Body Grounding - Wellness on Autopilot!

Body grounding or “earthing” is the practice of putting your bare feet on good old mother Earth, and did you know this simple action can benefit and heal your body? Stephen Sinatra the renowned cardiologist and author of the book “Earthing - The most important health discovery ever?” calls it “cave man medicine.”

Using grounding pads and other earthing products we can get the benefits of earthing indoors. A grounding pad or grounding mat may well be the most cost effective health product there is!

The concept behind grounding is simple. The Earth has a negative electrical charge or negative ions. When you expose your bare skin to this negative electrical energy from the Earth, free electrons flow into your body acting as antioxidants. This lowers oxidative stress and inflammation, providing a host of health benefits.

For me, the concept that the Earth itself could be a source of antioxidants which improve health seemed too good to be true. I had never heard of this before I listened to a video clip of Dr. Stephen Sinatra explaining the concept.

For those of you who are not familiar with how antioxidants work, let me explain. An “antioxidant” is nothing more than a substance that “donates” electrons to another substance. This is sometimes referred to as “reduction.” The electrons donated by a substance can suppress the production of free radicals in another substance by stabilizing it's molecules.

Antioxidants can come in many forms. They can be taken in capsules or pills as vitamins, or by drinking teas, fruit and vegetable juices, or in the case of body grounding, by the direct absorption of negative electrical ion particles that are emitted naturally by the Earth.

Since our bodies are “electromagnetic” in nature, these fields interfere with the proper function of the body on a cellular level and can contribute to health problems such as Cancer, Diabetes, and Alzheimer’s Disease. There is also the lesser known problem of “geopathic stress” which is caused by disturbances in electromagnetic fields arising from the Earth.

Body grounding is a defense against these artificial electromagnetic fields that are all around us. I provides a way of protecting us from these electromagnetic imbalances that increase inflammation and cellular dysfunction in our bodies.

This is perhaps the best way to get back in touch with the Earth's natural electromagnetic field. We are in a sense plugging ourselves in and recharging our cells with the negative ions of energy that the Earth provides.

The effects of grounding on the cardiovascular system are according to Stephen Sinatra nothing short of dramatic! Changes in blood viscosity, heart rate variability, white blood cell count, vegal stimulation, and a shift in the autonomic nervous system to the sympathetic side have all been documented in research studies.

Perhaps the most important of these is the changes in blood viscosity that is so critical to a healthy vascular system. So many cardiovascular conditions result in what Sinatra calls “hyper-coagulated blood,” which means blood where the platelets stick together.

Many people having various cardiovascular problems are put on prescription “blood thinners” like Coumadin, whereas body grounding provides a way to essentially “thin the blood” without resorting to the use of drugs that also have toxic side effects.

The autonomic nervous system controls vital functions like our heartbeat and breathing. These functions go on even when we are sleeping or unconscious. The autonomic nervous system has two branches, the sympathetic branch and the parasympathetic branch.

The sympathetic nervous system is involved in the “fight or flight” response, arousal, generating energy, shutting down digestion and preparing the body to deal with a crisis.

The parasympathetic nervous system is involved with rest, relaxation of the body, returning to normal function and enhanced digestion.

When your sympathetic nervous system is constantly being stimulated and you overproduce stress hormones, your body suffers the effects of being in a constant state of stress. Body grounding shifts that balance back to the parasympathetic side, which promotes relaxation, better digestion, calmness, and a sense of well being.

There are a host of earthing products being sold online to help you connect with the Earth's beneficial energies. These products consist of grounding pads that you can use in bed, while sitting at your desk, and even to help enhance the health of your pets.

These products are designed to be used indoors and utilize the third hole on your electrical outlets that is normally used for grounding your appliances.

Please note that the Earthing products are designed to safely ground you to the Earth's electrical field. Do not attempt to rig up your own grounding system unless you are an electrical engineer or other qualified person who knows how to deal safely with electrical energies.

These products should be used when conditions don't permit you to ground outdoors, such as in the winter, or when you are in bed sleeping. The idea is to make it as convenient as possible to be grounded as many hours of your day as possible. This maximizes the benefits of body grounding.

When our health and vitality decline, most often it is a sign that we are suffering from a shortage of ATP which is the primary energy substrate that powers our cells. Our bodies make ATP by utilizing fatty acids. This process become less efficient as we age, and the slowdown in ATP production takes it's toll on our energy levels and health.

By supplying vast amounts of free electrons from the Earth, experts theorize that grounding can help our bodies more efficiently make ATP which has a ripple effect all throughout the body increasing energy available to organs and tissues and enhancing our health.

Increased cell voltage and enhanced ATP production are associated with how our bodies work when we are younger, so it's not much of a stretch to think that this effect can actually slow down the aging process and keep us younger for a longer period of time. Aging is not this huge mystery. We already know a lot about it, and from all that we know, it is apparent that body grounding can favorably alter the processes involved in aging and lead to better health and more enjoyment of life.

When we say “wellness on autopilot” what we really mean is that body grounding is something you can do effortlessly and make part of you daily life. By using a grounding pad on your bed, and also at your desk when you work, you will be literally “plugging yourself into the Earths” healing energies, as the negative ions flow into your body suppressing free radicals and reducing inflammation all over your body.

Give body grounding a try. You will be absolutely amazed at the difference it will make in your health and well being, and the difference you will really feel!

Can Electrons Act as Antioxidants? A Review and Commentary
THE JOURNAL OF ALTERNATIVE AND COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE
Volume 13, Number 9, 2007, pp. 955–967
© Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
DOI: 10.1089/acm.2007.7048
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