Make a Connection

3.19

Modern life brings many conveniences, and I also think we are exposed to a lot of unintended consequences. A while back, a friend of mine suggested I do a post on 'earthing' or 'grounding'. He relayed a story about a friend of his who had significant health issues which were totally overcome by getting barefoot on a beach. That sounded a bit odd to me, but a bit familiar at the same time...

So I did some of my own research, and realized I was vaguely familiar with what this friend of mine was describing. There is growing evidence of the benefit of 'grounding' our bodies to the earth (think of electrical grounding just like we do for appliances, and house wiring, except we're doing this with our bodies.) To benefit physically from earthing, or grounding, all we need to do is walk barefoot on a natural surface or get in a body of water.

What? That sounds a bit crazy... but stick with me and recognize where we find ourselves. For millennia humans wore foot coverings made of animal hides, etc., or no foot coverings at all. Since about the 1950's shoes have been made more and more of synthetics, especially rubber and plastics. Animal hides are great conductors of electric current, so they are great at grounding; synthetics are great insulators, so they break our connection to the earth's grounding potential.

'So what' you many ask? The free radicals we all have in our bodies, as well as numerous other inflammation-causing imbalanced electrical charges, all lead to poor health. These electrical charges can be neutralized through grounding our bodies; literally getting our shoes off and making a connection to the grass in the yard, walking on a beach, or getting our hands in the soil or swimming in the ocean or a pool. All of these will reduce or eliminate the additional electric charges present in our bodies, while we're grounded.

If we would make this grounding connection for 30 minutes a day, I suspect we would see our health improve, maybe by leaps and bounds. Sounds crazy, but I would say give it a try. Think of how it feels to lay in the grass and watch the clouds or star gaze... both of these are good means of grounding. Running on the beach? That's a wonderful way of grounding. A daily swim? Great idea.

Earthing and grounding is a worthwhile wellness pursuit. If you're ready to improve your connection with the earth, check out this article from Dr. Joseph Mercola with extensive explanation and resources for next steps. Enjoy your connection.

By the Way

I love that Dr. Mercola gives broader context: he highlights that there are numerous European communities (in Germany, Austria and Switzerland) where their daily routine starts with a barefoot stroll. I would venture to guess that health challenges of those citizens are significantly less than others in our modern, Western society.