Earthing: The Secret to Fighting Disease

Have you ever taken a barefoot stroll in the sand, grass, or forest lately? For the majority of us, such experiences are few and far between. However, it seems there’s a compelling reason for us to prioritize these activities. A movement known as “grounding” or “earthing” is making waves in the holistic health domain.

What exactly is earthing? The main aspect of this practice involves walking barefoot outdoors, allowing the soles of your feet to have a direct connection with the earth’s surface.

Although it might initially sound odd – ditching your shoes and digging your toes into the dirt or sand, or casually strolling across pesticide-free grass – there’s evidence suggesting that it can bring significant health benefits by reducing free radical damage (also known as “oxidative stress”), stress, inflammation, and pain.

What Is Earthing?

Earthing is the act of bringing the body into direct contact with the earth. This contact is unmediated, meaning the skin, often that of the foot, touches the earth’s soil or water. Indigenous cultures have been practicing earthing for thousands of years. It’s not a novel concept but has been gaining popularity in recent times as more people come to realize how our daily contact with the natural environment has diminished.

The notion behind earthing or grounding is that the planet we inhabit (Earth) is a source of beneficial negative energy that we can ‘plug’ into to counter the positive charge we accumulate from our typical modern lifestyle, which often lacks regular contact with nature, especially direct contact.

Earthing Types and Products

There are two primary ways to engage in earthing: outdoors or indoors. Traditional outdoor earthing doesn’t require any equipment and can be done wherever you can establish contact with the earth. This is typically regarded as the best and most straightforward approach.

Types of outdoor grounding include:

• Walking barefoot outside, letting your feet touch the ground
• Lying down on the ground
• Going swimming in natural water
• Gardening

Indoor earthing products comprise:

• Earthing mats: These mats claim to minimize electric and magnetic field exposure and enable a connection between your body and the earth while indoors. Resembling yoga mats, they have a controller and are linked to electrical fields emanating from the earth’s surface. They offer an easy way to practice earthing while working at a desk, standing in the bathroom or kitchen, watching TV, or talking on the phone.
• Earthing shoes: Most contemporary shoes have rubber soles, but grounding shoes have natural leather soles. The idea is that the permeability of the leather permits a connection to the earth, which is obstructed by standard soled shoes.
• Earthing bands: These are elastic and adjustable bands that can be placed on the wrists and arms. Some individuals prefer to wear these while cooking, working, or performing various tasks around the house when they can’t be outdoors.
• Earthing bed: A type of electrically charged bed has been developed featuring silver wires that connect to the electrical charge of the earth once plugged into an “earthing” port. These beds essentially have conductive systems that transfer the earth’s electrons into the body. Even when indoors, sleeping in an “earthing bed” might assist us in absorbing the effects of the earth’s electricity and normalizing our circadian rhythms and sleep patterns.
• Earthing sheets: Earthing sheets have a grounding wire designed to plug into the ground port of your wall outlet or grounded rod, intended to connect you to the earth while you sleep.

As you can observe, there are numerous options for practicing earthing indoors, but most experts concur that nothing compares to traditional outdoor earthing. Grounding yourself outdoors rather than indoors also adds the significant health benefits of nature that are inaccessible while indoors.

How Does Grounding Work?

The most remarkable aspect of earthing (or grounding) is its simplicity and cost-free nature. It merely requires your bare body and the willingness to try something that might initially seem unconventional.

You might be somewhat skeptical about this phenomenon, so allow me to elaborate further on the fundamentals of how earthing operates and provide some solid scientific explanations.

1. Your body functions through a form of electrical current. As the Journal of Environmental and Public Health states: “It is an established, though not widely appreciated fact, that the Earth’s surface possesses an unlimited and continuously replenished supply of free or mobile electrons. The Earth’s negative charges can create a stable internal bioelectrical environment for the normal functioning of all body systems, which may be crucial for setting the biological clock, regulating circadian rhythms, and balancing cortisol levels.”

2. Your body is inherently capable of absorbing electrical charges from the earth since your skin acts as a “conductor.” Your feet, particularly certain points in the balls of your feet, are believed to be exceptionally proficient at receiving the earth’s electricity.

However, due to our modern lifestyle – for instance, constantly wearing shoes and spending most of our lives above ground in our homes or offices located several floors up in tall buildings – we’re losing touch with the earth’s natural “electrical” force.

3. “… Everything in the body is electrical first, chemical second,” earthing expert Clint Ober told the Neurohacker Collective.

The brain, heartbeat, and neurotransmitter activity, for example, all rely on electrical signals. Thus, when our electrical system is disrupted, certain aspects of our health can also be affected.

The concept is that by being in contact with the planet, the electrical force emanating from the earth is capable of helping reduce inflammation and combat free radicals. In fact, the term “earthing” has even been patented as a natural method for reducing disease-causing inflammation.

Benefits

Regrettably, up to this point, our current healthcare model has offered us very little, if any, research on the significance of the bioelectrical component of our health. Nevertheless, the idea that the earth has an electrical pulse that influences our body is not new. This has been proven and well understood for many years and is an important aspect in preventing accidents or injuries in fields such as radiation, gas, dynamite, or surgery.

Much of the information we have regarding the bioelectrical impacts on our health has been obtained outside the realm of medical science and health-related research. However, despite having only a few solid studies on the health benefits of bioelectrical impulses, many of us have “experienced” the benefits firsthand.

For instance, have you ever taken a walk on the beach or a stroll in the park, allowing your bare feet to touch the grass or sand and felt a sense of tranquility?

The known benefits of earthing are associated with the reduction of free radicals that occurs in the body when it comes into contact with “free electrons,” whether from the earth or foods grown from it.

According to a 2012 report in the Journal of Environmental Public Health: “Throughout history, humans mostly walked barefoot or with footwear made of animal skins. They slept on the ground or on skins. Through direct contact or through perspiration-moistened animal skins used as footwear or sleeping mats, the ground’s abundant free electrons were able to enter the body, which is electrically conductive. Through this mechanism, every part of the body could equilibrate with the electrical potential of the Earth, thereby stabilizing the electrical environment of all organs, tissues, and cells.”

Here’s how this process can specifically benefit your health:

1. Reduces Inflammation

Put simply, it’s believed that the inflow of free electrons from the Earth’s surface helps neutralize free radicals and reduces both acute and chronic inflammation as well as accelerated aging. Experts on earthing and grounding contend that this practice can enhance circulation, meaning you’re better able to distribute nutrients throughout your body and also remove waste and toxins.

In fact, improved circulation can have a substantial impact on the body in numerous ways – from boosting energy levels to reducing swelling.

According to a report published in Alternate Therapies in Health and Medicine, “Inflammation is now recognized as an overwhelming burden to the healthcare status of our population and the underlying basis of a significant number of diseases. The elderly generally bear the burden of morbidity and mortality, which may be reflective of elevated markers of inflammation resulting from decades of lifestyle choices.”

How does earthing help curb inflammation? Inflammation, which triggers diseases for many individuals, is largely attributed to a deficiency of electrons in your tissues.

When your body senses that it’s “under attack” or ill, it delivers reactive oxygen species to the site of injury. In other words, it triggers an inflammatory response in an attempt to heal and defend you. When this occurs, some free radicals can leak into surrounding tissue and damage otherwise healthy parts of your body by causing swelling, pain, heat, and redness.

The reason we aim to consume plenty of high-antioxidant foods is the same as why we should practice earthing. Antioxidant electrons in your body help ensure that damage from free radicals doesn’t spiral out of control and lead to high levels of inflammation and accelerated aging, just like anti-inflammatory foods do. Essentially, the free or mobile electrons from the earth can assist in resolving chronic inflammation by acting as natural antioxidants.

It also can aid in managing and reducing pain and enhancing muscle recovery, as per research, partly due to its anti-inflammatory effects.

2. Helps Reduce Stress Hormones

Chronic stress can significantly undermine your quality of life, as you’ve likely experienced firsthand. Fortunately, time spent in nature can truly help reverse certain feelings of stress and anxiety.

One double-blind study that investigated the effects of earthing on 58 healthy adults utilized conductive adhesive patches placed on the sole of each participant’s foot to monitor their electrical signals. The subjects were exposed to 28 minutes in the unearthed condition followed by 28 minutes with the earthing wire connected. Controls were unearthed for 56 minutes.

After earthing, approximately half of the subjects exhibited “an abrupt, almost instantaneous change in root mean square (rms) values of electroencephalograms (EEGs) from the left hemisphere of the brain.” These changes are believed to signify positive alterations and lower stress reactions.

Nineteen of 22 earthing participants also experienced decreased blood volume pulses (BVP). After considering the effects on electrophysiological properties of the brain and musculature as recorded using EEG, EMG, and BVP readings, the findings suggest significantly higher reductions in overall stress levels and tensions among the earthing participants compared to the control group.

In addition, grounding has been shown to enhance mood in those who practice it.

3. May Help You Sleep Better

A 2007 study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine demonstrated that connecting the human body to the earth during sleep (earthing) normalizes the daily cortisol rhythm and improves sleep patterns. This is because of the influence that stress hormones have on your natural circadian rhythm, energy, and ability to sleep soundly.

It’s proposed that the earth’s “diurnal electrical rhythms” set the biological clocks for hormones that regulate sleep and activity. We’ve all had the experience of tossing and turning in bed, unable to fall asleep due to racing thoughts.

When our bodies are not in alignment with the natural rhythms of the earth, including the patterns of light and darkness or “electrical” charges, our sleep and immunity suffer. The indoor lifestyle that many of us lead might be one reason for the increasing cases of chronic fatigue syndrome.

One 2006 study published in the Journal of European Biology and Bioelectromagnetics observed the patterns of patients’ cortisol levels before and after grounding. They discovered that their cortisol rises and dips were scattered and somewhat unpredictable in the adults before they practiced earthing.

After earthing, their levels of cortisol were more in line with the natural rhythms of the earth and sun. They had higher cortisol early in the morning when we naturally require more to feel alert and awake, and they had lower cortisol at night when we need to unwind in order to fall asleep for the night.

Electrically and chemically speaking, poor sleep is often a symptom of high stress hormones like cortisol. By lowering our response to stressful events in our lives, we can fall and stay asleep more effortlessly.

Sleep is essential for healing the body at the most fundamental level – boosting our immunity, providing us with sufficient energy for proper digestion, combating food cravings or weight gain, and supporting a healthy mindset.

4. Can Help Increase Energy

Many individuals have discovered that earthing or grounding can enhance their energy or combat low-grade, persistent fatigue. This could be a side effect of improved sleep but also attributed to improvements in hormones and lower levels of inflammation.

For instance, numerous studies point to the fact that elevated cortisol levels deplete the body’s energy. Physiological stress and cortisol have a close connection. Stress influences cortisol, and cortisol can further intensify stress responses.

This cycle can lead to fatigue and sleep issues, along with cravings for low-nutrient foods, sugar, and excess calories, which further contribute to low energy levels.

5. Can Help Lower Pain

Inflammation is a major source of pain as it leads to swelling, stiffness, reduced mobility, and malformation. Inflammation in the joints and tissues is the primary cause of pain associated with chronic conditions such as arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), for example, is an autoimmune inflammatory disease that typically involves pain in multiple joints along with symptoms like fatigue, fever, weight loss, eye inflammation, anemia, and lung inflammation. In someone with RA, the body releases enzymes that attack its own healthy tissue, thereby destroying the linings of joints.

By reducing inflammation, it’s highly possible to alleviate pain caused by chronic autoimmune disorders, injuries, headaches, menstrual problems, and so forth.

One 2010 pilot study compared the pain levels of adults who were grounding compared to a control group following intense exercise that induced muscle soreness. The results indicated that grounding the body to the earth altered measures of immune system activity and pain.

Among the ungrounded men, there was an expected, sharp increase in white blood cells (a sign of an inflammatory response) and a greater perception of pain after exercise. In contrast, the grounded men had only a slight increase in white blood cells, indicating less inflammation, and experienced shorter recovery times.

6. Supports Heart Health

Research published in 2013 in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that grounding can lower blood viscosity and clumping. This led researchers to conclude: “Grounding appears to be one of the simplest and yet most profound interventions for helping reduce cardiovascular risk and cardiovascular events.”

Updated research from 2023 expands on the heart benefits of earthing, noting that “grounding outside on the earth can work synergistically to help naturally increase circulation and blood flow, decrease blood viscosity, increase heart rate variability, and reduce soreness after exercise. Not only will this benefit your entire cardiovascular system, all of your bodily organs will also benefit from the improved blood flow, in addition to your heart.”

How to Do It

There is no such thing as earthing “too much,” and it’s likely that the more we engage in it, the greater the benefits we’ll obtain. Simultaneously, even short periods of direct contact with the earth throughout the day can be beneficial.

You can achieve this by coming into direct contact with dirt, rock, or water. You can walk barefoot on a natural surface, or you can swim in a natural body of water.

Some ways to initiate having more direct contact with the earth can include:

• walking barefoot to the mailbox
• gardening without shoes on
• barbecuing outdoors barefoot
• lying directly on the sand at the beach instead of sitting in a chair
• and many other easy and practical methods

Earthing sounds rather enjoyable, doesn’t it?

Risks and Side Effects

Are there any potential negative side effects of earthing? Of course, you need to be cautious about where you’re walking barefoot and be on the lookout for any hazardous materials (such as glass or sharp rocks) that might be present in the area where you’re grounding.

Are there any dangers associated with earthing mats? Some sources recommend avoiding the use of indoor grounding products like mats in high-voltage environments to reduce the likelihood of becoming a conductor for the grounding path. To minimize this