If you’re like me, then you love to be outdoors whether it be hiking, camping, or even just going for a walk. I’m from LA which is a pretty large city. Finding nature and quiet takes a little more effort, and people aren’t as hungry to be “one with nature.”  I have always been curious as to why I felt so good when I’m outside, especially where nature is super prevalent. And my answer came when I was in massage therapy school; we were learning about reiki and healing practices and the word earthing or more commonly known as grounding came up. I had never heard that word before and was instantly intrigued. Earthing is an ancient healing practice that is meant to equalize your energetic frequency with that of Mother earth. To some this may sound like some hippy mambo jumbo but guess what! It is backed up with science.

What Is Earthing?

So how does one earth you may ask? This can be done by walking barefoot, touching the earth with your bare hands or sleeping on a special bedsheet, or sitting on a conductive grounding system such a mat. I was always the kid that was running around barefoot any chance I got; to me wearing shoes just didn’t make sense. I felt connected to something that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. That feeling I felt was probably the therapeutic affect nature has on us. The Chinese, Greeks, and the Romans all believed that it was healthy to spend time outside and decades of modern scientific research back that up. Even our ancestors were connected to the ground at all times, through walking barefoot, sleeping on the ground, and working in agriculture and so on. Today we do not have that luxury to be outside as much. We are confined to office jobs, electronics that emit positive ions and wear rubber-soled shoes which insulate us from the earth’s natural current. As humans we have evolved in close contact with nature, and 300 years of industrialization can’t undo that.

Health Benefits

  1. The main benefit is that earthing fights inflammation by reducing free radicals, which are positively charged. According to pub med is that chronic inflammation is the culprit behind almost every modern chronic illness. So why wouldn’t you want to give inflammation the boot?
  2. Increase of energy
  3. Lower stress
  4. Enhance disturbed biological rhythms
  5. Protect the body from EMFS

How Does Earthing Work?

The natural healing energy has everything to do with negative ions. Ions are molecules that have gained or lost an electrical charge. They are generated as air molecules break apart due to radiation, sunlight, and moving water and air. In nature, negative ions are created by crashing water. That is why they are especially abundant on the beach, forests, mountains, waterfalls, and during thunderstorms. Maybe that’s why I always feel so refreshed after it rains. So, while positive ions are bad, negative ions are good, and contact with the earth is beneficial. What makes negatives ion so great?  They increase the flow of oxygen to the brain resulting in higher alertness, decreased drowsiness, and more mental energy according to pierce J. Howard author of the “Owner’s Manual for the Brain.”

So, whether you believe in earthing, or just think it’s a placebo effect, there’s no doubt that nature has a positive effect on people.

I hope you enjoyed learning about all the benefits and the science behind earthing. Earthing has helped me have a deeper respect for the earth that we live on and take care of, for it takes care of us.

I am not a scientist or a doctor.  Always always consult your physician or health care provider to find out if earthing techniques are good for you.

Photo by Jordan Whitt on Unsplash

Sources: webmd, ncbi,  onlinelibrary