“Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.” ~Chief Seattle, 1855
We Are Connected
As many of us know, the earth is electrically charged. The upper atmosphere is positively charged and the surface of earth has a negative charge. This means the atmosphere has less electrons and the surface of the earth has an abundant, unlimited supply of electrons created from solar wind, ionospheric wind and lightning from thunderstorms. When we walk barefoot on the earth, these free electrons are absorbed through our skin and added to unpaired electrons in our systems. At this level, our bodies maintain electrons in paired balance, which means less damage to our systems. When this happens, we create optimal health.
Every physiological process of the human body has an electrical aspect. Typically, we are insulated from the ground charge of the earth through our shoes, cars and houses. Plastic, rubber, cloth, glass, dry wood and dry air are good insulators. Metal, concrete and water are good conductors of electric charges. When our bodies are not connected to the earth’s ground charge, we build up an unhealthy amount of free electrons. This means that our bodies are charged with static electricity (which is a build up of electrons) and our electrical currents are weakened.
Earthing and Physical Health
In our bodies, inflammation has been found to be the underlying cause of many health challenges and diseases. At its root, inflammation is an imbalance in fluids and of our electrical charge. Our bodies naturally put out free electrons to destroy the cause of harm. Electrons are like the antioxidants of the body. If these electrons stay out of balance, they start attacking healthy cells. It’s just their nature to seek pairing with electrons of other cells. This, coupled with the abundance of electrical charges from our environment, can lead to serious challenges. A natural result of this imbalance is an increase of cortisol levels (the stress hormone) and disruption to our natural circadian rhythms. Circadian rhythms affect sleep/wake cycles, hormone regulation, and body temperature among other functions.
Over 75% of visits to primary care physicians in the U.S. are for stress related health conditions. According to a National Sleep Foundation study, 62% of American adults suffer from sleep problems. Studies have shown that increased connection of humans to the earth (Earthing) normalizes cortisol levels, and reduces or eliminates various sleep challenges, pain and stress. Earthing has been studied further around brain activity, muscle tension and blood volume pulse. It has shown an almost instantaneous reduction in the EEG reading in the left hemisphere of the brain (but curiously not the right.) In addition, Earthing has shown abrupt changes in muscle potential and activity and a reduction of blood volume pulse. This information suggests a reduction in overall stress levels and tensions and a shift in system balance swiftly upon Earthing.
Earthing for Life
So what’s the skinny on all this? It’s simple—we would benefit to have a stronger, more direct connection with the earth. This could mean spending more time outside barefoot. Or hugging a tree. Or being in the ocean. Or digging in the garden. Damp ground actually conducts the best, so a barefoot walk on the beach is one of the best Earthing opportunities. Regardless of how you connect, chances are you’ll feel better and have less pain, inflammation, exhaustion and more vitality as a result. There are products out there that ground you while you sleep or work as well (Earthing.com.)
At its core, all of this means that we are inherently connected to and benefit from regular contact with our supporting organism, our lovely Earth. We need it—not just metaphorically, we physically need the electrical grounding of this planet.