Science Now Provides Some Proof for This Strange, New-Agey Therapy

For over two decades one man has been on a mission to awaken a skeptical world to a great source of healing energy.

It costs nothing, yet few people know it even exists.

According to this gentleman, all we have to do to benefit is place our bare feet on the ground. That's it. It even has its own name - earthing.

You might be surprised to learn there’s some scientific evidence for this strange-sounding therapy. . .

Successful Colorado cable TV entrepreneur Clinton Ober was struck down by an illness and not expected to survive -- but amazingly, he did.

After his recovery, he gave up work, sold his house, and traveled around the country to look for a deeper meaning in life.

Five years later, he found it.

He did so after a simple question came to mind. Does insulating ourselves from the ground by wearing rubber or plastic-soled footwear affect our health?

After enduring skepticism and outright derision from "experts", he gathered significant scientific evidence for his out-of-the-box idea.

He is now taken more seriously -- at least by some – especially those who have applied his concept and now enjoy improved sleep, reduction -- even elimination -- of chronic pain, and resolution of many other health issues.

Better Sleep, Reduced Pain, Less Stress

To test his theory, Mr. Ober conducted a study in 2000 in which 60 people with insomnia, and joint and muscle pain were divided into two groups.

One group slept in a bed with a conductive pad connected to a wire running to a ground rod stuck in the Earth outside the bedroom window. This grounded the volunteers in the same way as standing barefoot on grass.

The other group had exactly the same set up with one small change to prevent them from being grounded. None of the subjects knew which group they were in.

After 30 days the results were in, and they were remarkable.

Compared to the ungrounded, 85% of the grounded went to sleep more quickly; 93% slept better throughout the night; 82% experienced a significant reduction in muscle stiffness; 74% experienced reduction or elimination of chronic back and joint pain; 100% felt more rested when they woke up; and 78% reported improved general health.

Since then, a dozen researchers have gotten involved in studies on grounding and published 21 peer-reviewed pilot studies. These demonstrate that grounding improves people's sleep, reduces pain, and lowers stress.

Measuring The Effects

Heart Rate Variability (HRV) - This is a gold-standard medical test for measuring stress in the autonomic nervous system. A double-blind study demonstrated a significant improvement in HRV only in grounded volunteers, providing strong evidence that grounding can balance the nervous system and support cardiovascular health.

Cortisol - This stress hormone was measured during sleep both before and after grounding.

The researchers concluded that grounding "reduces night-time levels of cortisol and resynchronizes cortisol hormone secretion more in alignment with the natural 24-hour circadian rhythm profile."

Inflammation - Photographic images documented both reduction and prevention of the key signs of inflammation following injuries.

Rapid resolution of painful chronic inflammation was confirmed in 20 case studies using medical infrared imaging.

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) is a common complaint following intensive physical activity. Ungrounded men saw a typically heightened inflammatory response, but the grounded group saw a decrease in their white blood cell response, indicating almost no inflammation.

Blood viscosity - The negative charge on the surface of red blood cells increased significantly after two hours of grounding. This translates to better blood flow and fluidity. As a result, the researchers concluded, "Grounding appears to be one of the simplest and yet most profound interventions for helping reduce cardiovascular risk and cardiovascular events."

How does grounding produce these benefits? Here’s the theory. . .

Electrons Flow Into The Body

Humans are not just chemical beings but electrical ones, and everything we do is energized by electricity.

The earth is a brimming reservoir of free electrons, and both the earth and the human body are excellent conductors of electricity.

Advocates of earthing believe these negatively-charged electrical particles can easily be transferred from the ground to the body so long as there is direct skin contact. This remedies an electron deficiency we didn't know we had.

By doing so, the body's natural internal electrical rhythms are restored and stabilized. This in turn promotes the normal functioning of the body including the cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, nervous and immune systems.

The flow of electrons from the earth to the body was documented by electrical engineer Roger Applewhite and published in 2005. He also showed that earthing (also known as grounding) reduces harmful electromagnetic fields on the body.

Find Out For Yourself – It’s Free

"The degree of gratification I have had seeing people lose their pain and feel better is beyond description," says Mr Ober. He even claims to "have seen plenty of people near death make comebacks..."

Unfortunately, the kind of large, carefully controlled human trials that science insists upon are not yet available and, owing to their huge cost, will probably never become available. So we are each left to decide whether the evidence presented is credible.

Fortunately, you can test the concept free of charge. Just make barefoot contact with the earth - grass, soil, even concrete - for 40 minutes a day and see what happens. People often report feeling benefits within a few minutes.

If the results are positive, then it's possible to remain grounded for most of the day simply by purchasing grounding shoes for outdoor use and other grounding products for home use.