The idea that walking barefoot outside will ‘ground’ us and make us healthier.

Earthing (also known as grounding), was something I heard about quite some time ago, but never really gave it much thought until recently, when I was discussing with a friend how it could help minimise/counteract WiFi exposure.

Since working on my computer more and more, I’ve noticed my mood has changed; I’m all over the place and I’ve become more irritable. So, when I start to feel the frustration coming on, or I’m experiencing headaches or tiredness, I take a break and go outside, either for a walk or just find a place to sit on the grass.

It’s incredibly effective in changing my mood and I feel ten times better when I go back to work again.

Earthing or grounding is the idea of having direct contact with the earth for extended periods of time without interruption. The skin needs to touch soil, water, sand, or other type of conductive surface that is in contact with the earth. This is often achieved by going barefoot.

According to Dr. Axe, ‘the idea of earthing or grounding is that the planet we live on (Earth) is a source of beneficial negative energy that we can “plug” into to counter the positive charge we build up from our typical modern lifestyle that often lacks regular contact with nature, especially direct contact.’

Many of us do not have this contact with the earth anymore. As a population, we wear rubber shoes, walk/run on cement footpaths, live indoors, and rarely sit down on the grass to enjoy time out to relax.

In theory, we could go for months, even years without directly touching the earth at all, even if we do go outside. Some experts wonder whether this lack of contact with the earth could be a contributing factor to the rising health issues we’re seeing today.

Over time, the theory is that this prolonged build up of positive charge may lead to health problems.

The Benefits of Grounding

According to Wellness Mama, earthing/grounding may be help with ‘reducing inflammation, reducing chronic pain, improving sleep, increasing energy (I noticed this also), lowering stress and promoting calmness by reducing stress hormones, normalising biological rhythms including circadian rhythm, normalising blood pressure and blood flow, relieving muscle tension and headache (I noticed this), improving menstrual and female hormone symptoms, speeds healing- used in some places to prevent bed sores, reducing jet lag, protecting the body from effects of EMFs, shortening recovery time from injury or athletic activity, reducing snoring, and helping support adrenal health.’

How to Ground Yourself

Walking outdoors barefoot is definitely the most easy and cost-effective way to ground yourself. If you live close to the ocean or other natural body of water that you can swim in, this is another great way to practice earthing. The skin must be touching the earth for at least 20 minutes (preferably longer), uninterrupted, to notice any effects.

For earthing to occur, the skin needs to be in direct contact with water, dirt, or rock. The beach is one of the best places because not only are sand and salt water very conductive, but salt water is also extremely high in magnesium.

Those who aren’t able to spend time outside may be able to earth indoors. There are many products available to help make grounding easy, including:

• Earthing mats. They look like yoga mats, but are connected to electrical fields given off from the earth’s surface. This allows you to practice earthing while working at a desk, standing around the bathroom or kitchen, watching TV, talking on the phone, etc.
• Earthing sheets. They have a grounding wire that can be plugged into the ground port of your wall outlet or grounded rod, which can connect you to the earth while you sleep.
• Earthing shoes. These shoes have natural leather soles. It’s thought that these soles allow the earth’s energy to penetrate though to skin, allowing feet to connect to the earth.
• Earthing bed. A type of bed with silver wires which are connected to the electrical charge of the earth once plugged into an “earthing” port.
• Earthing bands. These bands can be placed on the wrists and arms, and is connected to an outlet using a wire. It can be worn while cooking, working or doing jobs around the house.

As always, this is not personal medical advice and we recommend that you talk with your doctor before trying or using any new products. I am not a doctor. All opinions expressed are my own personal thoughts and feelings of the products mentioned. Check with your doctor or health practitioner if you are uncertain about trying out any of the products, recipes or tips mentioned in this post.

Have you ever tried earthing or grounding before? Did you notice any change? Share below.

Lots of love,

🖤 Vanessa

Sources:

Wells, Katie. (January 23, 2019). Earthing & Grounding: Legit or Hype? (How to & When Not To). Wellness Mama. Retrieved from https://wellnessmama.com/5600/earthing-grounding/

Levy, Jillian, CHHC. (August 23, 2019). Earthing: 5 Ways It Can Help You Fight Disease. Dr. Axe. Retrieved from https://draxe.com/health/earthing/

Munoz, Kissairis. (July 19, 2019). 6 Health Benefits of Being Outdoors. Dr. Axe. Retrieved from https://draxe.com/health/health-benefits-being-outdoors/

Weil, Andrew, M.D. (January 8, 2013). Is There Anything to “Earthing”?. Dr. Weil. Retrieved from https://www.drweil.com/health-wellness/balanced-living/healthy-living/is-there-anything-to-earthing/

Chryst, Nicole. (April 6, 2020). Go barefoot!. Naturally Wholistic. Retrieved from https://naturallywholistic.com/2020/04/go-barefoot.html

Zucker, Martin; Chevalier, Gaetan; Ober, Clint. (September 7, 2019). Grounding the Human Body: The Healing Benefits of Earthing. Chopra. Retrieved from https://chopra.com/articles/grounding-the-human-body-the-healing-benefits-of-earthing

Lockett, Eleesha, MS. (August 30, 2019). Grounding: Exploring Earthing Science and the Benefits Behind It. Healthline. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/grounding