Earthing the Body

As a child my grandfather would say “ if you take care of the nature, nature will take care of you.”  He would say this with his hands smudged with dirt from the garden.  What I considered to be grandfather wisdom, science is proving to be correct. 

Have you heard the terms “grounding” or “earthing the body?” These might seem like New Age terms, but the practices have been around for much longer than my grandfather’s advice. In 2015, the Journal of Inflammation Research reported that contact with the ground by spending time outside barefoot or hands in the soil, had many benefits, including reducing stress and improving sleep quality. The study also concluded that “earthing the human body may be an essential element in the health equation,” just as important as a healthy diet, sunshine, and adequate hydration.

Our skin, comprised of water and minerals, is a conductor of energy. We’ve all experienced a shock from static energy. Our bodies are naturally positively charged.  As we go about our day, we build up a collection of positive electrons called free radicals. Free radicals pull on electrons from our cells to neutralize, causing damage to the cells. This leads to aging, disease, and sickness. The Earth’s surface is negatively charge. According to a study in the Journal of Environmental Public Health, grounding or earthing of the body, “neutralizes positively charged free radicals.” Maybe grandpa was on to something.

Some activities for earthing the body:

• Walk around outside barefoot

• Hold soil in your hands, try gardening

• Lay in the grass

• Sit on the ground

• Draw circles in the sand with your fingers

• Crush leaves with your hands

• Meditate at your favorite park

• Stand in front of the ocean

• Forest bathing (Japanese term for time spent under a forest canopy)

Benefits Include:

1)Reduced inflammation

2) Decreased pain

3) Decreased stress response - It can help shift us from our sympathetic state to our parasympathetic state in our autonomic nervous system

4) Increased heart rate variability

The higher our heart rate variability is, the interbeat between the heartbeats, the better the function of our autonomic nervous system. This can be associated with better recovery, better emotional resilience, and overall well-being.

5) Improved sleep

6) Improved cortisol rhythm- a key stress hormones.

7) Improved wound healing -great thing to include in an integrative approach to healing.

8) Reduced blood viscosity -one of the best things you can do for reducing your cardiovascular risk.