Grounding or earthing has been regarded by its discoverer Clint Ober as the most critical health discovery in his book “Earthing.”
I first came to know Earthing almost a year ago, yet I haven't done anything with it.
Due to it simplistic concept, many people including myself and even medical professionals can hardly believe it does tremendous positive benefits on health and well-being.
I'm familiar with the book, but I didn't buy it until a month ago; I've watched the “Grounded” documentary, and I was convinced, but I didn't pull the trigger to do a similar thing to myself.
Grounded
During the last week of August(2015), I've watched the “Grounded” documentary for the second time, and this is the time I purchased the “Earthing” book as well.
It was fun reading the book and due to my electronics and computer backgrounds, the concept of grounding is not something difficult to grasp.
Added to that, I've recently got into health and wellness, and also watched Dr. Stephen Sinatra's presentation about grounding, so reading the “Earthing” book is not really a challenge.
In fact, it helped me “connect the dots”, and lead me to do grounding for myself initially, and a week later, my entire family has been sleeping grounded every night.
Grounding or Earthing Overview
This article does not talk about Grounding/Earthing in detail. There are sources far better of explaining the benefits grounding and how it helps the body restore health and wellness.
However, I would go over some basics, and if you want to learn more in-depth about “Earthing”, visit EarthingInstitute, and Earthing.com for related products useful for the process.
Also, you can buy the “Earthing” book at Amazon, which is authored by Clint Ober along with Dr. Stephen Sinatra, and Martin Zucker.
Benefits Of Grounding (Earthing)
In the first edition of the “Earthing” book, here are the benefits of grounding as Clint Ober and his co-authors' advocate.
I haven't been able to read the second edition of the book, but I'm certain, follow-ups of several ongoing studies mentioned in the first edition are included.
The benefits listed below are based on experiences and stories of people whom Clint Ober grounded and accumulated experience from his grounding “adventure” plus stories of doctors and their patients during the course of the grounding experience.
To be honest, I didn't experience all of these benefits as I don't suffer the majority of these conditions.
However, there are two particular conditions I feel relieved with just a few days of grounding experience, which I'm going to get into details below.
- Defuses the cause of inflammation and improves or eliminates the symptoms of many inflammation-related disorders.
- Reduces or eliminates chronic pain.
- Improves sleep in most cases.
- Increases energy.
- It lowers stress and promotes calmness in the body by cooling down the nervous system and stress hormones.
- Normalizes the body's biological rhythms.
- Thins blood and improves blood pressure and flow.
- Relieves muscle tension and headaches.
- Lessens hormonal and menstrual symptoms.
- Dramatically speeds healing and helps prevent bedsores.
- Reduces or eliminates jet lag.
- Protects the body against the potentially health-disturbing environmental electromagnetic field(EMFs).
- Accelerates recovery from intense athletic activity.
Back Pain Relief
For so many years I've been suffering from back pain. In fact, as far as I can remember it all started back in college days, and that's more or less 17 years ago. Back pain is really a mess.
I had three unforgettable severe back pain occurrences that made me unable to get up of bed.
It was torture. I've taken a pain reliever, but it only manages and when severe pain occurs, it simply eases the pain a bit so I can move and work normally.
Luckily, I was not one of those who suffer from back pain who also experience erectile issues.
I think back in early 2005, I decided to find something that can get me out of this pain.
The X-ray reveals nothing and doctors said it's normal and I just don't engage in lifting heavy stuff and sleep well-positioned to keep my spine at rest and free from tension.
Yoga and Stretching
The first thing I did was to do stretching with basic Yoga poses, which are also helpful in boosting my sexual health, and perhaps helped me overcome premature ejaculation.
Stretching exercises somehow helped, so I started doing core strengthening exercises like plank and push-ups. I always love bodyweight exercises, so I didn't get into weight lifting.
Months passed and become years, and I've been enjoying very minimal pain. The pain is still there and still disturbing me particularly during early morning upon waking up. When I woke up in the morning, I can't get up properly.
What I did was I use my arms and lay on my side before I can get up completely. And, the back is aching and I can feel the pain the tingling and it won't go away after an hour or so. I can't even do a fold forward fall stretch because it hurts a lot.
Important Health Discovery
Then, sometimes back in November of last year (2014), I stumbled on a video by Dr. Stephen Sinatra(posted above) presenting grounding as the most important health discovery.
I was intrigued about grounding because the only thing I know about grounding, it's about electrical and electronic devices grounding.
In the past sometime after college, I've worked at a semiconductor company and every employee prior to entering the production area needs to have their grounding cord and every machine and table in the production area have ports for grounding where the grounding cord is to be attached.
That's how lethal what is called “ESD” electrostatic discharged. And, until lately, I haven't realized it's bad and unhealthy for us, too.
Well, watching Dr. Sinatra was fascinating, yet I didn't take action immediately. Probably, my ego says it's so simple and eventually forgot about it.
Taking Action
Now, fast forward to August 2015, first week… I've watched the “Grounded” documentary and there I saw Clint Ober and it also turned on a light bulb on my head and reminds Dr. Sinatra's presentation a few months back.
This time, instead of ignoring and forgetting it later, I immediately took action.
I don't have any grounding paraphernalia, so I made my own DIY grounding system.
Due to my experience in electronics, electrical, and computers, it didn't take me a lot of time to make my own grounding stuff.
This is my DIY grounding connection back on those days. Today, I'm using a grounding mat, and we have 4 grounding mats for everyone in the house. Plus, we now spend more time outdoors barefoot.
At Last, Good News
And, here's the good news, and even me I can't believe it happened.
A few days of grounding… I can't recall exactly because I didn't make any record when I started exactly, but perhaps 3 to 5 days of grounding, one morning it seems a miracle happened and I didn't notice it.
Then, I think two more mornings until such time I felt so energized and didn't experience any back pain.
When I tried to recall when exactly the back pain was gone, I can clearly recall I'm enjoying back pain-free for 3 days. It was amazing! I feel like celebrating and I tell my wife about it.
For the first time in more or less 17 years, I've felt so good without back pain. It was unbelievable, but I'm experiencing it. I was speechless and blown away. Although this looks like I'm exaggerating, I'm just excited about what happened to me.
It's been over a month I've been back pain-free and I enjoy a lot the energy level I've got and feel very happy about it.
Makes Me Feel Good And Easy To Handle Stress
Prior to grounding, I have this habit of getting mad easily, and when I do get mad it's mostly uncontrollable.
This is why I maintain a good routine of staying calm through regular meditation practice, as well as a deep breathing exercise routine whenever I can throughout the day.
For years, I've been doing and I admit both are helpful along with physical activities I do, and choosing a healthy diet.
However, there is this feeling of anxiousness that visits me every morning mostly right after breakfast.
Since I work at home, I have the opportunity to de-stress for a few minutes, but it doesn't go away completely until around 10 AM.
Anxiety
Regardless of avoiding coffee and only drinking water and eating fruits and salads in the morning, or whether doing intermittent fasting, still that feeling of anxiousness still in me.
Even though I have that feeling of anxiousness, I'm still happy and my blood pressure level is normal. Whenever I come to the doctor, I'm always normal and I don't want to take medications because I'm “normal”.
On the other hand, I feel there's something wrong with me, but I don't know what it is and I have to figure out why.
A few days into grounding along with the back pain gone, this feeling of lightness and calmness also happened. My wife was surprised by the way I act…even our daughter was surprised, as well.
Now that I feel good every morning upon waking up, I continue reading the book about “Earthing” and watch videos about it and discovered it really helped people who are stressed. And, that's when I realized I was stressed, too.
Electromagnetic Frequency
The culprit of my stress as I can't think of anything but the EMF's around me. Our electrical grounding system at home is not working as it supposed to.
In fact, there was no grounding wire that runs around the house. I decided to test it with an EMF meter. So I bought a cheap one, which is pretty useful. When it arrived, we were surprised how much EMF is radiating throughout the house.
After knowing that, I grounded every electrical appliance at home also. There are some that are still not grounded, but since we don't use them very often, we make sure it's unplugged when not in use.
This feeling of calmness gives me a whole new meaning in life. Prior to this, I can only do things that I listed on my to-do list during the day.
While having this feeling calmness and freedom from stress, I double my productivity and I'm high on energy.
Walking Barefoot In Nature
In a previous article, I wrote on stress-relieving tips, one of the mentioned tips is forest bathing. It's walking or being around with nature and there's no doubt about it right now that being with nature really helps improve a person's wellness, one study finds.
Another study reported by the New York Times that walking in a park may soothe one's mind and improve mental health. The study was conducted by researchers at PNAS(Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences).
I figure out, why not walk barefoot whenever walking around the green grassy park, sandy beach, or even on the soil.
For people who are not familiar or haven't been taught by their parents to walk barefoot on soil, or even play with dirt, it's a complete opposite.
Not Allowing Children To Walk Barefoot
You may have heard parents tell their children to stay away from dirt and don't play with it. During my childhood, I played a lot on dirt, and as with most parents, my parents also warned me about it.
However, when I became a father, whenever my daughter plays dirt, it doesn't bother me at all. Of course, the dirt being or soil should be safe to play with…without the thorns and other dangerous foreign objects that could hurt her.
Since I've experienced grounding myself, I was able to “connect the dots”, it makes sense to play with nature as it's our connection to the earth that gives us many health benefits.
Today, whenever we're in a park, I take off my shoes and walking barefoot, sit on the grass, and play with the sand on the beach barefoot, as well.
Male Enhancement and Grounding Connection
Personally, I don't suffer from erection or any sexual issues.
However, I would like to mention this subject here because I know a lot of men are constantly seeking ways to improve performance in bed and boost virility.
Sure, there are numerous male enhancement supplementation and topical enhancement products in the form of creams, oils, and patches.
Additionally, there are those who are serious about both performance enhancements and penile size enlargement through various means including penile pumping, penile traction extender devices, and manual exercises.
Grounding with Other Methods
Doing any or combination of these enhancement methods either or both for a performance boost and/or size increase have been proven effective and safe when done consistently and appropriately, grounding can be of great support to all of it.
Besides, grounding does not cost anything except for time to be spent walking or standing barefoot on the ground, soil, or sand. Even more efficient use of time while grounding and doing something worthwhile such as reading.
You can read your favorite book, magazines, newspaper, and even through your laptop at your backyard while putting your feet barefoot on the ground.
Grounding From The Inside
If you prefer grounding inside the house while working on your computer, or other works on your desk, using a grounding mat is a smart option. If the grounding mat is not available, make one yourself just as I did.
In the “Earthing” book, Clint Ober dedicated a small section about how grounding improves male erections as his subjects reported.
This makes sense because erections involve blood flow, and in order to have good erection quality there should be a good blood circulation in the body.
Grounding offers this benefit for free without taking any medications for blood thinning.
However, as mentioned in the “Earthing” book, people who are presently taking blood-thinning medications should consult their doctor for proper guidance.
Final Thoughts
While I can go on telling more about grounding, I would recommend getting and reading Clint Ober's “Earthing” book, which is in the second edition right now.
It's so easy to do that when you read it for the first time you may forget to do it if you don't do it immediately, at least was my experience.
For me, it took me months before I was able to integrate into my daily activities, which is effortless because all I have to do is take off my shoes or slippers and put my bare feet on the ground or grounding pad, and that's it!
Grounding Habit and Lifestyle
Integrating earthing or grounding on daily activities is not difficult, it's so easy, in fact…but it's also easy to ignore and forget it.
So, if this is your first time reading about this concept of earthing/grounding, step out to your backyard or go got a park and do it immediately for at least 30 minutes to an hour for the first time. And, then do it regularly/daily for a week and see what happens.
When you notice positive changes in you, make earthing/grounding a part of your healthy and active lifestyle, and tell your friends and family members about it, so they, too can start doing the same and enjoy the benefits.
Men who are experiencing erectile dysfunction who seem to have no positive changes regardless of medications and healthy lifestyle changes, try grounding on a regular basis, and see what happens.
In fact, anyone who has an illness or discomfort for a long time and seem to have accepted it's part of life, try grounding. You don't lose anything with grounding. It's free, and all you have to spend is a little bit of time while putting your bare feet on the ground.
What's Holding Back?
I guess what's left holding back most people from doing this is ego. The rooted psyche might be telling… “Oh, common! What's the use? If that's easy as that, then why not many people are doing that, plus why the medical community isn't recommending it to everyone including doctors prescribing grounding to their patient?”.
Well, there are many reasons behind it and if you do some research, not many medical professionals are doing grounding because there are not many studies done on it yet.
Most doctors these days rely on medical and clinical trials before implementing a somewhat new approach to treatment especially natural treatments like grounding.
Clint Ober himself experienced the rejection when he was asking doctor-after-doctor, clinic-after-clinic to put his new discovery to the test as he was so confident with it based on experiences with few people he grounded.
Doctors on Grounding
The good news, those doctors he approached were so kind to recommend to someone else he could turn to for his testing adventure for grounding.
And, it paid off when some of the experts in the field started to conduct studies including Dr. James Oschman(expert in energy medicine), Dr. Stephen Sinatra(renowned cardiologist), Dr. Joseph Mercola(natural health expert) and among many others.
Grounding For Pets
Animals are naturally grounded. However, since the domestication of certain animals like cats and dogs, these animals as pets have also been insulated from the earth.
Just like their human pet owners, most pets today have been disconnected from nature to a certain degree. Hence, it is very important to let them get connected to the earth as often as possible to restore healthy balance.
Studies on Earthing/Grounding
If you search PubMed.Gov, there you'll find a few studies about it. Today, making grounding as a part of natural treatment and a way of staying healthy is still in its infancy.
But speaking from what our ancestors knew and even some cultures today who are very much untouched with Western medicine are still doing and recognizing its benefits.
Earthing Benefits On Individuals with Cancer
Just this week while I was following Ty Bollinger's Truth About Cancer(Global Quest), in Episode 7(Heal Cancer with Clean Electricity, Unique Water, Natural Sunlight & Combining Superfoods) I've watched Dr. Raymund Hilu, M.D., Founder and Medical Director of Hilu Institute(Spain) mentioned about cancer treatment protocol that involves asking people to walk barefoot on the sand, grass, or ground.
Guess what, that's grounding or earthing. In fact, electricity is now being used as part of an overall treatment for cancer. What more could be the best source of this frequency… except the earth itself.
Other treatment protocols for cancer also use PEMF(Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy) which mimic the earth's pulsating frequency.
Grounding Studies On PUBMED.Gov
- The effects of grounding (earthing) on inflammation, the immune response, wound healing, and prevention and treatment of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.
- Biologic effects of grounding the human body during sleep as measured by cortisol levels and subjective reporting of sleep, pain, and stress. Full Report
- The effect of grounding the human body on mood.
- Can electrons act as antioxidants? A review and commentary. PDF Report
- Earthing: Health Implications of Reconnecting the Human Body to the Earth's Surface Electrons
- Earthing (Grounding) the Human Body Reduces Blood Viscosity—a Major Factor in Cardiovascular Disease
- More Studies Listed At Earthing Institute
Earthing/Grounding Accessories Are Now Available At Amazon.com
While earthing can be done easily simply by walking or standing barefoot on the ground, sand, or grass. Some people may not be able to do that in the case of those living in high-rise buildings.
Or, those who want to use it inside the house while working. These earthing accessories can be of tremendous help to stay connected to the earth even inside the house, or office while doing daily typical activities especially those working on computers.
Documentary On Grounding/Earthing
Today, including myself, grounding has been accepted by many people and let them experience the countless health benefits of such a simple act.
The health benefits stunned some people that they make documentary about it interviewing the people who know well about grounding health benefits, and finding people who are able to enjoy better health and wellness due to grounding.
Here is one documentary about grounding or earthing
Two of the studies highlighted in the documentary:
- Medical Thermography (CASE STUDIES) International Academy of Clinical Thermography by Dr. William Amalu, President
- Electrical Grounding Improves Vagal Tone in Preterm Infants
Here is an earlier documentary about grounding/earthing.
How about you, do you walk barefoot on grass, soil, or sand? How often do you do it?
Start grounding and experience the many health benefit it offers. Of course, you should never neglect, but in fact, consider looking at your diet. A lifestyle that includes grounding, healthy or proper nutrition and regular exercise are combo for a well-balanced life and keeping health at its optimal level.