I used to often say, “I love being in nature, I just don’t like nature getting on me.” Never been a roll in the dirt kinda gal, but I love living near a beach so I can walk in the sand regularly. There’s something about it that always lifts my spirits and makes me feel, well, grounded.
What if the shoes on our feet and our lack of connection to nature and specifically the ground was also creating inflammation and disease? Turns out there’s some evidence that this is the case, and although naysayers say there isn’t enough research, I decided the best way to determine if it had any benefits was to just try it myself.
Grounding or earthing is the practice of regularly planting your bare feet on the ground specifically on conductive sources which include – soil, grass, sand, or concrete. Why in the HECK would you consider this? To start…it’s completely and utterly FREE technique for lowering blood pressure, boosting heart health, reducing pain and inflammation. Let me break it down.
From a scientific perspective, the idea is that the earth has a mild negative charge to it. In modern life as we go about our day and are in constant contact with tech etc., our bodies build up a positive charge. During the normal processes of metabolism the body generates ‘reactive oxygen species’ also known as ‘free radicals’. Free radicals are helpful to the body in lower amounts as they can destroy unwanted things in the body like bacteria or viruses, but too many free radicals are not ideal, and are associated with chronic disease and accelerated aging.
Free radicals are unstable and lack electrons, one way to stabilize them is to give them electrons which can be supplied by antioxidants like vitamin A, C, E, and polyphenols—essentially a diet high in plant-based foods. The reason why earthing is powerful is that in addition to diet, it is another way to get electrons in the body, neutralize free radicals, and reduce inflammation.
As I explore I will be sharing a few of the research findings that do exist and my own experience which hopefully will make you too want to take some time each day to put your feet in the dirt, grass, or sand. -XO