Illnesses in technologically advanced societies due to lack of grounding (earthing).

The research on grounding or earthing summarized here is providing valuable clues about why chronic and autoimmune diseases are rampant, simple and reliable help for those with these health issues, and promising paths forward. During the period when this research was getting started, approximately 2000 to the present, scientists from around the world were establishing connections between inflammation and virtually all chronic diseases (Table 1) using the c-reactive protein assay developed by Ridker and his colleagues at Harvard Medical School. This article reviews Earthing, a safe therapy that optimizes (balances) each person's unique physiological functions; and that provides relief from the major diseases of the aging population; and that may slow the aging process itself. This statement is made because of the recognition that cumulative damage by reactive oxygen species (ROS), sometimes referred to as free radicals, is one of the most widely studied theories of the cause of aging. Because the continuous semiconducting fabric of the body reaches into every part of the body, including the interiors of all cells and their nuclei, mobile electrons in the grounded or earthed person are thought to be capable of rapidly neutralizing ROS produced by oxidative metabolism taking place in every cell and tissue.

Electric Nutrition: The Surprising Health and Healing Benefits of Biological Grounding (Earthing).

Context • Modern biomedicine has discovered that many of the most debilitating diseases, as well as the aging process itself, are caused by or associated with chronic inflammation and oxidative stress. Emerging research has revealed that direct physical contact with the surface of the planet generates a kind of electric nutrition, with surprisingly potent and rapid anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Objectives • The objective of this study was to explain the potential of grounding to clinicians as a simple strategy for prevention, therapy, and improving patient outcomes. The research summarized here has pursued the goal of determining the physiological and clinical significance of biological grounding. Design • The research team has summarized more than 12 peer-reviewed reports. Where appropriate, blinded studies examined in this paper were conducted using a variety of statistical procedures. Interventions • In all cases, the intervention examined conductive contact between the surface of Earth and the study's participants, using conductive bed sheets, floor or desk pads, and electrode patches, such as those used in electrocardiography. Results • All studies discussed revealed significant physiological or clinical outcomes as a result of grounding. Conclusion • This body of research has demonstrated the potential of grounding to be a simple, natural, and accessible clinical strategy against the global epidemic of noncommunicable, degenerative, inflammatory-related diseases.

Biofield Physiology: A Framework for an Emerging Discipline.

Biofield physiology is proposed as an overarching descriptor for the electromagnetic, biophotonic, and other types of spatially-distributed fields that living systems generate and respond to as integral aspects of cellular, tissue, and whole organism self-regulation and organization. Medical physiology, cell biology, and biophysics provide the framework within which evidence for biofields, their proposed receptors, and functions is presented. As such, biofields can be viewed as affecting physiological regulatory systems in a manner that complements the more familiar molecular-based mechanisms. Examples of clinically relevant biofields are the electrical and magnetic fields generated by arrays of heart cells and neurons that are detected, respectively, as electrocardiograms (ECGs) or magnetocardiograms (MCGs) and electroencephalograms (EEGs) or magnetoencephalograms (MEGs). At a basic physiology level, electromagnetic activity of neural assemblies appears to modulate neuronal synchronization and circadian rhythmicity. Numerous nonneural electrical fields have been detected and analyzed, including those arising from patterns of resting membrane potentials that guide development and regeneration, and from slowly-varying transepithelial direct current fields that initiate cellular responses to tissue damage. Another biofield phenomenon is the coherent, ultraweak photon emissions (UPE), detected from cell cultures and from the body surface. A physiological role for biophotons is consistent with observations that fluctuations in UPE correlate with cerebral blood flow, cerebral energy metabolism, and EEG activity. Biofield receptors are reviewed in 3 categories: molecular-level receptors, charge flux sites, and endogenously generated electric or electromagnetic fields. In summary, sufficient evidence has accrued to consider biofield physiology as a viable scientific discipline. Directions for future research are proposed.

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

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. The purpose of this report is two-fold: to 1) inform researchers about what appears to be a new perspective to the study of inflammation, and 2) alert researchers that the length of time and degree (resistance to ground) of grounding of experimental animals is an important but usually overlooked factor that can influence outcomes of studies of inflammation, wound healing, and tumorigenesis. Specifically, grounding an organism produces measurable differences in the concentrations of white blood cells, cytokines, and other molecules involved in the inflammatory response. We present several hypotheses to explain observed effects, based on current research results and our understanding of the electronic aspects of cell and tissue physiology, cell biology, biophysics, and biochemistry. An experimental injury to muscles, known as delayed onset muscle soreness, has been used to monitor the immune response under grounded versus ungrounded conditions. Grounding reduces pain and alters the numbers of circulating neutrophils and lymphocytes, and also affects various circulating chemical factors related to inflammation.

Earthing (grounding) the human body reduces blood viscosity-a major factor in cardiovascular disease.

OBJECTIVES: Emerging research is revealing that direct physical contact of the human body with the surface of the earth (grounding or earthing) has intriguing effects on human physiology and health, including beneficial effects on various cardiovascular risk factors. This study examined effects of 2 hours of grounding on the electrical charge (zeta potential) on red blood cells (RBCs) and the effects on the extent of RBC clumping. DESIGN/INTERVENTIONS: SUBJECTS were grounded with conductive patches on the soles of their feet and palms of their hands. Wires connected the patches to a stainless-steel rod inserted in the earth outdoors. Small fingertip pinprick blood samples were placed on microscope slides and an electric field was applied to them. Electrophoretic mobility of the RBCs was determined by measuring terminal velocities of the cells in video recordings taken through a microscope. RBC aggregation was measured by counting the numbers of clustered cells in each sample. SETTINGS/LOCATION: Each subject sat in a comfortable reclining chair in a soundproof experiment room with the lights dimmed or off. SUBJECTS: Ten (10) healthy adult subjects were recruited by word-of-mouth. 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.

Visceral and somatic disorders: tissue softening with frequency-specific microcurrent.

Frequency-specific microcurrent (FSM) is an emerging technique for treating many health conditions. Pairs of frequencies of microampere-level electrical stimulation are applied to particular places on the skin of a patient via combinations of conductive graphite gloves, moistened towels, or gel electrode patches. A consistent finding is a profound and palpable tissue softening and warming within seconds of applying frequencies appropriate for treating particular conditions. Similar phenomena are often observed with successful acupuncture, cranial-sacral, and other energy-based techniques. This article explores possible mechanisms involved in tissue softening. In the 1970s, neuroscientist and osteopathic researcher Irvin Korr developed a "γ-loop hypothesis" to explain the persistence of increased systemic muscle tone associated with various somatic dysfunctions. This article summarizes how physiologists, neuroscientists, osteopaths, chiropractors, and fascial researchers have expanded on Korr's ideas by exploring various mechanisms by which injury or disease increase local muscle tension or systemic muscle tone. Following on Korr's hypothesis, it is suggested that most patients actually present with elevated muscle tone or tense areas due to prior traumas or other disorders, and that tissue softening indicates that FSM or other methods are affecting the cause of their pathophysiology. The authors believe this concept and the research it has led to will be of interest to a wide range of energetic, bodywork, and movement therapists.

Earthing: health implications of reconnecting the human body to the Earth's surface electrons.

Environmental medicine generally addresses environmental factors with a negative impact on human health. However, emerging scientific research has revealed a surprisingly positive and overlooked environmental factor on health: direct physical contact with the vast supply of electrons on the surface of the Earth. Modern lifestyle separates humans from such contact. The research suggests that this disconnect may be a major contributor to physiological dysfunction and unwellness. Reconnection with the Earth's electrons has been found to promote intriguing physiological changes and subjective reports of well-being. Earthing (or grounding) refers to the discovery of benefits-including better sleep and reduced pain-from walking barefoot outside or sitting, working, or sleeping indoors connected to conductive systems that transfer the Earth's electrons from the ground into the body. This paper reviews the earthing research and the potential of earthing as a simple and easily accessed global modality of significant clinical importance.

Charge transfer in the living matrix.

The living matrix is defined as the continuous molecular fabric of the organism, consisting of fascia, the other connective tissues, extracellular matrices, integrins, cytoskeletons, nuclear matrices and DNA. The extracellular, cellular and nuclear biopolymers or ground substances constitute a body-wide reservoir of charge that can maintain electrical homeostasis and "inflammatory preparedness" throughout the organism. Recent research has emphasized the significance of charge transfer in relation to the scavenging or neutralization of free radicals delivered to sites of injury during and after the oxidative burst. Evidence comes from studies of the role of electrons in mitigating the consequences of inflammation when living systems are connected to the earth (earthing). The phenomenon helps explain how bodywork and movement therapies can facilitate the resolution of acute or chronic injuries, and how patients with inflammatory conditions may "deplete" a therapist during hands-on treatments. It is suggested that barefoot contact with the earth as well as hands-on and hands-off therapies facilitate healing by stimulating the migration of charges into sites of acute or chronic inflammation. One hypothesis to explain the effects of earthing is that charges from the ground substance reservoir prevent "collateral damage" to healthy tissues in the vicinity of an injury. A second hypothesis is that earthing allows electrons to replenish charge in the ground substance reservoirs, making electrons available throughout the body.

Perspective: assume a spherical cow: the role of free or mobile electrons in bodywork, energetic and movement therapies.

Biomedical research has led to the hypothesis that inflammation is the culprit behind almost every modern chronic illness. Hence there is interest in techniques that can resolve acute and chronic inflammation. A natural method involves connecting the human body to the earth (earthing). When done during sleep, earthing normalizes the daily cortisol rhythm, improves sleep and reduces pain and inflammation. Direct electrical connection with the earth enables diurnal (daily) electrical rhythms and electrons to flow from the earth to the body. Electrons are thought to act as natural anti-oxidants by neutralizing positively charged inflammatory free radicals. This concept requires a revision of an old idea in physiology: the human body and the cells within it are best described as volume conductors, in which charge is only conducted by dissolved electrolytes. The discussion relates to the term, "ungrounded," widely used by practitioners of bodywork, energetic and movement therapies.

Can electrons act as antioxidants? A review and commentary.

A previous study demonstrated that connecting the human body to the earth during sleep (earthing) normalizes the daily cortisol rhythm and improves sleep. A variety of other benefits were reported, including reductions in pain and inflammation. Subsequent studies have confirmed these earlier findings and documented virtually immediate physiologic and clinical effects of grounding or earthing the body. It is well established, though not widely known, that the surface of the earth possesses a limitless and continuously renewed supply of free or mobile electrons as a consequence of a global atmospheric electron circuit. Wearing shoes with insulating soles and/or sleeping in beds that are isolated from the electrical ground plane of the earth have disconnected most people from the earth's electrical rhythms and free electrons. The most reasonable hypothesis to explain the beneficial effects of earthing is that a direct earth connection enables both diurnal electrical rhythms and free electrons to flow from the earth to the body. It is proposed that the earth's diurnal electrical rhythms set the biological clocks for hormones that regulate sleep and activity. It is also suggested that free electrons from the earth neutralize the positively charged free radicals that are the hallmark of chronic inflammation. A relationship between cortisol and inflammation was established in the pioneering work of H. Selye published in the 1950s. Current biomedical research has led to an inflammation hypothesis that is establishing chronic inflammation as the culprit behind almost every modern chronic illness. The research summarized here and in subsequent reports provides a basis for a number of earthing technologies that restore and maintain natural electrical contact between the human body and the earth throughout the day and night in situations where going barefoot on the earth is impractical. It is proposed that free or mobile electrons from the earth can resolve chronic inflammation by serving as natural antioxidants.

Salivary gland development in the blowfly, Calliphora erythrocephala.

The salivary gland of adult Calliphora erythrocephala is a tubular structure composed of secretory, reabsorptive, and duct regions. Development of these structures has been followed during the six days of larval and ten days of pupal growth. Two small groups of imaginal cells located at the junction between larval gland and duct give rise to the adult gland. These presumptive adult cells divide during all larval stages and appear to be functional components of the larval gland. Shortly after pupation, the larval gland breaks down and the imaginal cells proliferate rapidly, forming sequentially the duct, reabsorptive and secretory regions. Proliferating regions of the developing gland are frequently encrusted with haemocytes. As it elongates the gland establishes intimate contacts first with the basement membrane of the degenerating larval gland, later with an epithelial layer surrounding the main dorsal tracheal trunks, and then with the gut. Cell division continues until about five days after pupation, bu t the gland is unable to secrete fluid in response to 5-hydroxytryptamine stimulation until two hours after the adult fly emerges. The Golgi complex appears to be involved in forming the highly folded membranes of the canaliculi in the secretory region. Presumptive adult salivary gland cells appear to increase in number logarithmically from the time of hatching of the larva until five days after pupation. This contrasts with the development of classical imaginal discs, in which cell division ceases prior to pupation.

Structure and function of rectal pads in Blattella and Blaberus with respect to the mechanism of water uptake.

The morphology of the rectal pads of two cockroaches, Blattella germanica and Blaberus giganteus is described and contrasted with that of Periplaneta americana, studied previously. The columnar absorptive cells of the three species are similar in structure. However, Blattella and Blaberus rectal pads have a second type of cell, termed the secondary cell, that is not present in Periplaneta. The secondary cells are embedded in the pad epithelium and have crypts of cavities opening into the subepithelial sinus. In addition, a multilayered sheath is present between the pad cells and the sinus. The sheath acts as a barrier, perhaps of low permeability, between the subepithelial sinus and the pads. It is interrupted only at the borders of the secondary cells. A mechanism for fluid absorption is presented and the possible role of secondary cells is discussed. It is proposed that the secondary cells reabsorb solute from the sinus and that this solute can then be recycled through the pad cells. Structures resembling neurosecretory terminals within the cavities of the secondary cells may be involved in regulation of recycling. The arrangement of the rectal pads in these insects has structural and perhaps functional similarities with other transporting systems, particularly the cryptonephric system.