By Schuyler Corrigan

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October 22, 2023

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At Richmond Natural Medicine, our practitioners are always creating individualized care plans for every person. Each plan contains personalized health recommendations that range from supplemental protocols, nutrition plans, homeopathic or herbal suggestions, lab work requests, and foundational lifestyle habits that can enhance and sustain a positive state of health. Earthing – also known as grounding – is one of the lifestyle suggestions that is often suggested by our practitioners as a simple, health-promoting activity that is simple, effective, and for most people, extremely enjoyable!

What is Earthing?

Earthing is the simple practice of having direct skin contact with the Earth’s surface by walking barefoot, sitting, or lying on the ground outside. This time-honored practice allows us time and space to connect to the Earth and its natural rhythms, sounds, and smells. In a time when so many of us rush through each day from home to the office and back again, we can easily go several days without being outdoors or feeling connected to the rhythms and energies of the natural world around us. Maintaining a connection to the earth we call home is vital for our overall health and well-being, and research suggests that a disconnect from environmental rhythms may be a major contributor to physiological dysfunction and unwellness (1).

“Multi-disciplinary research has revealed that electrically conductive contact of the human body with the surface of the Earth (grounding or earthing) produces intriguing effects on physiology and health. Such effects relate to inflammation, immune responses, wound healing, and prevention and treatment of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases”

Read More: The effects of grounding (earthing) on inflammation, the immune response, wound healing, and prevention and treatment of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases

Why is it important?

It is well-studied that the earth’s surface is a never-ending supply of free electrons. The earth’s surface therefore is electrically conductive and maintains a negative potential. As humans, we are made up of approximately 50-65% water.  In that water, we have electrolytes like sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and more. This creates an inner environment that is able to conduct the free electrons the Earth has to offer.  

Nervous System Regulation & Earthing

Nervous system dysregulation can show up in many ways, including stress, anxiety, insomnia, depression, and emotional and hormonal challenges (to name a few). Although these are all fairly common imbalances that may be approached individually, focusing on our nervous system health and our emotional / stress load is extremely helpful in addressing the root cause of our imbalance. Practices such as earthing help to regulate our nervous system health and offer positive support for some of the above-mentioned nervous system imbalances.  

Our stress response, and stress load, hugely impact the health of our nervous system, and in turn affect our gut health, emotional health, and our ability to self-regulate our internal homeostasis (health harmony). When we are highly stressed, we feel tightness everywhere and become reactive rather than responsive. When we experience a healthy response to stress (when our nervous systems are healthy and supported), we respond much better to stressful situations, therefore lessening systemic inflammation in the body, and supporting all of our organ systems in the process.

Earthing reunites us with the naturally occurring electrical signals from the earth that govern all organisms dwelling upon it.  It restores the body’s natural internal electrical stability and rhythms, which in turn promotes the normal functioning of all body systems, including the cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, immune, and neurological systems. It remedies electron deficiency to reduce inflammation and shifts the nervous system from a sympathetic to a parasympathetic state. By reconnecting with the earth we allow the body to return to a normal state of electrical balance, which allows the body to better self-heal.

 

How Does Earthing Work?

The Earth is constantly being charged by solar radiation, thousands of lightning strikes per minute (~6,000 per minute!!), and heat from the central molten core (1). The electrons from the earth act as potent antioxidants and reduce electrical imbalances within your body and thus reduce oxidative stress and damage to the cells and tissues. The Earth’s diurnal electrical rhythms are also proposed to set the biological clocks for hormones that regulate sleep and activity. One study (4) showed that grounding while sleeping resynchronized cortisol hormone secretion, regulated circadian rhythm, and reduced pain and stress. Another has shown that better regulation of heart rate variability can be found as well as improved inflammation, immune function, and mood (2). Even more recently earthing has been used for the prevention and resolution of Covid-19 infection (3).

The Health Benefits of Earthing:

• Reduction of inflammation
• Reduction of chronic pain
• Reduction of stress
• Increases energy
• Improves sleep
• Regulates cortisol rhythm
• Improves heart rate variability
• Regulates blood sugar metabolism
• Improves blood flow circulation
• Relieves muscle tension
• Speeds healing process
• Protection from EMFs
• Shifts the autonomic nervous system from a sympathetic (fight or flight) to a parasympathetic (rest and heal) state

The Beauty of Reconnection & Grounding:

Sometimes the most simple and accessible practices in our day can be the most impactful for our health. The earth is always available and always underneath you – you simply have to walk outside and take a few moments to look, see, smell, and enjoy the world around you. There are no harmful side effects and there is no such thing as too much. Getting outside and grounding also reconnects you to nature – our greatest teacher. 

References:

1. Earthing: Health Implications of Reconnecting the Human Body to the Earth’s Surface Electrons
2. The Effects of Grounding (Earthing) on Bodyworkers’ Pain and Overall Quality of Life: A Randomized Controlled Trial
3. Prevention and treatment of COVID-19 infection by earthing
4. The biologic effects of grounding the human body during sleep as measured by cortisol levels and subjective reporting of sleep, pain, and stress