THE BENEFITS of being BAREFOOT

Grounding, or ‘earthing,’ as some people call it, involves placing your feet directly on the ground without shoes or socks as a barrier. The logic behind this practice relates to the intense negative charge carried by the Earth. This charge is electron-rich, theoretically serving as a good supply of antioxidants and free-radical destroying electrons.

Dr. James Oschman, a PhD in biology from the University of Pittsburgh and an expert in the field of energy medicine, notes: Subjective reports that walking barefoot on the Earth enhances health and provides feelings of well-being can be found in the literature and practices of diverse cultures from around the world. For a variety of reasons, many individuals are reluctant to walk outside barefoot, unless they are on holiday at the beach. 

It makes sense if you think about it; in our most natural state, we wouldn’t really be wearing any sort of cover on our feet. Putting your feet on the ground enables you to absorb large amounts of negative electrons through the soles of your feet which, in turn, can help to maintain your body at the same negatively charged electrical potential as the Earth.

The human body is highly conductive. We, like the earth, are running on electromagnetic energy. Our nervous system is like internal wiring that’s transmitting information throughout our entire body. We’re also made of minerals, and our tissues hold water, so we are very much like a walking, talking, conductive battery.

“Every tissue in the body carries a charge, and this is actually what allows many functions to happen. Inflammation, in particular, is a natural function facilitated by a type of white blood cell called a neutrophil. Neutrophils deliver reactive oxygen species (also known as free radicals) to the site of an injury or need. These free radicals carry a positive charge that will tear harmful bacteria apart and break apart damaged cells to create room for healthy cells to move in and repair tissues. Pretty cool, right?”

“Inflammation is not supposed to be a catastrophic thing (and when our ancestors lived, they rarely experienced it, likely due to the fact that their lifestyles included a lot of earthing. The real problem arises when free radical activity goes unchecked and some of those free radicals leak into the surrounding tissue and damage healthy cells. This is the real cause of inflammation, and most people are dealing with this at chronic levels on a day-to-day basis.”

“Every day you have cellular damage, simply by the nature of being alive. Damaged heart cells, liver cells, muscle cells, etc., all set off an oxidative burst of free radicals to address them. This is basic chemistry, featuring a positive charged event that needs to be neutralized, which earthing and grounding on a regular basis can do.” 
 

THE SCIENCE OF EARTHING

A study published a couple of years ago in the Journal of Environmental and Public Healthtitled Earthing: Health Implications of Reconnecting the Human Body to the Earth’s Surface Electrons postulates that earthing could represent a potential treatment/solution to a variety of chronic degenerative diseases.

It concluded that simple contact with the Earth, through being either outside barefoot or indoors connected to grounded conductive systems, could serve as a natural and “profoundly effective environmental strategy” against chronic stress, ANS dysfunction, inflammation, pain, poor sleep, disturbed HRV, hyper-coagulable blood, and many common health disorders, including cardiovascular disease. The study concludes:
 

The research done to date supports the concept that grounding or earthing the human body may be an essential element in the health equation along with sunshine, clean air and water, nutritious food, and physical activity.
 

As mentioned earlier, studies have found grounding to reduce blood viscosity, which is a major factor in cardiovascular disease. One study, published in the Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine, even concluded that earthing may be “the primary factor regulating the endocrine and nervous system.”

According to a review published in the Journal of Inflammation Research:

Grounding reduces or even prevents the cardinal signs of inflammation following injury: redness, heat, swelling, pain, and loss of function … Rapid resolution of painful chronic inflammation was confirmed in 20 case studies using medical infrared imaging … Our main hypothesis is that connecting the body to the Earth enables free electrons from the Earth’s surface to spread over and into the body, where they can have antioxidant effects. Specifically, we suggest that mobile electrons create an antioxidant microenvironment around the injury repair field, slowing or preventing reactive oxygen species (ROS) delivered by the oxidative burst from causing “collateral damage” to healthy tissue, and preventing or reducing the formation of the so-called “inflammatory barricade”. We also hypothesize that electrons from the Earth can prevent or resolve so-called “silent” or “smoldering” inflammation.

There seem to be dozens of studies which confirm the physiological effects of grounding, which include anything from anti-aging and heart health benefits to improved sleep and much, much more.

“This simple process of grounding is one of the most potent antioxidants we know of. Grounding has been shown to relieve pain, reduce inflammation, improve sleep, enhance well being, and much, much more. Unfortunately, many living in developed countries are rarely grounded anymore.” 

– Dr Jospeh Mercola

When grounded, the diurnal rhythm of the stress hormone, cortisol, begins to normalize. Cortisol is connected to your body’s stress response and helps control blood sugar levels, regulates metabolism, helps reduce inflammation, and assists with
memory formulation. 

How You Can Get Grounded

We all spend most of our time walking on the earth wearing shoes with rubber or plastic soles. These materials are insulators, used to insulate electrical wires. They also disconnect you from the Earth’s electron flow, which we are supposed to (naturally) be connected to. If you wear leather-soled shoes (or vegan leather!) or walk barefoot on sand, grass, soil, concrete, or ceramic tile, you will be grounded. If you walk on asphalt, wood, rubber, plastic, vinyl, tar, or tarmac you will not be grounded.
 

3 easy ways:

1.Walk barefoot outside. Go out, and walk around with your bare feet on the soil. Embrace any surface available, wether its sandy, muddy or dry, and have your body absorb and adapt to it. Let your energy sink into the ground, as you take in the sunlight. 10 minutes of this can recharge some of your kidney energy, while giving you your daily dose of Vitamin D.

2. Get creative with your "Earthing" supplies. Create more therapeutic grounding sources within your own home. Im a big fan of creating my own earthing supplies, some ways way you can do it is adding clay and herbs into your bath tub. Add a few scoops of bentonite clay to your hot tub (or a foot tub would work) and allow it to steep into the water. Sit and macerate into the grounding water. Also naturally having a lot of plants within your home helps bounce the excessive electromagnetic energy around us. 

3. A head to toe body mask. Mineralize and detoxify with ancient clays. Mix 2 parts bentonite clay with 1 part water. Mix well and add more water if you desire it more liquidy. Cover your entire body and leave it on for 20-30 minutes until the body mask is dried up. Then take a warm shower and scrub it off. Try doing this at least once or twice a week for best results.

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