The picture above shows an improvement in facial circulation after 20 minutes of grounding, as observed by a Speckle Contrast Laser Imager. Areas in dark blue are with the lowest and those in dark red are with the highest blood circulation.
Left: Before grounding; Right: After grounding. Image Source: Scientific Research Publishing
If you prefer walking barefoot in your yard, you may be onto something very healthy. And come to think of it, how often do you walk barefoot outside? Today’s society doesn’t really consider the effect Nature can have on us as much as it has been respected back in the past.
And most people will only walk barefoot on the ground outside when they are on holiday at the beach. If you are one of these people, then you should consider the following:
Also known as grounding or earthing, walking barefoot on the ground has long been associated with spiritual practices. However, this technique is much more than just a conviction.
Having been built by Nature’s laws, it’s only logical to assume that our most natural state would be the healthiest one in most respects. And when it comes to the feet, the moment they touch the surface of Earth, its intense negative charge starts affecting the body in a number of positive ways.
The electron-rich surface of the earth starts exchanging these electrons with our body and charges it with their antioxidative and free-radical destroying properties – and according to scientists, this is only the tip of the iceberg.
Degenerative diseases
A team of researchers led by Gaétan Chevalier of the Developmental and Cell Biology Department at the University of California at Irvine have studied the effects of Earth’s surface electrons on the human body and have concluded that the solution to fighting chronic degenerative diseases could be right beneath our feet.
“Contact with the Earth – whether being outside barefoot or indoors connected to grounded conductive systems – may be a simple, natural, and yet profoundly effective environmental strategy against chronic stress, ANS dysfunction, inflammation, pain, poor sleep, disturbed HRV, hypercoagulable blood, and many common health disorders, including cardiovascular disease.”
– Gaétan Chevalier et al.
Wounds, immune response, chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases
A review done by Nature’s Own Research Association, in collaboration with the University of California at Irvine and the University of Oregon, has found that grounding has a profound effect on our body’s immune response and it serves to reduce and even prevent “the cardinal signs of inflammation following injury.”
The electrons from the Earth which start to circulate our body help in the healing of even the most serious and most persistent open wounds by reducing the inflammation and allowing for the healthy cells to form and the tissue to recover.
The researchers explain that “when mobile electrons are not available, the inflammatory process takes an abnormal course. Areas that are electron deficient are vulnerable to further injury – they become positively charged and will have difficulty warding off infections.”
This results in a “constantly activate and eventually exhausted” immune system, which in due course could fail to make a distinction between the body’s diverse chemical structures and the molecules of bacteria, fungi, parasites, and cancer cells.
The outcome could be a devastating attack of the immune system on the body’s own tissues and organs, which in other words is an autoimmune disease. Grounding does not only help in the prevention, but it is also beneficial in the treatment of this.
Cardiovascular diseases
Another study led by Gaétan Chevalier, published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, shows that grounding works on the cardiovascular system by increasing the surface charge on the red blood cells, thus reducing the viscosity of the blood and clumping.
Blood viscosity is a major factor in cardiovascular diseases and the research team concludes that grounding is “one of the simplest and yet most profound interventions for helping reduce cardiovascular risk and cardiovascular events.”
Facial blood flow
By spending even an hour in touch with the ground, a study has found that the electrons entering the body help to restore blood flow regulation to the face. This means “enhanced skin tissue repair and improved facial appearance with possible implications for overall health,” or in other words, less acne and inflammation and quicker healing of any wounds.
Stress and cortisol levels
Connected to the stress response of your body, and a hormone which helps with the regulation of the blood sugar levels, metabolism, inflammation, and memory formulation, Cortisol is a very important hormone.
When out of balance, this hormone is known to cause major stress, interfere with learning and memory, it can lower the function of the immune system, contribute to weight gain, increased blood pressure, and the list goes on.
A study concluded that grounded people exhibited a reduction in cortisol during sleep and a proper alignment of the same with the natural 24-hour circadian rhythm profile.
The list of the positive effects of grounding can be extended to a lot more than this. In short – grounding rebalances your body with its natural rhythm and helps it to recover and restore its functions quickly and efficiently.
HOW TO GET GROUNDED
Grounding doesn’t require a lot of thought. If you have a yard, spending time barefoot on the ground will charge you up with the electrons from Earth’s surface. There are even conductive systems for indoor grounding, which you can use while sleeping, sitting in front of your computer, and you name it.
While we do spend most of our time walking from place to place, and thus being in touch with the Earth’s surface, the problem is that the soles of our shoes insulate us from the negative charge of electrons below.
While leather (and vegan leather) soles allow for some transfer, it’s best to take off your shoes and socks and walk, or just stand on the ground and let your body take what it needs from it.
Most illnesses of the 21st century are connected to the loss of touch with the ground, as our bodies have become more positively charged and with that more susceptible to infections, degenerative diseases, hormonal imbalance, and autoimmune diseases… the list goes on.
We need to reconnect with our true nature and allow our bodies to start healing the way they were built to. Many people are in desperate need of this.
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Image Source: Scientific Research Publishing
A professional writer with over a decade of incessant writing skills. Her topics of interest and expertise range from health, nutrition and psychology.