internal clock’s ability to tell time (our “circadian rhythm,” the sleep/wake cycle) and coordinate nanoscopic biochemical reactions that are crucial for optimal health. 

When we address the current health of the developing world, inflammation stands as the central health issue of our time.

As life has evolved here on Earth it not only paid attention to the light and dark cycle, but it ingrained the frequency of the Schumann resonance into our biology. The brain uses this natural resonance along with light and dark to tell time. The master controller of all life is time, and when our internal timing is off, a myriad of missed biochemical reactions result in inflammation. Inflammation is often called ‘the root of all modern disease.’ (Luckily, earthing has been shown to lower inflammation, as pictured. [2])

The frequency of the Earth, the Schumann Resonances, have a distinct peak at 7.83Hz, which  matches the frequency of brain waves associated with meditation, inner calm, creativity, mindfulness, and healing. Studies show that separation from the Earth's natural light and frequencies confuses your circadian rhythm and plays a part in affective disorders, such as depression and bipolar disorder. [3,4]

This is why being outside feels so refreshing: you're literally hitting the reset button on your biology and syncing to the natural rhythm of the Earth, as nature intended.

Going barefoot connects us to the harmonizing rhythms of the Schumann resonance.

When we go barefoot at the beach, swim in the ocean, or wear earthing shoes, we share the same electrical potential as the Earth and therefore submerge ourselves in the harmonizing rhythms of the Schumann resonance. These experiences reveal the peace and clarity these types of earthing practices bring into our life.

Listen To The Experts

For further info on how earthing can help normalize your circadian cycle and avoid the harmful effects of high-frequency-man-made EMF, check out what these different experts have to say about it:

• Neurosurgeon, quantum physics biohacker & optimal health coach: Jack Kruse. Read EMF 1: Does Your Rolex Work? for a detailed explanation of earthing and how it affects our human biology.
• Entrepreneur & biohacking expert: Dave Asprey. Read his post about How He Killed Jet Lag and Got More REM Sleep Too
• Pioneer in the field of our bioelectric selves: Robert O. Becker. Read his book The Body Electric: Electromagnetism And The Foundation Of Life
• Biohacker and esteemed athlete Ben Greenfield explains how we can charge our bodies using the frequencies of the earth in the video below [2 mins].

The Ultimate Earthing Shoes

We offer a modern rendition of an ancient minimalist running sandals design made with Vibram® soles and our grounded conductive lacing system™ offering the ultimate barefoot sandal experience.

Grounded Conductive Lacing System™

• Featuring two parallel stitches of conductive stainless steel thread up the entire length of the lace and secured to the bottom of the sandal with a copper plug to keep you grounded.
• The foot's contact with the stainless steel thread on the bottom of the lace allows for efficient electron flow between the skin and the earth via the conductive thread - copper plug circuit. 

 

Read more about the primal experience of living grounded to the earth, just as all life on this planet has evolved to do, and how training outdoors in earthing shoes offers optimal athletic performance and recovery. 

 

References:
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3897901/
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4378297/
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4256086/
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3179573/

What is Earthing?

Earthing, also known as grounding, is when your bare skin–typically the feet–contacts the earth. The earth is a giant electron storehouse with a subtle electric pulse called the Schumann Resonance that has fostered the evolution of biological life on earth for all of time. When you are electrically grounded, your biology has access to an endless supply of electrons allowing you to function as you have evolved to, entrained to the 24 hour circadian rhythm of the earth which orchestrates normal diurnal hormone patterns.

Grounding Electronics and the Electric Human

Grounding is a crucial component in the efficacy of the electronics and telecommunications industry. You have to ground all data transfer cables to the earth in order to maintain electrical stability, prevent charge, and avoid electrical interference (noise). For example, the control system of cell phone towers is kept in shielded metal boxes on the ground which run to the antennas via heavily grounded cabling to prevent electrical interference.

The crisp image TV is able to bring is due to the cable shielding which prevents electrical interference (noise). The cable is wrapped with a conductive sheath that is grounded to the earth to shield any electrical charge from interfering with the wires transmitting data-rich signals inside.

Grounded technology is what has allowed for the complexity of perfect data transfer in today’s age of the telecommunication industry through the internet, cable, and telephone.

The human body is no different. We require ground to maintain electrical stability–we are electric beings after all–and achieve perfect data transfer between the complexity of our environment (Earth’s 24-hour day cycle) and our human circadian rhythm, which informs the myriad of biological processes our bodies perform daily.

Ultimate Guide to Earthing

Human beings function optimally when we have a slight negative charge, the same to that of earth, which happens naturally when we connect electrically with the earth via grounding. The electron-rich natural rhythms of sunlight, lightning, and the earth’s hydrologic cycle charge the earth with an unlimited supply of negative ions. When we humans are disconnected from the earth, our bioelectric potential and immune system go deficient. This happens more rapidly with exposure to man-made electromagnetic frequencies (cell phone, wifi, refrigerator, smart meter etc.) as this man made form of EMF affects tissue repair processes and disturbs immune function through stimulation of various allergic and inflammatory responses.[1]

Early Earthing Research

Clint Ober, author of Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever! and pioneer earthing researcher, worked 25 years in the telecommunications industry where grounding electrical equipment was a part of his daily work. One day the idea occurred to him: ever since the advent of rubber soled shoes, humans were no longer in contact with the earth. Could this be having an effect on human health?

As it turns out, the answer is a resounding yes. Humans are electrical beings: like everything both living and inanimate, we are made up of atoms which have a net charge that’s either positive, negative, or neutral. Just like electrical equipment, when our bodies are not grounded, there is a buildup of positive ions that wreak havoc on our health.

One of the first ways Ober tested his theory was in a study testing the salivary cortisol levels of grounded participants: and results were profound.[2][3] While cortisol levels were all over the place before grounding, after earthing cortisol levels were regulated and synchronized with circadian rhythm. Furthermore, those who slept grounded via earthing sheets showed a normalization of cortisol secretion that started to increase at 4am and peaked at 8am (morning alertness). The only thing that changed in these sleeping subjects was the fact that they were sleeping grounded. His findings started him on a long journey of research, and resulted in scientists and researchers around the world looking into the remarkable (and plentiful) science-backed health benefits of earthing.

The Science-Backed Benefits of Earthing

There are two fundamental changes that occur when you are grounded that are responsible for all of the science-backed benefits of earthing: reduced inflammation and regulated circadian rhythm.

What is Inflammation?

Inflammation is primarily caused by neutrophils, which are a type of white blood cell the body releases when it detects a pathogen or damaged cell. Neutrophils are sent to the site where the pathogen or damaged cell is located, encapsulate it, then release reactive oxygen molecules (reactive = missing an electron).

 

If you don't have enough electrons in your body, when a neutrophil does its job (oxidative burst to destroy the pathogen or damaged cell) and there are leftover reactive molecules, within nanoseconds these reactive molecules are going to steal an electron... the only resource left being a healthy cell in an ungrounded body.

When an electron is stolen from a healthy cell, the immune system is then triggered: "oh there's more damage," and sends more neutrophils to remediate the newly damaged cells, and so begins a chain reaction. Silent, chronic inflammation that can continue for years. To prevent this inflammatory domino effect, it's easy: get grounded.

When you are electrically grounded to the earth, free electrons spread throughout the body, which has an antioxidant effect. After the neutrophils release their oxidative burst and seek out electrons, the electrons from earthing are there to neutralize the situation. This prevents neutrophils from stealing electrons from healthy cells.[4]

What is Circadian Rhythm?

In short, circadian rhythm is your body’s internal clock. Sunlight, forest bathing, groundwater submersion, and earthing all connect you with the extremely low frequency (ELF) of the earth’s Schumann Resonance which informs our internal clock. Circadian rhythm encompasses much more than just the sleep-wake cycle–it’s how your body coordinates the 24-hour cycle of precise biochemical reactions that are crucial for optimal health.

When we live disconnected from the harmonizing frequencies of unadulterated earth, our internal timing is off, which results in serious problems like inflammation, insomnia, mood affective disorders, and autoimmune disease.

Science-Backed Benefits of Earthing

Heart Health and Blood Flow

Earthing has been shown to increase the surface charge of red blood cells, thereby reducing blood viscosity and clumping. The red blood cells maintain separation as a result of their surface charge, allowing for a more orderly single-file flow into the capillaries. Grounding appears to be one of the simplest and yet most profound interventions for helping reduce risk of cardiovascular events. The circulatory benefits of earthing increase the health and recovery of our body's tissue by improving the delivery of oxygen and nutrients throughout the body.

Further studies have shown earthing's effectiveness in improving heart rate variability (HRV). Variability in one's heart rate is linked with reduced stress and greater calmness. HRV is a widely accepted indicator of health–yet another reason why earthing is a powerful tool to use to minimize risk of a cardiovascular event.[5][6]

Pain Reduction and Expedited Wound Healing

Earthing after injury can reduce or even prevent the hallmark signs of inflammation: redness, heat, swelling, pain, and loss of function. Researchers have confirmed expedited recovery of painful chronic inflammation using medical infrared imaging.[7]

Pain reduction from earthing helps both newly formed wounds as well as the many types of chronic pain, such as arthritis. By producing measurable differences in the concentrations of white blood cells, cytokines, and other molecules, earthing benefits the inflammatory response.

Grounding after exercise is helpful in the speed of recovery. One study monitored pain and immune response and pain in response to injury employed delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) of participants who wore grounding patches and slept on earthing sheets versus a placebo group. The grounded participants not only reported less pain, their immune system and healing process showed less inflammatory markers.[8]

Sync Your Internal Clock for Better Sleep

Earthing yields quantifiable changes in diurnal circadian cortisol secretion levels that improve sleep.[3] Grounding’s regulating effect on circadian rhythm prepares your body for sleep hormonally, while its stress-reduction qualities lower anxiety and other symptoms that can make it hard to fall or stay asleep. Earthing helps prevent insomnia, quickens sleep onset, and results in a deeper, more restorative night’s sleep.[9]

Earthing Infants and Vagal Tone

 

Earthing preterm infants led to a 95.6% mean decrease in skin surface voltage at the onset of electrical grounding. The incubators in this study were outfitted with a power supply inches from the baby's mattress, which produced a sizable electromagnetic field (EMF) at the mattress level–meaning babies in the incubators were constantly exposed to EMF. 

When researchers affixed grounding patches to the newborns (neonates), they found impressive improvements in the infants' vagal tone. The vagus nerve is a fundamental component of the parasympathetic nervous system balance, and vagal tone is linked to activity of the heart, vessels, lungs, digestive tract, and more. 

The electrical environment of an incubator affects autonomic balance. Electrical grounding improves vagal tone and may improve resilience to stress and lower the risk of neonatal morbidity in preterm infants.[10]

Cognitive Function and Neuromodulation

If your body is experiencing chronic inflammation, one of the first functions to be affected is cognition. All-too-common results of this are brain fog, fatigue, irritability, and problems with mood, memory, and mental processing. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanisms of electrons via grounding make earthing a potent way to maintain normalized function in the brain. Clean up chronic systemic inflammation with regular earthing to experience life with minimal neurological impairment.

Earthing has significant influence on the electrical activity of the brain, generating an immediate change in brain scan results via electroencephalography (EEG), surface electromyography (SEMG), and somato-sensory evoked potentials (SSEPs). The normalizing effect of earthing on the brain, as indicated by the tests performed in this study, indicates that grounding may play a primary role in regulating neurological and nervous system function.[11]

3 Simple Ways to Incorporate More Grounding into Your Lifestyle

Use an Earthing Mat and/or Earthing Sheet

 

Earthing mats or earthing sheets are an easy way to bring the benefits of earthing into your home as they simulate the effect of sleeping in direct contact with the Earth, while still being in the comfort of your own home. Place a grounding mat under your desk upon which you can place your feet while you work. Earthing sheets can be used on the bed to stay grounded all night long. Grounding equipment like earthing mats and earthing sheets can either be plugged into the grounding outlet of your wall, or you can route the cord outside and stick a stake straight in the earth!

Athletes are always among the firsts to discover new health and performance tactics, so it is no surprise that athletes around the world are employing the science-backed benefits of earthing into their recovery protocol.

Tour de France athletes have been using grounding sleeping bags during competitions for years. By sleeping in these 'grounded cocoons' each night, the athletes experience accelerated tissue repair and wound healing, and wake up refreshed and ready to compete in the next leg of the race, averaging 105 miles a day![12]

See the Benefits of Earthing for Yourself

Thermal photography taken before and after grounding has demonstrated a notable reduction in inflammation and normal thermal symmetry after just 30 minutes of earthing.[7]

Earthing Shoes and Earthing Sandals

Earthing shoes are another simple trick to stay grounded. Wear grounding shoes to reap the benefits of earthing barefoot, with more protection underfoot for limitless potential!

If you don’t want to hike/run/walk the dog while barefoot, try earthing shoes. Earth Runners earthing sandals feature a copper plug and conductive stainless steel stitching up the entire length of the lace, keeping you fully grounded whenever you are standing or walking upon the earth.

Or, turn any minimalist shoes into grounding shoes with an Shoe Sync DIY Kit.

Are Earthing Shoes Effective?

Earthing At Home and On The Go

Everyone can add earthing into their daily routine, there are many ways to incorporate grounding into your lifestyle.

• Gardening barefoot

• Read a book or play with the kids in the backyard, sans shoes

• Eat lunch outside with your bare feet planted on the ground

• Take a nap on the bare earth

• Have a picnic (but leave your feet off the blanket)

Earthing Making Waves

The amazing benefits of earthing are making waves around the world. 

• The Earthing Institute

• The Grounded (2013)

• The Earthing Movie

• Dr. Mercola

• Jack Dorsey, Twitter CEO

• Ben Greenfield, triathlete & NYT Bestseller

References:

1. https://sciencedirect/S09284680
2. http://next-up.org/ACM_Journal
3. https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1565046
4. https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PMC437
5. https://semanticscholar.org/844f/
6. https://liebertpub.com/acm.2011
7. https://earthinginstitute.net/thermo
8. https://.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PMC43
9. https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PMC32
10. https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/286018
11. https://sciencedirect/S030698771
12. https://yt/icZIZ5UUoOE

The Traditional Chinese Medicine practice (TCM), over 2000 years old, outlines twelve primary channels called meridians, which run through the body and serve as energy highways between all the vital organs of the body and its environment. One must tune and maintain these energetic pathways to avoid energy stagnation in the body, improper function, and disease. By doing so, one can create harmony in the body and fully express optimal health. Harmony in the body is strongly influenced by one’s environment. Bathing in the natural rhythms of Nature, free from the high frequency interference of modern society, the body is able to recalibrate.

Music is essentially any of twelve tones within an octave. Twelve notes and the octave repeats. It’s the same pattern over and over. All that an artist can offer the world is how they play those twelve notes. The 12 meridians and their characteristics make the human body similar to that of a musical instrument, making us the musician. As the creators of our own reality, the ways we decide how to maintain, tune and utilize the twelve meridian channels in our bodies will largely affect the musical score of our life. Combining nature with movement, the mind and body are able to re-synchronize their energetics to their natural set point, allowing for flow with our surroundings which create the music.

The body is the instrument and the foot is the tuning fork. The master Kidney meridian channel exits the body through the soles of the feet and holds the most influence over the meridian channel network. To create harmony we must nourish our twelve meridian channels by leveraging our feet. The power of this meridian to influence the entire body stems from our connection with the earth. If we remain rooted in the natural world, both literally and figuratively, the harmonies we create with our body instrument are sure to attune us to the rhythm of a contented heart.

We are electrical beings, this is something that both traditional eastern medicine and modern allopathic western medicine agree upon. Whether we are talking about qi and meridians, or the sinoatrial and atrioventricular nodes in our hearts, we are bioelectric.

One of the best ways to fortify the kidney meridian channel of the body is by walking barefoot in nature. The kidney 1 point on the sole efficiently grounds (connects electrically) the body to the natural Schumann Resonance and physically activates this channel through pressure. Being connected to Earth underfoot and at the same time forest bathing, we fuel our liver, responsible for governing the smooth flow of energy along all meridian channels. By barefooting in nature we maintain a dynamic energetic network in the body while keeping in tune with the rhythm of harmonious health. Unified with the information rich environment we are native to, we flow with the natural tempo of our rightful place in space and time.

After wrapping up his sedentary responsibilities as a student Michael Dally committed to a career, free of degenerative work environments. After graduating with a degree in Mechanical Engineering from San Diego State University he took a year off in pursuit of a vision. It was during this time that he received the inspiration to develop Earth Runners from the the Tarahumara Native American Indians of Northwestern Mexico. Since its launch in 2012 Earth Runners has been leaving its footprint in the minimalist footwear marketplace. 

• The Benefits of Earthing shoes
• Why Surface Area and Conductivity Matter
• The Most Grounding Activity there is!
• How to Fix Your Circadian Rhythm
• The Differences Between Indoor and Outdoor Earthing
• Dysafferentation.. or how it’s “Use it or Lose it” with the feet
• Avoiding Plantar Fasciitis and Tendonitis
• A DIY Kit for Earthing any shoe!
• And Much More

>>> Listen to the interview over at Lost Empire Herbs by CLICKING HERE.

Guest post by Alan Thwaits

My discovery of earthing happened because I was introduced to a pair of sandals. A pair of Earth Runner Alpha X sandals , to be exact. Michael Dally of Earth Runners offered me a pair to review, and I took him up on it. I'm glad I did.

 In the course of testing the Alpha Xs for a review on my blog, I became intrigued about earthing. First, I looked at the earthing section of the Earth Runners website (which I recommend you do too). Then I checked out some earthing-related videos on YouTube, did more research, and soon purchased an earthing mat from the Earthing website.

Even after a little less than a week sleeping grounded with my earthing sheet, the effects were dramatic. For the first time in years, I slept straight through the night (numerous radiation treatments for prostate cancer over the past eight years have played havoc with my sleep and urinary patterns), and also lost some chronic pain in a thumb joint.

I noticed a marked reduction in my stress levels. Shortly before starting to use the earthing mat, we started an extensive house renovation, which meant that we had to empty the house, relocate to a condo, and board our two dogs and four cats. That would have been enough to unhinge anyone, but was especially tough on me. I have Aspergers Syndrome, and, like most Aspies, find any change in routine extremely harrowing. Being earthed made a really big difference in my ability to cope with the changes.

I feel like I've begun a whole new chapter in life education as I learn more about earthing.

I've just finished reading "Earthing," by Clint Ober, Stephen Sinatra, and Martin Zucker. It's been a fascinating read, especially the more technical appendices at the end of the book.

I sleep on the earthing mat, and I also have it under my feet as possible during the day (for between two and four hours each day). I'm still sleeping soundly, and I'm still managing stress better. Not just day-to-day stress during the house renovation, but also acute stress - one of our greyhounds has been in emergency ICU this week, and I don't think I would have coped nearly as well without the help of earthing.

I plan to buy a full earthing bed sheet in the near future, and maybe also a set of earthing patches. And, when the warmer weather arrives, a pair of fully conductive Circadian Earth Runners . Earthing makes so much sense as a way of optimizing my health and we'll-being that I'd be foolish not to.
I urge you to give earthing serious consideration. It may be one of the best things you'll ever do.
Barefoot Journey blog:
http://barefootjourney.org/
Twitter: @basicbare

In 2007, a team of researchers from the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health ran a study and concluded the following, “The nature of the electromagnetic environments that most humans are now regularly exposed to has changed dramatically over the past century and often bears little resemblance to those created in Nature”. “In particular, the increased masking/shielding/insulation of individuals from beneficial types of natural electromagnetic phenomena, the presence of synthetic materials that can gain strong charge and increase exposures to inappropriate electric field levels and polarities have greatly altered the electromagnetic nature of the microenvironments many individuals usually occupy.”

Here’s the problem. Living indoors disconnects us from our natural electric state & hinders our bodies ability to tell time.

Living the majority of our lives indoors exposed to high-frequency-man-made electromagnetic frequencies (EMF) reaps havoc on our biology when disconnected from the natural low frequency EMF’s found on the Earth’s surface. These foreign frequencies interfere with our internal clock’s ability to tell time and coordinate nanoscopic biochemical reactions that are crucial for optimal health. Most people believe that the circadian clock of the brain is controlled exclusively by the light and dark cycles but this is not the case. There are magnetic cells in our suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus that coordinate with the electromagnetic resonance of the Earth and its ionosphere. The electrical exchange between the earth and the ionosphere are constantly excited by lightning discharges, creating a global electromagnetic resonance called the Schumann resonance frequency.  As life has evolved here on Earth it not only paid attention to the light and dark cycle, but it ingrained the frequency of the Schumann resonance into our biology. The brain uses this natural resonance along with light and dark to tell time. The master controller of all life is time, and when our internal timing is off, a myriad of missed biochemical reactions result in inflammation.

When we address the current health of the developing world, inflammation stands as the central health issue of our time.

If we consider the fundamental changes in our lifestyle over the past century, what seems to have been over looked is our electrical connection to the Earth. All life has lived grounded electrically to the Earth at every point in life’s history, up until modern times. This electrical disconnect from the harmonizing rhythms of the Earth seems to have affected our bodies ability to accurately tell time. Alpha brain waves known for their synchronous electrical activity throughout our nervous system, resonate at the same frequency as the Schumann resonance. This implies that our nervous system uses the Schumann resonance as a fixed reference point to help tell time and normalize the biological rhythms of the body.

Going barefoot connects us to the harmonizing rhythms of the Schumann resonance.

When we go barefoot at the beach or swim in the ocean we share the same electrical potential as the earth and therefore submerge ourselves in the harmonizing rhythms of the Schumann resonance. These experiences reveal the peace and clarity that earthing practices (Earthing shoes & earthing sheets) bring into our life. Not to say there are not many other factors at play in this given scenario, but it’s hard to ignore some fundamental factor contributing here.

Earthing Sheets simulate the effect of sleeping in direct contact with the Earth.

As an engineer myself, I decided to run my own experiment to test the effects of earthing while eliminating as many of these variables as possible. I created an earthing sheet made of locally available goods and planned to sleep grounded as I had read about in the book Earthing, by Clinton Ober. This would simulate the effect of sleeping in direct contact with the Earth, while still being in the comfort of my own bed. I attempted to replicate the protocol used in the earthing studies I had read. I did this by creating as much surface area between me and my earthing sheet as possible, and also made sure to connect my sheet directly to a stake in the ground out my window. I created a video showing how I made my earthing sheet, in hopes that others can run the same experiment and experience the same remarkable results that I did!

Earthing sheets can be ordered online from many different distributors including EarthingOz.com.au.

Listen to the neurosurgeon.

For further reading on how Earthing can help normalize your circadian cycle and avoid the harmful effects of high-frequency-man-made EMF, check out EMF 1: Does Your Rolex Work? by Jack Kruse. Jack is a practicing neurosurgeon and optimal heath coach who has taken the paleo community by storm in the past few years. He has been sharing his tried and true methods he and his patients have been practicing for the past 6 years with remarkable results.

There's been quite a buzz recently among athletes and health enthusiasts, on how to more quickly and easily recover from acute or chronic inflammation and injury through earthing. The term ‘earth’ is used often in Europe and equates to what we also call ‘ground’ here in America.

A 'grounded' human being is someone who is connected to and receives direct benefit from the infinite free electron source generated directly from our planet. We’re grounded when we hold the same electrical potential as the Earth’s surface. Electrons are absorbed or discharged via the skin, mainly through our feet in contact with the ground. This is an ancient and profound yet hugely common sense principle of well-being that’s currently resurging amidst enthusiastic stories of its success.

It’s well accepted that electrical systems of our homes or sophisticated electrical equipment must be grounded to function safely and effectively. But how much have we considered the human body as being fundamentally bio-electric in nature, also working more optimally with grounding, and suffering adverse effects from the lack of it?

The universe is all about energy! Simply put, energy is universal information in motion within and around everything. It’s very fast moving so we perceive only a very small percentage of it through our five senses; usually, we can notice only its effects (think radio signals, ultrasound, or even love). Its electrical charge is that spark of life that animates us, and has been well regarded for thousands of years primarily by eastern and indigenous cultures - who’ve actually studied its properties and called it by many names – Chi, Qi, Ki, Life Force energy, prana, mana, orgone, electrons, Shakti, kundalini, and more. Our universe is alive due to interactions of energy. All our thoughts including perceptions, beliefs, wants and needs, all our emotions and feelings, our sensations and movements, and our anima or spirit are the outcomes of this essential substrate of energy.

Surrounding and permeating each living thing– from this living, breathing planet down to the smallest single cell organism - is a bio-electromagnetic field. This field is a function of the vitality present in that being. In another’s presence you may sense this as radiance or a glow. Or you feel a charge of electricity when approaching someone with whom you share a mutual attraction. We’ve all felt surprise due to shocks by static electricity; at those moments we’re a conductor for that excess charge. On a much grander scale, the more than 5,000 lightning strikes per minute globally constantly refresh the Earth's almost unlimited supply of free electrons. To illuminate how immensely powerful this force is, a single lightning storm can contain more energy than ten atomic bombs.

All our body’s trillions of cells function electrically. Each cell is like a battery; it runs at a specific millivoltage and frequency. Generally speaking, disease is caused when cells have too little voltage and are running at too low a frequency. Ultimately our health depends on the electrical charge maintained within and around our cells and our organ systems.

The body seeks to maintain homeostasis– a state of balance. Unstable, highly reactive free radical molecules (caused by tobacco smoke, sugars, x-rays, pollution, etc) have unpaired or ‘stray’ electrons so they ‘steal’ electrons from healthier cells to regain stability. But this causes oxidative damage to those cells that then also turn into free radicals and thus a chain reaction of damage begins. Inflammation, disease and aging are attributed to this free radical damage. Antioxidants help reduce damage from free radical reactions because they donate electrons which neutralize the radical without forming another. The influx of electrons from grounding provides an externally sourced natural antioxidant effect, and gives the body another raw material to heal itself.

A simple voltmeter test offers direct evidence how grounding eliminates excess electrical charge (and thus helps inflammation), by bringing the body into electrical balance with the Earth. For energy-depleted persons, grounding helps by uploading vital electrons, reenergizing the body’s’ electrical state. Its energy continuously works towards our body homeostasis by either delivering or absorbing electrons. Grounding balances us and helps us feel whole again. Who wouldn’t want this infinitely huge vital life force on her or his side, available 24/7 towards greater health and a sense of well being?

Our ancestors lived much more closely to the earth on dirt floor dwellings, often slept on the ground perhaps under stars, and worked daily barefoot or shod with minimal foot coverings. There was an awareness and respect for influential cycles of nature and the ebb and flow of life. Seasonal rituals and ceremonies were hallmarks of celebrating Nature.

Remember the barefoot joy you felt running around outside as a child? Where did that joy go? Collectively we’re driven almost nonstop to be acquisition motivated by consumerist mentality, constantly pressured by high living costs and economic disparity, and are ill from effects of degraded air, water and genetically and chemically modified, irradiated, pesticide treated foods. Megacorporations trump rights of individuals while depleting precious natural resources. The needs of the many are preempted by and for the wants of a few. We’ve insulated ourselves from Nature. We live mostly indoors, and walk in synthetic footwear and high heels on asphalt and carpets. We are swimming (drowning?) in an ever-growing and pervasive invisible sea of harmful electromagnetic fields and frequencies (EMF). Face it – we’re stressed out!

Unlike all other species ever to have lived on this planet, it seems that overall our human race has lost our way, our essential connection to this paradise, and our ability to live sustainably. We often forget or ignore that it’s only by this grace and generosity of the Earth our original and true mother, that we may sustain this physical life at all. Our survival as a species is intimately linked to a healthy relationship with our environment.

So tell me - are you communing lovingly with Nature? Do you feel gratitude as She feeds you, quenches your thirst and washes you, clothes you, breathes life into you, soothes your soul with Her beauty, Her breath, Her songs? Do you feel a healthy respect and awe for Her enormous elemental powers of creation, sustenance, and destruction? Do you have a direct, up close and personal relationship with Her? How do you feel Her, touch Her, smell Her, taste Her? When last did you lay your body down on this Earth and exhale a sigh of relief?

Perhaps now in this eleventh hour, after so much worldly suffering, stress and angst, we will personally activate change by taking a step or two – barefoot steps – onto the living earth, to simply be present to the enormous power we stand upon. Such a basic action of a single human being reverberates throughout the entire cosmos. Imagine how we may create a larger shift when we get grounded by the millions.

Here’s the easiest way to ground yourself: Go barefoot on Earth – walk, lie down, stand, or sit in a chair with your feet on the ground for awhile each day. You could begin with just twenty minutes daily…longer and more often is even better. On damp earth or at water’s edge is best, as moisture enhances conductivity. Our tissues know how to ‘soak up’ and use these electrons so that, over time, our bodies may recharge and heal.

Why not get started here and now? Getting grounded is readily accessible, and it’s free, too. We don’t need conductive sandals or earthing products to get grounded, although they can improve our quality of life by helping us stay grounded more often and in all sorts of settings. We do need to get back in touch with Big Mom, our planetary home. Ground your body; invest some time at it and see what happens for you. Make a heartfelt effort, and very soon you shall learn for yourself what this precious gift is that’s been offered to you, right under your feet, all along.