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This topic has come up before, but there's a new research article available on it.
Results
Earthing or grounding increased zeta potentials in all samples by an average of 2.70 and significantly reduced RBC aggregation.
Conclusions
Grounding increases the surface charge on RBCs and thereby reduces blood viscosity and clumping. Grounding appears to be one of the simplest and yet most profound interventions for helping reduce cardiovascular risk and cardiovascular events.
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Dr. Mercola has been talking about it since last year. It totally makes sense to me. Explains why walking on the beach is so relaxing. I walk barefoot in my backyard several times a week. Call me crazy, but I feel something going up my legs when I do -- it's a weird sensation.
It's mentioned in the second part of today's report:
I dig it. Makes sense intuitively although I'm interested when research shows a benefit. I realize some are getting very detailed regarding the science behind it but, for me, it's more general and broad. Connection with nature benefits humans and is quite healing. The placing of shoes was the first physical act in a long and gradual separation from nature. Wake up in an air conditioned house, drive in an air conditioned car to an air conditioned office, eat food-like substance from a box, drive air conditioned car back to air conditioned house to watch life on an electric screen. Repeat.
Everyone asked me why I was barefoot during my wedding ceremony. I didn't really have a good answer except it seemed right to be directly connected/grounded to the earth for such a special and spiritual event.
I first learned about this from a friend probably 15-20 years ago. At the time I thought it was a bit "out there". However, I noticed when I walked barefoot on the beach or in the grass, I realized I felt better. I really think there is something to this. Deb
If I'm not at work, I don't have shoes on and often slip the off there too. I'm able to come one for lunch each day and I always make a point to walk barefoot through my garden. I love the feel of grass and dirt between my toes!
Well it seems earthing is the next big wellness thing, being taken up by Dr. Mercola and Dr. Oz! Someone is going to make a lot of money on earthing mats and sheets. Here's a more balanced review of the practice. From the comments, it seems mats and sheets might have some pitfalls if not done properly, so the safest approach is simply to try and walk barefoot outside on dirt and grass as often as you can...and it's free! Now to convince my husband and kids to do it too...
I don't mind walking on the beach, but walking barefoot outside otherwise is very unappealing, even grosses me out. I won't even go barefoot indoors. Think I'm going to have to take a pass on this one!
Jean
"The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd rather not." Mark Twain
JeanIrene wrote:I don't mind walking on the beach, but walking barefoot outside otherwise is very unappealing, even grosses me out. I won't even go barefoot indoors. Think I'm going to have to take a pass on this one!
Jean
Hi Jean,
I have some sympathy with you here but I think just getting outdoors into nature is a great de-stressor and for me it makes me feel grounded - even though my shoes are still on! Here in Northern Ireland it is generally just too cold to go bare foot and I too prefer slippers to walking bare foot in the house! But a possible compromise are flip-flops!
I'm afraid Tex, the science overwhelmed me after about three paragraphs BUT what I got out of it (and what has already been said above) is the de-stressing nature of this! I love to walk bare foot on a beach. But it has brought to mind something I actually work at (as in my job) which is trying to get people back out into nature and appreciating what there is there. So many people under 40 are completely de-sensitised to the natural world. A spot of mud on a hand and the wet wipes immediately appear. Children today living in the middle of Belfast less than 3 miles from the sea have never walked on a beach, for example! No-one outside environmental science under the age of 45 can name more than 5 species of tree (if they can manage 5)! And so on! I could write reams!!!! I will leave that to experts but recommend Richard Louv's "Last Child in the Woods" (2006) in which he talks about Nature Deficit Disorder - I suspect not unrelated to some of our problems! I am going to re-read it this weekend from that perspective! And while I may not be inclined to take my shoes off quite yet, it comes as no surprise and it is just good to see science catching up!
Anne
If you ever feel too insignificant to be noticed, you have never been to bed with a mosquito!
Anne wrote:Children today living in the middle of Belfast less than 3 miles from the sea have never walked on a beach, for example! No-one outside environmental science under the age of 45 can name more than 5 species of tree (if they can manage 5)! And so on! I could write reams!!!!
Wow! You have your work cut out for you. That said, I have a sneaking suspicion that the same thing is true of many of the lifelong residents of the biggest cities in this country, also. For someone who has spent most of his life living out in the country, that's such an alien environment that I don't care to even try to visualize what it might be like to live in NYC, for example. I lived in Austin, TX for 11 years, and that was enough to cure me of that bad habit. And that was 40 years ago, before it became the weird place that it is now.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
I will leave that to experts but recommend Richard Louv's "Last Child in the Woods" (2006) in which he talks about Nature Deficit Disorder - I suspect not unrelated to some of our problems! I am going to re-read it this weekend from that perspective! And while I may not be inclined to take my shoes off quite yet, it comes as no surprise and it is just good to see science catching up!
