What on Earth is Earthing?

The Earth Provides Us With Healthful Electrons

Our homes and offices today are filled with electronic devices, wireless connections, microwaves, fluorescent bulbs, microwaves, cell phones and cell towers, power lines, domestic wiring, and electrical appliances, which makes our bodies have a positive charge.

And many of us live and work in high-rise apartments and offices. With more distance between us and the earth, our body carries an even higher charge. 

New research shows that the lack of electrons in our bodies may be what's causing an increase in chronic pain, inflammation and other modern health issues.  

The earth’s surface is negatively charged, full of free electrons we can absorb by earthing.

EARTHING is the practice of touching your skin to the earth, such as grass, sand, dirt, mud, a river, lake, or ocean.

DIFFERENT WAYS TO EARTH:

Garden - Take your gardening gloves off (unless you're working with something prickly).  Planting and moving the dirt around will help you earth.  If the ground is smooth with no stickers, garden barefoot.  You might even create a special earthing garden; somewhere to walk barefoot or even just a bench to sit on with your feet on the ground.

Trees - as long as the tree is growing from the ground and not in a pot, you can use it to earth  Lean against a tree, hold onto the branches or hug the trunk with your bare hands or arms.  

Beaches - Walk barefoot or lie directly on the sand.  Walking in wet sand is even better. 

Grass lawns - Walk barefoot or lie in the grass (some part of your skin needs to be bare.  Again, wet grass is better; I love walking in the grass early in the morning when dew is still on the ground. 

Clay - One person on the Earthing Forum says he keeps a small tub of real clay on hand when he can't walk barefoot outdoors. He pulls out some clay, kneading it over and over again, adding water as needed.  Whether this works as an earthing method or not, it certainly would be therapeutic. 

If you can't find any clay from the ground, you might have a hard time finding any "real" clay to buy.  I've spent some time looking at art supply companies online and all I can find are synthetic clays. Perhaps you can dig some dirt out of your yard, put it in a bucket, add water, and create mud.   

If you're not used to walking barefoot, the bottoms of your feet will be tender.  You could start by setting up a folding chair and wiggle your feet in the grass or earth (pour some water on the ground for a better effect).  

Then try standing up and taking a few steps.  If the bottoms of your feet hurt, sit back down and move your feet through the grass / earth some more.  If that's boring, "march" your feet up and down while sitting still to get a little more exercise and acclimate your feet to the earth.

People react differently to earthing; some even feeling WORSE. This may be similar to when someone detoxes.  Stop earthing for a while and try again.

Dr. Stephen Sinatra (prominent cardiologist) doesn't recommend earthing for patients taking the drug, Coumadin. This article explains his views on earthing (grounding).    

If you walk barefoot outdoors, make sure you walk in a safe environment and the ground is free of broken glass or other contaminants. Also watch out for thorns, rocks, acorns, dog feces, fire ants, scorpions, and other small stinging critters. 

Just because an electrical outlet has a three-prong plug doesn't automatically mean that it was properly installed. Use a circuit checker to find out if the outlet is properly grounded.  

Some people state that you shouldn't plug in an earthing mat into the same electrical outlet or power strip as your computer.

A grounding mat or sheet needs to touch clean, bare skin. Don't apply body lotions prior to earthing.  Wash your mat occasionally with mild soap and water.  If your mat has a cover, you can hand or machine wash it.  Don't use liquid fabric softeners or dryer sheets; you can also air dry it. 

Earthing doesn't last forever. For instance, when you stop exercising, you lose muscle and energy.  When you stop connecting with the earth, you also lose the benefits.

• The Ultimate Antioxidant: Fight Premature Aging for Free by Dr. Mercola
  
  
• Earthing’ – Important Discovery or Mumbo-Jumbo?
  
  
• DIY Earthing Shoes and How to Make Them
  
  
• Build a Home Made Grounding Device