Our society is inundated with chronic disease and pain. I bet you can think of at least one person - if it isn’t yourself - who is constantly rubbing their back, checking their blood pressure, or otherwise struggling to feel healthy. Causes of nearly all of these modern pains and diseases (including cancers, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, pain syndromes, digestive complaints, arthritis, etc.) are rooted in stress and inflammation. So what on Earth does any of that have to do with wearing shoes or not?
Earthing, also called grounding, is the practice of standing on or otherwise being directly connected to soil or earth without barriers between your skin and the ground. This practice helps to greatly reduce the physical markers of stress and inflammation in the human body. Several studies have found earthing
Decreases pain - joint and muscular
Reduces stress (as measured by heart rate, blood oxidation, and muscle tension)
Lowers inflammation (as measured by hormonal levels)
Balances hormones
Increases immune function
Improves sleep quality
Elevates mental clarity
Enhances the sense of overall wellbeing
Today, we throw on rubber soled shoes after being inside our houses crossed with electrical wires to go into another equally insulated building completely cutting ourselves off from the Earth’s electrical exchange. Without the connection to the flow, it is proposed that excessive static electricity and electrons build within our bodies, interfering with our bioelectrical signals. That means anything run by our brains or our nervous system (aka everything) will be operating under a type of electrical confusion, decreasing efficiency. Our connection to the Earth is proposed to be the “missing link” of health in grounding research and conjecture. While it is best to be grounded always, at least going by our evolutionary history, that’s not always possible, so spend as long as you can as often as you can earthing. Even just 15 minutes a day with your feet in the grass, toes in the sand, or entirely in a natural body of water will also offer benefits! For those of us in the concrete jungle or who want to experience the effects of conductivity while stuck at their desk, check out Earthing.com or search for grounding mats on Amazon. These products allow you to ground while indoors. How often do you earth? What are your experiences? Let me know in the comments! ______________________ References Chevalier, G., Patel, S., Weiss, L., Pruitt, C., Henry, B., Chopra, D., & Mills, P. J. (2018). Effects of Grounding (Earthing) on Massage Therapists: An Exploratory Study. Health, 10(02), 228-250.
Oschman, J. L. (2011). Chronic Disease: Are We Missing Something?, The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 17(4), 283-285.