As PART ONE of an original TV series with Tiffany Hendra, she interviews Derrick DeSilva, Jr. M.D. about making and reaching small attainable goals for better wellness. In this episode, she asks Dr. DeSilva all about "Grounding" and the science behind the physical benefits.
What is Grounding or Earthing?
"Grounding" or "Earthing" is the physical act of walking barefoot on the earth, reconnecting the human body with the energy naturally present in the ground. Scientific studies suggest tremendous therapeutic benefits behind this simple act that can help with all sorts of inflammatory conditions and chronic pain with it's anti-inflammatory effect.
Dr. Stephen Sinatra Explains the Science:
The Health Benefits of Grounding
The two dozen or so completed studies on grounding have proven beyond any doubt that becoming grounded has significant positive effects on our physiology and heart health.
Grounding’s many physical benefits—particularly those that lead to a healthy heart—include:
A decrease in inflammation and an improvement or elimination of the symptoms associated with many inflammation-related disorders, including heart disease.
Lowered stress and increased calmness in the body by moderating heart rate variability, nervous system activity, and stress hormone secretion.
Improved efficiency of the cardiovascular, respiratory, circulatory, and nervous systems.
A reduction in chronic pain.
But perhaps one of the most powerful benefits of grounding is how it helps reduce blood pressure.
As many of you know, high blood pressure is caused by something called “hyperviscosity,” which means your blood is thick and sticky and moves slowly through your circulatory system. In other words, your blood is thick like ketchup, and that feeds the inflammation process that damages arteries, boosts blood pressure, and increases the risk of blood clots.
Instead of being like ketchup, you want your blood to flow like red wine, smoothly and easily. That’s where grounding comes in.
By altering the electrical “charge” of your blood, Earthing helps to improve its flow and viscosity, reducing blood pressure.
It also lowers blood pressure naturally by discharging stress, which is another factor that can drive up blood pressure.
The Earth’s surface contains a limitless number of free electrons that are continually replenished through solar radiation and lightning strikes; your body naturally absorbs these particles when you make physical contact with the ground.
In the body, these electrons have an anti-inflammatory effect because they reduce the free-radical activity that causes inflammation and chronic pain.
(If you remember your high school science, electrons are negatively charged. Inflammation-causing free radicals are positively charged, which means the additional free electrons neutralize the free radicals.)
The energy of the free electrons gained through grounding also helps keep your body’s innate electrical circuitry properly balanced. All of these effects of grounding are extremely beneficial to heart health.
Without a regular connection to the Earth, people can develop what I call an electron deficiency. In turn, this can lead to imbalances in the body and potentially to significant health problems.
For example, chronic inflammation—which is increasingly being identified as the cause of many chronic diseases, including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and autoimmune disorders—may be a result of a lack of connectedness.
Fortunately, the connection can be easily restored by regularly practicing grounding—either by going barefoot outside or sitting or lying on special conductive devices (such as pads for the floor or bed) that are plugged into grounded standard three-pronged electrical outlets.