In Touch with the Earth

Grounding, or earthing, as some refer to it, involves placing one's feet directly onto the ground without shoes or socks for protection. The idea is that by touching the earth directly, we receive the intense negative charge that is naturally carried by the Earth. Scientifically speaking, going barefoot in nature provides the body a wonderful supply of antioxidants and free-radical destroying electrons from this electron-rich charge.

In 1952, German physicist Professor W.O. Schumann, of the Technical University of Munich, began attempting to answer whether or not the earth itself has a charge — a pulse. His assumption about the existence of a frequency came from his understanding that when a sphere exists inside of another sphere an electrical tension is always created. Since the negatively charged earth exists inside the positively charged ionosphere, there must be tension between the two, giving the earth a specific frequency. In 1954, Schumann and fellow scientist Herbert König confirmed that the resonance of the earth maintained a constant frequency of 7.83 Hz, later tested and verified by many scientists. Since then, the Schumann Resonance has been the accepted term used scientifically when one is looking to describe or measure the pulse or heartbeat of the earth. But even though the existence of the Schumann Resonance is an established scientific fact, there remain few scientists who fully understand the important relationship between this frequency and life on our planet.

Dr. James Oschman, an expert in the field of energy medicine and a PhD in biology from the University of Pittsburgh notes: “Subjective reports that walking barefoot on the Earth enhances health and provides feelings of well-being can be found in the literature and practices of diverse cultures from around the world. For a variety of reasons, many individuals are reluctant to walk outside barefoot, unless they are on holiday at the beach.”

It makes sense that putting your feet on the ground enables you to absorb large amounts of negative electrons through the soles of your feet which, in turn, can help to maintain your body at the same negatively charged electrical potential as the Earth. Earthing could represent a potential treatment/solution to a variety of chronic degenerative diseases.

One study in the U.S. concluded that simple contact with the Earth, through being either outside barefoot or indoors connected to grounded conductive systems, could serve as a natural and “profoundly effective environmental strategy” against chronic stress, ANS dysfunction, inflammation, pain, poor sleep, disturbed HRV, hyper-coagulable blood, and many common health disorders, including cardiovascular disease. The study concludes: “The research done to date supports the concept that grounding or earthing the human body may be an essential element in the health equation along with sunshine, clean air and water, nutritious food, and physical activity.”