Going to Ground: The Importance of Grounding (Earthing)

At the start of last Autumn, I noticed a couple of peculiar things about Arnie-Bean, my fur child (even more peculiar than his usual behaviour, such as needing to work alongside me with clients who come in for healing, and dishing up a vocal lecture when I come home late). First, he was hobbling a bit on his rear left leg - but only for a little while in the mornings. Okay, perhaps that's not so peculiar given that he is a senior and arthritis is unfortunately, pretty common among humans and beast alike. But second, Arnie had taken to going outside, digging a pit in the soil, and resting there. This was very strange behaviour for him: in the past, he detested going outside (only venturing out to do his business), and being a clean dog, he really isn't much of a digger (only when we're at the beach - sand is one of his favourite play things). It was only when I returned from my Bali holiday that my family, who had been caring for Arnie, suggested that I look into his leg a bit further. I was investigating magnet therapy... and that was when I remembered Earthing Mats.

In the past few years, Earthing has been incredibly popular in some circles (particularly the New Age/Natural Medicine circles) - and with good reason. Also known as Grounding, Earthing has some impressive science to back it up. Here's a quick lowdown:

• Earthing simply means to have skin-to-skin contact with the Earth, usually by walking barefoot on surfaces such as sand, soil or grass. Asphalt and wood won't cut it as they are not conduits to the negative ions of the Earth. Earthing Mats and Sheets are a good alternative to walking on sand, soil or grass.

• The Earth is covered in negative ions. When we make contact with the Earth, negative ions enter our bodies (mostly water and minerals - excellent conduit for electrons) to stabilise our bioelectrical bodies (which include our heart, brain and nervous system)

• Our bodies are filled with positively charged free radicals, which arise when our immune system fights infections or damaged cells. This is great when we have an infection or our cells are damaged - except there are often excess free radicals, which, in the absence of damaged tissue, attacks healthy tissue. This in turn, creates inflammation and conditions such as arthritis. Earthing charges our bodies with electrons to feed these hungry free radicals - and in effect, decreases inflammation and pain.

• All of this means that Earthing = Healthy, Free-Moving Body

Google "Earthing Mats" and you will inevitably be led to sites offering a bounty of information about the benefits of Earthing. Apart from reducing inflammation and pain, Earthing improves sleep quality, reduces or eliminates chronic snoring and reduces anxiety and stress, improves digestion and immunity and offers some protection against low frequency EMFs. To ground myself (and Arnie) during the chill of Melbourne Winter (when there is no desire to run barefoot on grass or sand), I purchased a small Earthing Pad for Arnie and a Universal Mat for myself. As soon as I stood on the mat, I felt a charge of energy - like my limbs were filled with tiny, sparkling Pop Rocks. After a week or so of resting my feet on it while I write, I can say for sure that my sleeping quality has improved (although I do tend to wake in the night for a bathroom break - but at least when I am asleep, I sleep well). What really impressed me most was how quickly my body would recover from a work-out, and the chronic pain in my shoulder (oh, the downfalls of being a stick-fighter!) has greatly reduced.

In late Winter, I caught up with friends who I had put onto Earthing; my friend was suffering from some serious pain; her psychic, incidentally, classifies the pain as Ascension Symptoms. While she loved Earthing and has experienced relief from it, it was her partner who surprised me the most. He is a typical Aussie tradie; a lovely, sincere guy who gets along famously with my husband over man-food and talks about what's happening on their respective construction sites (Ross isn't a tradie - he's a project manager/civil engineer - but swaps the Saba suit for the fluro vest and gets down and dirty from time to time). Anyhow, our tradie mate was skeptical about Earthing at first, not believing it could really do anything as he set up the Earthing Sheets and tested everything for his desperate, bubbly partner. Then within a couple of nights, he was converted. Pain, reduced. Recovery time from hard labour, dramatically lessened.

Since last winter, I have invested in a grounding wrap, as well as grounding sheets for myself and Ross - and my parents - from the lovely people at www.betterearthing.com.au. The sheets have contributed to my great sleep quality - and in balancing my hormones too, I believe. From time to time, I suffer from migraines and nausea around my menstrual cycle, particularly when it finishes. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, this is attributed to a sharp rise in Liver Qi from Liver Blood Deficiency (a natural result of losing blood for five days). I went away over the Christmas period and, although I walked barefoot on the beach, I didn't sleep on a grounding sheet. For the first time in many months, I suffered from post-menstrual migraine and nausea... and not sleeping on an earthing sheet was the only thing I had done differently.

Another grounding product I've fallen in love with are Earth Runners (www.earthrunners.com), a Christmas gift from my dear sister. Earth Runners simple grounding sandals featuring conductive laces and a copper plug through the sandal. It took me a while to make all the adjustments to the laces (it's really just one strap looped through slits and a buckle), but once fitted, they're comfortable, and it feels like you're walking barefoot without all the hazards. I've worn them most days this summer.

Arnie-Bean has the right idea, running barefoot on grass!

As for Arnie-Bean, it didn't take me long to realize that he had taken to pit-dwelling as his natural instinct to go to ground to heal. He sometimes naps on his Earthing pad during the day while I write... but I daresay he still prefers to sit outside on a sunny day, and gaze and smile while looking over the pool. Earthing, after all, is intrinsic to all those who are connected to nature. It is only since the Industrial Revolution - and the invention of rubber-soled shoes - that we have become disconnected in at least the bioelectric sense. It's no coincidence that during this same period of time, chronic, inflammation-based dis-eases began surfacing. As always, Mother Nature has all the answers.