Since detoxing and inflammation are our major battles, and EMF (for those of us that have to endure lights, powerlines at work) hampers/increases these issues, it would make sense to find a way to ground all this electrical pollution out. Personally, the second I enter the work area my brain is cooked and improves when I leave. I'm sure some of you can relate.
I just read the book reviews on Amazon for a book about Earthing, check it out:
looks like quackery to me.
Posted by D Bergy (Member # 9984) on :
I do not know if this would help or not, but it is not very hard to try out.
It does not cost anything to walk around without shoes, if you live in a climate that allows you to.
There are some parasites that can enter through the bottom of the foot, so maybe a conductive moccasin would be better.
You can also grab the metal parts of a stove or any other grounded, metal appliance and ground yourself. They are grounded via the wiring to a copper earth ground.
Dan
Posted by Toppers (Member # 20083) on :
quote:Originally posted by the3030club: looks like quackery to me.
Sounds like you've never had severe electrical sensitivity. Actually it's the furthest thing from quacker, especially on a Lyme sight. Open your mind, or stay in old medical territory that doesn't work if you choose.
In the beginning of my search, time spent with electrical engineers and medical professionals resulted in little more than blank stares and research in the medical libraries turned up nothing. Then after discovering that the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences was compiling a paper on the effects EMFs have on human health. I focused my attention on their work and as luck would have it, their information provided a simple piece of evidence that gave me direction. It was their conclusion that the adverse effects found in some human studies from exposure to EMFs was determined to be inconclusive as the same effects could not be reproduced in animal studies. Pay dirt, EMFs in some studies adversely effect human health and animals in similar studies [a herd of sheep, baboons and the like] did not experience the same adverse effects. These animals were not wearing shoes and sleeping in comfortable beds insulated from earth, they were naturally grounded.
A herd of sheep sleeping under a power line, to study changes caused by EMFs in human melatonin levels. I could not resist; this determined the area of study, ground humans while asleep, the primary time when the healing and restoration of the body takes place.
The method to effectively ground people while in bed was developed and the study began. The effort produced, with a control group, the following results:
85% went to sleep quicker
93% reported sleeping better throughout the night
100% reported waking, being and feeling more rested
82% experienced a significant reduction in muscle stiffness
74% experienced the elimination of/or a reduction of chronic back and joint pain
78% reported improved general health
In addition, several subjects in the study also reported experiencing significant relief from asthmatic and respiratory conditions, rheumatoid arthritis, PMS, sleep apnea and hypertension.
Then a Dr Russell Whitten of Ojai, CA confirmed these findings when he took an interest in the study and additionally grounded 35 of his own patients and found similar results.
This combined evidence confirmed that the human body, with loss of ground contact, is now operating in a bio-electrically stressed state.
Now the task is to identify individuals and companies that can help develop and provide effective and safe methods to restore our vital connection to the earth."
1. Pilot Study on the Effect of Grounding on Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness | View 2. Changes in Pulse Rate, Respiratory Rate, Blood Oxygenation, Perfusion Index, Skin Conductance, and Their Variability Induced During and After Grounding Human Subjects for 40 Minutes | View 3. The Effect Of Earthing On Human Physiology, Part 2 | View 4. The Effect Of Earthing On Human Physiology, Part 1 | View 5. The Effectiveness of a Conductive Patch and a Conductive Bed Pad in Reducing Induced Human Body Voltage Via the Application of Earth Ground | View 6. The Biologic Effects of Grounding the Human Body During Sleep as Measured by Cortisol Levels and Subjective Reporting of Sleep, Pain, and Stress | View 7. Medical Thermography Case Studies | View 8. Grounding the Human Body to Earth Reduces Chronic Inflammation and Related Chronic Pain | View 9. Grounding The Human Body to Neutralize Bioelectrical Stress From Static Electricity and EMFs | View
Earthing Commentaries
1. Gaetan Chevalier, Ph.D., The Earth�s Electrical Surface Potential A summary of present understanding | View 2. James Oschman, Ph.D., Can Electrons Act as Antioxidants? A Review and Commentary | View 3. James Oschman, Ph.D., Charge transfer in the living matrix | View 4. James Oschman, Ph.D., Perspective: Assume a spherical cow: The role of free or mobile electrons in bodywork, energetic and movement therapies | View
Posted by lymie_in_md (Member # 14197) on :
the3030club stated : "looks like quackery to me.". Can you supply some interesting research papers or some valuable studies to support this view! Until you do, the point of view is without substance.
Posted by Forgetfulgirl123 (Member # 27939) on :
I believe in it, I just haven't read any detailed descriptions on how to actually DO it. I'd like to properly try.
Can anyone explain it in detail, or provide me a link that does?
Posted by lymie_in_md (Member # 14197) on :
Maybe the following link or a copy of the text will help you -- "forgetfulgirl123":
Stress is not good for us. Most of us know that by now. We hear it daily from doctors, news reporters, medical journals, health magazines and talk shows. There is plenty of research about the adverse effects of chronic, unmanaged stress. They include: a weakened immune system, heart issues such as high blood pressure, abnormal heartbeat, blood clots, and hardening of the arteries, muscle pain in your neck, shoulders, or back, stomach issues such as aggravated irritable bowel syndrome and ulcers, reproductive issues such as low fertility, erection problems, problems during pregnancy and painful menstrual cycles, a worsening of certain lung conditions like asthma and COPD, and skin issues such as acne and psoriasis are also made worse by stress. As if all that is not reason enough to get your stress level under control, there are a myriad of emotional issues linked to chronic stress such as feeling generally cranky all the time, feeling overwhelmed by even the smallest of issues, lack of patience, feelings of frustration, lashing out for no reason, finding it hard to focus, feeling either jumpy or tired all the time, and chronic fear as you imagine all the bad things that can happen. Bottom line, being stressed out all the time is no way to live. So where does all the stress come from? Have you ever wondered if there is an external force affecting the stress level of our world? What can we do to reduce our stress and get back in sync with the world around us? Please read on and consider this�.
Did you know the Earth has a heartbeat? I�ve recently been reading a fascinating book called Nature�s Secret Messages by Elaine Wilkes, which is where I first learned about it. The heartbeat is known as the �Schumann Resonance� � named after the German physicist W.O. Schumann who predicted it. More scientifically speaking, the Schumann Resonances are �quasi-standing electromagnetic waves that exist in the Earth�s �electromagnetic� cavity (the space between the surface of the Earth and the ionosphere).� (1) They are not caused by anything internally in the Earth, rather they are related to electrical activity in the atmosphere, particularly lightning storms. �In the normal mode descriptions of Schumann resonances, the fundamental mode is a standing wave (also known as a stationary wave because it is a wave that remains in constant position) in the Earth�ionosphere cavity with a wavelength equal to the circumference of the Earth. This lowest-frequency (and highest-intensity) mode of the Schumann resonance occurs at a frequency of approximately 7.83 Hz.� (2) There are variations in frequency, depending on the electrical activity in the Earth�s ionosphere, but what we do know is that the Schumann Resonances typically stay well below the 50 Hz � 60 Hz frequency most of our technology runs on.
The human race evolved in this frequency, this Schumann Resonance. It is very important to us. So important that NASA created a Schumann wave simulator (basically a magnetic-pulse generator that mimics the Earth�s frequency) because they noticed that without it the astronaut�s physical condition severely deteriorated while they were in space, away from Earth�s heartbeat. There are many people today who believe that all the manmade frequencies of our technology is �polluting� the Earth�s heartbeat, the Schumann Resonance, thereby causing us to feel more stressed, fatigued and out of balance. If astronauts� physical condition can deteriorate because of a lack of it, it stands to reason that the general population�s physical condition may also be affected by its distortion.
So, what to do? We can�t shut off all our power, that�s for sure. That is not a practical solution. However, we can get more connected to Earth and to nature by spending more time in it. I�ve often noticed how the energy changes when I vacation with my family at the Jersey shore. We cross that bridge into Ocean City and it�s as if all the troubles of normal, everyday life just disappear and I instantly feel more relaxed. I�m sure it is influenced by the collective energy of all the other people there who are also in �vacation mentality� so to speak, but I wonder if the fact that we spend a majority of our time there barefoot on the beach and in the ocean, connected to nature day after day for hours at a time, also plays a significant role in that collective, more relaxed energy. Maybe our increased connection to our collective heartbeat is what helps us all feel more relaxed.
Have you ever spent a day hiking in the woods, or just lounging at a park, and felt as if you lost time somehow? I think that feeling is due to being exposed to Nature�s rhythms, which are so different than our own manmade ones full of alarm clocks and artificial lighting and cell phones that never stop ringing. The astronauts have shown us how important it is for us to be connected to our Earth, and specifically its heartbeat. Being in touch with nature can ground us, and help us to feel more centered. It can take us back to our roots as human beings. Next time you are feeling stressed out, give it a try. (Better yet, use Nature as a way to prevent stress by visiting it regularly.) Take a trip to the nearest piece of nature � even if all you can do that day is simply stand barefoot in your own backyard � and just take in all that nature has to offer. Breathe deeply. Feel how Earth�s gravity roots you to the ground. Look up at the sky and watch the clouds roll by. Look around and watch the other forms of life sharing your piece of nature � the squirrels, the insects, the birds. Close your eyes and feel the wind as it moves around you, listening closely to all the sounds of nature that surround you. Reset your rhythm to Mother Nature�s rhythm. It may be just the medicine you need.
Posted by Remember to Smile (Member # 25481) on :
Toppers, Thank you for bringing up Earthing! Like Forgetfulgirl123, I'd like to learn more.
Seems one easy thing to do is get natural skin moccasins instead of rubber-sole slippers.
Here are excerpts from an article found on the link Toppers provided:
* * * * * * Friday, June 18, 2010 Is There a Best Way to Get Grounded?
by Clinton Ober Co-author, Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever?
We have tested many different versions of Earthing sleep systems and confirmed that reduction of inflammation appears to be consistent with all of them. However, we have observed that the larger the grounding device the more rapid the results and the more that sleep is improved.
[snip]
I decided to develop a white half-sheet that people could place out-of-sight over their regular bottom sheet at the leg/foot end of the bed. In this way they could at least ground their feet and not be concerned about the color of the sheet showing or about any less-than-luxuriant tactile feel of lower thread counts on their hands.
The ground plane of the half-sheet is obviously less than a full sheet but nonetheless effective. It also represents an excellent and more affordable option for most people who want to sleep grounded for the first time. The use of the half-sheet alone consistently produces good results, even for people with significant health issues.
[snip]
I believe the most effective and practical Earthing product is a bottom fitted sheet. The whole body lies on a ground plane during sleep and it stays well in place throughout the night. This is my preference and what I have primarily used myself for the last six years.
When I travel, my first choice is the recovery bag. I like the surrounding ground of the recovery bag when you are inside of it, and not just on top of it. It�s like a sleeping bag, only much lighter. It�s made of cotton and poly.
Most of the people I come in contact with regarding Earthing have very compromised health. If asked which system I recommend, I usually suggest the body bands during the day and a recovery bag or a bottom fitted sheet at night to sleep on.
For individuals with sleep issues, I recommend the bottom fitted sheets.
Over the years I have also been asked countless times whether connecting to a ground rod is better than connecting to a ground port of a wall outlet in a home that has been properly grounded. Both methods produce identical results in reduction of inflammation.
Many people have reported better sleep with use of a ground rod, but this is difficult to quantify in any way as sleep is so very subjective.
Personally I use a ground rod for my bed and an electrical ground outlet for floor mats when I am working barefoot at the computer during the day.
If you use a ground rod and live in a dry climate, such as in the Southwest United States, I suggest watering the Earth every week or two around where the ground rod is inserted, or as often as you remember. Keeping the ground moist enhances conductivity.
In summary: 1) the bigger the ground plane the better,
2) direct skin contact with the Earthing device is essential,
3) any ground is better then no ground�the body always equalizes with the Earth�s direct current (DC) and becomes charged with free electrons which we know reduces inflammation.
In general, I recommend what people can afford and find acceptable aesthetically.
All the systems work effectively to put you in contact with the Earth�s natural energy. * * * * * * * *
Sounds wonderful! Smile
Posted by Remember to Smile (Member # 25481) on :
Positive benefits can be achieved by sitting on grass, sand, unpainted cement, or pea gravel while wearing cotton clothing and/or upon a cotton towel or wool blanket.
I think wearing cotton socks (without any rubber-soled shoes) would be of similar benefit to going barefoot. Agreed?
Of course, thorough tick-check afterwards!
As for time at the ocean, the benefits are many. In addition to the joys of barefoot life, ions in the air are different near the ocean than inland. Those ions provide shore residents & vacationers with the relaxed, "whenever," casual, beach-bum attitude.
Along those lines, when it rains, we become more forgetful.
Flight attendants note that on dry days, deplaning passengers take all of their belongings. But when it rains, even with extra reminders & coaching, they struggle to get passengers to remove all personal items. It's due to ions in the air that are different on rainy days.
Joy is Like the Rain...
Smile
Posted by riverspirit (Member # 19435) on :
For years I've enjoyed a book called, "To Be Healed by the Earth" by Warren Grossman, Ph.D......it has an inspiring story by the author, who was dying of a parasitic disease, and healed himself by lying on the ground in his backyard.
I haven't had as radical results as Warren Grossman had, but i do find it very healing to stand on the earth, even with shoes on it is helpful. And when weather allows, to lie down.....ahhh. I don't worry about ticks, as i cover the body with clothing and lie down on a light colored blanket. A shower afterwards is a choice as well.
"To be Healed by the Earth" has beautiful drawings and simple, easy-to read exercises to help feel the positive healing energies of the earth.
Grounding definitely has its benefits on all levels.
Peace, ease, riverspirit
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
I just got the book today and it seems well worth reading!
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
halfway through the book and impressed by it. He had done serious research backing himself up.
A naturopath called Adolph just had a similar idea a 100 years ago.
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
Alternative health care doctors often share the message of people who love nature. Nature lover Adolph Just (1859-1936) wrote the book Return to Nature that became a best seller, It went through many editions and eventually was translated into many languages worldwide bringing millions of people a message of health and happiness.
Just believed nature held the answer to happiness, health and the Jungborn (the fountain of youth.) Just's naturopathic retreat in the Hartz Mountains of Germany sold the following self help products to help get close to nature: o Porous clothing o Air Shoes o Clay Packs o Jungborn Bread
Just had suffered from repeated bouts of neurasthenia (fatigue, loss of memory, aches and pains) that allopathic medicine did not relieve. He tried several nature cures from various nature cure doctors that helped some, and then he added his own version that included: o A light and air hut o Long barefoot hikes into the mountains o Baths in a babbling brook
Just improved and his health was regained.
Condemned by Just were things not in accordance with a natural life as: o Polluting automobiles o Closed in modern housing o Deforming styles of dress o Modern chemical agriculture
Just believed that too much time was spent talking, disputing, writing, studying, meditating, and investigating, etc and those activities should be discontinued. He recommended that we should be a part of nature and devote ourselves to the pleasure nature offers, with brotherly love as the focus.
His greatest contempt was directed against medical science, especially vivisection and vaccination. His nature cure philosophy brought him fame. Adolph Just was a teacher, humanitarian, and living example to follow. His simplicity, sincerity, and love for his work are still remembered. His sun and air cure, advocacy of nude living, and natural raw food diet live into modern times.
� My biggest FEAR in life is becoming dependent. � The idea of depending on my boss, a medical doctor, expensive insurance or the government for my health care does not feel right. Are there Solutions? The answer is YES Bill Tallmon's http://www.beyourowndoc.com Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
That's the idea behind some products that put off the earth's frequencies, like my Philip Stein watch. Also the frequency I used with the Bionic 880 was close to the earth's frequency.
Posted by lymie_in_md (Member # 14197) on :
This is the perfect topic to ask the following question: I met man at a support group meeting who is very sick, you all know what I mean (even really looks sick). If this man is complaining about needle like pains and they seem to be the most severe when he relaxes or goes to sleep. Plus he is severely affected by electronic -- computers especially. Is this type of person who cannot address his symptoms due to electrical overload?
I have the feeling if you took 10 people and could factor them from 1 to 10 as to the affect of electronics. He might be the 10.
If he is a 10, he might get the most help from the earthing devices. I'm pretty sure I'll see him at the next meeting. I would love to give him some advice. How should I pursue this?
Posted by kidsgotlyme (Member # 23691) on :
Thanks for bringing this subject up. It sounds promising as a good complimentary thing we can do.
I ordered the book yesterday and can't wait to get it.
Posted by GiGi (Member # 259) on :
Pull the fuses to the bedroom areas where you spend the longest time in one place. Get flashlights.
I did that for several years. As you lighten the toxic load you will gradually become less sensitive. I do not feel a thing today, yet lived vibrating day and night to where the blanket vibrated with me.
It is all possible. I just posted a complete treatment guide from Dr. K. - and don't think you will be getting away with a couple ofyears of abx. It simply will not work if you restrict yourself to that treatment. I had about 3 months of Roceph IV's - that was the end. The rest of my treatment consisted of almost everything that tested for me energetically as is contained in this Guide.
Nothing much will work to get one well completely unless you address toxic metals and allergies to these toxic metals as well as KPU. The majority of Lyme afflicted test positive for KPU.
Understand the connection between toxic metals in the body and EMF exposure. Viruses flourish like rabbits under EMF exposure. I am not a physicist - but that message rings clear. Add a bit of saliva to the mix and different types of metals and you become a physical wrack over time.
If a microwave tower transmits into your bedroom window, consider changing location.
Take care.
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
On Electrical sensitivity Q I would suggest you tell him to buy the book on Earthing. There are a couple of chapters on this there which come from peer reviewed studies.
I am looking into buying a bed sheet!
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
Struggling to find a european website that sells earthing products. Any suggestions?
Posted by elizzza811 (Member # 24713) on :
Toppers, I'm EMF sensitive...I can't even shop at the local Giant here due to all the fluorescent lighting and a cell phone mast across the street. You might want to sign the petitions in my signature.
As far as grounding goes, I've considered it. I will check the book out.
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
The book is very good. This is big!
Posted by nspiker (Member # 22824) on :
I regularly take my dog to the beach, and walk along the sand and water barefoot.
I feel it is a natural detoxifier and one of the contributing factors in my recovery.
Im all about this earthing. why not the earth is so grounding. Either way you gain from it.
Posted by Lenire (Member # 26766) on :
ITs so intresting i just came across that video the other day, a freind sent it to me. That girl in it survived lyme with changing her diet!!!!
Posted by Toppers (Member # 20083) on :
All the positive feedback is great, keep it coming.
I started earthing a week ago while the weather was still warm. It consisted of sitting out in the grass for an hour a day with my heels in the dirt, not moving. About 2 days into it I became so sick I was delirious, detached, rolling around outside with intense abdominal pain and loose stools that lasted 24 hours. Very, very old symptoms I had forgotten about. It cleared up and I felt fine after wards. (The fine that is the opposite of pain and misery we all know of as this set of symptoms).
There were no changes to my rife routine or anything else, it was pretty intense. I don't want to use the word HERX because it's just overused around here, but something fairly intense occured.
Not sure what to make of it since I haven't done it since due to the weather. I'm going to get an earthing pad sleep with it to see what else happens. I checked my outlet grounds so I am ready to rock when this thing arrives.
Posted by Robin123 (Member # 9197) on :
Sounds good, but I do have a concern - ticks can be on the ground, in vegetation, and also we know about infected sand fleas present on the way to and at the beach.
I got bit by the tick when I was barefoot in Big Sur.
So it seems to me folks better have some good tick repellent on to be outside like this.
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
Yep I think its good to keep this thread active.
For Europe I have been told to make sure my adaptor is grounded mmmmm
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
I have been told that an earthed adaptor should work so have ordered a bed sheet.
Also impressed by soft star shoes which I may order recommended by marjorie
Posted by Brussels (Member # 13480) on :
I heard dr. K. saying that in Japan, there's one institute curing cancer patients with basically 2 things (if my memory is good):
1- exposing cancer patients (skin uncovered) to the sunlight (but when it is dim, a bit after sunrise and before sunset)
2- AND making patients lie in what he called a tomb-like hole in the earth.
Yes. Like a dead corpse! Just lay INSIDE the hole (not only on the earth) makes you even MORE protected against EMRs. The patient needed, if my memory is good, about 15-20 minutes a day in that 'tomb'.
Apart from these 2 treatments (low sunlight and lay in the ground for 20 minutes), no other main treatment. Recovery rates from cancer were amazing acc. to dr. K.
So yes, grounding seems very important. ---- Wallace, in Switzerland, there was a university (Bern, if my memory is good) creating lots of devices to protect from , but the prices were high. ----
It's a miserable situation, to be sick with lyme, and need to go away from nature for fear of ticks or infected beasts.
In my opinion, being close to computers for hours and living in a building (not on ground floor) can harm someone so badly, possibly as badly as a new tick bite.
But the damage is done slowly and steadily, while a tick bite, the damage is felt fast! That's the only basic difference, in my view.
It's unfortunate that we find ticks mostly in nature. If it were malaria we were afraid of, we couldn't possible associate mosquitos with nature, as mosquitos are everywhere.
Somehow it would be healthier to think lyme can be transmitted by flies, flees, sexual intercourse and who knows what else and disconnect lyme from ticks ONLY. That's my feeling.
During the time I was sick, it was nature, trees, flowers, contact with the soil that made my life feel good and it made me feel it worthed to live. I had no friends, no work, no occupation, no will to meet people and then forget their names, faces, just moments after, get embarassed etc...
The best of my life during lyme was nature and I learned to love it more, respect it more, and get helped by it in many ways. Without it, my life would have been just miserable.
I know it is hard to disconnect lyme disease from nature, but if you feel what grounding does to your body, you will 'understand' how much you need it.
Just lay on a big white sheet on the earth and feel the pull downwards. I say white sheet just in case you want to watch crawling beasts easier. If you are able to relax, you'll feel that you need that like you need food or water. At least, that 's my case. ----
I'm writing to you guys from South Korea. We have just been bombed by North Korea. I wonder how can I still write in LN after having made my refugee suitcase!! No kidding.
I guess I loved to read about grounding and EMRs, so many more people now interested in it now. A couple of years ago, virtually, no one was interested or thought of this as having any importance at all here in LN!!
Dr. K. says even heavy metals and environmental toxins come AFTER EMRS for the chronic sick. EMR is a very BIG big issue, according to him.
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
I have had the earthing pad for two days now and slept with it in some way or fashion attached to my body (had to tie the thing to my legs with shoestrings so it won't come off at night). There is an obvious effect is has on me late at night where I suddenly get tired and relaxed, it's a welcome feeling.
The first two nights I have had the deepest sleep I can remember since this ordeal, and upon waking have a clear memory of these vivid dreams.
I don't remember having anything other than nightmares with lyme and co, let alone remembering them. This is totally new, but I'm not eliminating a coincidence either.
Will report back after weeks/months to see what happened.
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
Encouraging!
I am looking into soft star shoes. They do shoes with rubber or non rubber soles. I am not sure how important that is........to be earthed properly.
Posted by daystar1952 (Member # 3255) on :
Hi Wallace.....just got your message on my blog. I have ordered both the suede soles on the Soft Star Shoes and the T Rex soles. The T Rex soles are a thin rubber layer meshed into the bottom of the suede sole.
This type of sole works well for when it is damp or wet outside but I don't think it would be good for earthing. However....this very thin layer still allows the moccasins to be soft and flexible so our feet and ankles can get the proper excercise.
I wear the TRex soles when it is wet out and the plain suede soles when it is dry. I became affiliated with Soft Star Shoes after I bought my first pair because I just loved them...they are soooo comfortable... and felt as tho it was one step back to nature. Every little bit helps unload the camel's back. I have four pairs.
This past summer I tried going barefoot as often as possible around the yard and would read outside with my bare feet on the ground. I don't know if it was all in my head but it was soooo relaxing...especially if I was wound up or upset about something....taking my shoes off outside was very soothing to body and soul
Posted by daystar1952 (Member # 3255) on :
Riverspirit...I just ordered the book you mentioned....To Be Healed By The Earth. Can't wait to get it. Thanks for mentioning it
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
someone else suggested this webcast. its half way down with a n interview with clin ober. for a few days only!
In the webcast Clint ober says we are all going to get ill on this unless we get earthed due to EMF!
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
Anyone not convinced by this????
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
FROM THE BLOG ON THE WEBCAST
AY 9 ~ Clint Ober and Dr. Stephen Sinatra Posted on November 23, 2010 by adoley
TOPIC : EARTHING: Most Important Health Discovery ever??
WELL, IT IS CERTAINLY ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT IN OUR LIFETIME. Renowned cardiologist and co- author, Dr. Stephen Sinatra says it is the most important in his 40 years of practicing medicine. For your health and that of those you love, listen to this call, read the book, get educated and get earthed.
Clint Ober who discovered Earthing and has dedicated his life to making Earthing common knowledge throughout the world within the next 25 years, is both a visionary and a pioneer. Clint only finished high school but his commitment to his mission led him to a breakthrough discovery and to become as knowledgeable about this subject as the most renowned scientist. This is the kind of work that results in Nobel prizes.
Clint is so humble � a truly inspiring individual who shows what happens when you commit to being of service and listen to your intuition. In an age where chronic disease is rampant, auto-immune illnesses are on the rise, cancers, heart disease and strokes are the #1 cause of death and medical costs continue to skyrocket, Earthing is literally a gigantic wellness pill that you cannot afford to not take. We are electrical beings. Simply by reconnecting to the Earth we fill our bodies with the negative electrons that counteract disease and inflammation in the body. You can earth yourself by simply by standing barefoot on the earth. It doesn�t have to cost you anything. But we live in a world where most of us are disconnected from the earth by our lifestyles. That disconnection is literally making us sick. Earthing is as essential to our health just as water, sunlight, fresh fruits, vegetables and exercise are. Just as sunlight gives us Vitamin D, Earthing gives us Vitamin G. We need them both for our health.
Here�s just a sampling of what we learned:
-> Why Earthing reduces inflammation � the #1 cause of disease and aging -> How it reduces stress levels in the body and regulates our stress hormones EMF�s, electrical pollution and how Earthing can improve this condition -> All the conditions Earthing helps including insomnia, stress, heart disease, lupus, fibromyalgia, arthritis, chronic pain, fatigue, recovery from surgery, injury, improving athletic performance, building muscle strength and much more -> Why you may not have results right away and sometimes get �negative� results from sleeping earthed -> How to get grounded at no cost -> How to get grounded if you live in environments or climates that make walking barefoot difficult -> How to create an environment that supports grounding -> How Earthing helps heart conditions and strokes -> Precautions you must take when you are on medication
Catch all this and more�. Go to REPLAY page
Check out the Special Offer
I am passionate about getting the word out about this life-saving information and urge you to please listen to the call and check out the site we have created for you with FAQs and other information. www.wellnessrevolutionsummit.com/earthing-faq.html
Buy the book, share the information and Get Earthed Now!!!!
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1. Berte says: November 23, 2010 at 1:08 pm
Very interesting, indeed. Now I wonder if lack of grounding is part of the reason why there�s loads more MS the further away from the poles you get. But, I�d really like to know before ordering � do they have these products for European 220V systems? Reply * adoley adoley says: November 23, 2010 at 6:18 pm
The voltage is irrelevant. Earthing products do not �run� on electricity. They only carry the energy from the Earth (called �Earth,� in Europe, and �ground� in the U.S.) through the cord that is either connected to a ground rod outside or through a properly grounded wall outlet.
If the house�s electrical system is not grounded you need to use an Earthing ground rod that has a cord attachment. The cord can be connected with any Earthing product used inside the house. If the house has a grounded electrical system, you will need to get a grounded adapter for North American appliances that fits into your wall outlets. You can likely find a grounded wall outlet adapter at some local electrical supply company. To determine if your outlets are grounded you would have to obtain an outlet checker for use in your country, also at a local electrical supply company. The easiest thing is to use the ground rod, if you have a stand alone house or live on the first two stories of an apartment building. The length of the Earthing ground rod cord is 13 meters. Reply o adoley adoley says: November 23, 2010 at 6:25 pm
You can get a grounded adapter through amazon.com that works in most European countries
I came across this website which sells various components for grounding/earthing in different countries around the world, including Europe: http://www.groundology.com Reply o Berte says: November 24, 2010 at 3:24 pm
Duh. *facepalm* Of course current is irrelevant. This house is very well grounded � a thick copper wire runs around the whole of it (I know � I did the job with my electrician brother). And since the current is irrelevant, I could of course just change the socket. I�m feeling very not-so-smart at the moment (or perhaps I should chalk it up to brain fog when I posted my question). Thanks, Adoley! Reply 2. Ayesha Grice says: November 23, 2010 at 2:02 pm
Dear Adoley, thank you for what you do. This series as well as the first one was, to use the kids expression �off the chain�. I�ve been involved in the healing work (energy healing) since the early 70′s and have experienced many different modalities of healing, met many healers through my teacher, the late Isabel M. Hickey. The Earthing audio was of particular interest to me because I always thought there was healing energy coming from the earth but had no scientific proof. Growing up I was called �the barefoot Contessa� because during the summer months I refused to wear shoes and would tell people �if God wanted us to wear shoes we would have been born wearing them�. Later in life when I was in my 30′s my teacher, Ms. Hickey would tell us to take off our shoes and put our feet on the earth. She would do that at our annual retreats in Rhode Island. She would say that if we felt disconnected, out of sorts or off balanced, �just go outside, take your shoes off and let the healing energy flow through your body�. In the 90′s I interned with an organic farmer who told me during my first interview with him �listen, there will be no shoes in my garden��� my garden is a sacred space and you need to feel the healing energy from the soil�. Needless to say, I was perfectly in sync with his message. Even today, when I have a client that complains of aches or pains I encourage them to come out side with me, take off their shoes and feel the earth�s healing energy. Now thanks to you, I have the proof that I�m not crazy and that there is a scientific explanation for what I�ve been doing almost all my life. At 70 years young, I�m still discovering new and exciting things to learn. This life is amazing and I�m so happy to have discovered your series that brings me good information and increased joy and happiness. Reply 3. Jennifer Rodriguez says: November 23, 2010 at 2:54 pm
I was really impressed by this information. To think that Mother Earth has all we could ever need to heal ourselves. This never ceases to amaze me! Reply * adoley adoley says: November 23, 2010 at 4:30 pm
Jennifer, you haven�t come forward to claim your gift for winning the blogger of the week! An email has been sent to you, please respond.
Love Adoley Reply 4. CJ says: November 23, 2010 at 6:18 pm
My Gosh. I used to wonder why my body felt sooo much better after spending several weeks at the beach each summer. I�d lay on the sand and watch the kids swim and think there must be something toxic at my house! I couldn�t believe how my symptoms of pain and spasm would dissipate over the summer. I didn�t run and jump and swim, I just took the opportunity to lie on the sand with a good book and man, I never realized until this moment what it was that soothed the constant pain I�d been having all year long!!!!! This is awesome! It�s impossible to thank you enough! Warmest regards, CJ Reply 5. Mirabelle says: November 24, 2010 at 12:39 pm
After the initial shock of the cold (a wintry spell here in the UK), it was quite refreshing to walk barefoot in the garden. I never would have thought of doing this at this time of year, but I think I will continue. There seems to be enough evidence to say that it is worth a try. Thank you, Adoley, for asking all the right questions. It is clear you want us all to get as much as possible from these sessions. Reply 6. Karen says: November 24, 2010 at 2:03 pm
Hi Adoley, This is fascinating. This explains to me why I naturally prefer to be barefoot and even now, in my 50′s, I walk barefoot outside and inside most of the time. The first thing to come off when I step in a house is my shoes. This has always been a big joke to my family members, but I�ve never understood why all of them wear shoes so much of the time! I live in a Northern State with cold winters preventing me from going outside barefoot for months, so this explains why I have so many more aches and pains in the winter.
I have a question about the eathing sheet. It comes in king size, but what if you have a smaller bed? Will this size work on any size bed? Do you tuck the sides under the mattress or does it just hang over the sides? I want to get this but holding off on my order until I know for sure this will work on a smaller bed (queen)..
This is another great teleseminar.. You are providing such a great service! Thank you so much.
Have a great Thanksgiving, Blessings, Karen Reply 7. Karen says: November 24, 2010 at 4:31 pm
Found the answer to my question! I was listening to the replay while posting to the blog.. If I had waited just a few minutes before posting, I would have heard you say it will fit any size bed! I have now placed my order and know this is going to make a huge difference in my body pain during the cold winter months! Reply 8. Carolyn says: November 24, 2010 at 5:59 pm
This was just what I needed at this time in my life. I consciously try to ground to mother earth daily but liklely with little success. I have a health problem stemming from a root chakra problem that has palgued me for 3o years. Now I know what to do. Thanks you so very much! Carolyn Reply 9. Terry Miller, EMT, RMA, Wholistic-Naturopathic practitioner says: November 25, 2010 at 2:44 am
Just a note to add to what Clint and Dr. Sinatra said about the lady who slept well for a time, then got restless again. In addition to EMF�s in the bedroom and stress or alcohol/caffeine issues, there are a host of other issues that need to be looked into. This is where a wholistic approach is very helpful. Diet and nutrition also play a key role. A diet that is acidifying to the body can bind up the oxygen and cause stress to the body. Dr. Robert O. Young, PhD wrote a book called �The Ph Miracle Diet� that explains what diet and nutrition can do for the body. A slightly alkaline solution can hold 100 times the oxygen than a slightly acidic one can. Your blood has to maintain a Ph of 7.365, which is slightly alkaline. If you dip into the acid range below 6.950, you will go into a coma and die because the acidity binds up oxygen and causes cellular death. Earthing allows more oxygen into the tissues to help the healing process. Meditation with breathing exercises also helps get more oxygen into the body which helps with stress and O2 levels at the same time. EFT or Meridian tapping can also prove usefull to help aleviate any underlying psychological issues that may be affecting sleep and health. So look at the whole picture. Are you going through stress at work? Are you going through stress with family? The holidays can be the most stressful time of the year for families who are having communication difficulties that may need to be addressed. For women, hormone levels also play a key role. There are many phyto- estrogens in the processed food we eat that throws off the estrogen/progesterone balance which can affect you greatly. Some of the soy products are also causing side affects such as this. Dr. Joseph Mercola�s website has many articles on this and more. Hope this helps some of you better understand grounding is not a silver bullet or cure-all. It is truly a very BIG development in health. But, you need to use common sense and look at the whole picture. Be well. Reply * adoley adoley says: November 25, 2010 at 4:41 pm
Hi Terry,
Thank you for this terrific post offering important distinctions that affect our health. It�s wonderful to have so many skilled practitioners as part of this conversation and I appreciate your generosity in sharing your knowledge. As you say there�s no one thing that is a silver bullet or cure-all, whether it�s Earthing, Theta Healing or Quantum Touch or EFT. They are all wonderful tools or modalities that help us heal but we are holistic beings � holy and whole � unless the whole system is addressed the body cannot truly get back into balance.
Blessings, Adoley Reply * viragini says: November 26, 2010 at 3:18 pm
Yes , very important to see the whole picture.
Thankyou
Viragini Reply
Leave a Reply
Posted by jlp38 (Member # 27221) on :
I have a PEMF 100 machine. It uses the same technology that NASA uses to keep the astronauts up in space longer. (Bob mentioned this earlier in the thread.) Basically it pulses at the same frequency as the earth's eltromagnetism. I love it. It definitely helps me sleep and helps with muscle/joint pain. It's similar to a rife machine except that it's a DC machine (rife uses AC). According to Rosner's Lyme and Rife book, DC machines kill cysts. So I'm hopeful it's lowering my cyst load as well. If anyone is in Colorado and wants to try it out, let me know.
Posted by dmc (Member # 5102) on :
This "earthing" is just another name for "grounding" or being "grounded"...accupucturists, reiki and other type practictioners have understood this for years.
Clinton Ober is just cashing in on other alternatives work, just changing the name. People are always looking for another cash cow to bolster own purses.
Nothing new.
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
Of course its not new!!!!
Return to Nature was written a hundred years ago!
9O per cent of healing occurs while sleeping. An hour on the beach is not going get you anywhere. How many people sleep grounded anymore on this planet-hardly any!!!!
I believe this is really important
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
.::EARTHING::..
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The Earth we live on is one gigantic treatment table � a humongous natural painkiller, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, stress-buster, blood thinner, blood pressure normalizer, hormonal regulator, sleeping aid, energizer, jet lag defuser, and healing accelerator. No pill on Earth can do what the Earth does.
Earthing, the most eye-opening book to appear in decades, introduces our very own planet�s powerful, amazing, and overlooked natural healing energy and how people anywhere can easily connect to it. The never-before-told story � filled with fascinating research and real-life testimonials � chronicles a discovery of the first magnitude with the potential to create a global health revolution.
Throughout evolution humans walked barefoot and slept on the ground, largely oblivious to the fact that the surface of the Earth contains limitless healing energy. Science has discovered that this energy promotes health, harmonizes and stabilizes the body�s basic biological rhythms, and neutralizes inflammation.
Modern lifestyle, including the widespread use of insulating rubber or plastic soled shoes, has disconnected us from this energy and, of course, we no longer sleep on the ground as we did in times past. Earthing describes how this physical disconnect from the Earth creates abnormal physiology and contributes to inflammation, pain, fatigue, stress, and poor sleep, and how by reconnecting to the Earth symptoms are rapidly relieved and even eliminated. Recovery from surgery, injury, and extreme athletic performance is accelerated. People sleep better. They are more energized.
The book unfolds striking scientific evidence of significant physiological shifts that should put a smile on any doctor�s face ― positive changes in the direction of a dynamically revitalized and healthier functioning body― generated simply by walking or sitting barefoot or sleeping on a conductive bed sheet connected to the Earth. For more than ten years, thousands of people around the world � men, women, children, and athletes�have incorporated Earthing into their daily routines. The results have been documented and they are extraordinary.
The evidence makes a powerful and intriguing case for lack of connection to the Earth as a cause of chronic inflammation, regarded as the basis of most common modern diseases. And the solution may be something right beneath our feet � the Earth itself!
In recent years, inflammation has been recognized as the leading trigger of chronic pain and most major health disorders, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, arthritis, Alzheimer�s, and cancer. Bodies are on fire. Earthing puts the flames out, as is witnessed by doctors who have seen remarkable changes in patients and in themselves, and by the dramatic stories of people whose lives of pain, disability, and illness have been turned around. The book explains in easy-to-understand language how this happens through the transfer of negatively charged free electrons from the Earth into the body where they extinguish positively charged destructive free radicals involved in chronic inflammation.
The potential benefits on the brain, heart, muscles, immune and nervous systems � and in turn the whole body and the aging process � are massive. Just like sunlight provides us with vitamin D, the Earth provides us with another essential ingredient. Call it vitamin G ― G for ground.
Whoever reads this book will never look at the ground beneath their feet the same way. The mightiest anti-inflammatory on the planet has been discovered―and it is the planet itself!
Earthing details the fascinating odyssey of Clinton Ober, a pioneer in the cable television industry who discovered the healing power of Earth�s natural energy and who has spent years in pursuit of scientific validation. Ober�s co-authors are well-known cardiologist, author, and electromedicine expert Stephen Sinatra, and veteran health writer Martin Zucker.
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Clint Ober was raised on a Montana farm. At age 15, he dropped out of school when his father died, and, as the oldest of five children, he assumed the daily business of attending to crops and livestock. In his youth, he was exposed to the Native American culture and developed a love of Nature and the connection to the natural world.
As a young man in the 1960s, Mr. Ober entered the fledgling cable TV industry, going door-to-door to sell the concept and even climbing up telephone poles to hang cable lines. As cable TV caught on and expanded in the U.S., he formed his own company, Telecrafter Corporation, which eventually became the largest provider of cable marketing and installation services in the U.S. In the 1980s, he turned his attention to the infantile computer industry, and later to the Internet revolution. He partnered with McGraw Hill to acquire live feed distribution rights for the Internet from every wire service in the world.
In 1993, at the height of success, he developed an abscess that nearly destroyed his liver. It took a desperation experimental surgery to save his life. After recovering, he sold his company, shed his possessions, and set off on a personal journey looking for a higher purpose in life. In 1998, during his travels, he discovered Earthing and has been single-mindedly focused since then to promote the scientific exploration and practical applications for the concept. Mr. Ober has documented his amazing discovery and pursuit of scientific validation in the book, Earthing:The Most Important Health Discovery Ever? (Basic Health Publications, 2010), co-authored with cardiologist Stephen Sinatra and health writer Martin Zucker.
EARTHING - FAQs
Click here to go to questions on Earthing Basics
Click here to go to questions on Earthing and Health
Click here to go to questions on Earthing Products
Earthing Basics
Q In an age when there are so many discoveries and health-related technologies
emerging every day, why do you think the concept of Earthing is so profound?
A What is most profound about Earthing is that it is so natural and simple, and that it affects every aspect of human physiology. When you ground yourself, the entire body readjusts to a new level of functioning, the level, in fact, it seems to have been designed for throughout evolution. Many people who have lived Earthed for some years say that they do not want to go back to living ungrounded. They feel the difference. Living Earthed broadly elevates your quality of life to a level that seems not otherwise possible.
James Oschman, Ph.D., an internationally-renowned expert on energy medicine and a member of our board of advisors, describes the phenomenon thusly: �Recently I attended a meeting on the East coast. One of my colleagues came in from the West coast. She had a bad case of jet lag. I told her to take her shoes and socks off and step outside on the grass for 15 minutes. When she came back in, she was completely transformed. Her jet lag was gone. That is how fast Earthing works. Anyone can try this. If you don�t feel well, for whatever reason, just make barefoot contact with the Earth for a few minutes and see what happens. Of course, if you have a medical problem, you should see a doctor. There is nothing that comes close to Earthing for quick relief. You can literally feel pain draining from your body the instant you touch the Earth.�
Q Can you wear any type of footwear and still be earthed?
A No. Standard plastic/rubber or composite soles do not conduct the Earth�s electric energy. Most shoes today are made from those materials. You need leather or hide soles, which used to be the primary footwear materials in the past. The foot perspires and the moisture conducts the energy from the Earth through the leather and up into the body. Leather isn�t quite as good as bare feet on the ground but certainly much, much better than standard soles that are insulating. Hopefully soon shoe companies will begin making grounded shoes.
Q Would it be considered Earthing to plug something into the ground port of a wall electrical outlet, for instance, a wire and wrap it around your ankle or wrist?
A Don�t do it! Unless you are an electrician or an electrical engineer, it is highly recommended not to �experiment� with plugging �something� into a wall electrical outlet. First and foremost, it is unsafe to plug a bare wire into an electrical ground in any case. An outlet should always be checked to see if it is properly grounded. All the authorized Earthing products are specifically designed for safe, biological grounding of people. They have built-in resistors that limit the flow of current in order to prevent the unlikely possibility that electricity would flow through the connecting wire and possibly hurt someone. They allow the Earth�s natural energy to come through but not any potentially harmful electricity. In this respect, the resistor acts like a �kink� in a hose. Earthing products for personal grounding have built-in protection similar to the systems utilized in industry throughout the world to prevent electricity and static from damaging sensitive electronic parts.
Q Does Earthing occur if you work, stand, or walk on a ceramic tile floor?
A It depends on whether the tile floor sits on a concrete slab or on the ground. If so, the energy could come through. If the tile sits on plywood or some other kind of wood, plastic, or vinyl understructure, you are not likely to get any conductivity. Also depends on what kind of tile. Ceramic tile with a glazed finish on the surface will, like glass, probably prevent the Earth�s energy from coming through.
Q Why does the Earth�s electric field transfer so easily to the body?
A The body is mostly water and minerals. It is an excellent conductor of electricity (electrons). The free electrons on the surface of the Earth are easily transferred to the human body as long as there is direct contact. Unfortunately, synthetically-soled shoes act as insulators so that even when we are outside we do not connect with the Earth�s electric field. When we are in homes and office buildings, we are also insulated and unable to receive the Earth�s balancing energies.
Q What is the difference between the Earth�s electric field and the electric field used to conduct electricity in our homes?
A The Earth�s electric field is mainly a continuous direct current (DC) producing field. Throughout history, life on the planet has attuned our biology to this subtle field. By comparison, home wiring systems in the U.S. use 60-cycle per second alternating current (AC). Unless at very low frequency (less that 10 cycles per second) and/or low power, alternating current is foreign to our biology. This, and other forms of man-made environmental electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are being researched as factors in a variety of stress-related responses. Many people are sensitive to EMFs. Studies show an �association,� but not cause and effect, between living near power lines (or exposure to EMFs on the job) and higher rates of health problems, such as childhood leukemia, brain tumors, certain cancers, birth defects and miscarriages.
Q What is the difference between the Earthing technology and the use of magnets?
A Although the use of magnets produce some therapeutic effects when properly applied, magnets cannot provide free electrons, nor can they connect the body with the naturally balancing electric frequencies of the Earth. The patented Earthing Connection technology is the only way, without standing directly on the Earth, to connect with the Earth�s electrons.
Q Can Earthing protect me from cell phone frequencies?
A The protective potential of Earthing has not been tested yet on cell phone exposure. There is no research indicating that Earthing will or will not protect a person from exposure to cell phones signals, microwave radiation, or radio frequencies. What we know is that Earthing reduces significantly the induced body voltages generated by simple exposure to common household 60 Hz EMFs continuously emitted by all plugged-in electrical cords (even if the appliance is off), internal wiring, and all ungrounded electrical devices in the home or office. Based in the cases we have seen of people extremely sensitive to such EMFs it is prudent to be grounded as much as possible in the home or office.
Q Can Earthing products be used in UK and other European countries where the voltage is different from US?
A The voltage is irrelevant. Earthing products do not �run� on electricity. They only carry the energy from the Earth (called �Earth,� in Europe, and �ground� in the U.S.) through the cord that is either connected to a ground rod outside or through a properly grounded wall outlet.
If the house�s electrical system is not grounded you need to use an Earthing ground rod that has a cord attachment. The cord can be connected with any Earthing product used inside the house. If the house has a grounded electrical system, you will need to get a grounded adapter for North American appliances that fits into your wall outlets. You can likely find a grounded wall outlet adapter at some local electrical supply company. To determine if your outlets are grounded you would have to obtain an outlet checker for use in your country, also at a local electrical supply company. The easiest thing is to use the ground rod, if you have a stand alone house or live on the first two stories of an apartment building. The length of the Earthing ground rod cord is 13 meters.
Earthing and Health
Please note that none of the statements made here constitute medical advice in any way or any claim for cure or treatment of any medical condition. Always consult with your personal physician regarding any personal health care issues.
Q How does Earthing affect the body�s ability to heal?
A The simplest explanation is that aches and pains and other disturbances in our bodies are often caused by inflammation. Electrons from the Earth have natural anti-inflammatory effects and are conducted relatively fast throughout the body, which is a good conductor. One of the most profound discoveries in modern biomedicine is that many of the chronic and debilitating diseases of our time have the same cause: chronic inflammation. Scientists now realize that many of our aches and pains arise from small regions in the body where an inflammatory response has taken place, but the inflammation has not completely stopped after the healing process. A low level of chronic inflammation can continue for years, damaging normal tissues and wasting energy. Many scientists believe that the human immune system evolved over a long span of time during which we were in virtually constant barefoot contact with the Earth. We believe that the immune system began functioning less efficiently as humans increasingly separated themselves from the Earth. One recent example is the advent of shoes with insulating soles about 50 years ago. Chronic disease, inflammation, and insomnia have skyrocketed ever since and the loss of connection with the Earth may be one totally overlooked cause.
Q In your clinical studies, the physiological effects of Earthing have been almost immediate. Can you explain this?
A The body is a good conductor of free electrons. It is a repeated observation that Earthing produces beneficial effects very rapidly. When people are grounded through the feet (either by standing barefoot on the Earth or via grounded EKG patches in experiments), they sometimes feel a tingling sensation moving up the legs. We associate this with the apparent movement of electrons up into the body. In our research, we have �clocked� the speed of this activity. We figure it takes about 20 to 30 minutes to reach sites of pain and inflammation and then begin neutralizing the inflammation. When a study participant says that pain has started to ease we regard this as a sign that the electrons have arrived at the pain site and have started to �go to work.�
Electrons may even be attracted to those sites because of they have a negative charge and free radicals, involved in the inflammatory process, have a positive charge. Once the free radicals are neutralized, we hypothesize that they stop their destructive actions on healthy tissues, leading to an abatement of pain, sometimes quite fast.
We also think that as soon as a person comes in direct contact with the Earth the electrons inside the body �feel� the effect of the ground potential through the Earth�s electric field. We discuss this�the so-called �straw-bead� effect�in Appendix B of our �Earthing� book. The body settles and equalizes electrically to the ground potential almost instantaneously. The information that a new potential has been established in the body is transmitted, also almost instantaneously, to the autonomic nervous system which then responds by �adjusting� electrical activities throughout the body. Muscle tension and skin conductance, and maybe also brain waves, are adjusted in a few seconds at the most.
Q Earthing can improve quality of life, but what about aging? If stress causes premature aging, do you think we can add years to our lives by reconnecting with the Earth?
A We don't know the answer to that question, however Earthing looks promising as a powerful anti-aging strategy. Many researchers have documented the deterioration of the immune system as we age. The name for this is immunosenescence. A prominent medical theory states that one of the causes of general deterioration during aging is free radical damage, technically known as oxidative stress, and resulting in injury to cells. Since Earthing greatly reduces oxidative stress it is expected to increase life expectancy and improve health. There is no question that maintaining a functionally �young� immune system is an excellent strategy for preserving the quality of life and slowing senescence.
Q How many minutes or hours a day do I need to be grounded in order to feel results?
A When you come in direct contact with the Earth there is an immediate and natural shift in your body. We have measured these in the laboratory and the changes point to the body functioning better. People with pain often feel relief in varying degrees�from a little to a lot, and to even disappearance of the pain�just by planting their bare feet on the ground outside for a half hour or so twice a day. Sleeping grounded through the night produces many beneficial results, such as better and deeper sleep, more energy during the day, and less pain. Again, the degree of benefits run from slight to dramatic, from immediate to gradual. Some chronically ill people benefit from additional grounding hours during the day, such as by being barefoot or using an Earthing mat or body band.
Q How long does it take to relieve my symptoms?
A Everybody is different and symptoms are different with different causes. Earthing does not cure anything. Contact with the Earth helps restores the body�s natural electrical balance and reduce stress and inflammation. By doing these things, Earthing can have both short-term and long-term effects, and sometimes quite dramatic and quick. We have had many reports of improved sleep and decreased stress after only one or two nights of sleeping grounded. If the cause of sleep difficulties is long-term insomnia with underlying health issues, improvement often takes more time.
Medical thermal imaging has shown decreased inflammation in minutes. In a study conducted by the California Institute for Human Science instantaneous changes in brain waves and muscle tension were documented when the Earth connection was introduced.
Clearly, lasting changes in stress, sleep, pain and body rhythms occur when we are connected to the Earth for longer segments of time on a repeated basis. Nighttime sleep, when the body is most receptive to healing, is the most beneficial time.
In a general sense, just as you can�t direct healthy food, air, or water to create specific desired results in one function or part of your body, the body takes in the natural energy of the Earth and uses it as needed. You may experience benefits for certain issues you were not even expecting improvements in and there may be no change in other areas. Generally, the longer you use Earthing, the more benefits and vitality that become apparent.
Q I feel better when I sleep grounded. What happens if I stop sleeping grounded?
A We have heard from many people over the years who experienced relief and improvements and then stopped Earthing. Their gains began eroding. We advise people to make Earthing part of a healthy lifestyle routine and keep grounding themselves. Don�t stop. We all evolved connected to the Earth. Staying connected may be the difference between feeling good and feeling bad. Earthing is not just for regaining well-being, but also for maintaining it.
Q I just started sleeping grounded and feel a bit strange. What could that be from?
A Initially, some people may feel some temporary discomfort or even flu-like signs, pain or achiness. In practically all cases, this experience is fleeting. This effect stems from a normalization of the body�s �electrical system.� As that process gets underway, the body�s ability to release accumulated toxicity may improve and you could feel that as transient discomfort. Typically, after some initial adjustment, those individuals start feeling better and more energized. The feeling might last a few days at the most but it will go away. If you are uncomfortable, stop using the device for several days and then begin again. In the majority of cases, no discomfort is felt at the beginning.
Q Are there people who sleep grounded and don�t feel anything, or for whom grounding doesn�t work?
A Everybody benefits in some way, but we are all different. The benefits can come quickly and dramatically, such as less pain and better sleep, or subtly and gradually over time. Often people who are very ill feel the difference more dramatically. Someone with radiant health and who sleeps well may not feel any difference, however, connecting to the Earth is helping to preserve and perpetuate the precious commodity of good health. We regard Earthing as a natural form of anti-aging medicine, whether you feel it or not.
Q I purchased a bed sheet and noticed tingling in my feet for the first few nights. Should I be concerned?
A Many people feel tingling in the beginning. It�s a sign that the circulation is improving.
Q I�ve got pain. How can this help me?
A Go outside and stand, sit, or walk on the ground barefoot for at least a half hour or so. In that time you may notice that your pain is less. We believe this effect comes from the electrons that flow into your body from the Earth. Inside the body they act to reduce inflammation. There are also �barefoot substitutes,� Earthing products you can sleep on, work on, and sit on inside your home or place of work. Think of them as extension cords connecting you in your house or office to the Earth outside.
Q Do the products need to go where my pain is?
A Because our bodies are highly conductive, if any part of your body is in contact with the earth, or an Earthing device, all of your body is grounded. However, we have noticed that having the Earth connection near the location of an injury or pain may speed the decrease in inflammation that causes pain.
Q I have two stents. Could sleeping grounded do any damage to the stents?
A Not any more than sleeping or walking barefoot on the Earth would cause damage. Earthing devices simply deliver the subtle energy of the Earth inside to where you live and work. The energy helps restore the natural electrical balance in your body.
Q Can Earthing products be used by somebody who has a pacemaker?
A There is no evidence that Earthing interferes with the function of a pacemaker. Earthing is the same as walking barefoot on the Earth. Many people with pacemakers sleep grounded and experience the benefits of their medical device and Earthing. To our knowledge, no one with a pacemaker was advised not to walk barefoot outdoors. Just check with your doctor initially and monitor yourself for any symptoms.
Q Can you use the Earthing products if you have knee and hip replacements?
A No problem.
Q I live in a warm climate where we are reluctant to go out barefoot due to parasites in the soil like hookworm and roundworm). The soil never gets cold enough for the parasites to die off.
A If being barefoot outside is risky, use the Earthing products inside. The best opportunity to gain the many benefits of Earthing is to sleep grounded.
Q Can I get too much of the Earth�s energy by sleeping grounded every night?
A Throughout most of history we walked barefoot and slept on the ground. We were directly connected to the Earth almost 24/7. That�s what our bodies are used to. The combination of insulative shoes and elevated beds has separated us from the natural electric frequencies of the Earth. We believe this separation has contributed to the great increase in chronic diseases and inflammation.
Our body knows exactly what to do with what the Earth provides for us. When we connect to the Earth the amount of the electrons we absorb is driven by the amount our body needs to balance the electrical charge of our body. It is always the perfect amount.
Earthing Products
Q How do I know if I need a ground rod or a plug in connection for my Earthing device?
A Most modern homes have a functional electrical ground system that interfaces with the Earthing plug in device. If your home was built before the 1960s and has not been electrically re-wired, you may require a ground rod or professional installation of a dedicated grounding connection to the Earth. If you are unsure, have an electrician check your home for the presence of a functional ground system or use a commercially available outlet checker.
Q If I place a ground rod in the earth outdoors is it OK if it gets rained on?
A Totally OK. The presence of moisture increases the flow of electrons from the Earth. That�s why it�s great to stand or walk barefoot in damp grass or in the surf or wet sand at the beach. If you live in a very dry climate and are using a ground rod, you will want to place it in the earth where there is some moisture. You can even water the ground rod every week or so.
Q I live in an old apartment building that does not have grounded electrical outlets and I can not put a wire outside to the Earth. What can I do?
A As the benefits of Earthing become more widely recognized, solutions such as retrofitting older buildings with dedicated grounding systems, and adding them to plans for new buildings will come about. Meanwhile, try to spend some barefoot time in nature if possible, and consider using an Earthing device at the office and when you travel.
Q Is it OK to use the United States style Earthing plug in countries with 220 volt electrical systems if I use an adaptor, converter or transformer?
A No! Ground rods and dedicated grounding systems can be used safely internationally. Electrical systems vary greatly worldwide. Earthing plugs designed especially for specific countries outside the US and Canada are gradually being developed.
Q Do Earthing products run on electricity?
A No. They simply pick up the Earth�s energy through the ground port of a properly grounded outlet or from a ground rod placed directly in the Earth and deliver it via a cord to the conductive Earthing pad, mat, sheet, or band specially designed for human grounding. When your body comes in contact with the Earthing product you absorb the Earth�s energy. Earthing products are like �barefoot substitutes,� enabling you to receive inside your home or office the outside energy of the Earth.
Q Can I become electrocuted by an Earthing product?
A No. Earthing yourself by sleeping, working, or sitting grounded indoors has no relationship with electrocution. When you plug in the cord of an Earthing sheet or mat into an electrical outlet, the plug, cord, and product are designed to only conduct the ground energy, from the ground port in the outlet, to your device. It does not conduct the electrical power that operates your lights and appliances in the house.
Q Do I have to be concerned about being hit by lightning during a thunderstorm if I am grounded in my home?
A Lightning is a massive natural phenomenon that is unpredictable and challenging to totally protect against. It is poorly understood. Homes are rarely hit by lightning. When this does occur, the lightning usually takes the path of least resistance to the ground, such as large conductive systems like the plumbing pipes, electrical wiring network, or telephone and cable TV lines, all of which are directly grounded to the Earth.
The National Safety Council reports that the odds of dying from a lightning strike in one year are 1 in 6 million (www.nsc.org/research/odds.aspx). To put this in perspective, the chance of being hit and killed by an automobile as a pedestrian in the same period is 1 in fifty thousand�a risk 120 times greater. What these statistics suggest is that being hit by lightning is rather unlikely. However, follow standard lightning safety guidelines
as directed by National Weather Service (www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov) if you live in a lightning-prone area. Disconnect your Earthing device and don�t use it during lightning and thunderstorms.
Q I started sleeping on an Earthing sheet and noticed that I feel warmer. What�s going on?
A In our research, contact with the Earth contributes to good circulation and relaxation of the body, including blood vessels. One byproduct is more heat in the extremities and throughout the body. We have seen people quickly develop a rosier color in their skin. Many people have also reported feeling some initial tingling in the extremities.
Q My Earthing device has a white plug that fits in a three prong outlet. How do I know if the outlet is grounded?
A The two lights on the white plug must be green to indicate a grounded outlet. Some Earthing products do not have the white plug. They have a prong that simply inserts into the ground port of the outlet. These products come with a commercial outlet checker that you can use first to determine if the outlet is grounded. Two orange lights on the commercial outlet checker indicate a correct ground is present.
Q Once the Earthing product is plugged into a grounded outlet should I always leave it plugged in?
A Yes. For cleaning and washing purposes, you simply unsnap the cord from the product. There is no need to remove the plug-in end of the cord from the outlet unless you want to use the product elsewhere.
Q There are three pins on the white plug that came with my Earthing product. What are they for?
A The two standard pins plug into the regular electrical slots only to light the LED to show that the outlet is grounded. The round pin (prong) fits into the ground port to conduct the Earth�s energy.
Q What if the lights burn out on my white plug? Do I need a new plug?
A When the two green lights are lit that means you have a proper ground. If the plug lights were to burn out, the ground component of the plug would still continue to function, however it is best to replace devices with burnt out lights so that you know for sure that your outlet is indeed grounded. You can either purchase a new plug or a simple commercial outlet checker. You can buy a checker at any store that sells electrical products such as a hardware store, Home Depot, RadioShack, or Fry�s.
Q The lights on the plug are too bright when I am going to sleep. What can I do?
A Place a piece of non-transparent tape over the lights.
Q Are all the outlets in my home grounded if one of them is grounded?
A No. All kitchens and bathrooms must have grounded outlets but the bedrooms and other rooms in the house do not necessarily have a grounded outlet even if they have a three prong outlet. You must test any individual outlet for a proper ground if you plan to use it for an Earthing device.
Q Can I wear clothing or put a bed sheet over the Earthing device?
A If your body is not in direct contact with the device, it will require some moisture for the direct current of the earth to flow through the fabric into your body. For some people this occurs naturally during the night when moisture from the body creates the necessary conductivity. It is best, however, to have some bare skin in contact with the device if possible.
Q Can I wear socks when using an Earthing mat on the floor?
A Yes, but direct skin contact is best. Feet naturally sweat and will hydrate socks, making the socks somewhat conductive.
Q I like to wear socks to bed. Do my bare feet have to touch the Earthing bed sheet?
A Since our feet are the most electrically conductive part of our body it is best to have your bare feet in contact with the grounded sheet. However, if you must wear socks, try to have some skin�bare legs or any other body part�touch the Earthing mat or sheet. You can place the Earthing product in your bed wherever it is most comfortable and effective for you. If you wear socks to bed because of cold feet, you will often find that your feet warm up naturally from improved circulation when you sleep grounded.
Q Is it okay to use an Earthing sleeping product along with an electric blanket or on an electrically heated mattress pad or waterbed?
A There is nothing wrong with using an Earthing sleep product with any electrical devices as long as those devices are in good working order.
Q How are the Earthing sheets different from an electric blanket?
A Earthing sheets do not heat up as does an electric blanket. They only conduct the subtle energy from the ground. They do not conduct the electrical energy that flows in the electrical system of your house and powers your lights and appliances. If you want to know about safety issues related to the use of electric blankets, visit the following website: http://www.electricblanketinstitute.com/safety.html There are no additional safety issues regarding the use of an electric blanket when sleeping grounded. The Earthing device cords contain a current limiting resistor that prevent any harmful effect should an electrical event such as a short develop in an electric blanket.
Q Can I plug the Earthing product into a surge protector or extension cord?
A Yes, as long as they have an existing ground port (for the third prong) which will connect with the grounding system in the home or office.
Q How long will an Earthing sheet last before it wears out?
A Sheets made with cotton, polyester, and conductive silver fiber have withstood rigorous testing conducted by an independent testing lab. After 100 wash/dry cycles, the conductive silver fibers show virtually no breakage or wear. When cared for properly, your sheet should last as long as any good quality bed sheet.
Q Are the sheet threads really silver? Why?
A Any metallic material will conduct the flow of electrons. Earthing devices typically use carbon or silver as the conductive agent. Silver is highly conductive and very strong, allowing it to hold up well with frequent use and washings. Moreover, it is inherently anti-microbial.
Q Is the Earthing sheet washable? What about care and cleaning?
A Your sheet may be laundered just as you would wash other bedding, using a gentle wash cycle and a mild detergent. Low heat drying is recommended. However, NO chlorine bleach or fabric softener should be used. When necessary, use a hydrogen peroxide-based non-bleach to remove stains and/or to whiten your sheet.
Q How do you clean an Earthing mat?
A Mats can be cleaned with ordinary dish soap and water.
Q I have used various devices that simulate the frequencies of the Earth. How is this different?
A There are many effective therapeutic devices available that use a variety of frequencies. Earthing products simply conduct the actual frequencies of the Earth to your body without any simulation and serve as extension cords from the Earth to you. The signal they carry includes all of the subtleties inherent in nature that our bodies have attuned to over millions of years. Earthing is totally natural.
Q Can you use an Earthing sleep system over a mattress pad that has magnets embedded in it?
A There is no problem with using an Earthing sheet over a magnetic mattress pad. The magnets in the magnetic mattress pad produce a static magnetic field that would naturally go through and extend beyond the surface of the Earthing sheet similar to the way it passes through a regular sheet.
Q My dog sleeps in my bed with me and sits at my feet when I am at my desk. Is it safe for him to touch the Earthing product?
A Yes. Animals naturally want to spend time in contact with the Earth. Most indoor pets share our lifestyle causing them to be separated from direct contact with the Earth. People report that pets indoors are attracted to grounding sheets and mats.
Q Can I ground myself while driving the car?
A Yes. The car is two tons of metal. It is a ground plane by itself. Sitting on a conductive auto pad connected by a wire to the metal frame of the car helps eliminate static electricity that builds up on the body. Such static electricity can contribute to fatigue and tension.
THE EARTHING CHRONICLES�WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
Since the release of the Earthing book, we have received a steady stream of testimonials from folks all over the world. Most commonly, we see reports of better sleep and less pain. We�d like to share some of the feedback, in abbreviated form, showing the many ways that Earthing benefits quality of life. We will post similar reports from time to time.
Relief for Vitiligo ● �As I have gotten older I have begun to experience age-related things like brain fog, difficulty in dropping excessive weight, and most unexpectedly, not sleeping well. Better nutrition and higher intensity weight resistance exercises effectively addressed the first two problems, but I was having difficulty finding a solution to getting good, sound sleep. I tried many methods, short of taking drugs, but nothing worked. It was extremely frustrating. I never had difficulty sleeping before. �I decided to try grounding, despite a healthy dose of skepticism. The first night grounded, I slept as though I had taken some kind of sleeping pill. I slept through the night and deeper than I had in years. I was stunned by the result. I experienced the same thing the next night and it continued in the ensuing nights. �The week after I started sleeping grounded I visited my elderly mother who suffers from an assortment of chronic inflammatory maladies from arthritis to vitiligo, the skin disorder made famous by the singer Michael Jackson. (Note: Vitiligo is a relatively common autoimmune skin disease affecting an estimated one percent of the population. The immune system attacks and destroys melanocytes, the cells which give skin its color, causing the skin to turn white in patches. The condition is associated with inflammation and often with redness and itching. The medical system does not have effective treatments for this condition). �I decided to carry my sheet with me to show my mother, since grounding might possibly relieve her symptoms of chronic inflammation. When I arrived at her home, I was stunned by a sight I had never encountered before. She was experiencing a full blown, painful skin flare-up on her left forearm. She had mentioned these episodes to me in the past. She develops extreme and burning-like pain along with severe itching. She also has some eczema mixed in. However, I was not prepared for what I saw. Her arm was so red and inflamed that it looked like a bloody, pulpy, piece of raw flesh. My stomach turned and my heart dropped at the sight of it. She was obviously in great pain, and the itching was severe as well. Some of the pain, she told me, could have been exacerbated by the constant scratching in an attempt to relieve the itching. �I asked her what she normally did to calm down her body�s reaction. She said all she could do is to take her meds and wait for 10-12 hours for the symptoms to subside. I felt terrible for her. �I instinctively pulled out my grounding sheet, connected it, and told her to just put it on her arm to see if it would at least help minimize the itching. She wrapped it around her arm and we started to talk about other things to take her mind off her discomfort. About 45 minutes into the conversation, I looked at her arm and was shocked. While still a little red, the pulpy appearance had all but vanished. And so, too, the itching was almost gone. She said she felt so much better and was relieved by this totally unexpected development. I have seen a lot of extraordinary things over the years, but I have never witnessed a dramatic, healing transformation quite like that. I continued to ground her for the rest of my weekend visit and there was no recurrence of her severe symptoms. �I subsequently obtained an Earthing system for her and she started grounding on a consistent basis. In the two months since, she has reported much improved sleep, greatly diminished itching, and only one flare up. The flare-up happened when she lapsed in her grounding routine. She quickly got the situation under control by grounding herself the same way as the first time. She had the exact same relief.�
Autism ● (In the Earthing book, one California mother described the improvement of her young son who had been diagnosed with autism two years before. The boy did not sleep through the night and was subject to behavioral meltdown and crying in the afternoon. As the following report indicates, he continues to improve). �Our five-year-old son is a completely different kid since he started to sleep grounded. He is in general education kindergarten this year, steadily making progress with his speech and behavioral issues, and currently doing school work at a first grade level. Most importantly, his sleep has been very consistent since being �grounded� with the Earthing sheet. He sleeps 10 hours per night without waking up, and rises each morning feeling refreshed and happy. Sleep is a big issue, a snowball factor. From reading posts in my autism groups, depression and behavioral problems often occur with lack of restful sleep. Autistic kids seem to really be affected by bouts of insomnia.�
Less Pain ● �I am a non-professional athlete who has been running since my mother said �I ran out of the womb.� I had shoulder pain from a fall on a local running trail in August 2009, left hip pain for years, a tweaked neck, and was recovering from a sprained ankle a month before (that was not my year!). After one hour of Earthing, the pain in all areas nearly vanished. �I went through the change three years ago and could not sleep a full night without waking up multiple times from pain of past injuries and a noisy living environment. Since sleeping on my Earthing sheet, all has changed. For the first time in three years I have been sleeping a full night sleep with dreams. I feel more balanced, my friends say I look younger now, and I have a renewed zest for life!�
Caution with Coumadin and Earthing ● �I had bypass open heart surgery nineteen months ago and was not able to sleep through the night without medication. I also developed significant muscle and joint stiffness. I started sleeping grounded two months ago and within a month was able to sleep without medications or even herbs. My morning knee and even back stiffness, and sometimes pain, disappeared. �My INR blood test moved from 1.5 to 5.5. Ideally, it needs to be between 2 and 3. My cardiologist was astounded and had to lower my dosage of Warfarin by 1.5 g. (Note: Earthing has a blood thinning effect and individuals on Warfarin, also known as Coumadin, or any other blood thinner, need to monitor their blood level very carefully with their doctors in order to prevent excess thinning and the risk of bleeding. Refer to our earlier Earthing Report on medications). �Five days ago I took the sheet off my bed to launder it and woke up with terrible knee stiffness two mornings in a row. I had forgotten to put the sheet back on. I immediately put it back on the bed, and woke up the next morning, and the next and the next, with absolutely NO stiffness in my knees, back, or any place else.�
CPAP Machine Sidelined, Less Bowel Irritability ● �I�m not sleeping with the CPAP machine anymore (Note: CPAP stands for Continuour Positive Airway Pressure, and is a bedside medical device widely used for conditions associated with disturbed breathing, such as sleep apnea, heart failure, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.) I was diagnosed with sleep hypoxia, rather than apnea per se�shallow breathing. The Earthing sheet has improved that as well as lessening the severity of irritable bowel flare-ups.�
Barefoot Benefits ● �I have had the very best �experiment� going this summer. I read a book called �Earthing� and I would say it has changed my life significantly. As suggested in the book, I have made a conscious effort to make more direct contact with the EARTH�either by barefooting it or sitting on the ground. I am sleeping so well it is downright scary! Last night�7 1/2 hours without even going to the bathroom! I haven�t had one of those little sleep-aids in a month now. Besides that, the inflammation in my body in the form of aches and pains in the arthritic areas has been greatly reduced. I have become a true believer in this theory.� ● �I spent my childhood barefoot, healthy and happy. So I was very interested in the concept that something so natural could be so beneficial for the human body. I have been working as a dental hygienist for most of my adult life. For the past few years, I have had a great deal of pain in my back because of the unnatural position I have to be in while working. I tried chiropractic treatments and yoga, but nothing seemed to work until I began Earthing. The first day that I spent barefoot outside in my yard for a few hours, I slept very soundly that night and did not have my usual aches and pain. I have kept going barefoot as much as possible during the summer and as long as I got my Earthing in every day, I was pain free. I am so happy to have such simple and natural solution. I�m planning to start sleeping grounded soon as well.�
Multiple Benefits ● �I am 58 years old and using my Earthing sheet for a little over one month. In that time, my sleep patterns have improved dramatically. I sleep at least 8 hours without waking up, something I have not experienced in a number of years. In addition, I feel much calmer, my blood pressure has come down, and I no longer need sleep aids of any kind. I fractured my ankle several months ago, and there was still a lot of stiffness, pain, and swelling. One week after starting to sleep grounded, the ankle felt good enough so I could return to the gym. Now it seems to be 100 percent. I can ride a bike, use the elliptical, and jog without any discomfort.� ● �I have been consistently barefoot everyday for over six weeks (at least 30 minutes a day.) I find it helps ease PMS symptoms and I feel more rested after a shorter amount of sleep (average 6 hours). The most incredible bonus has been brain power, clarity of mind, specially with problem solving and productivity at work.�
Benefits for an 86-year-old ● �I have seen great results with my 86-year-old mother who has memory loss and has been on four meds for high blood pressures for many years. Her blood pressure went down to a point where we had to take her off her medication and she is now taking one new medication which is not as strong. She has a long way to go with her memory, but we do notice more mental clarity; she remembers more things, and is not constantly repeating herself. She seems more focused and has more energy.�
More Sleep, Less Snoring ● �I thought you would enjoy knowing that I slept VERY soundly last night for the first time in a very, very long time. My husband says that I did not snore, either, which seems to be another milestone. It was the second night that the grounding contraption has been on our bed. Could it possibly work that fast? I don�t know whether my husband snored last night because I slept so soundly without waking up at all.�
Improvement of Psoriatic Arthritis Symptoms ● �I have suffered with psoriatic arthritis (inflammatory type, like rheumatoid) for about eight years. I stopped using some of the stronger drugs because of the side effects, and have been trying to control the symptoms with NSAIDs (Naproxen). The pain and swelling in my hands, feet, and knees were severely limiting, and to the point of not being able to pick up anything with my left hand, or rising from a chair without help. I began Earthing myself at night and using Earthing patches on the most painful areas during the day. In two weeks, the benefits have been profound. The pain in my knees is almost gone, and my hands are much less swollen and painful. Yesterday I picked up a full cup of coffee with my left hand!! It�s been over a year since I was able to do that. I put Earthing patches on my 89-year-old mother, and it helps the pain in her back. Because of all this, I�m jumping for joy and I�m really jumping!!�
Help for Hashimoto-related Fatigue, Husband�s Car Accident Pain ● �After sleeping grounded for little more than a month I can report that I have never slept more soundly. I now enjoy vivid, colorful, logical dreams. I don�t wake up stiff in the morning. I have more energy. This is a very big deal because I have Hashimoto�s Disease and that can really sap your strength! I honestly don�t have anymore issues with fatigue at all, and I used to collapse almost every afternoon! (Note: Hashimoto�s disease, an automimmune condition affecting the thyroid gland, is a common cause of hypothyroidism). �Most incredibly, my husband, who has experienced severe chronic pain since a 1992 car accident, immediately experienced relief. He no longer contends with neck and/or back pain on a daily basis. He is in a much better mood, can concentrate better, and is happy!�
Asthma Flare-Up Abbreviated ● �My 6-year-old old son just encountered his first asthma flare-up since I read your book. I then wrapped him in a grounded sheet for a good 24 hours at the first signs. Amazing. I used his steroids once, begrudgingly, and as usual they make him feel lousy. His entire body reacts poorly to the steroids, and while his breathing may improve, we wind up with unpleasant side effects. I decided to discontinue the steroids and let the sheet take over. In most cases we settle in for a week of illness, but now he was back at school the next day! I�ve been working hard to find ways to deal with his asthma without the use of steroids. Earthing was easy and it made perfect sense to me.�
Very Happy Marathon Runner ● �I fall asleep so much faster now, get much more restful sleep, and have tons of energy during the day. Sleeping grounded also helped me reset my clock and now I go to sleep earlier, wake up earlier, and feel way more rested. I recently ran a 100k (66-mile) ultramarathon called the Chimera 100, one of the toughest 100k races. Though I suffered some stomach issues out on the course that really beat me up, I slept grounded and, once I stopped running, stayed barefoot the rest of the day. I was barely sore the next day and two days out I was fine.�
Swelling, Posture, Headaches, and Sugar ● �When I woke up in the morning after my first night using the Earthing sheet, I noticed that my ankles were not swollen as normal. They looked like they did when I was 18 years old, and I will be 70 tomorrow. My posture has been horrible, despite doing Pilates and yoga. The first day after sleeping grounded, I noticed something I was not prepared for� and had not read about in the Earthing book. About six times that day, my body told me I was slumping. My body spoke to me through pain. It hurt to slump and my body began to correct itself without my brain having to tell my body to work hard and stand erect. I�ve used the Earthing sheet for about two months and I�m amazed at how I automatically check my posture without thinking about it. I�ve had other benefits as well. I love sugar and no longer crave it. My face is not puffy. I sleep deep. Occasionally I feel an early morning headache coming on, and I wrap the sheet around my upper body and wake up without any sign of a headache. I no longer need an afternoon nap and am fully alert at 10 pm. I wake up after 8 hours ready to enjoy the day.�
Salt Reduction Method? ● �Since sleeping grounded, I�ve found prepared foods to be way over-salted. Strange, because normally I love salt and can�t get enough of the stuff.� Fast Hip Replacement Recovery at Age 90 ● Arvord Belden Ph.D., gave us his inspiring story in the Earthing book how, at age 90, sleeping grounded has enriched and energized his quality of life. He�s been Earthing for more than nine years. We spoke to Arvord in mid-2010 to see how he was doing. �Quite well,� he said. He had just had a right hip replacement and the doctor and nurses were amazed at his quick recovery and lack of swelling. He asked the doctor if he could have his Earthing sheet in the hospital bed with him. No problem, the doctor said. Arvord was in the hospital for four days and after two weeks reported doing �super-dooper� and walking better than before.
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
Anyone else buying the book or bedpad/sheet?
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
Dr Sinartra video The Most Important Healing Modality in the World - with Dr. Stephen Sinatra, M.D.
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
I ordered the sheet for my husband (and me by default ) . I think it will come today. I will let you know how it goes. He has neuropathy (from newly diagnosed diabetes...or maybe lyme).
Posted by kidsgotlyme (Member # 23691) on :
I have GOT to get this product for my bed!! Dang, I wish I was rich instead of beautiful!! Posted by hoot (Member # 19281) on :
The holidays are on their way...any way you could *hint* to others that you would like $$$ instead of gifts so you can save up for one???
Also, the mat or bands could be a less expensive option.
Posted by Toppers (Member # 20083) on :
Surface area doesn't seem to matter, at least when I tested it with a voltmeter. Maybe it has different affects on things that can't be tested.
Meaning, the bracelet (or earthing pad touching your body somewhere, in my case) will provide the same flow of electrons. So if you can only afford the bracelet, just go with that.
Also, if you get the pad, don't use the "conductive" cover sheet, I tested it and it does not ground properly. The conductive rubber pad grounds like a champ though, well made.
Posted by kidsgotlyme (Member # 23691) on :
I'm still looking at them on Amazon. I want that stuff bad!
We don't really "do" the holidays so I guess I can't really ask for a gift. But if we did participate in all of the hoopla, this is what I'd ask for.
So Toppers, you think it would be worth my money to go ahead and get the mat that's like $60 instead of holding out for the sheets?? I think I could swing that right now.
I almost went ahead and ordered it, but I didn't want to waste my money. I guess I could even use that at night, right?
Posted by 'Kete-tracker (Member # 17189) on :
Quote: "They [Earthing products] allow the Earth�s natural energy to come through but not any potentially harmful electricity."
Huh? Wha?? Just what does this natural energy consist of... if not some type of electron flow?
M.S. CET Sr.
Posted by daystar1952 (Member # 3255) on :
Yesterday I recieved the book "To Be Healed By The Earth...mentioned above somewhere in this thread. I am halfway through it so far and love the book. It is very simply written and contains much wisdom.
Basically the book is sharing the idea that if we renew ourselves consistently with energy from the earth....I like to think of it as God's energy too.....that this enables us to renew our stores of love, patience, kindness and gentleness and that these qualities...along with the healing energy....is what heals ourselves and others. ...AND the world!
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
Cant wait to get my bedsheet.
With chronic lyme/cfs etc the key problem in inflammation. According to Dr Sinartra the best anti inflammatory is grounding. But it is dose dependent so an hour a day wont be enough.
My view is that it will pay for itself because we wont need all those expensive supplements to calm our inflammation!
At some point I will buy the star shoes Daystar!
Nice to hear some positive vibes!
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
On healing I have ordered this book as I love this author:
Healing the Mind through the Power of Story: The Promise of Narrative Psychiatry [Paperback] Lewis Mehl-Madrona M.D. Ph.D. (Author) 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews) 2 Reviews
Posted by daystar1952 (Member # 3255) on :
I have been using the bedsheet for about 2 months now. While it seems to have made a little bit of difference, I noticed more of a difference being barefoot outside. Everyone is different tho.
I have just ordered an EMF detector so I can measure stuff and do some FUN experimenting. I want to make sure I have the bedsheet grounded correctly. It was interesting...the first few nights I used the bedsheet, I felt a slight tingling in my legs.
It felt good. I don't feel it anymore though. I think the book mentioned this phenomonon and that the tingling does go away after a bit. So...I thought that was interesting
I don't know if its all in my head but I love wearing the soft star shoes and walking around our yard or on trails in the woods. When I do this I wear the shoes with the all natural suede soles. It feels really good to me to feel the uneven lumps and bumps of the natural ground through the minimal soles.
Don't overdo walking in them the first few times because you may have sore foot and leg muscles. Walking in these shoes developes muscles and tendons...etc....that have been stifled in regular rubbersoled shoes.
It's almost like having reflexology done on your feet...which also feels good and heals. It will be interesting to see if I am free of positive electrons when wearing these shoes outside and holding the EMF meter. At least I think that is how you would tell if the shoes are allowing any conductivity from the earth.
I also wonder if wearing synthetic socks blocks the flow of electrons at all. So....there are possibly several benefits from these shoes....excercising the foot and ankle muscles, reflexology benefits on the soles of the feet, just the feel of natural materials and possible negative electron conduction.
I also wear the soft star shoes when walking on the road but it is not quite as comfortable walking on asphalt as it is on natural ground
Let us know Wallace....how you like the book you just mentioned
Posted by hoot (Member # 19281) on :
Someone asked about obtaining product in Europe... http://groundology.com Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
Thanks Daystar. Valuable information. I must get a pair of those shoes!
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
ordered some soft star shoes with suede soles.
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
Hoot With regards to groundology products I would only order products approved by clint obers organisation.
Posted by hoot (Member # 19281) on :
Wallace-- I guess your *new shoes* and the Earth will be your best option for now. Maybe you could contact the people at http://earthing.com to see if they have any suggestions. Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
I managed to find some leather shoes with leather soles locally. Now I can really feel the ground! All leather shoes are conductive!
Thom Hartmann wrote a short book on walking called #walking the blues away# but he failed to mention the benefit of barefoot walking.
My father wrote a published novel about a pair of magic shoes!!!!
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
Went for a 4km with my #magic shoes#; I would normally be totally exhausted but feel ok!
Those hippies were right along......
Hippie Roots & The Perennial Subculture (Views: 343,200)Topic: Hippiedom Contributed by Skip on May 13th, 2003 Hippie Roots & The Perennial Subculture
By Gordon Kennedy & Kody Ryan
"Wandervogels Abschied" by Fidus, 1900
According to Webster�s dictionary (2003) a "hippie" or "hippy" is: "a young person of the 1960�s who rejected established social mores, advocated spontaneity, free expression of love and the expansion of consciousness, often wore long hair and unconventional clothes, and used psychedelic drugs".
This mass-media definition of the 1960�s dropouts has eclipsed all pre-1960�s uses of the actual word such as that mentioned by Malcolm X in his famous autobiography. As a 17 year-old hustler living in Harlem in 1939 Malcolm noticed, "A few of the white men around Harlem, younger ones whom we called "hippies", acted more Negro than Negroes. This particular one talked more "hip" than we did. He would have fought anyone who suggested he felt any race difference".
This echoes the familiar sentiments of Jack Kerouac from "On The Road" (1955): "I walked with every muscle aching among the lights of 27th and Welton in the Denver colored section, wishing I were a Negro, feeling that the best the white world had offered was not enough ecstasy for me, not enough life, joy, kicks, darkness, music, not enough night".
Clearly the actual word "hippie" was a form of Ebonics (black slang) from Harlem that passed it�s way through the beat era into the 1960�s, until Herb Caen of the San Francisco Chronicle used it enough times by late 1965 to describe the young arrivals in their city�that the national media soon swallowed it whole and patented it.
But apart from the slick zoot suit clad "white Negroes" of 1930�s Harlem there actually were long-haired bearded individuals during this same era who wore sandals or bare feet and usually tended to favor mild subtropical places like southern California and Florida where they could forage their meals from the fruit trees that were so plentiful then.
Wandervogel print from the local group in Darmstadt, 1911
"Nature Boys" as they were later called were without exception either German immigrants or American youths whose lives were influenced by transplanted Germans that spread their Lebensreform (life-reform) message to anyone ready for a radical departure from the accepted boundaries of 20th century civilization.
Modern primitives, naturmensch, wandervogel, bohemians, reformers, wayfarers, and vagabonds are all expressions that evoke a tone of something wholly apart from the orthodox.
So why Germany? What was happening there in the 19th century that caused a phenomenon like this to erupt so big?
Germany had always made a virtue of their late submission to Latin civilization and had glorified the natural man and woman with all of their virtues and vices. Over 2000 years ago (about 51 B.C.) Julius Caesar noted of the Germans: "The only beings they recognize as gods are things that they can see, and by which they are obviously benefited, such as sun, moon and fire; the other gods they have never even heard of."
"Vegetarisches Speisehaus", 1900
The word "God" was neuter in gender in the Teutonic language (Das Gott, or in old Nordic "gud") and the Roman historian Cornelius Tacitus (98 A.D.) wrote: "According to German outlook, pronouncements of destiny seem to acquire a greater sacredness in the mouth of women. Prophecy and magic in a good as well as an evil sense is by choice the gift of women. If it is inherent in the nature of men to show the female sex a great consideration and respect, then this was particularly shaped on the German people from of old. Men earn deification through their deeds, women through their wisdom."
Thus the religiosity of the Indo-Germanic people, whenever their nature can unfold itself freely, emerges only in that form which religious science has described as "nature religion" or "earth religions". To remove the German soul from the natural landscape is to kill it. The Romans knew this so once Christianity had become the state religion of the Roman Empire their missionaries were eager to chop down the German forests and set their temples on fire.
Whenever the church encountered Pagan elements that it could not suppress, it gave them a Christian dimension and assimilated them. These ancestral traditions were reinterpreted and revised, but the church never succeeded in effacing the German Pagan heritage.
Hermann�s victory (9 A.D.) had forestalled Roman colonization, thus Germany had thereby retained its ancient language and avoided early Christianization.
Meister Eckhart (c1260-c1328) possibly represented most strongly the development of the mysticism as a result of the revolt of the Teutonic Indo-European spirit against Roman Christianity.
During the Middle-Ages a group called "Brothers and Sisters of the Free Spirit" existed in Germany and Holland. Also known as the Adamites, they were spiritual descendants of an earlier group, the Adamiani. They held nude gatherings in womb like caverns to achieve rebirth into a state of paradisiacal innocence.
In 1796 Christoph Wilhelm Hufeland of Weimar published his landmark study of aging "The Art Of Prolonging Life" using the word "macrobiotic" in the preface of the book, while the second edition used the word in it�s title. His emphasis on exercise and fresh air, sunbathing, cleanliness, regular scheduling, temperate diet, stimulating travel and meditation were all far ahead of their time.
"Lichtgebet" ("Prayer To The Sun") by Fidus, 1913
Goethe�s (1749-1832) perspective erased the boundary between man and Nature altogether. The poet of Nature religiosity he believed "God can be worshipped in no more beautiful way than by the spontaneous welling up from one�s breast of mutual converse with Nature".
Another prophetic quote from Goethe (1832) "Man in his misguidance has powerfully interfered with nature. He has devastated the forests, and thereby even changed the atmospheric conditions and the climate. Some species of plants and animals have become entirely extinct through man, although they were essential in the economy of Nature. Everywhere the purity of the air is affected by smoke and the like, and the rivers are defiled. These and other things are serious encroachments upon Nature, which men nowadays entirely overlook but which are of the greatest importance, and at once show their evil effect not only upon plants but upon animals as well, the latter not having the endurance and power of resistance of man".
In 1866 Ernst Haeckel of Jena University first employed the term "ecology", thereby establishing it as a permanent scientific discipline for all future generations. Ecology as a concept had more in common with Buddhism and its recognition of the oneness of all life.
Also in the 1860�s an ex-Protestant minister named Eduard Baltzer published his four-volume book about naturliche lebensweise or "natural life style". He organized some vegetarians and founded a Free Religious Community, then later published a book on Pythagoras as the ancestor of his movement.
Diefenbach and Fidus at Hollriegelskreuth, Germany, 1887
Baltzer�s writings had a strong influence upon a young painter named Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach (1851-1913) who also went on to form several communities and workshops for religion, art and science. Diefenbach spent the last portion of his life on the Mediterranean isle of Capri, which was a retreat for other life-reformers. Two of his pupils, Fidus and Gusto Graser were to make a tremendous impact with their art and reform messages.
Fidus (1868-1949) was recognized as perhaps the greatest psychedelic artist ever, pre-dating the 1960�s multi-colored posters and albums by over a half century.
Gusto Graser later went on to become a close friend and teacher of the writer Hermann Hesse. Hesse�s report "Among The Rocks- Notes of a Nature Man" (1908) described how he, along with Graser lived the lives of natural men and hermits, sleeping in caves in the Swiss Alps and fasting for days and weeks. The guru-disciple relationship within Hesse�s novel "Siddhartha" (1922) was a mirror of his own association with Graser his teacher. Graser�s poetry appeared in some of the Wandervogel magazines.
In 1870 the population of Germany was 2/3 rural, but by 1900 it had become 2/3 urban. Near the end of the 19th century the German middle class had become superficial, coarse, complacent, gluttonous, materialistic, industrialized, technocratic and pathetic. As a response to this phenomenon many natural healing modalities came into existence and even more youth movements were organized.
In 1883 Louis Kuhne of Leipsic Germany published a book titled "The New Science Of Healing", and this work laid the foundation for what was later to become known as Naturopathy. Translated into 50 languages it was the inspiration for a whole generation of health practitioners and was also highly praised by Mahatma Gandhi who said it was very popular in India.
In 1896 Adolf Just opened his Jungborn retreat in the Hartz Mountains near Isenburg Germany, which was a model institution for the true natural life, and was meant to show how the most intimate communion with Nature could be re-established.
"Gnadennacht" by Fidus, 1912
In his best selling book "Return To Nature" (1896) Mr. Just spoke out against air and water pollution, meat, vivisection, vaccination, coffee, alcohol, smoking and so-called education in schools. Gandhi again was so moved by Adolf Just�s rebellion against scientific medical treatments that it helped him to formulate his ideology for the future. When he was released from prison is 1944 he opened a Nature Cure sanitarium in India based on Just�s model
In 1904 German author Richard Ungewitter wrote a book titled "Die Nacktheit" (nakedness) wherein he advocated nudism, abstention from meat, tobacco and alcohol. He had to publish it himself, but it quickly became a bestseller. The vegetarian aspect focused on the purity of the body and soul, with adherence to a regular program of fitness. The German attitude towards nudity has not changed too much in 100 years because even now on a warm summer day people along lakes and rivers can be found enjoying themselves in the sunshine without clothing.
Nude Bathing has been popular in Germany a long time. (1916)
In the 19th century hiking societies proliferated in Germany. One group "Friends Of Nature" were into social hiking and used the slogan "Free Mountains, Free World, Free People".
Another group, called the "Wandervogel", was founded in 1895 by Hermann Hoffmann and Karl Fischer in Steglitz, a suburb of Berlin. They began to take some high school students on nature walks, then later on longer hikes. Soon a huge youth movement that was both anti-bourgeois and Teutonic Pagan in character, composed mostly of middle class German children, organized into autonomous bands.
Wandervogel, 1926
Wandervogel members, aged mainly between 14-18 years and spread to all parts of Germany eventually numbering 50,000. Part hobo and part medieval, they pooled their money, wore woolen capes, shorts and Tyrolean hats and took long hikes in the country where they sang their own versions of Goliardic songs and camped under primitive conditions. Both sexes swam nude together in the lakes and rivers and in their hometowns they established "nests" and "anti-homes", sometimes in ruined castles where they met to plan trips and play mandolins and guitars.
Their short weekend trips became 3 to 4 weeks long journeys of hundreds of miles. Soon they were establishing permanent camps in the wild that were open to all. With no thought of pay, the bands worked at improving their campsites and building cabins for which they made the furniture-in all forming a complex of precedents underlying the youth-hostel movement which began in 1907 when Richard Schirmann opened the first hostel in Altena Germany.
Mostly the Wandervogel sought communion with nature, with the ancient folk-spirit as embodied in the traditional peasant culture, and with one another. They developed a harmonious mystic resonance with their environment.
The expression "Lebensreform" (life-reform) was first used in 1896, and comprised various German social trends of the 19th and first half of the 20th century.
Elizabeth Dorr with some of her daughters at Ascona, 1905 (Note the headbands!)
Particularly: # 1. vegetarianism # 2. nudism # 3. natural medicine # 4. abstinence from alcohol # 5. clothing reform # 6. settlement movements # 7. garden towns # 8. soil reform # 9. sexual reform # 10. health food and economic reform # 11. social reform # 12. liberation for women, children and animals # 13. communitarianism # 14. cultural and religious reform: i.e. a religion or view of the world that gives weight to the feminine, maternal and natural traits of existence
Further south in Switzerland, Ascona was a little fishing village on the shore of Lake Maggiore, on the Swiss side of the border with Italy. In the year 1900 a counter-culture renaissance began and lasted until about 1920. Ascona became the focal point for all of Europe�s spiritual rebels.
Life experiments were in vogue: surrealism, modern dance, dada, Paganism, feminism, pacifism, psychoanalysis and nature cure. A few of the participants were Hermann Hesse, Carl Jung, Isadora Duncan, D.H. Lawrence, Arnold Ehret and Franz Kafka.
At the turn of the century Germany had 56 million people, and had as many large cities as all of the rest of Europe combined. Industrialism, technology, pollution and "affluenza" began a crisis amongst the over-privileged German-speaking of that period. The disenchanted began to arrive in Ascona by the hundreds.
The beautiful natural setting inspired urban people to sunbathe in the nude, sleep outdoors, hike, swim and fast. This village quickly developed a universal reputation as a health center.
Hermann Hesse was excited when he saw four longhaired men with sandals walk through his village on their way to Ascona. He followed them, settled in and then took a nature cure for his alcoholism. The year was 1907.
Born July 2, 1877, at the northern edge of the Black Forest in Calw, Germany, Hermann Hesse knew at age 13 that he wanted to be a poet or nothing. Beginning in the 1950's with the Beat generation, his novels became immensely popular in the English-speaking world, where their criticism of bourgeois values and interest in Eastern spirituality and Jungian psychology echoed the emerging revolt against the unreflected life. In the 1960's Hermann became the novelist of the decade, with "Siddhartha" (1922) and "Steppenwolf" (1927) selling in the millions, and capturing and shaping an American Audience. Legitimate history will always recount Hesse as the most important link between the European counter-culture of his youth and their latter-day descendants in America. (Photo from 1908.)
The people of Ascona refused eggs, milk, meat, salt and alcohol. Nature cure was a powerful idea in the German mind, and was a widespread and profound rebellion against science and professionalism.
On August 20, 1903, an anarchist newspaper in San Francisco, California published a large article about Ascona, describing the people and their philosophies. This was certainly one of the first times that detailed news of the European counter-culture had reached the California coast.
Nudists worshipping the Sun, 1926
Perhaps the most central Neo-Pagan element in the German folk movements was sun-worship, believed to be the ancient Teutonic religion. From at least the Romantic era, sun-worship was offered by prominent Germans as the most rational alternative to Christianity. The solar images were at the center of a desire to return to natural Paganism and a natural lifestyle in harmony with the earth.
Eugene Diedrichs Publishing was the highly respected voice of Neo-Paganism and the religious-not the political-arm of the great Volkische movement. Diedrichs envisioned an "organic peoples state" (organischer Volksstaat) and like Carl Jung preferred a return to the nature religion of the ancient Teutons.
"Satana" by Fidus, 1896
No one described solarism better than Ernst Haeckel (1834-1919) the prominent scientist who first coined the word "ecology": "The sun, the deity of light and warmth, on whose influence all organic life insensibly and directly depends, was taken to be such a phenomenon [of naturalistic monotheism] many thousands of years ago. Sun-worship seems to the modern scientist to be the best of all forms of theism, and the one which may be most easily reconciled with modern Monism. For modern astrophysics and geogeny have taught us that the earth is a fragment detached from the sun, and that it will eventually return to the bosom of its parent. Modern physiology teaches us that the first source of organic life on the earth is the formation of protoplasm, and that this synthesis of simple inorganic substances, water, carbonic acid, and ammonia only takes place under the influence of sunlight�.indeed the whole of our bodily and mental life depends, in the last resort, like all other organic life, on the light and heat rays of the sun. Hence in the light of pure reason, sun-worship as a form of naturalistic monotheism, seems to have a much better foundation than the anthropistic worship of Christians and other monotheists who conceive of their god in human form. As a matter of fact the sun-worshippers attained, thousands of years ago, a higher intellectual and moral standard than most of the other theists. When I was in Bombay in 1881, I watched with the greatest sympathy the elevating rites of the pious Parsees, who, standing on the sea-shore, or kneeling on their prayer rugs offered their devotion to the sun at its rise and setting."
As the 20th century dawned many Germans began to feel the weight of oppressive political forces, powers that would later lead their nation into 2 world wars and change the course of European history.
Between 1895 and 1914, tens of thousands of Germans left their homes and families and immigrated to America. After all America was the country of the future, and they saw themselves as pioneers helping to lead a new society by transplanting and nurturing the most valuable ideas from their homeland into their new dreams for the United States.
There were several key individuals who made a substantial contribution, but probably none more than Dr. Benedict Lust.
Born in Michelbach near Baden Germany February 3, 1872 Lust first came to America in 1892, became ill with tuberculosis, then returned to Germany and took a nature cure treatment from the famed Father Sebastian Kneipp. He regained his health and found his true purpose in life, then returned to America in 1896 to become a Kneipp representative in America.
Rightfully called "The Father Of Naturopathy" in America, Lust introduced all of the great naturist movements that were in vogue in Europe; hydrotherapy, herbal remedies, air and light baths, various plant-based diets and he also translated and distributed the German classic health works of Father Kneipp, Louis Kuhne, Adolf Just, Arnold Ehret and August Englehardt.
Near the turn of the century in New York City he founded a school of massage and the Naturopathic Society, then in 1918 he published Universal Naturopathic Encyclopedia for drugless therapy. Nature�s Path Magazine and a radio show devoted to natural healing were also some of his notable achievements.
Dr. Benedict Lust enjoys a sun-bath at "Sonnenbichel" sun and air park in Kneipp-Bad Worishofen, Bavaria, Germany on a return to the Fatherland in the summer of 1926. The "Father of Naturopathy" in America, no single individual contributed more to natural healing and lifestyle in the world than Dr. Lust did through his many schools and publications. Everything from massage, herbology, raw foods, anti-vivisection and hydro-therapy to Eastern influences like Ayurveda and Yoga found their way to an American audience through Lust. Though he was repeatedly harassed by Medical authorities and Federal agents, his devotion to promoting Nature's methods of healing finaly gained wide acceptance. Like so many others from his generation, he was a tough man. (Photo from Naturopath, February, 1927)
eden ahbez, 1948. Part-time yogi and full-time mystic, this 1940s "hippie" always spelled his name with small letters because he believed that only God and Infinity should be capitalized. (Photo courtesy of Gypsy Boots)
Dr. Lust�s school of Naturopathy was the starting point for hundreds of America�s natural health practitioners, while his magazines introduced the West not only to German Nature Cure, but also ancient East Indian concepts like Ayurveda and Yoga. Paramahansa Yogananda was one of several Indians who wrote articles for "Nature�s Path" magazine in the 1920�s gaining wide exposure to a large American audience.
Dr. Lust was "busted" repeatedly by American authorities and medical associations, for promoting natural methods of healing, massage and nude sun bathing at his Jungborn sanitarium. He was arrested 16 times by New York authorities and 3 times by Feds. One news headline read simply "They Have Lust Again".
As many as 30-40% of the graduates of Dr. Lusts school of Naturopathy were women, and his magazines were full of enthusiastic letters and praise from practicing Naturopaths in India, Jamaica and all over Latin America. No one was more devoted to introducing nature cure to the Spanish-speaking world than Dr. Lust.
Another influential Nature Doctor, Dr. Carl Schultz, arrived in Los Angeles California in 1885 and became the Benedict Lust of the west. In 1905 he created the Naturopathic Institute and Sanitarium and also opened the Naturopathic College on Hope Street. Most of the practicing nature doctors in the west were graduates of this college.
Bill Pester at this palm log cabin in Palm Canyon, California, 1917. With his "lebensreform" philosophy, nudism and raw foods diet, he was one of the many German immigrants, who "invented" the hippie lifestyle more than half a century before the 1960s. He left Germany to avoid military service in 1906 at age 19, for a new life in America. (Photo Courtesy of Palm Springs Art Museum, Palm Springs, California)
In 1906 Bill Pester first set foot on American soil having left Saxony, Germany that same year at age 19 to avoid military service. With his long hair, beard and lebensreform background he wasted no time in heading to California to begin his new life.
He settled in majestic Palm Canyon in the San Jacinto Mountains near Palm Springs California and built himself a palm hut by the flowing stream and palm grove.
Bill spent his time exploring the desert canyons, caves and waterfalls, but was also an avid reader and writer. He earned some of his living making walking sticks from palm blossom stalks, selling postcards with lebensreform health tips, and charging people 10 cents to look through his telescope while he gave lectures on astronomy.
He made his own sandals, had a wonderful collection of Indian pottery and artifacts, played slide guitar, lived on raw fruits and vegetables and managed to spend most of his time naked under the California sunshine.
During the time when Bill lived near Palm Springs he was on Cahuilla Indian land, with permission from the local tribe who had great admiration for him. His name even appeared on the 1920 census with the Indians, and in 1995 An American Indian woman Millie Fischer published a small booklet about Palm Canyon that included a chapter on Pester.
The many photos of Pester clearly reveal the strong link between the 19th century German reformers and the flower children of the 1960�s�long hair and beards, bare feet or sandals, guitars, love of nature, draft dodger, living simple and an aversion to rigid political structure. Undoubtedly Bill Pester introduced a new human type to California and was a mentor for many of the American Nature Boys.
Professor Arnold Ehret, taken shortly after his 49 day fast in Cologne, Germany, circa 1905. Ehret later migrated to southern California and helped to spawn a new sub-culture in America, based upon his natural philosophy and lifestyle. His books have never been out of print in over 70 years. (Photo courtesy of Fred Hirsch)
In 1914 another German immigrant, Professor Arnold Ehret arrived in California. The philosophy he preached had a powerful influence on various aspects of American culture. Ehret advocated fasting, raw foods, nude sun bathing and letting your hair and beard grow un-trimmed. His "Rational Fasting" (1914) and "Mucus-less Diet"(1922) were literary standbys within hippie circles in San Francisco and Los Angeles in the 1960�s.
The husband and wife team of John and Vera Richter first opened their Raw-Foods cafeteria the "Eutropheon" in 1917, and during it�s lifetime it hosted thousands of customers and taught many people how to prepare such raw treats as sun-dried bread, salads, dressings, soups, beverages and many other healthy alternatives to the typical Los Angeles cuisine of the 1920�s-1940�s.
John�s powerful lectures were attended by many young health enthusiasts, who later went on to become well known health teachers and authors, and Vera�s recipe book was the precursor to many of the modern Live-Food recipe books.
Some of the young employees of the Eutropheon were Americans who had adopted the German Naturmensch and Lebensreform image and philosophy, wearing their hair and beards long and feeding exclusively on raw fruits and vegetables. The "Nature Boys" came from all over America but usually ended up in southern California. Some of the familiar ones were Gypsy Jean, eden ahbez, Maximilian Sikinger, Bob Wallace, Emile Zimmerman, Gypsy Boots, Buddy Rose, Fred Bushnoff and Conrad. This was decades before the Beats or Hippies and their influence was very substantial. In "On The Road" Kerouac noted that while passing through Los Angeles in the summer of 1947 he saw "an occasional Nature Boy saint in beard and sandals".
Seven of California's "Nature Boys" in Topanga Canyon, August 1948. They were the first generation of americans to adopt the "naturmensch" philosophy and image, living in the mountains and sleeping in caves and trees, sometimes as many as 15 of them at a time. All had visited and some were employed at "The Eutropheon" where John Richter gave his inspiring lectures about raw foods and natural living. The boys would sometimes travel up the California coast some 500 miles just to pick and eat some fresh figs. (Back row: Gypsy Boots, Bob Wallace, Emile Zimmerman. Front row: Fred Bushnoff, eden ahbez, Buddy Rose, ?) - (Photo courtesy of Gypsy Boots.)
Cover of "Nature Boy" songbook, eden ahbez, 1948. Born into a poor Jewish family with 13 hungry children, the orphan from Brooklyn never had to worry about where the money would come from after the success of his #1 hit tune, made famous by Nat King Cole.
But in the spring of 1948 eden ahbez became an internationally recognized personality when his song "Nature Boy" was recorded by Nat King Cole. Photos and story of eden and his wife Anna appeared in Life, Time and Newsweek magazines that year.
Born in Brooklyn New York, April 15, 1908 "ahbez" had walked across America 4 times, hopped freight trains and lived in a cave in Tahquitz Canyon before he penned his #1 hit tune, which was on the hit parade for 15 weeks.
The song itself was part autobiographical but was also a nod to his German mentor Bill Pester who was 23 years his senior and had been a Nature Boy for decades when eden encountered him in the Coachella Valley of southern California.
Another one of the Nature Boys, Maximillian Sikinger was born in Augsberg Germany in 1913 and spent most of his childhood and youth living wild in the environs of various European cities. Through his wanderings, personal contacts and outdoor living he developed a keen interest in various aspects of natural healing; nutrition, water cure, fasting, sitz baths, deep breathing and sunshine.
Nature Boy, Maximillian Sikinger, at home in the Santa Monica Mountains, 1946. Max left Germany in 1935 then made his way to Southern California where he inspired many American kids to become "Nature Boys". By the 1960s, he was a regular fixture at pop festivals and concerts and was considered a guru to many Topanga hippies.
Max left Europe in 1935 at age 22, arrived in America then eventually made his way west to California where he traveled with the Nature Boys who valued his introspective and philosophical ideas very highly. Maximillian�s world travels and rugged background had given him deep insight into many of life�s puzzles.
But the one Nature Boy to pass the torch from the old era (circa 1930�s-40�s)�into the 1960�s hippie generation was Gypsy Boots.
Born in San Francisco in 1916 to Russian Jewish parents "Boots" grew up in the San Francisco area where he quit school at an early age to travel and live a life close to nature. He met Maximillian on the beach at Kelley�s Cove in 1935 and it was then that his life began to change. Boots noted in his autobiography: " It was with Max that I first experimented with fasting and special diets, and also learned much about yoga".
In the 1940�s Boots lived wild in Tahquitz Canyon with all of the Nature Boys, bathing in the cool mountain water, eating fruits and vegetables, sleeping on rocks or in caves, hiking and selling produce in Palm Springs.
In 1953 he married Lois Bloemker, settled near Griffith Park in Los Angeles and had 3 sons. In 1958 he opened his "Health Hut" in Hollywood, which was a big hit, and shortly thereafter began his career as a serious health teacher and example of optimum living.
In the early 1960�s he appeared on the Steve Allen show over 25 times to an audience of some 25 million households. Steve Allen had originally started the "Tonight" show, then began his own show featuring guests like Elvis Presley, Jack Kerouac, Frank Zappa and the psychedelic band Blue Cheer.
When the Beatles and Rolling Stones arrived in Los Angeles in the mid 1960�s their "pudding basin" hairstyles seemed tame when compared to a local rock band "The Seeds" who wore shoulder length hair, thanks to the influence of Gypsy Boots and his ilk. "Seeds" singer Sky Saxon, a vegetarian, had invented a new type of music�."Flower Punk". Even Jimi Hendrix had a front row seat to a Seeds concert, and the Doors played second bill on a Seeds tour.
When the Love-In�s began in Griffith Park in 1966 some of the Flower Children who were stoned on Owsley acid looked up in the big trees to see Gypsy Boots swinging and climbing from branch to limb, then exclaiming "what�s that guy on�. I�d sure like to have a hit of that!" But Boots "high" was always induced from his sun-charged foods like figs and grapes, as well as his fitness regime.
At the Monterey and Newport Pop festivals in 1967 and 1968 Boots was a paid performer along with acts like the Grateful Dead, Ravi Shankar, The Jefferson Airplane and The Jimi Hendrix Experience.
Two of Boots greatest admirers were Mama Cass Elliot of "The Mamas And Papas" and Carolyn ("Mountain Girl") Garcia, Jerry Garcia�s wife.
German-issue of a rare Capitol 45 picture sleeve single from 1968, "We're Having A Lovin-In", recorded by California Nature Boy Gypsy Boots.
Those best informed also agree that Boots� influence helped inspire members of several Los Angeles rock bands to become vegetarian, notably Randy California of "Spirit" and Arthur Lee of "Love", as well as Sky Saxon of the "Seeds." Mickey Dolenz, the zaniest member of the TV pop foursome "The Monkeys" was also a Boots fan, while Frank Zappa appeared in the cult movie "Mondo Hollywood" (1968) with Boots, and they must have been the only 2 bearded long-haired guys in L.A. preaching a "no dope" philosophy in the late 60�s.
The surf scene foreshadowed the hippie period by at least a decade with many common features. This surf-sedan was painted psychedelic in 1962 on Oahu, Hawaii, a half-decade before the infamous "Summer of Love" in San Francisco.
"Surf Bohemians" with shaggy hair, goatees and vegetarian lifestyle, rode their redwood boards on un-crowded waves in the early 1950's in the Malibu area. The surf scene of the late 1950�s in California and Hawaii was a precursor to the counter-culture that began in 1964, including components like long hair, natural foods, trips to Mexico, psychedelic music, living outdoors, unique vocabulary, anti-authoritarian posture and global travel destinations. A surf band called "The Gamblers" had a hit song titled "Moon Dawg" in 1960, and the B-side was the song "LSD 25. Dick Dale, the undisputed King of the surf guitar had a hit with "Let�s Go Trippin" in 1961, which was later recorded by the Beach Boys (1964). Noted surf artist Rick Griffin later became a respected hippie artist as well.
On the east coast of America professors Timothy Leary, Richard Alpert (Ram Dass) and Ralph Metzner were busy in the early 1960�s with their psychedelic research, first at Harvard University then later at the Millbrook estate in New York. They were quick to recognize the strong correlation between L.S.D. induced archetypes and their many Germanic antecedents available from 20th century scientists, artists and writers.
L.S.D. was first synthesized in 1938 by Dr. Albert Hoffmann in Switzerland. In the fall of 1963 Dr. Leary and his colleague German born Dr. Metzner, published an article in their quarterly magazine "The Psychedelic Review" titled: "Hermann Hesse: Poet of the Interior Journey". Although Hesse�s novels "Siddhartha"(1922) and "Steppenwolf"(1927) were published in Germany many decades before the 1960�s, they considered them the most important psychedelic literature available. Partly through the influence of this article these two novels sold millions in the 60�s and rode in the backpacks of a whole generation. Nearly all hippies read Hesse!
In 1964 Leary, Alpert and Metzner published their landmark book "The Psychedelic Experience" which was quickly labeled the "bible" of the hippie movement. In the introduction they included a tribute to Swiss psychologist Dr. Carl Jung who had committed himself to the inner vision of internal perception. Dr. Jung, a one time resident of the commune at Ascona (1900) had witnessed first hand many spiritual purifying rituals involving fasting, diet and excessive hiking, that could sometimes induce a psychedelic-type high.
"Herbst" (Autumn), mural sketch by Fidus, 1934 (Note "peace" symbol on top)
As the 1960�s flowered the "peace" symbol (used by Fidus as early as 1934) became a familiar icon in artwork and graffiti�while the Volkswagen bus became the most quintessential symbol for hippie transportation and even lifestyle. The bus was created and engineered in 1949 by technicians of the Wandervogel generation.
Nature Boy eden ahbez sat in on the Beach Boys "Pet Sounds" recordings in 1966. And while the Beatles popularity reached it�s absolute zenith by 1968�.most of their fans never knew that the once scruffy bar band from Liverpool received their first big break playing in clubs in Hamburg Germany in 1960. The four English lads with greasy slicked-back 50�s style hair radically changed their image and hairstyles after meeting Klaus Voorman and several of the other German art students who wore shaggy long hair with bangs. George Harrison said that German photographer Astrid Kirchherr "invented" the Beatles with her camera giving them tips on dress and posing, and capturing their images in some priceless early photo shoots.
As a deep heartfelt thanks to their faithful German fans the Beatles later recorded "Komm gib Mir Deine Hand" (I Want To Hold Your Hand) and "Sie Liebt Dich" (She Loves You) singing in German.
Klaus Voorman designed the cover and drew the artwork for the Beatles landmark "Revolver" (1966) album. The Beatles German period can be viewed in the video "Backbeat" (1994). Psychedelic music exploded from a ferocious British band called The Yardbirds (1963-1968) whose lead guitarists included Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. Virtually every heavy band from Jimi Hendrix and Cream to Black Sabbath and Van Halen used the formula invented by The Yardbirds.
Nature Boy Gypsy Boots getting ready for the Newport Pop Festival in August 1968. Born in San Francisco in 1916 he was the most important living link between the old Naturmensch and the Flower Children of the 1960s. He was a paid performer at many concerts along with acts like the Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, but he had been living the hippie lifestyle wild in Nature since the 1930s. (Photo courtesy of Gypsy Boots)
After the 60�s ended the 70�s became the decade when more people went back to the land than any other period in the 20th century.
This California surfer and his girlfriend were some of the young folks who went to live wild in nature during the late 1960s and early '70s, mostly in California, Hawaii and parts of Europe. This most radical form of communalism was a replay of the Wandervogel and Naturmensch period some 60 years before in Germany and Switzerland (Taylor Park, Kauai, Hawaii, 1971)
The first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970, later, July of 1972 saw the first "Rainbow Gathering" near Granby Lake in Colorado. It began as a healing gathering with spiritual nature-loving participants, and according to long time Rainbow focalizer Michael John: " Our roots are in the Pagan festivals of the Middle Ages, and the time after Christ when the way we celebrate the summer and our union was here, something has called us to that memory, to give us the chance to re-experience that. I think that the Rainbow Gathering is just the resurfacing of the ancient Festivals". (From: "People Of The Rainbow" Michael Niman-1997)
Also in the early 1970�s many hippies in California and Hawaii embraced the most radical form of earth habitation�living in caves (and sometimes tree-houses) in the wilderness, native style. Most of the larger watercourses in southern California like Tahquitz, Deep Creek, Sespe and The Big Sur River had young cave dwellers in their canyons.
This was an echo of the Naturmensch and Wandervogel with their wild seasonal forays in the Alps and farther south into Italy, some 50 years before�and of Bill Pester who came to California in 1906 to live in Nature.
The "Ferals" of eastern Australia are yet another present day link in the chain of youths who have abandoned urbanism and returned into forested areas where they live mostly in nomadic tipis in the Nimbin/Byron region of New South Wales, sometimes numbering as many as 10,000.
By the mid 1990's there were as many as 10,000 "Ferals" living in the forests of eastern Australia, many of them in the region surrounding Nimbin and Byron Bay in New South Wales. Small nomadic tipis are the preferred habitation and nearly all of these Gen-X kids come from the big cities like Sydney and Melbourne, and are a modern-day echo of the German Naturmensch and the American youth movements in the 1960s.
After the high times of the 1960�s were over many people began searching for new ways to maintain clarity and health, "graduating" to things like yoga, pure diet, meditation, hiking, environmental activism, etc.
Fred Hirsch, the man who published Professor Arnold Ehret�s books for over 50 years in his office in Beaumont California was host to many "acid heads" who had shifted to "sun-foods" during the 1970�s to maintain their high as well as a strong connection with the plant kingdom.
The Green political Party began in Germany in the late 1970�s as an outgrowth of the 1950�s anti-nuclear movements in Europe, later spread to other parts of the world including America.
"Fruhlingsodem" by Fidus, 1893
For a brief period in the 1980�s the Hippie lifestyle seemed pass� and years out of style, but it re-charged itself vigorously in the 1990�s. Even though the media tends to anachronize young hippies, Rainbows and environmentalists as remnants of the 1960�s, anyone can see by looking at the photos that accompany this article that Hippiedom is really just a perennial sub-culture�as old as the first humans that ever walked upright, and as new as the 30,000 plus members on the Hip-Planet site.
That�s why hippies will never go away�because they�ve always been here anyway. click here to buy book
Gordon Kennedy is the author of "Children of the Sun", a book about the origins of the Hippie Movement in Germany and the ideas they introduced to the US in the early 1900s.
Copyright 2003-Kennedy/Ryan Nivaria Press; All rights reserved including the right of reproduction of text or images.[Excerpts taken from �Children of the Sun; A Pictorial Anthology From Germany To California, 1883-1949�-By Gordon Kennedy 1998 ISBN 0-9668898-0-0]
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
Got my half bedsheet today from earthing .com. With my grounded adaptor I get a definite tingling sensation. Apparently this will last a few days. Very impressed!
Today I went for a barefoot walk on concrete. Not nearly as cold as I thought I would be!!! Will definitely make this part of my routine. I intuitively feel this will be very beneficial for me.
How are people doing?
WATUROPATHY FOR YOU Walk barefoot for health and happiness
Walk 15 minutes a day without footwear and you will let the earth seep into your being. In a month, you will start feeling a new strength, says Manjushree Abhinav. By Manjushree Abhinav summary 01 Dec 2008, Citizen Matters bookmark email print
�Because the wind wants to feel your hair, and the earth wants to touch your feet.' - Kahlil Gibran
We live in nature, but we don�t live naturally. We live on the earth, but we don�t touch it. Ninety per cent of the time, we hide from the sun. We use hot water to bathe, which is a fast, functional affair. Most of the time we condition the air we breathe. In winter, we keep warm and in summers, we protect ourselves from the heat. We burn most of the vitamin in food before we eat it. In fact, we protect ourselves from all that is natural. And yet, many of us fall ill from time of time, worry about our general health.
Walking with barefoot on the uneven path
Walking barefoot on an uneven path. Pic: Manjushree Abhinav.
This is where naturopathy comes in. Naturopathy is an alternative healing system. Like the name suggests, naturopathy attempts to re-link us with the five elements of nature, namely fire, water, earth, air and space, and thereby heal us.
Let us talk about an important element of nature: mother earth. There is one simple, quick way to get back in touch with the earth: walk barefoot.
Nature has made our feet sensitive. We have a lot of acupressure points on our feet which love to be massaged every now and then. But we deprive our poor feet the right to feel different surfaces by continuously covering them in thick chappals, or walking on flat tiled floor.
Then there is the obsession with clean, soft feet. The choice is simple. Do you want to be pretty and sick or tough and healthy? Health is the wealth that can give you the smile that no beauty parlor can produce.
Let�s go back to the first step. No baby ever wore shoes while learning to walk. And the first step was such joy. The baby was trying out the strength of his leg muscles, and suddenly discovered balance by becoming aware of the muscles in his feet. Most children hate wearing shoes, they prefer sandals. Shoes and socks, worn the whole day, render our feet numb. The more comfortable our shoes, the lesser aware we are of our feet.
Walking with barefoot
On stones. (Pic: Manjushree Abhinav)
Walking barefoot on mother earth is like hugging your mother. You might remember the experiment with two groups of baby monkeys. The one who were allowed to hug their mothers lived as compared to the ones who got the milk from plastic bottles.
Nature nourishes and cherishes us in more ways than we are aware. Soil has healing properties. It draws out toxins from the body. Minerals that get lost on their way to us otherwise seep in directly from the touch of mother earth.
Try this experiment. Twice in a day, walk on bare earth for fifteen minutes. If you can�t find bare earth, walk on a footpath. Make sure it is not a very smooth footpath though; we want some mud and pebbles. Walk slowly, letting the earth seep into your being. It might be painful at first, but soon the feet will start relishing the massage. Most of your bodily aches and pains will diminish within a week.
If you continue for more than a month, you will start feeling a new strength in your body, feet up. The feet will actually radiate a palpable sense of well �being.
Walking with barefoot on the stones
Even closer. (Pic: Manjushree Abhinav)
Walking barefoot is especially good for knee pain, stiffness in the joints, and back pain. A study showed that the incidence of arthritis and varicose veins are much lower in villages, probably because they walk barefoot. Digestion also improves drastically by the acupressure effect of barefoot walking.
But yes, care for the feet that walk bare can include a warm footbath at night, followed by a quick massage with oil. Soaking the feet in warm water for five to ten minutes will, as it is, refresh your entire being. And the massage will soothe the creases and seal in the energy.
Celebrities who walk barefoot
Although he is a little eccentric, M F Hussain is a sprightly old man who radiates energy. Famous for his paintings, the media doesn�t tire of musing over his bare feet.
It is written that Jesus Christ walked bare foot, and made his disciples do the same.
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
after barefoot walking one day i will try this!!!!!
Barefoot Running [Perfect Paperback] Michael Sandler Michael Sandler (Author) � Visit Amazon's Michael Sandler Page Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author Are you an author? Learn about Author Central (Author), Jessica Lee (Author), Sandra Wendel (Editor) 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews) 21 Reviews 5 star: (20) 4 star: (0) 3 star: (0) 2 star: (1) 1 star: (0)
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5 new from $19.95 Page 2 Feedback | Help | Expanded View | Close Go to "Barefoot Running" page Barefoot Running (Perfect Paperback) by Michael Sandler, Jessica Lee 4.9 out of 5 stars (21) 5 used & new from $19.95 Book sections Front Cover Copyright Table of Contents First Pages Index Back Cover Surprise Me! Search Inside This Book Just so you know...
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Next Editorial Reviews Product Description Running barefoot may be good for your health. It will help you with your posture, balance and spinal and hip alignments.
Barefoot running is low impact, toe-centric, enhance stability and balance.
Give it a try and it just might change your life to the best, and at the least will save you about $150 not spent on a new pair of shoes. About the Author Michael Sandler is a best selling author, barefoot running and walking coach. He has coached professionally for nearly 20 years. After a nearl-fatal accident he was told that he would be lucky to keep functioning legs and that he would not run again. With an implanted titanium femur and hip, it was only through barefoot running, and lessons learned on the trails that he was able to heal and run again.
With coauthor Jessica Lee, they travel around the world, teaching people how to discover the joy of running. Product Details
* Perfect Paperback: 298 pages * Publisher: Run Bare Publishing; 1 edition (May 2010) * Language: English * ISBN-10: 0984382208 * ISBN-13: 978-0984382200 * Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7 x 0.8 inches * Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds * Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews) 21 Reviews 5 star: (20) 4 star: (0) 3 star: (0) 2 star: (1) 1 star: (0)
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34 of 36 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars The definitive guide to barefoot running and running in general, May 11, 2010 By Zachary D. Bergen "Colorado Runner" (Boulder, CO USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME) This review is from: Barefoot Running (Perfect Paperback) I love this book! I have been running since high school and as I approach 50, I want to continue running. I am convinced that my switch from "shod" running in high tech running shoes with orthotics to a barefoot stride will insure running for years to come. This book is an exhaustive treatment of the subject in a great format. I found out many things I did not know that have helped me as I transitioned out of traditional shoes. Now I look at runners who are heel striking knowing for certain they could have a better running experience. The authors state that you should start slow. I could not emphasize this enough and by going slow it will pay off. Your feet have been trapped in shoes and need to learn how to be feet again and have the feedback with the brain and your kinesthetic awareness heightened. Since running barefoot and with the help of this book, I have gone through many phases of "healing" and have completely changed my attitude about feet and how tough they are.
I think even if you still buy the myth of running shoes, you should improve your stride by using this book and translate that new brain learned response back to your traditional running shoe regimen. Although I think you'll find your old running shoes to feel unnatural and clunky like I did. I can't go back. The neat thing is that there are plenty of minimalist shoes to choose from for all seasons and conditions.
This book will also serve as a reference. I often flip through the pages to learn more about something like their advice for difference surface types. It is a good companion for people who want to know if their experience of barefoot running is normal since there are not a lot of people out there to share experiences with (yet). I also joined the barefoot running group. It is an easy way to share experiences.
I know there is a lot of interest in barefoot running. I often get stopped and hit with questions about my experience. They have all been positive. It is not necessarily easy to transition and it is more than worth it. It has completely redefined my running game and brought more fun and another dimensions to my runs. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Report abuse | Permalink Comment Comment
23 of 26 people found the following review helpful: 2.0 out of 5 stars Not sure what to think about this..., October 28, 2010 By Neil Gunton (Eureka, CA) - See all my reviews This review is from: Barefoot Running (Perfect Paperback) I found this book by accident in one of my local outdoor stores. I had been interested in running barefoot for some time, ever since reading "Born to run". I had tried the Vibram Five Fingers, but had problems with a seam rubbing my arches, so that had put a damper on that experiment. When I saw this book, a little light went off in my head - hang on, maybe I can just ditch the VFF altogether and go completely barefoot! This book seemed to light the way. The apparent endorsement by Barefoot Ted, who was featured heavily in Born to Run, clinched the deal in terms of apparent legitimacy.
The outdoor store has quite inflated prices, so I decided to look for the book on Amazon. I was a little mystified to find that Amazon doesn't sell it, even though it is a very recent publication. And when I called my local Borders, they couldn't even find it in their system by the ISBN. So I went back to the little store and bought the copy they had. I noticed that it seemed to be kind of self-published, so maybe that explains it.
The book has the usual fluff at the beginning - you know where they take 30 pages with lots of positive, vague, rah-rah motivational stuff. They do admit right up front that you don't even get to the running part until chapter 5. Ok, that's par for the course.
My first doubts surfaced when they started going on about being connected with the Earth, and how everything has a frequency, and how important it is to be "grounded". All of this is part of a justification, it seems, for why barefoot running is a Good Thing. Ok, I thought, fair enough - it's a bit much, but whatever.
Serious doubts began on page 19, when they started talking about something called the Schumann Resonance, which is apparently the frequency of the Earth's "heartbeat" (7.83 Hz). According to the book, "this number is important because it's the same frequency our brains use to survive and thrive. In other words, our vibrations are matched or we vibrate at the same frequency of the earth. Put another way, we evolved in sync with the frequency or heartbeat of the earth". Ok, again, whatever. But then there's this little gem: "NASA scientists have known this for years. In early space missions, astronauts became surprisingly weak and ill when they went into space and left the resonance of the earth behind. They now alleviate this process by having a vibrational device attached to the ships that resonates at the Schumann Resonance - by matching to the frequency of the earth, spacecraft help astronauts stay in sync".
Hmm. This was news to me, I was quite interested in space and NASA when I was younger, but I had never heard of this. As far as I know, astronauts become weak after periods in space because of the lack of gravity, which weakens their bones and muscles unless they take care to do resistance exercise. A quick search on a well known search engine pulled up as a top result for "Schumann frequency NASA" a thread that says this is bunk. I can find no official references to this at all. And what about airline pilots? They do long haul flights all the time where they are out of touch with the earth. Do they have these devices on airplanes? Why can't I find any reference to it anywhere, except on websites dedicated to debunking bad science?
Then, on page 20, referring to why people don't get hurt when lightning strikes their car, the authors call this the "Farridy Cage" effect. I laughed when I saw this (apparently) phonetic spelling of Michael Faraday's name.
They then go on a bit about things called "grounding pads", and how these keep us in touch with the earth, and how (surprise, surprise) they sell them at their website.
At this point I was having some serious doubts about the book. I mean, the authors are giving out some quite detailed advice on how to get into running barefoot, and if you do this wrong then you could end up with some quite serious injuries to your feet. If they are spouting nonsense about Schumann Frequency, "Farridy" cages and grounding sheets, then how can I take anything else they say seriously? Why couldn't they just stick to the barefoot running, without going off into cloud cuckoo land and thus throwing their entire credibility into doubt?
The book overall has the air of a somewhat breathlessly enthusiastic amateur. The biggest lesson to be taken away from it, really, is "take it slow, listen to your body". This can be conveyed in one single sentence, I don't really know why it needs to be fleshed out to a couple hundred pages, but I guess that's how people sell books.
I tried contacting the authors via their website contact form, telling them about the misspelling of Mr Faraday's name and asking for sources for their claims on the Schumann Frequency stuff, but I did not get any reply. Hmmm.
I thought this would be a straightforward book about barefoot running. However, given the ludicrous claims in the earlier parts of the book, I have to say it throws the whole idea into a cloud of doubt and uncertainty. When they talk about how Lance Armstrong's team uses these "grounding pads", how do I know I can believe it? How do I know I can believe one of the authors really cycled 5,000 miles across America in 2004 in 40 days, solo? It's a wonderful achievement (I've done this myself, but I took a lot longer, and trust me - averaging 125 miles a day for 40 days is quite a feat). The point is about credibility, and as far as I'm concerned, with the early parts of this book the authors really shoot themselves in the foot (sorry). My podiatrist says that running barefoot on concrete is a bad idea. This book says it's not. Who to believe? Help other customers find the most helpful reviews Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Report abuse | Permalink Comment Comments (3)
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Book - 5 Toes Up!, May 16, 2010 By Tom Anderson (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Barefoot Running (Perfect Paperback) What a fantastic book!
Barefoot Running by Michael Sandler and Jessica Lee was much more than I expected. It covers everything I wanted to know about getting into barefoot running. It's step by step approach is super-easy to follow, and the pictures make it incredibly easy to get started. They also covered timely topics I never thought much about...such as why kids should be barefoot (there's a whole section devoted to kids) and why seniors can recover balance and health by going barefoot (I've gotta share this with my parents).
However, they're not barefoot evangelists. They strike a great balance between going barefoot or in a shoe, stating straight out that barefoot running won't be for everyone, but that it will help strengthen your feet or legs whether you choose to run in our out of a shoe. On that note, they cover transitioning into Vibram Five-Fingers in great detail, shoes I've always wanted to try (waiting for my local store to get them in stock!). They cover do's and don'ts of footwear, overcoming injuries (primarily from running in shoes) how to get into barefoot running when you've got plantar fasciitis (as I did), and how to strengthen your feet, legs and core. When they say help you run "light and free" it's no exaggeration. They share tips on running in all types of terrain, from ice and snow (not that I'll try that!) to summer's melting asphalt, along with racing and even ultras.
There's a healthy dose of science throughout the book, sharing the latest science and backing things up with studies. They even cover the science of getting "grounded" or why it feels so good to get in touch with the earth. Last, they cover the more meditative side of things, or why barefoot running helps quiet your mind (something I could definitely use more of in this hectic world, and a big reason why I run). I wish they included a review of different minimalist shoes in this book. However, they still share a wealth of information about different shoes and categories of shoes.
I'll be referring to this book for years to come as I progress from a newbie to an experienced barefoot runner.
Posted by hoot (Member # 19281) on :
I think I felt a little tingling, too but not much. I feel more warmth in my hands and feet while on the sheets. I don't suffer from lyme or have any other chronic health issues.
Posted by Toppers (Member # 20083) on :
Ok killing this thread with the copy and pasting of entire books into here, some of you sound like you're working for the earthing companies....chill
Posted by hoot (Member # 19281) on :
Some people might appreciate the info but maybe a link would be a better idea???
The thread is not really dead, is it????
I would like to hear about what other people are experiencing.
Posted by momlyme (Member # 27775) on :
Hoot... do you have any experiences to share?
I am very interested in this.
I would like to try plugging into ground... haven't invested the $59 in a grounding mat or $169 in a bed mat... just because I haven't dished out the dough yet.
I want the benefits of this!
I watched the youtube videos for longevity now conference with David Wolfe. I loved the blood test example.
Any less expensive sources for getting grounded other than walking barefoot outside... not an option with all the snow on the ground.
Posted by hoot (Member # 19281) on :
Momlyme-- no experience to share since we just received ours. I want my hubby to use it to see if it helps with neuropathy. I also want my son with autism to use it to see if it helps him with *anything*. I will post when we get some results.
Posted by momlyme (Member # 27775) on :
Oooooh, I am jealous. Did you get the pad? Where did you get it? Is the price I put in above about what you paid? Can you post a link to where you bought it?
Looking forward to hearing your positive results. Don't forget to try it yourself!
Posted by hoot (Member # 19281) on :
We have a king bed and I ordered the king fitted sheet. I did not realize they have bed pads (basically 1/2 sheets). I would have ordered two queen bed pads instead now that I understand this better. The 1/2 sheets would be easier to move around from place to place and for the same amount of $$$ I could have 2-4 people family members trying them at once.
Also, for the protective effect from EMFs, it would be easier to take the 1/2 sheet off the bed and bring it into the family room so that it could be used while working on the computer or watching TV, etc.
Posted by kidsgotlyme (Member # 23691) on :
momlyme- I have been looking into this, and I am thinking about buying the pad because it's cheaper. I figure that I can use it when I am in the living room while I am sitting in my chair, or I can take it easily to the bedroom and sleep on it.
If it works well, then I would invest in the more expensive sheets.
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
Another interesting book on barefoot running:
Amazon.com Review Book Description Full of incredible characters, amazing athletic achievements, cutting-edge science, and, most of all, pure inspiration, Born to Run is an epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt? In search of an answer, Christopher McDougall sets off to find a tribe of the world�s greatest distance runners and learn their secrets, and in the process shows us that everything we thought we knew about running is wrong.
Isolated by the most savage terrain in North America, the reclusive Tarahumara Indians of Mexico�s deadly Copper Canyons are custodians of a lost art. For centuries they have practiced techniques that allow them to run hundreds of miles without rest and chase down anything from a deer to an Olympic marathoner while enjoying every mile of it. Their superhuman talent is matched by uncanny health and serenity, leaving the Tarahumara immune to the diseases and strife that plague modern existence. With the help of Caballo Blanco, a mysterious loner who lives among the tribe, the author was able not only to uncover the secrets of the Tarahumara but also to find his own inner ultra-athlete, as he trained for the challenge of a lifetime: a fifty-mile race through the heart of Tarahumara country pitting the tribe against an odd band of Americans, including a star ultramarathoner, a beautiful young surfer, and a barefoot wonder.
With a sharp wit and wild exuberance, McDougall takes us from the high-tech science labs at Harvard to the sun-baked valleys and freezing peaks across North America, where ever-growing numbers of ultrarunners are pushing their bodies to the limit, and, finally, to the climactic race in the Copper Canyons. Born to Run is that rare book that will not only engage your mind but inspire your body when you realize that the secret to happiness is right at your feet, and that you, indeed all of us, were born to run.
Amazon Exclusive: A Q&A with Christopher McDougall
Question: Born to Run explores the life and running habits of the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico�s Copper Canyon, arguably the greatest distance runners in the world. What are some of the secrets you learned from them?
Christopher McDougall: The key secret hit me like a thunderbolt. It was so simple, yet such a jolt. It was this: everything I�d been taught about running was wrong. We treat running in the modern world the same way we treat childbirth�it�s going to hurt, and requires special exercises and equipment, and the best you can hope for is to get it over with quickly with minimal damage.
Then I meet the Tarahumara, and they�re having a blast. They remember what it�s like to love running, and it lets them blaze through the canyons like dolphins rocketing through waves. For them, running isn�t work. It isn�t a punishment for eating. It�s fine art, like it was for our ancestors. Way before we were scratching pictures on caves or beating rhythms on hollow trees, we were perfecting the art of combining our breath and mind and muscles into fluid self-propulsion over wild terrain. And when our ancestors finally did make their first cave paintings, what were the first designs? A downward slash, lightning bolts through the bottom and middle�behold, the Running Man.
The Tarahumara have a saying: �Children run before they can walk.� Watch any four-year-old�they do everything at full speed, and it�s all about fun. That�s the most important thing I picked up from my time in the Copper Canyons, the understanding that running can be fast and fun and spontaneous, and when it is, you feel like you can go forever. But all of that begins with your feet. Strange as it sounds, the Tarahumara taught me to change my relationship with the ground. Instead of hammering down on my heels, the way I�d been taught all my life, I learned to run lightly and gently on the balls of my feet. The day I mastered it was the last day I was ever injured.
Q: You trained for your first ultramarathon�a race organized by the mysterious gringo expat Caballo Blanco between the Tarahumara and some of America�s top ultrarunners�while researching and writing this book. What was your training like?
CM: It really started as kind of a dare. Just by chance, I�d met an adventure-sports coach from Jackson Hole, Wyoming named Eric Orton. Eric�s specialty is tearing endurance sports down to their basic components and looking for transferable skills. He studies rock climbing to find shoulder techniques for kayakers, and applies Nordic skiing�s smooth propulsion to mountain biking. What he�s looking for are basic engineering principles, because he�s convinced that the next big leap forward in fitness won�t come from strength or technology, but plain, simple durability. With some 70% of all runners getting hurt every year, the athlete who can stay healthy and avoid injury will leave the competition behind.
So naturally, Eric idolized the Tarahumara. Any tribe that has 90-year-old men running across mountaintops obviously has a few training tips up its sleeve. But since Eric had never actually met the Tarahumara, he had to deduce their methods by pure reasoning. His starting point was uncertainty; he assumed that the Tarahumara step into the unknown every time they leave their caves, because they never know how fast they�ll have to sprint after a rabbit or how tricky the climbing will be if they�re caught in a storm. They never even know how long a race will be until they step up to the starting line�the distance is only determined in a last-minute bout of negotiating and could stretch anywhere from 50 miles to 200-plus.
Eric figured shock and awe was the best way for me to build durability and mimic Tarahumara-style running. He�d throw something new at me every day�hopping drills, lunges, mile intervals�and lots and lots of hills. There was no such thing, really, as long, slow distance�he�d have me mix lots of hill repeats and short bursts of speed into every mega-long run.
I didn�t think I could do it without breaking down, and I told Eric that from the start. I basically defied him to turn me into a runner. And by the end of nine months, I was cranking out four hour runs without a problem.
Q: You�re a six-foot four-inches tall, 200-plus pound guy�not anyone�s typical vision of a distance runner, yet you�ve completed ultra marathons and are training for more. Is there a body type for running, as many of us assume, or are all humans built to run?
CM: Yeah, I�m a big�un. But isn�t it sad that�s even a reasonable question? I bought into that bull for a loooong time. Why wouldn�t I? I was constantly being told by people who should know better that �some bodies aren�t designed for running.� One of the best sports medicine physicians in the country told me exactly that�that the reason I was constantly getting hurt is because I was too big to handle the impact shock from my feet hitting the ground. Just recently, I interviewed a nationally-known sports podiatrist who said, �You know, we didn�t ALL evolve to run away from saber-toothed tigers.� Meaning, what? That anyone who isn�t sleek as a Kenyan marathoner should be extinct? It�s such illogical blather�all kinds of body types exist today, so obviously they DID evolve to move quickly on their feet. It�s really awful that so many doctors are reinforcing this learned helplessness, this idea that you have to be some kind of elite being to handle such a basic, universal movement.
Q: If humans are born to run, as you argue, what�s your advice for a runner who is looking to make the leap from shorter road races to marathons, or marathons to ultramarathons? Is running really for everyone?
CM: I think ultrarunning is America�s hope for the future. Honestly. The ultrarunners have got a hold of some powerful wisdom. You can see it at the starting line of any ultra race. I showed up at the Leadville Trail 100 expecting to see a bunch of hollow-eyed Skeletors, and instead it was, �Whoah! Get a load of the hotties!� Ultra runners tend to be amazingly healthy, youthful and�believe it or not�good looking. I couldn�t figure out why, until one runner explained that throughout history, the four basic ingredients for optimal health have been clean air, good food, fresh water and low stress. And that, to a T, describes the daily life of an ultrarunner. They�re out in the woods for hours at a time, breathing pine-scented breezes, eating small bursts of digestible food, downing water by the gallons, and feeling their stress melt away with the miles. But here�s the real key to that kingdom: you have to relax and enjoy the run. No one cares how fast you run 50 miles, so ultrarunners don�t really stress about times. They�re out to enjoy the run and finish strong, not shave a few inconsequential seconds off a personal best. And that�s the best way to transition up to big mileage races: as coach Eric told me, �If it feels like work, you�re working too hard.�
Q: You write that distance running is the great equalizer of age and gender. Can you explain?
CM: Okay, I�ll answer that question with a question: Starting at age nineteen, runners get faster every year until they hit their peak at twenty-seven. After twenty-seven, they start to decline. So if it takes you eight years to reach your peak, how many years does it take for you to regress back to the same speed you were running at nineteen?
Go ahead, guess all you want. No one I�ve asked has ever come close. It�s in the book, so I won�t give it away, but I guarantee when you hear the answer, you�ll say, �No way. THAT old?� Now, factor in this: ultra races are the only sport in the world in which women can go toe-to-toe with men and hand them their heads. Ann Trason and Krissy Moehl often beat every man in the field in some ultraraces, while Emily Baer recently finished in the Top 10 at the Hardrock 100 while stopping to breastfeed her baby at the water stations.
So how�s that possible? According to a new body of research, it�s because humans are the greatest distance runners on earth. We may not be fast, but we�re born with such remarkable natural endurance that humans are fully capable of outrunning horses, cheetahs and antelopes. That�s because we once hunted in packs and on foot; all of us, men and women alike, young and old together.
Q: One of the fascinating parts of Born to Run is your report on how the ultrarunners eat�salad for breakfast, wraps with hummus mid-run, or pizza and beer the night before a run. As a runner with a lot of miles behind him, what are your thoughts on nutrition for running?
CM: Live every day like you�re on the lam. If you�ve got to be ready to pick up and haul butt at a moment�s notice, you�re not going to be loading up on gut-busting meals. I thought I�d have to go on some kind of prison-camp diet to get ready for an ultra, but the best advice I got came from coach Eric, who told me to just worry about the running and the eating would take care of itself. And he was right, sort of. I instinctively began eating smaller, more digestible meals as my miles increased, but then I went behind his back and consulted with the great Dr. Ruth Heidrich, an Ironman triathlete who lives on a vegan diet. She�s the one who gave me the idea of having salad for breakfast, and it�s a fantastic tip. The truth is, many of the greatest endurance athletes of all time lived on fruits and vegetables. You can get away with garbage for a while, but you pay for it in the long haul. In the book, I describe how Jenn Shelton and Billy �Bonehead� Barnett like to chow pizza and Mountain Dew in the middle of 100-mile races, but Jenn is also a vegetarian who most days lives on veggie burgers and grapes.
Q: In this difficult financial time, we�re experiencing yet another surge in the popularity of running. Can you explain this?
CM: When things look worst, we run the most. Three times, America has seen distance-running skyrocket and it�s always in the midst of a national crisis. The first boom came during the Great Depression; the next was in the �70s, when we were struggling to recover from a recession, race riots, assassinations, a criminal President and an awful war. And the third boom? One year after the Sept. 11 attacks, trailrunning suddenly became the fastest-growing outdoor sport in the country. I think there�s a trigger in the human psyche that activates our first and greatest survival skill whenever we see the shadow of approaching raptors.
(Photo � James Rexroad) From Booklist From the depths of Mexico�s Copper Canyon to the heights of the Leadville Trail 100 ultramarathon in Colorado, from the centuries-old running techniques of Mexico�s Tarahumara tribe to a research lab at the University of Utah, author McDougall celebrates, in this engaging and picaresque account, humankind�s innate love of running. There are rogues aplenty here, such the deadly narco-traffickers who roam Copper Canyon, but there are many more who inspire, such as the Tarahumara runners, who show the rest of the world the false limitations we place on human endurance. McDougall has served as an Associated Press war correspondent, is a contributing editor to Men�s Health, and runs at his home in rural Pennsylvania, and he brings all of these experiences to bear in this slyly important, highly readable account. --Alan Moores See all Editorial Reviews Product Details
* Hardcover: 304 pages * Publisher: Knopf; First American Edition edition (May 5, 2009) * Language: English * ISBN-10: 0307266303 * ISBN-13: 978-0307266309 * Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.6 x 1.1 inches * Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) * Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (609 customer reviews) 609 Reviews 5 star: (488) 4 star: (75) 3 star: (24) 2 star: (14) 1 star: (8)
� See all 609 customer reviews... � See all discussions... * Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #94 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) o #1 in Books > Health, Mind & Body > Exercise & Fitness > Running & Jogging o #1 in Books > Sports > Individual Sports o #1 in Books > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > Anthropology > Cultural
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Average Customer Review 4.7 out of 5 stars (609 customer reviews)
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382 of 387 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars A great story and so much more, May 16, 2009 By D. Sull (London, UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME) Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen (Hardcover) Born to Run succeeds at three levels. First, it is a page turner. The build up to a fifty-mile foot race over some of the world's least hospitable terrain drives the narrative forward. Along the way McDougall introduces a cast of characters worthy of Dickens, including an almost superhuman ultramarathoner, Jenn and the Bonehead--a couple who down bottles of booze to warm up for a race, Barefoot Ted, Mexican drug dealers, a ghostly ex-boxer, a heartbroken father, and of course the Tarahumara, arguably the greatest runners in the world.
Born to Run is such a rip-roaring yarn, that it is easy to miss the book's deeper achievements. At a second level, McDougall introduces and explores a powerful thesis--that human beings are literally born to run. Recreational running did not begin with the 1966 publication of "Jogging" by the co-founder of Nike. Instead, McDougall argues, running is at the heart of what it means to be human. In the course of elaborating his thesis, McDougall answers some big questions: Why did our ancestors outlive the stronger, smarter Neanderthals? Why do expensive running shoes increase the odds of injury? The author's modesty keeps him from trumpeting the novelty and importance of this thesis, but it merits attention.
Finally, Born to Run presents a philosophy of exercise. The ethos that pervades recreational and competitive running--"no pain, no gain," is fundamentally flawed, McDougall argues. The essence of running should not be grim determination, but sheer joy. Many of the conventions of modern running--the thick-soled shoes, mechanical treadmills, take no prisoners competition, and heads-down powering through pain dull our appreciation of what running can be--a sociable activity, more game than chore, that can lead to adventure. McDougall's narrative moves the book forward, his thesis provides a solid intellectual support, but this philosophy of joy animates Born to Run. I hope this book finds the wide audience it deserves. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Report abuse | Permalink Comment Comments (14)
154 of 158 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars A phenomenal book about running but more importantly a way of life, May 17, 2009 By R. George "raygeo3" (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME) This review is from: Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen (Hardcover) My wife handed me Born to Run about 24 hours ago and said "you might like this." Having run quite a bit but nursing an achilles tendon injury for about 3 years, I had almost given up on my dreams of getting back into marathon shape. 24 hours (and very little sleep) later, I feel inspired, awed, and enlightened, and I have Christopher's wonderful book to thank.
In a nutshell, I have not been this entralled by a story since Shadow Divers, Seabiscuit and/or Into Thin Air. Christopher's recounting of the forbidding Copper Canyons, the amazing Tarahumara, ultramarathoners young and old, and the greatest race you've never heard of is enough for me to give this a rave review. But like the aforementioned books, there is so much more to this story, not the least of which was Christopher's own quest (and amazing resiliency) to run without pain. Finally, he put to words many of the thoughts and feelings I've had about running but am unable to articulate. And Christopher is a great writer - I laughed out loud many times throughout. He has a style akin to a Timothy Cahill - a great wit that was obviously aided by a wonderfully intriguing cast of characters.
As the sun was coming up this morning I was a bit sad to see this book end, and am already contemplating picking it up again. But only after I strap on the old, beaten up sneaks and get in a quick jog. Thanks so much for writing this book - I hope it changes lives and perspectives in the process. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Report abuse | Permalink Comment Comments (3)
114 of 123 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars The Cure for Modernity, May 11, 2009 By A Customer - See all my reviews This review is from: Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen (Hardcover) If, when you finish with this book, you don't immediately get yourself outside and run like hell, then there's probably not a drop of living blood in you. This book is the perfect antidote to everything that's wrong with modern running and the way to find everything that's still so right with it. Even if it were all a work of fiction McDougall's tale would still be worth the price of admission. Fabulous. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Report abuse | Permalink Comment Comment
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Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
I guess the cheapest option is to get the bands.
I use my half sheet while at the PC.
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
No one else read the book but not convinced?
I have decided to order the book Born to Run.
[ 12-08-2010, 11:34 AM: Message edited by: Wallace ]
Posted by daystar1952 (Member # 3255) on :
I just bought a trifield meter which measures magnetic, electric and radio/microwaves. I have a special wrist grounding bracelet attached to the ground plug on an outlet nearby the computor. When I put the meter on the keyboard, it measures 2and 1 half milligauss.
The computor screen is 3 milligaus and the mouse is 1 milligauss. When I put on the bracelet, all three items then measure at zero. But...I'm not sure what that means.
Does it mean that the electromagnetics are going through me and I am protecting the equipment or does it mean that wearing the bracelet is canceling out the positive ions emitting from the equipment with the negative ions from the earth so that I am NOT absorbing them?
I have already changed a couple of lightbulbs in the kitchen from flourescent (which made the meter go off the scale)to xenon bulbs. The xenon bulbs use more electricity than the flourescent...probably more comparable to the incandescent bulbs....but the electomagnetic frequencies that the xenon bulbs emitted was much much less and the light was so much more soft and pleasing.
It was like a relief looking at the light from those bulbs.....calming. Flourescent bulbs never make me feel calm and that must mean something
The meter has also shown me how far away to place my floor lamps from my head...etc. Our electric radio alarm clock is pretty bad also. I may replace it with a bateery operated one which is supposed to be much better in that respect.
Posted by momlyme (Member # 27775) on :
Daystar- that's interesting about the fluorescent lights... Perhaps the link I posted earlier in this thread will shed some light with your experiement and the tester you have.
David wolfe does a similar test grounding himself with the grounding pad. He uses a voltmeter... First his body EMF reads at 8-13 volts then he touches the pad and the reading is close to zero. He does it again and again.
Seems to me that means when you are grounded you are getting zero negative effects from the electronics that surround you. Here's the vid again: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E46Fm0dtE2c
I bought the grounding pad last night. Haven't received it yet. Hoot - how bout you? Any benefits yet?
Posted by hoot (Member # 19281) on :
momlyme-- the first couple of days I felt tingling and warmth in my hands and feet. Now I just feel the warmth. I seem to be getting really good sleep and it seems as though I am dreaming more (or remembering that I have had dreams). I don't have any chronic health issues. I think I read that the people with more serious issues may see more...
My hubby has not used it yet. He insists on sleeping in the basement bedroom lately because it has in-floor heating and is much warmer down there (too hot for me to sleep there!!!). I should have put the sheet on that bed. I will switch it tomorrow unless I can convince him to come upstairs.
Posted by momlyme (Member # 27775) on :
Thanks for the update hoot! Glad you are getting good sleep! Has hubby seen the benefits described in David Wolfe's Longevity conference?
I had my hubby watch that. He can't wait to try it! I did not get the sheet, just the pad. We will have to share.
According to what I have seen from David Wolfe... the more you can stay grounded the better, but you can see the benefits (blood under a microscope) in just one hour. So the minimum is one hour per day.
Anybody else going barefooted in spite of it being for most of us the wrong time of year??
Posted by hoot (Member # 19281) on :
momlyme-- I am going to try to get my hubby to start using it. Tonight is the night. He will be back from California...no excuses!
He has not tried it yet so no results to report.
Posted by momlyme (Member # 27775) on :
Good luck Hoot! I hope he has a good night's sleep!
Glad it's working for you Wallace!
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
sleeping 20 per cent more and go for a daily 2km barefoot walk!
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
atural Walking for Exercise By Tom A. Kutscher
Natural walking is the practice of barefoot walking in the most natural environments, with the most natural techniques and methods in order to maximize the enjoyment of walking while providing low stress exercise. The concept of natural walking is that to do whatever is most natural for the body is the best form of walking. Natural walking, as exercise and not as simply an enjoyable pastime, is one of the very best forms of exercise of any kind while being low on stress and high on pure fun.
What is "natural walking?" Natural walking is outdoor walking during daylight hours in bare feet on non-abrasive natural surfaces such as grass, earth, hard-packed sand or other natural surfaces at a pace that is adequate for exercise and enjoyment of the outdoors.
Natural walking vs. unnatural walking The following list covers the advantages of natural walking and guidelines to doing it properly and safely.
1. Barefoot Natural walking must be done barefoot. That is the way that humans walked for many thousands of years prior to the invention of footwear. Barefoot walking utilizes the feet entirely while shoes restrict some of the natural movement of the feet. Shoes and footwear, since they are man-made, cannot be considered as natural. Since we are not born with shoes on, we have to adapt to wearing them. In addition to restricting some of the natural movement of the feet, shoes cut off the range of sensory ability of the feet and cut down on the sensory pleasures of contacting the grass and earth. Shoes also are often the cause of blisters, overheating, fungus, foot injuries and pain. 2. Outdoors Walking outdoors is natural. Early humankind had no indoor facilities; walking was a daily outdoor activity and was a necesity for survival. Outdoor walking maximizes the contact with nature and availability of fresh air and natural scenery. 3. Earth Connection to the Body Natural walking allows for a natural connection to the earth through the feet. Nearly all natural health specialists and healers acknowledge that we need to be "grounded" to the earth. This "groundedness" effect is believed by many to enhance and unblock the body's chi energy, chakras, and subtle energy. 4. Reflexology Effect Reflexology is a form of massage therapy that involves point pressure stimulation of parts of the feet. Natural walking on grass and other natural surfaces provides a similar form of stimulation that has a "reflexology effect" that is beneficial. While this benefit is not as intense as a full reflexology session, it is far superior to walking with the feet encased in shoes. Shoes offer no reflexology effect at all and in fact shoes block the feet from any stimulation by the environment. 5. Natural Surfaces Grass that is healthy and well hydrated is the best natural surface to walk on. This includes grass that is common in lawns (fescue, bluegrass, zoysia, etc.) and other similar forms of soft vegetation such as clover, soft (non-toxic) broadleaf weeds, and other non-toxic leafy vegetation. Grasses generally range from good to outstanding as a natural surface. Other non-grassy earth surfaces, such as smooth earth, slightly muddy earth, and hard-packed sand (e.g. wet sand that is near the shore of a beach and provides a firm support for walking) are also natural as long as they are not harmful to the feet, and range from fair to excellent. For best results, the earth that the grass grows in should be fairly smooth (i.e. not filled with a lot of hard dirt clumps) and not filled with stones, sticks, or other debris. These types of obstacles, while natural, tend to diminish the enjoyment of the natural walking experience. Unnatural hazards (glass, metal, garbage, biohazards, etc.) should be avoided. Clean, well-maintained parks usually provide some of the best natural walking surfaces. 6. Cooler Walking Area Grass and live vegetation have much less surface heat radiation than concrete and asphalt, and generally can provide a cooler walking area. 7. Natural Gait The body's natural walking sequence and motion of bones, muscles, and other body parts, i.e. "gait", is thrown off in all cases at least moderately and sometimes substantially with the use of shoes. Studies have shown that only barefoot walking makes it possible for a completely natural gait as long as the feet are normal and healthy. A natural gait allows for full movement of the toes and front of the feet as is readily done when barefoot. Likewise, carrying substantial weight (being substantially overweight, carry a heavy backpack, etc.) will adversely affect the natural gait. Natural walking promotes a natural gait. 8. Use of the Toes Natural walking allows for full use of the toes when walking. This is not possible with any type of footwear, even flip flops, which provide a barrier between the toes and the ground. 9. Natural Exercise Pace Natural walking is best done at a pace that is good for exercise; not too fast, and not too slow. A too-fast pace can cause a risk of injury and sometimes is unduly stressful in warm or hot conditions. A too-slow pace is inadequate for a good exercise workout. A general range for natural walking is 4 to 7 km/hr (2.5 mph to 4.7 mph), and will depend on several factors, especially the quality of the surface. Smooth soft grass and earth surfaces are much more conducive to a faster pace than are uneven grassy areas that are rocky or are full of unpleasant sharp-edged weeds or stubble. It is quite acceptable, and in fact wise, to temporarily slow down a bit if some obstacles or poor terrain are encountered and then return to the regular pace when safe to do so. 10. Water Water is the most natural liquid refreshment. Bottled water should be brought with you when natural walking and you should hydrate yourself before, during, and after the walk. For natural walking to be done most successfully, at least 0.5 to 0.8 liter (1 pint to 1.7 pints) of water should be consumed per hour, and more if the weather is hot or if it is very sunny. The water can be cold, cool or at a tepid temperature. 11. Distance A natural walking distance is one that provides sufficient exercise but does not exceed one's natural limits. If you feel pain, aches, significant discomfort, etc., the walk should be ended as soon as possible. Exercise should not cause regular significant injuries or even regular minor injuries. Each person's appropriate distances (i.e. natural limits) will vary as you get more in shape and as your feet get more "ruggedized." It will typically increase over time. 12. Daylight Natural walking is best done in daylight with natural lighting (i.e. sunlight). It is not recommended to be done under the lights, or in darkness. 13. Posture The posture is either straight or slightly leaning forward. The main exception to this is when going uphill it may be necessary to make posture adjustments (e.g. slightly more forward when going uphill). 14. Leg Movement A natural sequence of leg movement is used, not an exaggerated lifting of the legs up and down and also not a lack of upward leg movement along with sliding the feet across the ground or shuffling motion. The legs and feet should be lifted moderately and go straight forward, not outward. 15. Weight Natural walking is best done if you are at a natural weight for your height and body type. You should not be substantially overweight. Being very overweight may put too much stress on the feet and knee joints. Early humans that went barefoot all the time were rarely overweight due to the scarcity of food. Being at one's correct weight is best for optimizing the natural walking experience. Regular natural walking can lead to some weight loss (with proper dieting) if you are overweight but it is better for stabilizing weight rather than reducing weight. 16. Cleanliness Natural walking is done in a clean environment (i.e. no bio hazards). Harmless grass, dirt, and vegetation debris will get on your feet. Brushing debris off the feet and watering and drying them should be done after each walk. A full cleaning of the feet and rest of the body should be done after returning home. 17. Breathing Deep lung breathing is used in natural walking, as practiced in yoga and martial arts. The diaphragm is fully expanded for belly breaths when inhaling, and each inhaling breath starts at the bottom of the lungs and goes to the top of the lungs, which are totally filled before exhaling. 18. Stride Length A comfortable stride length should be used for natural walking. The stride should not be too long or too short. Your natural walking stride will typically vary from your natural stride length to less than this when encountering difficult terrain or obstacles. 19. Do Some Uphill Walking If possible, part of each walk should include some uphill walking. The uphill portion(s) can be very slightly uphill or more steeply uphill, depending on your preference. Uphill walking promotes a better aerobic workout and is better for the muscles. As you get better at natural walking the uphill sections will become more easy to accomplish. 20. Armswing The arms should swing in the reverse direction to the legs and should be back-and-forth, not side-to-side.(i.e. not crossing the front of the body). The amount of armswing can be either slight or substantial, whatever your preference is. 21. Time Duration of Each Natural Walk Initially, as you get used to walking barefoot outdoors, this will typically be a 20 to 30 minutes. After a while when you are fully acclimated to natural walking, the time duration of a walk can range from 30 minutes to about 2 hours. There is no fixed upper limit; it is an individual parameter that can vary depending on how you feel, the weather, your fitness, etc. The typical range for a natural walk is 40 to 100 minutes. During most of the spring, summer, and early fall, three to six natural walks per week, weather permitting, should typically be possible. 22. Temperatures The best temperature range for natural walking is 55 F (13 C) to 86 F (30 C). Walking barefoot outdoors below 46 F (8 C) may not be comfortable for everyone and is a matter of individual choice. Even above 50 F (10 C), if the grass is wet, it may be too cool on the feet for some. Walks on wet grass at temperatures of 59 F (15 C) or above should not be a problem for most. Natural walking should not be done at temperatures or wind chills at or below 39 F (4 C), with the exception of very short walks (0.8 km total, i.e. 0.5 mile) or possibly longer distances for those experienced barefoot walkers who have gradually acclimated themselves to cold weather barefoot walking. Walking in extreme heat should be limited to shorter-than-normal distances, and requires much more hydration (water intake) than usual. All walks should be ended if discomfort or numbness is felt due to either heat or cold. 23. Foot Motion When walking naturally, the feet do not come down hard on the heels. Three methods of natural walking are all perfectly fine and are a matter of preference. These three are (1) heel-to-toes with rapid shift of weight away from the heel, (2) straight down, and (3) front-part-first or fox walking. For heel-to-toes method the foot lightly touches the surface with the heel first and the contact surface moves rapidly toward the ball of the foot and toes. Normally the front of the foot (including the toes) carries the bulk of the load, not the heel. The other two methods are self-explanatory but there are websites that go in more detail on fox walking (so refer to them if you want to learn more about front-part-first walking). With any of these methods, if an obstacle (e.g. large stone) that you did not see is stepped upon by the middle or inner part of a foot, you can rapidly adjust the weight to the outside of the foot is your pace is not too fast. This ability to make quick adjustments should be used if you feel an obstacle that is uncomfortable and large enough to cause an injury. A too fast pace makes it harder to make momentary adjustments and makes bruising injuries more likely when stepping on protruding blunt objects that you do not see and subsequently step on. Generally, an experienced natural walker will have a light stepping foot motion that is well matched to the pace. 24. Clothing In mild, warm and hot weather, clothes should be light, loose and comfortable. Cotton and natural fabrics should be used as much as possible. Cotton/synthetic blends are okay but less desirable. Hats with brims are recommended for sunny conditions. In colder weather it is important to dress with warmer clothes to retain body heat as there will be greater heat loss from the feet being barefoot than there is when wearing shoes. 25. Safety There are 25 safety guidelines for natural walking that should be followed. These are listed under The 25 Basic Safety Guidelines of Barefoot Grass Walking by Tom Kutscher. It is best to memorize the safety guidelines and practice them at all times that you do natural walking. They are included in this website. 26. Accessories That Are Okay Sunglasses, bug repellant, sunscreen, watches, keys, IDs, and other essential items are okay. Cell phones, electronic devices, and other items that will distract you from the walk should either be shut off or left behind. Shut off the outside world except where you are walking. Also, do not wear weights for strength conditioning; weight work is fine but should be done separate from natural walking. 27. Rainy Conditions While it may be tempting, it is not advisable to walk in the rain. The primary hazard is lightning. However there are other hazards as well (slippery areas, puddles that can temporarily hide sharp objects and other hazards, possible chilling from wet clothes, etc.). Light drizzle is usually okay for walking as long as there is no lightning. Natural walking is best done in weather conditions that are dry or after a light rain. Walks that are done on wet grass in warm weather after a substantial rain are especially enjoyable. 28. Non-Competitive Natural walking is not competitive. It is for exercise and enjoyment. 29. Enjoy the Moment The sensual pleasures of natural walking vary with the temperature, grass moisture level, sunlight, wind, natural sights, grass length, grass texture, ground texture, and other parameters. Take it all in as you walk and enjoy the moment. 30. What will Others Think? It is understandable that you may feel self-conscious walking barefoot while others are all in some form of footwear. You will get over this fairly quickly. Remember, you are the one doing the natural form of walking, and they are not. 31. Fun You had fun as a kid going barefoot, didn't you? So go back to what you did as a kid! Kids instinctively get it right…ditch the shoes and return to what is fun!
While natural walking is terrific, there are three main drawbacks when compared to traditional forms of indoor exercise. First, the weather will be a limitation, especially cold, winter weather. Second, the conditions of the grass and the ground can vary substantially. Dry grass and earth is less fun to walk on than well-hydrated grass and moistened soil. If you really want a totally predictable exercise routine with an unchanging environment and with unchanging grass and earth, that is not possible. And third, there are some minor hazards (minor bruises, cuts, scrapes, slivers, occasional bug bites, etc.) that usually are not a problem for most people but could be for some.
But the benefits of natural walking far outweigh the drawbacks. And the cost is FREE if you go to public parks with no admission charge or to other free public areas. No expensive athletic shoes to buy, no lessons, and no equipment, yet excellent exercise with the backdrop of the scenic outdoors. The upside of natural walking greatly exceeds the downside!
It is permissible to reproduce any and all of this article "Natural Walking for Exercise" by Tom A. Kutscher without permission from the author provided that (1) the author is acknowledged as the originator and source of this text and (2) no copying of this article is done for commercial purposes.
Posted by Toppers (Member # 20083) on :
Just to follow up, still using this thing at the computer and during sleep. The quality of sleep is so deep it's incredible, vivid healthy dreams and feeling great the next morning.
Definitely a piece of the puzzle in overcoming all this.
Posted by momlyme (Member # 27775) on :
Awesome Toppers... glad it is working for you!!!
...still waiting for mine in the mail!
Posted by rachellemarie (Member # 16419) on :
I have ordered the grounding mat, which I plan on using in bed, on the couch and while working on the computer. I'll check back later and let everyone know how it works. I should receive the mat next week. My main symptom is chronic fatigue, but have other weird Lymey stuff going on too from time to time. Hoping this helps with my immune system, adrenals, cortisol level and fatigue. We shall see!
For those that can't afford the earthing.net prices, looks like www.lessemf.com has better pricing. Their mats are $29.99. Noticed this after I paid $59 through the earthing site. Not sure if it's exactly the same thing, but it appears to be.
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
Feel like I am going through a detox, sleeping and resting an awful lot.
Glad to hear the encourging reports of others. This is important!
I also feel walking barefoot is important Thom hartmann explains in his book that walking is a form of bilateral therapy similar to hynosis and EMDR in releasing gradually trauma etc.
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
96 of 101 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars Simple--But Fascinating--Theory, November 14, 2006 By Janet Boyer "JanetBoyer.com" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME) This review is from: Walking Your Blues Away: How to Heal the Mind and Create Emotional Well-Being (Paperback) "Just as a person with a severe hemispheric imbalance can be badly disconnected from emotions such as empathy, and thus sanction or even encourage actions such as mass murder that is war, so too can an entire society. In the opinion of some researchers, societies that are hemispherically unbalanced are more likely to be patriarchal, hierarchal, and violent, whereas societies that are hemispherically balanced are more likely to be egalitarian and democratic, and employ violence only in self-defense." - From the book
Remember the caricatures of stage hypnotists brandishing a swinging pocket watch while intoning "Look into my eyes..." ? Well, according to author Thom Hartmann, this type of hypnosis was actually a bona fide psychiatric therapy in the late 1700's and early 1800's. In fact, Franz Anton Mesmer ("mesmerize") was the first person to develop a system of bilateral cross-hemispheric stimulation by waving his fingers side to side while a patient followed with their eyes. Mesmer discovered that his system was quite effective in resolving non-organic physical and psychological problems. That is, psychosomatic conditions or issues rooted in emotional trauma.
In the late 1800's, Sigmund Freud--a prot�g� of Josef Breuer--discovered the power of bilateral therapy in the form of alternatively stroking both sides of the body, a technique that Mesmer first developed. In fact, in the 1880's and early 1890's, Freud's preferred method of treatment wasn't talk therapy (which is what he became famous for) but a bilateral technique known as hypnosis.
In Walking Your Blues Away, author Thom Hartmann traces Freud's sudden discontinuance of hypnosis to the popularity of the book Trilby, authored by George Du Maurier in 1894. Playing on the new wave of anti-Semitism that swept Europe at the end of the 19th century, Du Maurier's novel Tribly chronicled the seductive story of Svengali a "sinister, Jewish" hypnotist who exploited susceptible women both sexually and financially.
Hartmann suggests that the public reaction to Jewish physicians employing hypnosis was so intense, that Freud had no choice but to abandon this successful form of therapy.
Walking Your Blues Away offers theories as to why bilateral therapies such as hypnosis, side-to-side stimulation, NLP, EFT, etc. are so successful at reframing emotional trauma--and the author applies this mode of therapy to walking.
The hippocampus is the part of the brain that functions as a "dumping ground" of memories, so to speak. Whatever we go through or experience in a day is processed by the hippocampus while sleeping (REM being another form of bilateral stimulation). However, some emotional trauma--such as what is experienced with PTSD--is so severe that the hippocampus can't process it all. This trauma then becomes "stuck" in the brain, unable to be processed as a mere memory. These frozen experiences can debilitate and depress unless they become resolved.
Interestingly, talk therapy can often cause a "re-wounding", asserts Hartmann, which actually makes matters worse. Drawing on his experience with NLP, he realized that emotionally charged memories are "seen" front and center of a person--in full color--while non-traumatic memories are "seen" far away, off to the side, "flat", or in black and white.
Combining the most natural form of bilateral therapy extant--walking--with NLP, Hartmann realized that holding a painful memory in central awareness while walking can resolve a traumatic issue in less than 30 minutes.
Amazing, no?
Yet, according to Walk Your Blues Away, Hartmann's technique has proven successful for alleviating both short term and long-term symptoms in people--ranging from angry domestic disputes to war trauma. This is because walking uses both hemispheres of the brain, and "holding" the traumatic issue in one's mind while walking can literally vaporize disturbing events. In addition to providing compelling evidence in the form of case studies, he also shares fascinating cultural and historical anecdotes as to why "brain balance" can heal. For example, Hartmann refers to the legacy of left-brain dominance caused by literacy as put forth in the book The Alphabet Versus the Goddess by Leonard Shlain, as well as Darwin and the "noble savage" and how "walking" tribes were much less violent than "civilized" horse-riding people.
Most of us realize the many benefits of walking, but Walking Your Blues Away describes a deceptively simple process to resolving stuck emotions and symptoms stemming from traumatic experiences. At only 102-pages, this is a short book, but the case histories and theories Hartmann presents is compelling--and his methodology is so easy that even a child could use it.
In fact, walking as bilateral therapy can also be used to generate creativity, solve problems, and create motivational states.
My one criticism of this book is that the author doesn't mention if this type of therapy can be used with treadmills. I happen to live in a region that experiences some cold winters and while I'll go to the park as long as I can stand it, it's difficult to do so when the wind chill sinks to 0 degrees!
Bilateral therapy through walking is a fascinating, sensible idea--so if this form of healing sounds appealing to you, it's an easy way to (hopefully) treat chronic emotional distress or resolve "stuck" emotions.
Janet Boyer, author of The Back in Time Tarot Book: Picture the Past, Experience the Cards, Understand the Present (coming Fall 2008 from Hampton Roads Publishing) Help other customers find the most helpful reviews Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Report abuse | Permalink Comment Comments (7)
50 of 51 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars A Breakthrough Book, January 16, 2007 By Dave Smith "Author of 'To Be Of Use'" (Mendocino County, California) - See all my reviews This review is from: Walking Your Blues Away: How to Heal the Mind and Create Emotional Well-Being (Paperback) Don't let the lightweight title, cover, and page-count fool you. This is a breakthrough book, and not just another self-help, happy-talk rip-off. This book can stand proudly next to the most academic psychological tome, and replace much of the pop psychology pap moldering on our bookshelves.
To be open to something so important, one first has to know who the author is, what he stands for, and why he can be trusted. I've read several of Thom Hartmann's books, and listened to his daily progressive radio program numerous times. I can only state emphatically: This is a gifted man we can trust. He is the real deal. (See my earlier post on him for more info.)
The basics of the book are these:
1. Our bodies are self-healing if we feed it the right food and exercise it properly under the right conditions. Shouldn't our minds and emotions also be self-healing?
2. Rhythmic, bilateral movement is the way we've healed ourselves from traumatic, psychological wounds for hundreds of thousands of years. But until now, we didn't know how it worked.
3. "Bilaterality is the ability to have the right and left hemispheres of the brain fully functional and communicating with each other."
4. Freud's early, very successful work was based on Bilaterality techniques, but after some unfortunate, sensationalistic historical events, he was forced to abandon it for mostly unsuccessful "talk-therapy" methods. Freud tried, but failed, for years to find an equally-successful technique. This history is crucial to our understanding of why psychotherapy evolved the way it did.
5. Devastating events can haunt our every waking moment for years. Some suffer war-caused "post traumatic stress disorders" for years or allow a loved-one's untimely death to ruin their lives, while others are able to move on. Just as we learned to transform our physical health by eating organic food, exercising, and drinking pure water, now we know how to consiously bring ourselves back to a healthy mental state.
6. This discovery comes from Hartmann's own training, observations and experiments, with dramatic results illustrated by case studies and testamonials.
7. Hartmann details a simple, five step technique.
8. Bilaterality has also been used by humans for less-traumatic problem solving, creativity, and motivation. Now we can train ourselves to use it consciously.
This book deserves a wide readership and word-of-mouth recommendations. I urge you to read it and pass it on, especially to those whose lives have been darkened by tragedy. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Report abuse | Permalink Comment Comment
34 of 34 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars It works, November 25, 2007 By Bill (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews This review is from: Walking Your Blues Away: How to Heal the Mind and Create Emotional Well-Being (Paperback) When a self-improvement book is reviewed I always look for actual experience from people who have tried the methods in the book - not just those read it and agree with it. Well now I am reviewing 'Walk Your Blue's Away' and I can say unequivocally IT WORKS, at least for me. All of my adult life I have been prone to depressive episodes from rejection and loss - even if the loss is very small. Recently a loving and satisfying relationship of 5 years was broken off by my partner. I knew from experience I was poised to nosedive into depression. This was despite many years of zealous embrace of cognitive behavior therapy in which the two sides of the brain battle. An adverse event triggers dejection, anger, depression. With cognitive therapy you have to identify the irrational thought that supposedly triggers your negative emotions, dispute the thought, and find a rational and sensible substitute thought. The problem was the negative emotions would take sometimes years to dissipate and I was constantly ruminating and flashing back to previous events. What Thom's book does is address healing. When you heal from emotional trauma with this method, the two sides of the brain actually are successful in integrating reason and emotion. With cognitive therapy reason and emotion seemed to constantly battle one another without resolution. You might win a battle but the next day another begins. I contend that after 5 daily walks following the simple guidelines of the book, the crushing sadness of rejection has lifted. The memories that previously would trigger bouts of depression are still there but now in the distance. They no longer dominate my mood allowing me to concentrate and get on with my life. At the end of each session my thinking was especially sharp - the corrective rational thoughts that I tried for years to marshal with cognitive therapy were at last automatic. Everyone suffers loss, rejection and emotional trauma. The key, as Thom says is, to facilitate your ability to heal naturally. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews Was this review helpful to you? Yes
Posted by rachellemarie (Member # 16419) on :
I received my grounding mat and using it already at my computer. Will sleep on it tonight. Will report back soon as to what I feel. Any others getting good/bad/indifferent results from grounding?
Posted by momlyme (Member # 27775) on :
I wish mine would get here already!!!
My son's gonna have to fight me for it!
Just kidding.
Can't wait to hear about your good night's sleep.
Posted by Brussels (Member # 13480) on :
I started doing my own grounding lately. It does feel good and I need about an hour less of sleep without waking up tired, on the contrary, somehow I think I sleep even deeper.
My daughter is on the same 'device' and she begs for it, when it moves out of her reach in bed.
I only connected a copper cable to the water tap in the toilet (metal part), then linked it to my bed letting the wire under my thin sheet touch my legs. With a bit of sweat during the night, I do think 'connection' is happening (that is how Dr. K. sells his own grounding mat, to be used under the sheet).
I've been using it for about 3 weeks now, and I am happy with it. Energetically it tests good but it is still not as strong as grounding ourselves barefoot outside.
I am living in a country that doesn't have an 'earth' in the electrical plugs in the houses, so I have to do this alternative on the water tap.
The guy there connects either to his heat radiator (I think he's in Canada) or to the electrical plug. He's got a voltimeter to show that after grounding on the radiator, his voltage is down to zero (or close to zero).
He also has another video on how to ground your shoes (very simple, even though might not be comfortable). You can buy a softer copper wire to connect to the harder copper wire that goes under your shoes though.
I'll try it when I find the proper material and let you know. You certainly sweat in the shoes, so connection through the socks is easy.
I think that a combination of BLOCKING EMRs from reaching you while in bed PLUS grounding gives very profound effects, much better than doing these things isolated.
Posted by Brussels (Member # 13480) on :
Just one more video from the same Max from above, he's talking about muscle tests to be done by yourself. I feel he has some good tips and different types of testing for you to try.
You can do this test to see if there are harmful EMRs reaching you while you sleep.
If the grounding device helps you sleep deeply or not.
Etc.
Good luck! Selma
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
Anyone know where Dr K sells his grounding mat?
Thanks for the tips Selma!
I have developed sore red marks on K1 points on both feet which according to the earthing books is the major meridian on the foot.
Posted by MichaelTampa (Member # 24868) on :
Thanks for the links Selma, very cool to see.
Posted by Brussels (Member # 13480) on :
You're welcome!
Wallace, I think I saw these mats at Biopure not too long ago. If not, just call them, they certainly know where to find these. Explain you are talking about the mats that go under the sheets, that you are supposed to link to the earth with a sort of crocodile 'clip' (I don't know the tecnical name in English).
If I remember well, they are of silver too, so not unexpensive, but I do believe dr. K. when he says that if a patient has, for example, cancer, and you go do ART down in the garden of the house of the sick guy and look for a better place to place a metal stick (the grounding 'tool) for his SPECIFIC health problem, then you simply connect it with a wire to the grounding sleeping mat, he said that healing is so deep and so fast, that is truly amazing.
Like each health problem or each person has a better spot to be connected!!! Like each spot gives even more profound impact than simply connecting to the water tap like I do.
It's 'almost' like laying down directly on the earth every night, and in a special chosen spot! Of course, if you live like me, in the 8th floor, it may be a problem.
In Swiss internet shops, I certainly saw some grounding mats but quite expensive too. Dont' ask me where.. I guess I could google again.
I was more for building on my own, but sort of too lazy or too busy with treatments to try that. I'm pretty sure it's perfectly possible to weave a net of thin metal threads, (I would choose copper if possible). Not too much, just a small mat would be enough for a start.
If I had a time machine, I would have started with this grounding from the beginning, because the effect can be deep, I believe.
I started with protecting myself against EMRs and NEVER regreted. I still protect myself using whatever I have in my hands. It is a must in my bedroom. The difference between sleeping in a dirty EMR bedroom and clean one, is soo sharp!
Now daughter and I are used to sleep on the grounded wire. I wonder what will happen if we take it off. So far, we both sleep well, deep, I feel more rested than before as though I reached even deeper sleep and therefore, I need about one hour less of sleep and so does my daughter. I have to let the experience go on and see long term.
Next week I will be moving to the first floor! I will try to pierce a hole in some part of the bedroom walls or windows and send my cable outside!!! Let's see!!
I wonder how is Rachel sleeping mat experiences??
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
Its good to know that Dr K thinks we are on the right track.
If I had a time machine, I would have started with this grounding from the beginning, because the effect can be deep, I believe.
I agree!!!
My feet are too sore to walk barefoot anymore so I am returning to my all leather shoes til my feet recover!
Nearly finished "Born to Run" very entertaining and theres a lot about how shoes are very bad for you!
Posted by lostintexas (Member # 29708) on :
Hello all, I am a newbie. Just convinced our PCP to humor me and consider that my husband has Lyme and he agreed to humor me and started him on doxy. He also asked me to start earthing my husband. There is a book by Stephen Sinatra, MD called Earthing from Basic Health Publications. Also an article in february 2010 issue of Heart, Health and Nutrition on the topic. Interesting!
Posted by Healing in Santa Cruz (Member # 7798) on :
I received my Earthing bands yesterday from www.earthing.com Pain is better,more relaxed and sleeping 24/7. Posted by Brussels (Member # 13480) on :
Hey Wallace, in which country are you to walk barefoot? Isn't it all snowy in Europe now?
When I was kid, I used to walk basically barefoot, as I grew in a tropical country. My skin was sooo thick, that it started cracking. But then it grew back again.
I could step on any stone, no problem even on some broken glass sometimes. I used to play soccer barefoot on the street.
I can swear that we don't need shoes. Only sometimes the broken glass was too thin, and it did hurt then. When I moved to the city, I started using shoes more often, more because the city is dirty and no one walks barefoot. But when I was in the coutryside, walking barefoot never was problem (it was problem to wear shoes, in fact, specially in summer).
Now my skin is so thin too and it hurts even to walk slowly on pebbles. And winter is here. Now I only go out to touch the ground with my hands. I guess we need to build the earthed shoes as proposed on the video above!!!
Healing in Santa Cruz, long time no see! How are you doing?
Posted by momlyme (Member # 27775) on :
Earthing pad is great... I use it every day and pass it around to family members. My son rolls his eyes every time I ask him to sit or lie with it...
I feel the difference when I sleep or lie with it.
Bought scalar pendants for christmas gifts for LLMD, home health nurse, family members...
Found this today on google when looking for info to print out to give with the pendants (so people understand what they are). Thought I'd share it here. Mentions Einstein, Tesla --
i hope to run barefoot; we are designed to run.
Posted by daystar1952 (Member # 3255) on :
Not sure if this link was already mentioned http://www.healthymedicine.org/html/radio.html It's an interview with 2 of the authors of the book Earthing. One of the authors is Dr. Stephen Sinatra. He lives in CT and treats or did treat alot of Lyme patients. He mentions Lyme briefly on this radio interview and how earthing can help the sludgey blood so common in Lyme
Just scroll down a little bit till you see the title of earthing
Posted by rachellemarie (Member # 16419) on :
Have been sleeping on my earthing mat now for a little over a week I believe. So far, I do not notice any affects, positive or negative. I don't fall asleep any faster, do not sleep any deeper, do not stay asleep longer and do not wake up any more restful. ?!?!? Was hoping for these result. Will continue to use it because I think it is beneficial even though I'm not physically feeling the affects yet.
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
This reviews Born to Run book linking it to Norman Doiges book The Brain that changes itself that discusses stroke rehab.
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
Its going to take a full week for my sore feet to heal. I am sure most of us have very badly conditioned feet. Mine are very tender.
Still sleeping a lot
Selma I bet you had no health problems when you were walking barefoot all the time.!!!!
On the above blog playing tennis barefoot is also mentioned.
Thanks daystar, john rateys work is also on your link on exercise and the brain but we need to exercise the 1300 nerve endings in our feet!
[ 12-23-2010, 09:09 AM: Message edited by: Wallace ]
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
From Runners world barefoot forum:
Before we begin, Take OFF that FOOTWEAR! If you want to take baby steps in your transition to Running Barefoot, fine. But, no baby, I�ve ever seen, was born wearing protective footwear, so they could run further, before they learned HOW to run - before their bare feet were strong enough for running! If your bare feet aren�t currently tough enough to run a mile while barefoot, then DON�T run a mile barefoot, not yet! If you wear some kind of minimalist, or �transitional� footwear, before you have had the advantage of LEARNING how to run while actually barefoot, you�re just asking for problems � problems that occur when we try to do too much, too soon � when we protect our sensitive soles from telling us how to run more gently, or when it�s time to stop for the day - problems that occur when we�re still running with bad technique, but without the support provided by those big clunky shoes that allowed us to learn how to run badly. It�s a lot easier to LEARN to sing on-key, when we aren�t wearing earplugs, to block the pain of listening to ourselves singing off-key!
Will Running Barefoot Cure all my Troubles?
Many of you may be suffering from chronic running related injuries. I won�t tell you that Running Barefoot will cure everything wrong with you, or magically make you the fastest runner in the world, or that you will never cut your foot while Running Barefoot.
What I will say is that many of the chronic foot problems, common in our shoe-addicted society, are practically non-existent in societies that do not wear shoes!
And, much to my own surprise, when I first started sharing my Running Barefoot experiences on the internet, thousands of other people were not only running barefoot, but many were running barefoot because they couldn�t run in shoes without chronic and debilitating knee and back pain. The ??Benefit?? of Pain!
So, why are you wearing your shoes? You probably believe your shoes are protecting you from injury, or at least from pain. And if you have knee and back pains from running with shoes, you might imagine that the impact contributing to these problems must even be worse without shoes!
However, what we often forget about Running Barefoot, especially if it has been many years since we ran, or played, barefoot, if we ever did, is that it is only comfortable to land with impact, while wearing shoes.
One of the reasons we have so much fear of Running Barefoot, is pain. Yet, it is by learning how to avoid pain that teaches us to run smoothly, and gently, and efficiently like so many runners from places like Africa, India, South America, etc..
Footwear blocks pain, not impact!
Pain teaches us to run gently!
Footwear inhibits our natural ability to learn to run gently! Varied Terrain
But first a word from our sponsor, the Earth! Going barefoot, from the very beginning, should be on a variety of terrain. And you should definitely start short � just standing at first � and build distance and speed very gradually, NOT as you toughen up, but as you LEARN HOW to respond appropriately to the terrain. This concept should not be taken lightly!
You will NEVER toughen your soles enough, by running on grass, to run badly on rough, hard surfaces without pain and injury! Our soles were made with many nerve endings, so that, from the very start, as infants, we could learn how to stand, walk, and run gently, and gracefully, while barefoot. Since many of you never learned how to do these things as infants, you may need to think more like children, and take some additional time, to re-learn what the appropriate response to each type of terrain is. Now, back to our regularly scheduled program� Have we been Practicing How to Run Badly?
From the moment you start going barefoot, you will change the way you run. Unless of course, you already have learned to run barefoot as a child, like most Kenyans, and Ethiopians!
It�s always good to start at the beginning. And the first thing we should assume is that we don�t actually know HOW to run.
Yes, we may think we know how to run, and we may even think we are doing it correctly. We may even have been told by an �expert� that �the way you run, is something you cannot fix, unless you have the right shoes and orthotics�
But, if we couldn�t run barefoot, with the same technique we use while running in shoes, then we obviously are not running the way we are designed to run. I will be the first to admit, that I have known people who were born without feet. But, I don�t know of anybody who was born with shoes!
If we learned to run with shoes, without the benefit of our feet being allowed to feel the ground as we learned to run, it�s likely we could learn to run better, more gracefully, more efficiently, perhaps even faster and longer.
Think of it like this, if we wanted to learn arithmetic, it would not make sense practicing multiplication, again and again, so that we had it perfectly memorized that 2 X 2 = 5? Sure we have learned something, but if we try applying what we learn, we�re going have some problems!
No! First you must learn the correct formulas, before it makes any sense to spend hours and hours practicing.
The same is true of running � before we go out and try to run for miles and miles, it makes sense to learn how to run correctly, otherwise, not only are we teaching our body running technique that is inefficient, but might also be dangerous!
SO STOP PRACTICING running BADLY � especially if it hurts! Our Two Personal Coaches
The really neat thing about Running Barefoot, is that we have a personal coach at the end of each leg. The soles of our feet have more nerve endings than any other area of the body (of the same size� unless you are really well endowed elsewhere!). Those nerve endings, like all of our nerve endings, are not there to torture us � they are there to teach us how to avoid danger. In the case of the soles, they want to teach us to walk and run gently, smoothly, and efficiently, by telling us to avoid techniques which cause pain.
Tension is the source of most pain.
�Wait a minute,� you might ask, �didn�t you just say that bad running technique causes pain?�
Yes, but it is tension that often leads us to stiff, rigid, mechanically unresponsive, and dangerously incorrect running technique. Training Schedule
LISTEN to your body and soles. They will tell you how much, when, and HOW to run better, more gently, efficiently, gracefully, naturally. The key is to learn to pay attention. Follow this advice, and you will build a solid foundation of knowledge, technique, and skill, on which to build. It may seem like the foundation takes a long time to build, but watch a building go up, and you will see that after a long time preparing the foundation, the building actually goes up very quickly (and hopefully doesn�t fall down anytime soon). Relax, Relax, Relax!
It is VERY important to Relax! Relax! Relax!
I do understand that while we are learning something new, it is very difficult to relax. Just remember these wise words;
�Your tread must be light and sure, as though your path were upon rice paper. It is said, a Shaolin priest can walk through walls. Looked for�he can not be seen. Listened for � he can not be heard. Touched � can not be felt. This rice paper is the test. Fragile as the wings of the dragon fly, clinging as the cocoon of the silk worm. When you can walk its length and leave no trace. You will have learned. -Master Kan�
While I can give you a few clues as to How to run, it is the sensitive soles of your feet that, like the delicate rice paper, will fine tune your wisdom and skill of running smoothly, gently, and efficiently. Start Where you are Today
Rather than trying to emulate the training schedule of top Olympic marathon athletes, we should probably begin where we are today, as an individual.
The question you have to ask yourself, and seek the answer for yourself, is �Where are you today?� Have you always worn shoes, all day long, for as long as you can remember? Or do you kick off your shoes as soon as you finish work or school, and frolic barefoot in the grass, dirt, or even on hard asphalt and concrete surfaces?
In case you aren�t used to being barefoot, the first few days might best be spent, just getting used to not wearing shoes, and watching where you step, and other such things. Read through the articles in this Beginning section
Then before you go out and start counting your mileage or measuring your speed, focus on learning good running technique. How
Or, if you aren�t interested in running, focus on walking technique.
Chi-Walking
Remember, it may have taken several years to get used to wearing shoes. Even though going barefoot is very natural, it may take a significant amount of time to get your body reacquainted with your long imprisoned friends at the bottom ends of your ankles. So go easy, let your feet gradually get used to the light of day, and the feel of the ground, and the new stresses that will be put on your feet. You are not Alone!
Consider signing up on our discussion group, if you would, to share with a wealth of people with various experience standing, walking, and Running Barefoot � there are a lot of other people, who had similar, if not worse problems, than yourself, and many are now running marathons (26.2 miles) barefoot!
To find other barefoot runners in your area, to share ideas or just to go for a run with, look for a chapter of t the Barefoot Runners Society in your area
So take off your shoes, and find out if your feet really are more useful than you may have been led to believe.
But, most importantly�
Have fun Now, It it time to Begin, at the Beginning
Starting slow (which may mean walking, or standing barefoot for some of you tenderfoots), and easy, and focusing on learning to run safely, and efficiently, as described in this section, also gives your feet time to become conditioned. It is, as has been said by so many others, absolutely silly to run long distances until after our running technique has been sorted out. After all, you wouldn�t want to race your car, if the mechanic had not finished aligning your tires! Why would you do worse to your own body?
If one considers for a moment, that we really, not a single person in the entire world, are designed to run with shoes blocking the sensation of our feet touching the ground while we run, then we might begin to realize, that if the way we are running is uncomfortable while barefoot, that it is not because we are barefoot, but, because we are not running the way we are designed to run.
The main reason we �need� shoes for running, in fact, is not because of modern surfaces, which are not as hard as many natural solid granite trails, which I have run comfortably on barefoot, running up and down mountains.
But we really only need shoes like any drug addict �needs� his/her fix, we have LEARNED to �need� shoes. Our feet have become weak and lazy, due to constant support and �protection�.
So you can expect a period of extreme difficulty and discomfort when kicking the shoe habit. Your feet will be growing stronger, from the exercise they have been deprived of for all those years or decades in foot coffins. And, your soles have probably become ultra-sensitive in a desperate attempt to feel the sensation of touching the ground through the thick soles of your shoes, whose main or �sole� purpose was to prevent your soles from feeling the ground! Should I expect Some Pain?
So, expect some pain, some intense stimulation, and a great deal of adjustment. But, don�t fear, for most of the fears are way over-exaggerated. Yes, you will step on things. Yes there will be some occasional cuts, bruises, etc.. In most cases, however, these injuries are not the end of the world. In fact, in most cases, these injuries, rare, minor, and fast-healing, are much preferred to the chronic injuries many of you suffer, or will suffer if you continue depending on shoes to protect you from bad running technique. So just watch where you step, start short, slow, build gradually (as an infant would), and let your feet grow strong and healthy and free! Should I try to Toughen my Soles?
It is important to realize that conditioning of the feet is not simply a matter of toughening the soles to withstand the abrasive surfaces we will be running on. Over the years, your feet have been protected from exercise by wearing shoes. Obviously, our soles will be over-sensitive at first. But, perhaps less obviously, and more importantly, our entire foot structure has been weakened, even deformed, by the constant wearing of shoes.
Therefore, it is very important to take plenty of time to strengthen, not just our soles, but also the entire foot structure. Focusing on learning HOW to run, instead of trying to build distance, at the beginning also gives our feet time to adjust, to strengthen, to regain a more natural level of sensitivity.
More importantly, our feet will toughen, as we use them, as we build up gradually, to walking and running longer and faster, whether we focus on improving our running technique or not. However, if we focus on improving our Running Technique, not only will we be running more efficiently, gracefully, and naturally, but also, our feet, won�t need to be as tough, as you might first believe � because we are no longer running as dangerously as we did in shoes.
So, physical strength, toughness, and conditioning, are way less important than retraining our mind. And focusing on strengthening, or toughening, to withstand abuse does little to teach us not to abuse our feet. We will never improve our running technique, unless our mind is relaxed and open to listening to our newly bared soles. Stand, Walk, and Run (barefoot) on Varied Terrain
Another important consideration is what types of surfaces we will be running on.
Each surface has different benefits. Soft, smooth, uncluttered lawns, for example, are simply more comfortable to run on barefoot. However, soft, smooth, unlittered lawns, or rubber tracks, do little to condition the soles of our feet. But, they will help, to some extent, to strengthen the structure of our foot. That is the muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones, etc�
Hard and rough surfaces, while not all that comfortable to run on barefoot, are quite tolerable IF we use good running technique, and keep our joints fluid, not tense. RELAX! RELAX! RELAX! These surfaces are great for developing and helping to maintain a wonderfully fluid, and relaxed running technique, which will help us on every other surface we run on. So, while it isn�t necessary to run exclusively on hard, rough surfaces, it isn�t productive to avoid these surfaces.
In the real world, you are going to run (hopefully barefoot) on all sorts of surfaces, dirt, grass, asphalt, concrete, granite mountain stream beds, hard packed clay, mud, rocks. While not all will be the most enjoyable, sometimes it�s the variety that we can take pleasure in. Each type of surface, helps us with different facets of our running, technique, strengthening the muscles, toughening the soles, or just learning to relax while running. Each surface provides a different type of massage for our feet. And therefore, I suggest not being afraid to seek out and run or walk barefoot on each of the different grades of surfaces. Final Reminders for Beginners
Always keep in mind where you are beginning. Don�t overdo. Start short, slow, and build gradually, on each new type of surface or terrain. And relax, relax, relax. Don�t turn the Running Barefoot adventure into a chore.
I�ve always done a significant percentage of my Running Barefoot, so I may not be the best person to ask what kind of schedule a newby barefooter should start with. In general, what I have seen as others begin to run barefoot;
* One schedule does not fit all, * as your body adjusts (or not), the schedule should probably fall by the wayside anyway * Start SHORT * Start SLOW * build GRADUALLY. * LISTEN to what your feet and body tell you. * ADJUST how long, how far, how fast, how often you run/walk/stand/wiggle your bare feet according to what your feet and body tell you. * Success is the journey, not the end. * The more you hurry to succeed, the longer it will take to succeed.
Where to Begin
My recommendation is to start, simply by standing on a rough surface, or sharp gravel. Play, experiment with how to spread your weight over many points, rather than tensing up and trying keep most of your foot off the ground, we want to use all of our sole to support our weight. Thus distributing our weight over many points, rather than pushing with all of our weight, onto just a few sharp points.
When you can relax (bend your knees, relax your calves, lower your shoulders), and stand comfortably on some of the roughest gravel, then you are ready to start lifting your foot, and setting them, carefully. Again, play, experiment, discover, and learn. That�s what Running Barefoot (or walking barefoot) is really about.
�more posts about Beginning to Run Barefoot
Posted by hoot (Member # 19281) on :
rachellemarie-- have you checked to make sure your grounding device is actually grounded?
here is my report so far-- *I wake feeling less groggy/confused *I seem to have more dreams that I remember *my hubby's foot neuropathy flairs with sugar exposure. He had to eat something quick due to hypoglycemia (took too much insulin). It had sugar in it and his neuropathy got worse. It seems that the neuropathy is going away more quickly now that he is using the pad. He has used for about one week now.
Posted by linky123 (Member # 19974) on :
I ordered the pad and used it at the computer without any noticeable results. I'm very sensitive to EMFs.
Slept with it under my lower legs last night. Woke up feeling like I'd been hit by a truck. Also have a really nasty headache.
Anyone else experience anything like this?
Posted by hoot (Member # 19281) on :
Just like any other treatment, I think all people will respond in a different manner. For the super sensitive, it would probably be good to go slowly. Maybe, in your case, use when you know you are exposed to EMFs or for only an hour a day instead of sleeping on it all night. Gradually work up to sleeping all night. This may take you months...
Studies show that it is causing changes in the blood, hormones, and EEGs, etc. so I'm sure it is causing *something* to happen for you. Your body might need more time to adjust to the changes.
HTH Posted by hoot (Member # 19281) on :
Hubby commented about the pad... "I think it is doing something. My feet feel pretty good." (he is suffering from neuropathy due to diabetes that was just diagnosed this summer)
He started sleeping gounded on December 15th. Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
more on barefoot running and hormeticism
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
Daystar on another thread you mention ordering the mat because the wrist band is awkward. I was thinking of buying the wrist band. Any thoughts?
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
I agree with this advice on livingbarefoot. info Great site with radio interviews etc
The Dangers of Barefooting How to start off on the right foot: By Al Gauthier
Have I got your attention with my suggestive title? Is barefooting really dangerous? The short answer is that it can be! Just about any activity can be dangerous if done the wrong way
I would like to propose that as of the moment you read this article you let yourself think critically about your feet and your body rather than assuming that everything you�ve been told is correct. Some of it undoubtedly is true and some of it is not. Much of it will depend on what is true for you.
Let me also suggest that listening to your body, rather than taking anyone�s advice, is the most important key to any part of your health. Advice is only great when it happens to match your needs perfectly, and no one is inside your body but you.
Having now put you into an active role in your new barefooting experience, let�s discuss the various dangers of barefooting.
The Biggest Danger
The biggest danger is your own excitement and enthusiasm. Having been introduced to the idea that spending time barefoot can be beneficial to your health, you can�t wait to run outside and give it a try. Perhaps you have a new pair of fancy minimalist shoes and you want to go for your first jog in them. No problem, you think, I�ve been running for years! Wrong!
We get a huge number of emails from excited newbies who can�t wait to try out their newly rediscovered feet only to end up in pain.
Let�s step back and think about the history of your feet. The average person has grown up living in shoes. Some have even worn shoes inside the house. Your feet have grown, quite literally, to be adapted, as best they can, to shoes. Toes have grown pointing inward to conform to the shape of a shoe and your arch has had years of plush comfort riding on the support given by your ever more �advanced� footwear. The muscles, tendons, and joints of your feet, legs, and body have all grown accustomed to these conditions.
I�m not suggesting for a moment that many, if not almost all, will find barefooting to be a wonderful experience. I am, however, suggesting that one should not jump foot-long from one extreme to the next. You wouldn�t start your training for a marathon by running for four hours when you haven�t run for 10 years, so don�t start going on long barefoot walks when you haven�t had the time to adjust. The body is an amazing adaptable machine, but it does take time.
For most, walking barefoot is a comfortable and happy way of being. Most don�t do any barefooting outside their home, barring perhaps a wash of the car a few times a year or a quick walk out to the mailbox. It would be natural to assume that spending even more time barefoot is no different, but the truth is that it can be very different for the body.
Walking at a faster pace and for a longer period of time puts different stresses on your feet, legs, and body. The key to avoiding injury is very simple: start very gradually. Here is where listening to your body is key. Everyone will have a different pace, but I can almost guarantee you that you will let yourself beleve that you are capable of more than you really are. As you start gradually, your feet will build strength and your feet will start to adapt. Feet are very complex. Don�t underestimate how very different barefoot walking is compared to shoes. The skin on the soles of your feet will also need time to adapt. Some adapt more quickly than others, but the protective layer that will build eventually will take time.
When you are ready to start barefooting, here are my suggestions:
1) Don�t run! For runners who want to try running barefoot this is going to be nearly impossible. It is important however. Don�t do it. Not yet!
2) Take your regular shoes with you. You�ll want them if you find yourself getting sore.
3) While walking barefoot, stop immediately if you have pain or anything beyond slight discomfort. Walking on what will feel like rough surfaces will feel a little uncomfortable, but if you find it painful, stop.
4) Start very slowly. Go for a barefoot walk around the block for the first day. Stop.
5) Increase your barefoot time very slowly over a period of weeks.
6) Even if you find it comfortable, be careful not to go on long walks. You may find your feet sore for days or weeks afterwards, undoing all your effort. Don�t push yourself too quickly.
7) If you are new to being barefoot completely, be very careful as you start out as the skin on the soles of your feet may be very easily cut.
8) Practice walking in a new way�let your midfoot touch the ground first, not your heel. Walking in this way decreases the impact of walking and is a much more pleasant way to walk barefoot. It takes time and conscious effort to change, however, and this is the perfect time to let your body memorize a new way of walking.
As you go out on these important first walks, you will start to build strength in different muscle groups in your feet and legs. Your feet will become accustomed to the rougher surfaces of the ground and will slowly start to build more protection. The change will be almost imperceptible, but over time you�ll notice that you can walk on areas in comfort that used to be too intense.
When you can routinely go for walks of up to 45 minutes barefoot without pain or discomfort, you are probably ready to start running. The same suggestions apply for barefoot running. Start slowly, very slowly! Running barefoot is a wonderfully freeing sensation that is shockingly different from running with shoes. This is due to a very different running stride that naturally evolves from barefoot running. It is less impactful for your body and many report it is much easier and more efficient. I certainly find it a vastly more enjoyable way to run.
Because it is so different, however, it is also important to start with only a few minutes of running. Remember the history of your feet. Your feet have probably never been used this way before and need to build strength. You have laid the foundation with walking and now you can start to build on that foundation, but it must be done gradually.
1) Run for only 5 minutes the first time.
2) Stop if you have any pain.
3) Increase your barefoot running time very gradually, working it into your regular shod running schedule until you can run the entire distance barefoot.
4) Don�t let yourself go too long! You�ll regret it. Do it gradually.
5) Focus on your running technique. Don�t hit the ground with your heel first�ever!
What about walking and running in Vibram FiveFingers, Vivo Barefoot Shoes, Feelmax Shoes, or other minimalist shoes on the market?
Virtually all the same principles apply. So long as your footwear is truly minimalist, most of the same new muscles will be used when walking and running barefoot for the first time. You should follow all the same advice for using these shoes. If your intention is to spend some of your time barefoot as well, you may want to do this during your first barefoot adventures. While the shoes do allow the feet to move in a much more natural way compared to traditional shoes, they still provide protection and cushioning that will make it easier to maintain old habits of heel striking. You will also not get the benefit of strengthening the soles of your feet, which will require a whole new set of training steps if you should decide to toss your shoes and let your feet free at a later stage. Only you will know what your path might be. Taking time to think about it before you start could be beneficial.
The Other Dangers of Barefooting
It would not be accurate to say that barefooting has no risk. There are pieces of glass that if hit the wrong way could cut your feet. There are other sharp objects on the ground, and yes, the ground is a dirty place.
The largest threat to getting injured is your own lack of attention. Walking or running barefoot does require constant attention. Scanning the ground of obstacles is a required part of barefooting and becomes second nature over time.
Despite popular belief that the ground is a minefield of danger, almost all barefooters report that they have very rarely hurt themselves. In fact, I would argue that the lack of attention paid to being barefoot in your home is far more dangerous than when outdoors and at attention. I myself have never been hurt beyond tiny cuts from glass a couple times per year. Those don�t even require attention beyond cleaning.
While the ground contains bacteria and other nasty things, almost none of this enters through your feet. Diseases that we find in our modern parts of the world almost universally enter through the mouth and nose. So long as you keep your feet away from your mouth, clean them when you get home to avoid getting them on things you would touch and then put in your mouth, you should be safe.
There are, of course, no guarantees. You will find the sentiment is, however, widespread that barefooters in general suffer very few injuries or illness caused by being barefoot. One might even argue that those who wear shoes are far more likely to find injury through sprained ankles and other shoe-related problems.
Finally, there is one more danger to letting your feet discover the world without shoes
You may fall so completely in love with the practice that you will find shoes intolerable. All joking aside, most of us that spend time barefoot do find traditional shoes far more of a problem than we did before being barefoot.
Your feet will likely grow slightly, although there is debate about whether feet actually grow or whether the owners simply become intolerant of tight-fitting shoes and thus require larger sizes.
So now that you know about the dangers of being barefoot, you can avoid them easily. Let your feet be free. Make sure you tell us about your adventures. Contact us through the website, post your stories in our forums, or call our feedback line. We want to hear all the stories: good and bad, short and long. Enjoy More Living Barefoot Articles and Reviews
* An Interview with Corrado Giambalvo: Living Barefoot Show 26 * Barefoot Australians; How far back does that go? * The Living Barefoot Show Episode 25 � We Interview Barefoot Michael * The Living Barefoot Interviews: Barefoot Angie Bee * The Living Barefoot Show: Episode 23: We Interview Rachelle Kurimoto * Foot Changes after Two Years Living the Barefoot Alternative * Charlie Weingroff Barefoot Interview * We Interview Daniel Howell, Author of The Barefoot Book on The Living Barefoot Show * Video: The Barefoot Professor * How Barefoot Running Helps Common Running Injuries * Living Barefoot Show � We Interview Dr. Michael Nirenberg * Review: The Barefoot Running Book by Jason Robillard * Better off Barefoot? What do Podiatrists have to say? * Living Barefoot Announces: The Worlds First Barefoot Search Engine * Harvard professor Daniel Lieberman on Barefoot Running (Video)
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Listen HERE Christopher McDougall is a well-spoken, humble man who has through the popularity of his book brought about some of the biggest changes in the perception of feet and running in recent years. Join us in learning about how this talented author wrote his book, discovered his feet, and how he feels about barefooting and running. This interview should not be missed. We Talk about: - Chris�s recent appearance at the TED Conference - Thoughts on Interviews In General - His first exposure to barefoot running - How he came to find the Tarahumara while on assignment for the New York Times. - He thoughts on his influence over barefoot running and ultra running - How he struggled with writing Born to Run - This thoughts on minimalist shoes - And much more! To learn more about Christopher McDougall visit his website: http://chrismcdougall.com
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Bookmark and Share Link to this post! Print This Post Discussion 36 comments for �The Dangers of Barefooting � How to start off on the right foot�
Facebook comments:
1.
I like how there is an advertisement for shoes with springs in the heels on this website.
Posted by KevinT | March 18, 2010, 11:57 2.
I am kind of new to the barefooting/minimalist shoe community. I�ve started by walking my dog around my neighborhood in my VFF KSO Treks & have certainly found that after a couple nights in a row of 30-45 minute walks my calves & arches ache slightly from the neglected muscles getting their first real workout in many many years. I hope to build up to some trail hiking/running & I�m currently out of shape enough to have no choice but to take it easy. I am anxiously awaiting the warmer weather to get my feet, and the rest of me, in better shape. This was a very well written article. I enjoyed reading it quite a bit. Thanks!
Posted by Guy | March 18, 2010, 12:27 3.
Only the FiveFinger Moc review link worked.
Posted by Seth | March 18, 2010, 14:05 4.
We find that amusing as well!
Posted by Al Gauthier | March 18, 2010, 14:16 5.
I first tried barefooting it back in fall of 2008 and managed to push myself way too hard way too fast. I went for an 8 hour hike over really hot packed trail and lots of gravel. I had blisters all over my feet and couldn�t go barefoot for a month.
Just a few weeks ago, I got up the courage to go again. And although I�m going barefoot 24-7 for the most part, I�m not doing any long walks or hikes barefoot yet. I�m letting my feet slowly acclimate to being barefoot all the time by not wearing shoes when doing basic chores and going to/from work. For anything else, right now, I wear shoes.
Posted by Joyce | March 18, 2010, 14:25 6.
Thank you � The footers are being updated and all links will work shortly!
Posted by Al Gauthier | March 18, 2010, 14:29 7.
Hi Joyce! Thanks for your comments. Your experience will help others be more careful. Glad you are back to enjoying barefoot again.
Posted by Al Gauthier | March 18, 2010, 14:31 8.
I started barefooting cold turkey, and got blisters as I sped up (the first week was agonizing and I did little walking, then I sped up and got blisters, for the next month). But I didn�t care. No matter how bad the blisters were, having had to wear shoes all those years was far far worse. But I expect I�m an extreme case. Plus I�m not a runner. Yet.
Posted by Anemone | March 18, 2010, 18:13 9.
Would you say you got blisters from pushing yourself faster than you should have? Was it avoidable for you?
Posted by Al Gauthier | March 18, 2010, 18:23 10.
I totally agree with all of this. I got some VFFs six weeks ago and started running about 20 miles a week in them. Yesterday the pain just got too much and I�ve been unable to put any weight on my left foot since. X rays today showed that no bones were fractured, but I�m going to have to get some crutches to get to work. I wish I�d been more patient!
Posted by Paul | March 19, 2010, 06:23 11.
I got blisters because I walked differently on my feet � the tender areas that had been immobilized by my shoes took a beating once they got into gear. The ball of my foot under my big toe did not blister at all, only the previously unused areas below my other toes, and the outsides of my heels.
I have no idea if going slower would have made any difference or not, but since I had no intentions of going any slower I don�t really care.
Posted by Anemone | March 19, 2010, 08:21 12.
Hello there,
Arround 2 months ago, I bought my first pair of Terra plana lesotho to go to work. The change was so amazing that I did not put my feet in a traditional shoes from that time, adding 2 other pairs for work and leisure. I don�t know if it is only an idea, but I feel my feet are much more bigger than before.
As an Ultrarunner, I try to do the same for my running shoes, but as you said the progress need to be very slow. I moved from high heeled shoes to nike free first arround 10 months ago, then moved to lasportiva crosslite where I am now performing most of my training and races. In the same time I run more and more with Inov8 F230, and add a 20-30 mn barefoot training on tread miles every 2-3 weeks, at low speed .
So far so good, my body accepted the transition with some complain some times (on achil mainly) but nothing serious or leting me stop running.
The road is long before I can finish UTMB barefoot (or at least with VFF) but I can say it is for sure a realistic goal.
Bip�dy
Posted by Bipedy | March 19, 2010, 20:52 13.
isn�t this common sense?
Posted by sirloin furr | March 21, 2010, 07:22 14.
I think that most people understand there is a mild chance of injurey but don�t realize how significant the difference between walking and running in shoes and walking and running barefoot really is. It�s common sense only when you have all the information.
Posted by Al Gauthier | March 21, 2010, 14:31 15.
I was so excited to get my first pair of Vibram shoes that I WAY over did it! I suffered. He�s right: take it slow. I�m baby-stepping, and won�t give up. Great article!
Posted by Pamela Boudreau | March 28, 2010, 12:15 16.
Especially for runners it is very difficult to dial the mileage and pace down to a safe place to start barefoot/minimal training. From looking at a lot of boards I can see that most of us (myself included) tend to get really excited when we first lose all the padding and can really feel the world below us. I ran 30 miles in my VFF KSOs over the first week that I had them and my left foot got pretty tender: hobbling around and holding tightly onto the banister going down stars. But if you are serious about doing it make sure to do it right. Bite back against that urge to lose the shoes and keep up your shod routine so you can slowly log more and more minimalist/barefoot time. It is worth it. Getting hurt stinks!
Posted by Jesse Lindsey | March 31, 2010, 13:51 17.
I originally went to barefoot shoes in the hope they will help build some strength in the arches of my flat feet, and also help ease pressure on my knees.
Being a person who has not ran anywhere in the past 12 years who has just signed up for a 3 mile fun run, I am taking it very carefully with my barefooting, because I am not fit enough and get out of breath after 100-200 yards anyway! So I thought I may as well start from scratch with my running and my fitness and build them both up at once.
I bought a pair of Vivo Barefoot Lucys in black leather last year, so I could wear them all day, every day while around the office with trousers/shirt and the usual smart clothes and it not be noticeable.
The first week I wore the shoes my foot muscles and bones literally felt like they were cracking and breaking out of ice � and they ached so much!! My calf muscles and achilles tendon also felt like they were constantly stretching. I was still stumping my heel down, which I soon learned not to do as it was uncomfortable. I now take shorter strides when walking. The shoes are really comfy to me now, and by contrast my trainers feel like they are crushing my toes.
I am going to do the whole run in my Barefoot shoes. I�m not going to run crazy fast, if I get out of breath I will walk for a time, or if my legs hurt I will walk for a time. Rest assured I am going to pace myself.
Posted by Kris | April 1, 2010, 04:07 18.
I have endured nagging plantar faciitis for almost 2 years now. It has never reached the point of sharp or unbearable pain as I have heard others go through. It has been more of the nagging, dull burn and ache. I have been going to PT for a while and think I am coming through it finally and may be ready to run again. I�m a lifelong runner and former marathoner. Little by little, I have been convinced that barefoot running is the way I want to resume my running. Chris McDougall�s book and lots of reading and research have convinced me that it is the most sensible and intelligent way to run. I�d like your opinion on this: do you think that walking and running barefoot will slowly strengthen the whole foot and thereby alleviate the plantar faciitis? I have a pair of VFF KSO�s and I am planning most certainly to heed all the wise advice to go slow. I do plan to start out totally barefoot on grass and work up to the VFF�s once my feet are accustomed to walking and slow jogging barefoot. But mostly my biggest apprehension is exacerbating the p.f. condition. Any insights would be appreciated.
Posted by John | April 1, 2010, 15:53 19.
Hi John,
Going slow would never be more important than for a situation like yours. If things hurt, stop.
It is of course impossible to say what would happen for you as there isn�t any solid data on things like this, however, I have spoken to and read about at least 50 cases where people had problems with PF and they were completely resolved with a more barefoot lifestyle.
Please let is know how you progress.
Who has had personal exerience with this?
Posted by rachellemarie (Member # 16419) on :
Hoot - Yes, the mat came with a ground tester for outlets, and the outlet I'm using says it's properly grounded. I also purchased a volt meter, but realized I do not know how to use it and can't find anyone who know how! I wanted to test my body voltage without and with the mat to make sure the mat is working. Anyone know how to use a volt meter to test body voltage? I have a black and red lead and don't know which goes where!!! Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
Gives a slightely different view of transitioning to barefoot
Posted by Brussels (Member # 13480) on :
Rachel, see the videos I posted, Max is holding a voltmeter. Just hold one electrode with one hand and another with the other and see what is the measure.
Wallace, interesting info, thanks. Amazing the guy running barefoot on snow. No way I can do that as I have a bad circulation problem, real bad. I'm trying to heal that with acupuncture and eating RAW grains (MANY grains like barley, millet, buckwheat, some African grains etc).
Kind of funny way to do it, but I think I'm getting results. I get awful pain in cold, and my toes change color to dark purple even with winter shoes.
who knows one day I will be able to run on snow?
When I was kid, I hated shoes and my skin got used to walking barefoot, run barefoot, play soccer or any other street game barefoot. I only wore shoes to go to school, and that was just the morning!
The only problem I had were with broken glass when they were very sharp. I still have dreams about broken glass, can you imagine? These were my only obstacles to movement then and in my dreams I get trapped with broken glass all around me and I can't get out because I'm barefoot!
Somehow city life (big metropolitan areas, I mean) and barefoot don't match together (too much dirt and broken glass) but contryside and beach areas are wonderful places for being barefoot!
Do you know that in Switzerland many people go shopping barefoot? Yes, mostly kids, but I saw a couple of adults too.
It is very popular to be barefoot where I lived and the parking lot or the supermarkets are so clean, you really only need shoes to drive (because of legislation). But kids don't drive, so many come barefoot.
Not in winter though...
Well, I moved to the ground floor, but my flat is not grounded! So I still have to use the copper wire to sleep. And guess, here is SO dry that I can't just stick my copper wire outside in the earth! There's not a good connection. So I decided to ground me again on the water pipes. This works if there's metal.
I didn't sleep grounded for about 3 days and boy, I do feel the difference. I feel more relaxed, the pull feeling is always good.
But I suspect that if people have EMFs around, it won't be a great change for them. You GOT to block bad EMFs, you got to be sure your bed has no bad field from under the earth so that grounding feels good. This is my opinion.
The grouding doesn't protect you against EMRs!
The most noticeable change in sleeping patterns for me happened when I cut the EMRs. Dr. K. says it takes about 2 weeks to sleep well again once you cut EMRs at the bed area but in my case, it was very fast.
Grounding while one is surrounded by EMRs could help, I suppose, but it won't be enough, in my feeling.
Just one last thing: I play a bit of guitar and when I don't, it takes about 1 month to lose all the skin that is built on the tip of the fingers. REally, it is very fast. If I practice it every day, only a bit, the skin will be kept and the more I practice, the thicker it gets. It is very visible.
I suppose it must be similar to the soles. We need constancy, not exageration! If I play too much guitar while my skin is not built, I will have pain and will stop playing!
Anyway, great to read about other people's experiences!
Posted by GiGi (Member # 259) on :
That was michael sandler in the video and he was told he could never run again after his near death accident. He also used earthing products. I have decided to order his book on running barefoot. We need someone to inspire us all!! .
Daystar can you mangage now to walk barefoot for long?
Posted by daystar1952 (Member # 3255) on :
Wallace....I am still waiting for the pad to come. The wrist band seems to work fine...its just that I am up and down so often that I forget to always put it bak on. I figure that the pad will always be there under the keyboard for my wrists to lean on?
I was just thinking....let's say that I want to go outside in the snow and ground with all my clothes and rubber boots on. Would all I have to do to ground be to bring a rod with me that's hooked to a wrist band and then stick it in the ground outside where I'm sitting? This way you get more negative ions and sunshine?
I must confess Wallace...I have not been walking barefoot outside in the snow or on frosty ground. I just wear my soft stars when its dry and cold. I have kind of given up on total outside grounding until spring. I can't wait because I do remember how good it felt.
I would walk a mile(wearing a pedometer) around our yard on the uneven grass and then I would sit and read for an hour or so with bare feet on the ground. This year I am going to try and garden a bit more barefoot. So...my feet have not toughened up during the winter. I will have to start all over again in the spring.
Yesterday I went clothes shopping and tried on turtle neck shirts...on and off...on and off over the head. Wow did that create static electricity! I had a headache immediately after that.
I'm thinking it was the static buildup? Any thoughts?My husband said I should take my shoes off outside the store and stand on the grass but I didn't :-)
Posted by hoot (Member # 19281) on :
I am *experimenting* with my earthing pad...and here is what I am finding...
My son that is 11 has autism. He is very sensitive to things (food, emfs, chemicals, etc). I just recently noticed that his ears get red and he gets irritable when he uses his laptop computer (Dell). On his own he has figured out that he must feel better when he uses his brother's laptop (HP) so he keeps trying to take his brother's computer. My son is not conversational and can not tell me how he feels but I can go by signs (red ears vs. no red ears, behaviors, etc).
Today, he started using his Dell computer and within 10 minutes he was getting irritable and his ears became red. I brought down the earthing pad and had him sit on it while using his computer. The redness in his ears has gone away and I have not heard a peep out of him since (when he gets irritable he screams, yells, hits and/or bangs his head).
Pretty interesting, I think.
Another interesting thing...I took my grounding tester to make sure his pad was grounded (after checking to make sure the outlet was properly grounded). I stood on the basement floor (concrete covered with natural stone tiles) and tested to see if I was grounded. When I stood on the tiles in my cotton socks and placed the tester on my hand, the green light came on indicating that I was grounded. When I stepped on the thick wool rug, the light would go off indicating that I was no longer grounded.
Fun stuff! Posted by momlyme (Member # 27775) on :
quote:Originally posted by hoot: I am *experimenting* with my earthing pad... I stood on the basement floor (concrete covered with natural stone tiles) and tested to see if I was grounded. When I stood on the tiles in my cotton socks and placed the tester on my hand, the green light came on indicating that I was grounded. When I stepped on the thick wool rug, the light would go off indicating that I was no longer grounded.
Fun stuff!
That's awesome about your son, the grounding and how much more calm it is making him.
Do you have a link to that tester?
I have the one that tests the outlet... but I don't think you are talking about the same thing.
Posted by hoot (Member # 19281) on :
The outlet tester and grounding tester came with the grounding sheet and pad that I bought at http://earthing.com . You can also buy the grounding tester alone at the same site. Just snoop around. If you can not find it, let me know and I will tell you where it is at.
Posted by lou (Member # 81) on :
Yes Posted by Healing in Santa Cruz (Member # 7798) on :
Thanks for posting that Lou. I am also concerned about pesticides,dog,cat,bird poop etc. Some kind of shoes for me. Poor Mother Earth isn't as clean as it was years ago. Posted by linky123 (Member # 19974) on :
Still feel like I got kicked by a mule. I only use the pad for short periods of time while at the computer.
I am so disappointed. No progress noticed at all. But will keep trying a little at a time.
I was gonna try this with my kids. My son in particular doesn't sleep that well, but am now leery of it.
Am happy for those of you who are getting results.
Posted by 'Kete-tracker (Member # 17189) on :
I "grounded" the tin roof of the rough wooden cabin I lived in... a few years prior to the Lyme. In fact, I did most of my recovery while still living in that place.
Can't say it helped with EMF issues as I lived "off-grid" and the inverter downstairs was alive & "buzzing" only when my small refrigerator called for it. Otherwise, it was a pretty quiet EMF environment.
I did notice that the static buzz in the TV picture on the lower channels (2 & 4) was less afterward "earthing" the roof [Remember analog TV?], but my recovery stagnated in mid-Spring of '06. I was on 400mg/day doxy & with no further improvement after month #2... no matter What I tried; Herbs, exercise (when I could), massage or diet.
The hi-level amoxy protocol I was put on in April helped me the most to really get energy levels back to normal. I suppose I protected myself from radio/micro-waves coming in from space, though, with the grounded, solid-metal roof!
Personally, I think that if you have any metal of any length in you (i.e: bone braces) it might be god to keep EMF levels down. But if you're "metal-free", I'm not convinced recovering from Lyme would be any faster by using those pads & such.
It's a personal call though. Not like you're wasting a ton of $$, like 'some' docs make ya do.
Posted by rachellemarie (Member # 16419) on :
For those of you with the grounding mat: Are you noticing a difference when you use the slip it comes with as opposed to using it without the slip? I read somewhere that it's more effective WITHOUT the slip, where your bare skins comes in direct contact with the rubber. Can those with the grounding detector test this? See if you're still properly grounded when your skin touches the slip with rubber mat inside instead of the rubber mat alone?
Posted by linky123 (Member # 19974) on :
Rachellemarie,
As I posted above, I have had some ill effects since using the pad. I called the company and the lady told me to use the pad without the cover. So I am assuming it works better that way. I did not test it.
Just a footnote, I felt really rotten after using the pad; so I felt like I had stirred up some toxins. I took some cholestyramine I had on hand and it helped.
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
Trying just to walk 2 hours daily on grass/sand barefoot at the moment. concrete is a bit of a struggle at the moment.
RunBare Staying Warm: When the going gets cold, LESS is MORE; in supportive shoes, the feet don�t have to work & the body shunts blood AWAY from them. Yet in minimalist shoes or toasty-warm mocs there�s no support & the feet have to work, so the body pumps MORE bloodflow to them. In winter, look for flexible, unrestrictive, un...supportive, full-coverage footwear with protection b/n you & a rubber sole (rubber transmits cold).
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
quote:Originally posted by daystar1952: Wallace....I am still waiting for the pad to come. The wrist band seems to work fine...its just that I am up and down so often that I forget to always put it bak on. I figure that the pad will always be there under the keyboard for my wrists to lean on?
I was just thinking....let's say that I want to go outside in the snow and ground with all my clothes and rubber boots on. Would all I have to do to ground be to bring a rod with me that's hooked to a wrist band and then stick it in the ground outside where I'm sitting? This way you get more negative ions and sunshine?
Great idea!!
I must confess Wallace...I have not been walking barefoot outside in the snow or on frosty ground. I just wear my soft stars when its dry and cold. I have kind of given up on total outside grounding until spring. I can't wait because I do remember how good it felt.
I would walk a mile(wearing a pedometer) around our yard on the uneven grass and then I would sit and read for an hour or so with bare feet on the ground. This year I am going to try and garden a bit more barefoot. So...my feet have not toughened up during the winter. I will have to start all over again in the spring.
Thats the problem we need to go barefoot to really toughen our feet. My feet are very sensitive so its not an easy process!! Not yet received my soft star shoes.
Yesterday I went clothes shopping and tried on turtle neck shirts...on and off...on and off over the head. Wow did that create static electricity! I had a headache immediately after that.
I'm thinking it was the static buildup? Any thoughts?My husband said I should take my shoes off outside the store and stand on the grass but I didn't :-)
yep get grounded!
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
just finished this book by Roy wallack. Very interesting. He has a book on barefoot running out this spring.
Editorial Reviews Review Lots of inspiration here. Run for Life is filled with advice that should interest athletes of any age who are trying to stay in the game as long as possible. What attracted me to the book is that the author is not only a credentialed athlete, but that he did lots of homework. The medical/technical information is cutting edge. Research shows that we can generate the stuff of youth (growth hormone) with specific kinds of training. The author has surveyed the field to see what has and is working for athletes who defy the aging curve, and is not shy about exploding myths and confronting the fact that the endorphin high that addicts so many to long workouts and high carb diets has a steep downside. Without the muscle mass preservation of resistance training, the postural, range of motion, and meditative benefits of yoga, and the hormonal drive enhancement of interval training, the very long slow stuff will grind one down. Get this book to find out how to remain fit in a balanced, tech-savvy way. Roy has done a ton of reading and research for you. --rickstrongcafe.blogspot.com
Run for Life is a 'must-read' for any runners who want to run the rest of their lives. It's chock full of legitimate and innovative methods aimed at offsetting common running injuries like pool running, barefoot running, and midfoot/forefoot techniques, as well as a few radical concepts like high-intensity all-out, 30-second "Ultra-intervals" that purportedly build speed on limited training time. The book is replete with expert testimony and examples, and has a rich collection of interviews with the likes of Frank Shorter, Bill Rodgers, Helen Klein Rod Dixon, and Dr. Kenneth Cooper, among others. --Running Times magazine June 2009
This entertaining blizzard of information, with how-to training guidelines and photo sequences of effective exercises, includes a wide range of advanced training strategies for long-term running health. But what makes it ultimately worthwhile, and not just a fascinating opinionated blog, is that Wallack submits these cutting-edge ideas to rigorous proof and expert testimony, in each case provides examples of big-time people who have succeeded with them. --Slowtwitch.com
This is an awesome book that I actually read in one sitting! In a witty and conversational voice, Roy Wallack has crafted a very informative book in Run for Life, which details a life plan for running. A great read, it's full of oral histories of stars and everyday runners, and packed with practical how-to information --ncrunnerdude.blogspot.com Product Description Over 35 and want to win your age group and run injury-free for the next 50 years? Run for Life lays out a plan for remarkably fit athletic aging that can increase strength and speed on less workout time and leave you in a position to, as author Roy M. Wallack says, "Run to 100. Not just live to 100 and shuffle along when you get there, but do what few, if any, have ever done: Actually run a 5k, 10k, or even a marathon on your 100th birthday." Traveling the running world from Kenya to Tahiti and Boston to Badwater in search of the keys to super-fit running longevity, Wallack talks to the world's top coaches, athletes, and researchers and synthesizes new running methods, products, and fitness regimens into a life plan for runners that he summarized as: * Run Soft * Run Less * Run Stronger * Run Flexible * Run Straighter * Run Faster. At the core of the science-backed Run for Life plan is a one-two punch that addresses the two oft-ignored factors that cripple all runners: the natural muscle and VO2 Max deterioration that starts at age 35, and the joint deterioration caused by running itself. Featuring 10 extensive oral-history interviews and advice from all-time greats such as Frank Shorter, Bill Rodgers, Rod Dixon, Helen Klein, Laszlo Tabori, Bobbi Gibb, and Dr. Kenneth Cooper, Run for Life brims with innovations: �Soft Running form: The proven way to cut knee-shock -- and injuries --by 50%; �Barefoot Running: Why it strengthens feet and lessens impact. �Vertical Arm Swing: Why replacing cross-chest swings with a perfect pendulum adds instant speed, cuts injuries; �HGH Strength Training: High-intensity exercises that fight aging and injury by raising growth hormone release; �Ultra Intervals: Short, hard sprint workouts that cue rapid speed gains; �High-tech Water Running: New joint-safe pool tools used to set the half-marathon world record; �Runner-specific Yoga: Exclusive from famed multisport yogi Steve Ilg; �Bionic Hips and Knees: New operations restoring broken-down Baby Boomer marathoners to their 30-year-old selves; �Perfect running posture: a renowned postural therapist straightens you out for speed and safety; �Runaway Weight Loss: How slight changes in diet timing can cut fat and race times. See all Editorial Reviews Product Details
* Paperback: 320 pages * Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing; 1 edition (February 24, 2009) * Language: English * ISBN-10: 1602393443 * ISBN-13: 978-1602393448 * Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches * Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) * Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
oughening Feet From Running tips for everyone from beginners to racing marathons and ultramarathons Jump to: navigation, search
It is beneficial to have tough skin on your feet for both ultrarunning and barefoot/minimalist running. I have tried a number of techniques for toughening the skin over the years. What is written in this entry is purely my personal experience, rather than specific recommendations. Contents [hide]
* 1 Pressure * 2 Bathing in salt water * 3 Bathing in strong black tea * 4 Rubbing Alcohol * 5 Rubbing Alcohol, Witch Hazel and Olive Oil * 6 Side note - calluses * 7 See Also
Pressure
The skin on your feet grows thicker primarily in response to pressure and friction. Walking or running barefoot on rough surfaces can produce rapid adaptation. I have found that even short barefoot walks have thickened the skin on my feet. Bathing in salt water
Salt water will dry out the skin, causing it to thicken slightly. I have found that this technique works, but the effect is very slow. Bathing the feet in warm salt solution can also be very soothing, a benefit beyond any toughening. I found using Epson salts rather than table salt is no more effective, but it does boost your magnesium intake. Bathing in strong black tea
The tannin in the tea is supposed to bind with the protein in the skin and make it tougher. I tried it a few times, but found no real change. Rubbing Alcohol
Like salt water, rubbing alcohol will dry out the skin. However, the effect is much more dramatic, producing results quite quickly. This drying effect will thicken the skin, but the drying can also make the skin crack.
Note: Rubbing Alcohol (AKA surgical spirit) is either Ethyl Alcohol or Isopropyl Alcohol, with additives to make it undrinkable. Ethyl Alcohol is the alcohol you find in beer, wine, etc. Isopropyl Alcohol is different and has a higher toxicity. Both are absorbed via the skin, so I chose to use Ethyl Alcohol. Rubbing Alcohol, Witch Hazel and Olive Oil
I mixed Rubbing Alcohol, Witch Hazel and Olive Oil in equal parts and applied it to my feet over night. I put it on my feet generously and then covered in thin socks. I found that this not only seemed to help the skin thicken, but it also make the skin very flexible and 'leather like', without the cracking that comes with just rubbing alcohol. Update: I have found that using alcohol hand sanitizer gel produces a mixture that applies much easier. The thick consistency allows a thicker layer, plus the mixture does not seperate. Side note - calluses
A callus is a localized thickening of the skin. A callus is a bad sign, as it indicates localized pressure or rubbing, which means your shoes are probably not fitting well. The best thing to do for calluses is to remove the root cause. I keep any calluses filed down and moisturized. I have found that moving to primal running has removed the root cause of my calluses, and they are disappearing now.
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
A chaplain claims that barefoot walking and running help traumatic brain injury!
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
Daystar have you ever tried running in your soft star shoes?
Posted by linky123 (Member # 19974) on :
Is there some other company that sells this stuff besides Barefoot Sales Corp? I am having problems with them and would like to do business with someone else.
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
Trying wet sand!
Posted by rachellemarie (Member # 16419) on :
Linky, if you look on YouTube, there are videos on how to make your own grounded shoes out of shoes you already have. It's very simple, you just need to mave copper or silver come in contact with your bare feet and also comes in contact with the ground. Just go to YouTube and do a search for making your own grounded shoes.
Posted by daystar1952 (Member # 3255) on :
Wallace
I mostly walk.....all the time...whether I walk in my Soft Star shoes or in any shoes.I used to run around when I was pretty young but constitutionally I never felt comfortable running. It always felt kind of awkward. Wlking feels better to me. When its dry out I walk a couple miles a day in the Soft Stars
I can't remember if I heard about the following book here or not but I just finished The Ion Effect....an older out of print book and I found it fascinating. I always knew I felt better and liked the feel of natural materials better than synthetic but I never knew why until now!
Alot of it has to do with synthetics creating a positive ion environment. I'm changing all of my blankets and many of my clothes...in the future...to natural materials
Posted by Carol in PA (Member # 5338) on :
Although I have not read the book, I've been following this with interest. Discharging positive ions by grounding is a good idea, from what I can see.
One person said that she grounded herself to the water pipes. Isn't there a danger of getting electrocuted if the house is hit by lightning?
Carol
Posted by apljack (Member # 14233) on :
Water pipes are typically grounded. There should be a water company sticker on the electrical panel. You can't get an electrical final without it (at least where I live).
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
From the brain injury site cited the other day:
Running again! October 30, 2010 | Author Deacon Patrick
Crystal Falls early in my standard run. The left side of the waterfall is frozen.
Returning to the trails is like meeting an friend you used to see almost daily but circumstances kept you apart for a month. Not just the running. The experience of primal running is much, much more. It is prayer. It is breathing God�s creation. It is flowing through God�s creation. It is a return to the way things are supposed to be.
These last three days I�ve run 8 miles total. That was made possible by about a week of rather pathetic outings, hobbled combinations of running in place and trotting/stumbling a few dozen yards and back.
Pathetic as it was, I returned each time feeling better than I left. That how running primal works. I�ve said it before, but there is something about running that helps us heal.
This recovery I am doing a number of additional things that I was not on my previous 6 month recoveries (which matched how I felt at the beginning of this one and the only other times I was super slammed like this, so it�s the only bench mark I have.).
First: I understand now how having adrenaline kick in sets me back and I know how to avoid it. I�ve again regained the ability to shut down rather than enter fight or flight, which helps.
Second: The Genotype diet, Buteyko breathing, barefoot running, and floor living. God�s engineering makes everything more efficient, and so healing occurs more rapidly.
Third: I am eating a few finger-fulls of Cacao nibs each day. This raw, unprocessed bean is used to make chocolate. It soothes my continuing skull tectonic plates as they find their proper places. I�ve no idea what else it does, but it is considered a superfood for the brain and it�s part of my Genotype diet.
Forth: the inversion table and hyperbaric chambers.
Fifth: I�m intentionally staying out of interacting with my family as much as I usually would to prevent myself from short circuiting as often, which research shows only prolongs and deepens recovery time. Better two month of greater seclusion than 6 months of being slammed.
My hope is that since I am near the one month mark, I will take an additional 2-4 weeks recovery time to get back to where I was, then see where I get to go from there. Now that I am able to run, perhaps that will speed up the timeline?
Posted in Deacon Patrick's Log, Running | Tags: Barefoot Running, Body Efficiency, Primal Running | No Comments � Running but not writing August 19, 2010 | Author Deacon Patrick
Running barefoot but neglecting the blog.
Posted in Deacon Patrick's Log | Tags: Barefoot Running | No Comments � Take Off Your Shoes and Exercise! May 6, 2010 | Author Deacon Patrick
Go Barefoot or Minimalist
There is a two-fold issue here. First, is shoes. They change the way our body moves, affecting everything from our toes to our nose. Why? Two reasons: they raise the heel, which changes our natural gait and makes motion far less efficient; and they �protect� and �support� our feet, making them, our ankles, legs, back, etc weak, hypersensitive, and prone to needing more and more support.
Does this mean you shed your shoes and run off happily into the sunset? No. Please don�t. The transition to going barefoot or �minimalist� (shoes that offer no support and minimal protection), can take up to a year. You have muscles, tendons, cartilage, posture, and new ways of moving to grow and learn. The hardest part of the transition, taken slowly, takes up to 3 months. To learn more about HOW to make this transition see:
How will making the transition to barefoot/minimalist shoes benefit your brain? The more efficiently our whole body functions, the less energy our brain spends on making it do the every moment tasks. The difference may startle you, because part of how we can help our brain have more energy is to decrease the energy our brain have to spend.
Exercise!
Studies are starting to show that running actually grows new brain cells in mice. Emerging studies also indicate that exercise helps promote overall healing and health. I�ll take both of those!
My own experience tells me that there is truth to both those statements. I the more I am able to exercise, the better I feel. I have reached the point that when my brain is fatigued (but not too fatigued), going for a run rejuvenates my brain and I come back feeling better than I left.
Whatever you form of exercise, be sure to do it with doctor approval and with help as needed so you are as safe as possible. Posted in Uncategorized | Tags:
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
Daystar in the Roy wallack book on Running I have mentioned a couple of days ago he notes how short bursts of running raise HGH.
on www.livingbarefoot.info michael sandler has an hour long interview on the livingbarefoot show. He talks about earthing.
[ 01-06-2011, 11:20 AM: Message edited by: Wallace ]
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
Rem even Dr B says exercise is essential to lyme recovery!!!!
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
The book says one should expect detox symtoms. How has www.earthing.com disapointed you?
Posted by linky123 (Member # 19974) on :
Rachellemarie,
Thank you for the suggestion. Take care.
Posted by hoot (Member # 19281) on :
I just ordered some Soft Star shoes. I got the soft leather with suede bottoms(designed my own...all black leather...how creative...not!!! ...because they might be for my son with autism). He seems to move more fluidly and can walk/run faster when he is not wearing shoes or boots. If he can not or does not want to wear them, I will take them since we wear the same size right now.
The weather is cold here right now and it might snow. I think I can send him in boots to school if need be and have him change into his Soft Star shoes at school. Best yet...he won't have to tie them (still unable to tie at 11 years old)!!! I hope the teachers let him wear them to gym class to see how fast he really is ! Then again...he might run so fast that they can not catch him...he he he !
Posted by Carol in PA (Member # 5338) on :
quote:Originally posted by Carol in PA: One person said that she grounded herself to the water pipes.
Isn't there a danger of getting electrocuted if the house is hit by lightning?
.
quote:Originally posted by apljack: Water pipes are typically grounded. There should be a water company sticker on the electrical panel. You can't get an electrical final without it (at least where I live).
.
Right, water pipes are grounded. If the house is hit by lightning, the electrical charge would run through the water pipes or the electrical wires right down into the ground.
But... If a person is connected to that, wouldn't the electrical charge run through him too, which would electrocute him.
Carol
Posted by the3030club (Member # 21898) on :
I'm really the only person who still thinks this is a total scam?
I've been playing guitar for over 20 years... guess what - the strings on an electric guitar are grounded. I'm grounded for at least a few hours a day when i play.
The shell of my laptop is grounded, that's another few hours.
i was perfectly well with my wifi, and cell phone and all the emf in the house.
Then i got bitten by a tick and got very sick, and all the guitar playing in the world didn't make me better.
It would be lovely if healing were this simple, but was anyone on here had any personal experience with this creating any substantial lasting benefit?
Not a book, not a web excerpt, not a youtube video ... have YOU been helped?
i hope it has, and i'd love to hear about your success.
Posted by the3030club (Member # 21898) on :
quote:Originally posted by lymie_in_md: the3030club stated : "looks like quackery to me.". Can you supply some interesting research papers or some valuable studies to support this view! Until you do, the point of view is without substance.
Telling me my point of view is without substance is an angry, mean thing say. Regardless of how badly i might disagree with you, or anyone. I will never belittle their opinion.
Don't agree with me, but don't insult me.
Posted by linky123 (Member # 19974) on :
I too would like to see something substantive as well. I see a lot of slick marketing by this company, but not much to back it up.
Posted by hoot (Member # 19281) on :
3030-- Some people have posted positives on this thread (in response to..."have YOU been helped?").
Not sure if you saw them.
My son gets red ears/crabby when using his Dell laptop. If we put him in contact with the pad, it does not happen.
Posted by Healing in Santa Cruz (Member # 7798) on :
I am loving my Earthing Bands. Helps with/pain,sleeping deeper and longer and more relaxed. I totally don't think its a scam,at all. I am Grateful to have them. Joyce
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
quote:Originally posted by the3030club: I'm really the only person who still thinks this is a total scam?
I've been playing guitar for over 20 years... guess what - the strings on an electric guitar are grounded. I'm grounded for at least a few hours a day when i play.
playing guitar does not mean your are grounded!!!
The shell of my laptop is grounded, that's another few hours.
How is your laptop grounded????
i was perfectly well with my wifi, and cell phone and all the emf in the house.
Then i got bitten by a tick and got very sick, and all the guitar playing in the world didn't make me better.
It would be lovely if healing were this simple, but was anyone on here had any personal experience with this creating any substantial lasting benefit?
Not a book, not a web excerpt, not a youtube video ... have YOU been helped?
i hope it has, and i'd love to hear about your success.
Posted by linky123 (Member # 19974) on :
Hoot,
That is good news. I hope to see more tesitmonials like yours. For now, I am skeptical. We have been using the pad without much success.
Take care.
Posted by linky123 (Member # 19974) on :
Hoot,
That is good news. I hope to see more tesitmonials like yours. For now, I am skeptical. We have been using the pad without much success.
Take care.
Posted by hoot (Member # 19281) on :
Another thing to report for my son...he is sleeping longer than 9 hours a night. He is sleeping about 10 hours per night or more after years of only sleeping 9 or less.
Posted by the3030club (Member # 21898) on :
Wallace Said:
playing guitar does not mean your are grounded!!!
and
How is your laptop grounded????
------------------------------
You're clearly misinformed in regard to this topic. All electronics are grounded. When they are plugged in they are literally tied into a spike driven into the ground outside your house.
search "Ground (electricity)" on wikipedia and read up.
Also, here's proof that the strings of an electric guitar are grounded:
So yeah. I've been "earthing" for 19 years. I can report no health benefits as a matter of absolute fact.
Posted by MichaelTampa (Member # 24868) on :
I haven't bought anything from the company discussed on this thread, but have been doing a similar thing for about a month now, during sleep only, and it has clearly helped me sleep better.
I don't expect sleeping while grounded to cure lyme disease all by itself. But, what I believe it can do is help the body get stronger so that treatment and recovery can be quicker and less painful.
By the way, I was able to duplicate the essence of the youtube video. I was grounding myself with a slightly different approach, but the result was the same, in that I did measure voltage on me before touching the grounding cloth and then measured no voltage while touching the grounding cloth.
I don't have an electric guitar to test it, but I would wonder, perhaps it is a different situation, sleeping while grounded versus playing a guitar. I wonder if the grounding allows the energy/electricity to flow away from you, but perhaps you are still subjected to a good bit of it as you are touching the strings. Really, just don't know a lot about electric guitars, and am speculating.
But, sleep is for regeneration, and I would expect grounded sleeping is going to be more valuable than being grounded for most other activity. Sleep is probably more easily disrupted by voltage, and just more important.
Posted by hoot (Member # 19281) on :
Speaking of sleeping being disrupted by voltage...
during the time my son was regressing into autism (about 10 years ago), I was frequently staying up late doing internet research to figure out what was best to do for him. It did not matter what time it was...11 pm, 2am, midnight, 3am...when I turned off the computer, he always woke up. The computer was not even close to his bedroom.
On to another subject...
I got the Soft Star shoes. They are comfortable. I am hoping my son will wear them. If not, they will fit me just fine.
I think *Chinese shoes* with the cloth (cotton) bottom would be a less expensive alternative to Soft Star shoes...although the Soft Star are much more stylish. The *Chinese shoes* also come in a rainbow of colors (at least for women). Posted by elizzza811 (Member # 24713) on :
I actually got this 'earthing' book for Christmas, and I'm a little confused. And this confusion somehow made the author's theory seem less credible to me.
The author claims protons (with a positive charge) are considered 'free radicals', but some other more reputable resources claim that free electrons are the free radicals..."killer electrons".
So which is it? Protons or electrons? Which are the free radicals? Or does a positive charge (proton) knock electrons free, transforming them into "killer electrons"?
Actually, free radicals, from what I've read elsewhere, aren't always a bad thing...they kill cancer cells, harmful bacteria, viruses....
I'm one of the most electrosensitive people on Lymenet, and though I was hopeful at first, I now think the book is bogus. I spent several summers outside...digging, planting, pruning, mulching...and maybe I wasn't barefoot doing it, but I sat on the ground, touched trees and shrubs and the ground for hours at a time (since my OCD follows me into the garden now), and I can't say that doing this helped my symptoms. In fact, some days I had to come inside the pain was that bad.
So in my opinion, this guy just wants to sell earthing pads to everybody.
If you really want to read some awesome books on the subject of EMFs, read Dr. Robert O. Becker's 'The Body Electric' and 'Cross Currents'. I've read both these books several times, and they are my absolute favorites!...and he's not selling anything...
Dr. Becker studied regeneration in salamanders and truly believes that the right 'electricity' can cause humans to regrow damaged limbs, organs, etc... I don't want to give the whole book away, but humans 'should' also have this ability to regrow virtually any tissue, even entire organs and limbs.
I forget where I read this...you can probably google it...but if you were to cut your fingertip off above a certain point, did you realize it would regrow? fingernail and all? It will!
Posted by hoot (Member # 19281) on :
Hey! I was reading something similar yesterday and it basically said the same thing. A person had a limb infected with a bacteria and it would not heal. The bone was being eaten away as well. The docs applied silver and electric current and the bone and skin started to regenerate and the infection was gone.
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
Felt not too good due to the detox going on Earthing and have added additional toxin binders and Niacin.
Sleeping while earthed is key! 90 per cent of healing occurs while asleep!
I am not giving away my bedsheet!
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
quote:Originally posted by hoot: Speaking of sleeping being disrupted by voltage...
during the time my son was regressing into autism (about 10 years ago), I was frequently staying up late doing internet research to figure out what was best to do for him. It did not matter what time it was...11 pm, 2am, midnight, 3am...when I turned off the computer, he always woke up. The computer was not even close to his bedroom.
On to another subject...
I got the Soft Star shoes. They are comfortable. I am hoping my son will wear them. If not, they will fit me just fine.
I think *Chinese shoes* with the cloth (cotton) bottom would be a less expensive alternative to Soft Star shoes...although the Soft Star are much more stylish. The *Chinese shoes* also come in a rainbow of colors (at least for women).
Cant wait to get mine!
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
quote:Originally posted by elizzza811: I actually got this 'earthing' book for Christmas, and I'm a little confused. And this confusion somehow made the author's theory seem less credible to me.
The author claims protons (with a positive charge) are considered 'free radicals', but some other more reputable resources claim that free electrons are the free radicals..."killer electrons".
So which is it? Protons or electrons? Which are the free radicals? Or does a positive charge (proton) knock electrons free, transforming them into "killer electrons"?
Actually, free radicals, from what I've read elsewhere, aren't always a bad thing...they kill cancer cells, harmful bacteria, viruses....
I'm one of the most electrosensitive people on Lymenet, and though I was hopeful at first, I now think the book is bogus. I spent several summers outside...digging, planting, pruning, mulching...and maybe I wasn't barefoot doing it, but I sat on the ground, touched trees and shrubs and the ground for hours at a time (since my OCD follows me into the garden now), and I can't say that doing this helped my symptoms. In fact, some days I had to come inside the pain was that bad.
So in my opinion, this guy just wants to sell earthing pads to everybody.
If you really want to read some awesome books on the subject of EMFs, read Dr. Robert O. Becker's 'The Body Electric' and 'Cross Currents'. I've read both these books several times, and they are my absolute favorites!...and he's not selling anything...
Dr. Becker studied regeneration in salamanders and truly believes that the right 'electricity' can cause humans to regrow damaged limbs, organs, etc... I don't want to give the whole book away, but humans 'should' also have this ability to regrow virtually any tissue, even entire organs and limbs.
I forget where I read this...you can probably google it...but if you were to cut your fingertip off above a certain point, did you realize it would regrow? fingernail and all? It will!
And is the scientific research studies mentioned in the book and website also bogus? Perhaps you can explain those away as well?!!!
Posted by elizzza811 (Member # 24713) on :
Okay, so why do I feel worse some days sitting on the ground spreading mulch around for hours?
And I'm not saying earthing has no effect, but I certainly don't think it's the cure-all the author claims it to be...that's all.
Plus, nobody here has yet helped to answer my question about free radicals...are they protons or electrons? The author claims they are positively-charged protons, but from other books I've read, free electrons are the damaging ones.
I also have trouble believing that the God who created me would expect me to build a home only of the proper electron-sharing materials...without equipping me with this knowledge from the get-go; nor would He expect me to walk un-shoe-ed through rocks and mud on cold wet days...without equipping me with paws at least...
Posted by the3030club (Member # 21898) on :
Not saying it did, just saying it could.
Posted by the3030club (Member # 21898) on :
quote:Originally posted by elizzza811: I also have trouble believing that the God who created me would expect me to build a home only of the proper electron-sharing materials...without equipping me with this knowledge from the get-go; nor would He expect me to walk un-shoe-ed through rocks and mud on cold wet days...without equipping me with paws at least...
What got did create however is hypothermia. And i'm in New York today and it's COLD. I'm wearing nice warm boots.
Posted by MichaelTampa (Member # 24868) on :
elizzzzza,
I started sleeping while connected by giving a simple trial of two nights, all night long. Each morning following that, I felt very groggy. For me, this is something I have seen with a variety of treatments as they begin, where a lot of good things are happening, but perhaps it is too much to go through and also be comfortable.
I decided then to build up, started just a couple hours a night, and slowly built up to all night long. As soon as I went at it that way, it was wonderful.
The woman who posts "lymebytes" also recently discussed her experience with it, and it was similar in this respect, that too much at once might be discomfort, that working up to it can be the way to go.
So, I would suggest you consider the possibility that your reaction to working out side, and feeling worse, is a sign that there is something worthwhile there for you, but perhaps too much.
(There are other possibilities that could cause you problems outside with mulch--working too hard, too much sun, sensitive to light, and so on. The point is, when you go outside and spread mulch and do it in a way where you are grounded, you are not just being grounded, you are exposing yourself to sunlight and working and all that. That is something to consider too.)
The more electrically sensitive you are, I do think, the more important this grounding can be for you, but it suggests you may need to go at it very slow in the beginning.
If you can find a way to do it safely during sleep, also keep in mind, that is healing time, and there are likely more benefits there.
I haven't read the book, but if the author is claiming that grounding is a cure-all, I am inclined to believe he's crazy in that respect. I don't think there are any cure-alls, but I this grounding is clearly helpful for some people, and I would suspect it is most helpful for those that are most electrically sensitive.
Posted by elizzza811 (Member # 24713) on :
I have to admit I haven't read all of the posts here about people who have had success with this, so I am open to learning more.
Thing is that the whole 'protons are bad' thing is getting to me. I check Space Weather daily, and I've noticed that I generally feel better when the sun's protons are higher, worse when they are low, especially when there are 'electron fluxes'. Now I have seizures, so maybe I'm just backwards from everybody else.
Didn't I read that there is a way to make these grounding mats yourself? That kind of made me skeptical, too...having to purchase a grounding mat from the author. But if there is a way to make one yourself...I wasn't clear about it reading the book...a grid of metal duct tape, with a copper wire running from the duct tape to a metal pole in the ground?...I'd be willing to try it...
Wouldn't it make more sense though to just turn off all the electricity?...
Posted by MichaelTampa (Member # 24868) on :
Interesting questions. I can't comment on the protons thing, I've never looked that deep into things, never seen the sun proton numbers. Perhaps you are noticing something important for you. Perhaps you are different or backwards in some respects. The best you can do is just keep paying attention and figure out what you can.
Certainly, you can make ways to ground yourself without buying that particular product. If you're not going to just sleep on the ground, or a floor that happens to be grounded based on how it was constructed, you will need to buy something.
At different points in time, I have bought a grounding cord and a conductive fabric. The grounding cord plugs in to the ground of a 3-prong electrical outlet--it's just the grounding prong, so the cord is 1-prong. It is done this way to avoid electrocution, it is very important. The grounding cord comes with an alligator clip that I clip to the conductive fabric, and I plug in the cord and slip the fabric inside my shirt while I sleep.
It works. I know because I used a meter to test it, and I know it affects how I sleep.
I bought those at lessemf.com. Of course, there are always other places things could be bought, and other ways things could be done.
A grounding stake could be put in the ground, and a person could use some clip and wiring to attach that grounding stake to themselves while sleeping. This would be a way to avoid going through the electrical system, for those not wanting to do that.
In the end, you're looking for an electrical connection to the ground. Some metals are very good conductors. There are many ways to fill in the details.
(As always, caution is advised when there is lightning possible.)
Regarding just turning off the electricity, it is a related idea. I don't know that it is identical, because, you may still have voltage in the air that your body would be subject to, that grounding would reduce or eliminate. But, perhaps turning off the electricity gets you a lot of the way. I do not know if those acts have different functions or more or less the same one. Maybe I'll take a look at trying to measure that someday. I do know, some people do turn off the electricity in their rooms while they sleep, and some have reported positive effects.
Posted by the3030club (Member # 21898) on :
quote:Originally posted by MichaelTampa: By the way, I was able to duplicate the essence of the youtube video. I was grounding myself with a slightly different approach, but the result was the same, in that I did measure voltage on me before touching the grounding cloth and then measured no voltage while touching the grounding cloth.
With all due respect, this proves nothing.
Neither does the experiment. A
s someone with a first background in electronics i can tell you that what you're doing when you perform this experiment is causing sort of a "short circuit" to the meter you're using to measure your body's voltage.
When you're getting a voltage reading on your body with a multi-meter you've got to have one lead in your hand and the other to ground (only way to get a reading) if you then touch ground with your body all you're really doing it connecting the 2 leads of the meter with your body .. it will always read 0. But nothing is changing in your body at all.
Posted by momlyme (Member # 27775) on :
When I first saw earthing and EMF on this forum... I thought it was bull**** and I avoided these threads.
Here is the series of videos made me take a closer look at this.
I consider earthing, grounding & EMFs a contributing factor to our health & well being.
I am not trying to convince anyone of something they don't want to accept. I am only presenting cold, hard evidence that grounding can change our bodies.
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
Dont forget to meditate as well!
mbrace of the Earth Shamanic Burial Friday 4th to Sunday 6th December 2010
What the weekend is about This shamanic ritual is a profound way to truly connect with the powerful energy of the Earth� The experience has been described as a combination "vision quest" and "full body meditation". Drawing from the Toltec Tradition of Central America, this ceremony is inspired by the intimate connection that the Toltecs have with the land. It is a ceremonial initiation and rite of passage where participants are buried overnight in the earth to receive the powerful healing and loving energies of Mother Earth. The experience may be used in contemporary spirituality to activate deep shifts in consciousness and heightened connection with energies of the earth.
"Please note that this initiation has been safely practiced by several hundred initiates during the last 20 or so years by shamanic researcher Victor Sanchez. The practice is totally safe - no soil is placed on the initiates, you can be physically removed from the tomb at any time if necessary, and the facilitator stays awake and vigilant the whole night in close proximity to the tombs while feeding the central fire and offering blessings and prayers. The physical dimension to the rite is only one small part - it simply helps facilitate the altered states that are the main element of the rite. This rite of passage is so unique, empowering, and nurturing that by the end of the night most initiates want to stay longer in the ground before they rise from the tomb into the sun and "sprout" into a new form of being." James Endredy, author of Earthwalks
This experience is limited to 8 participants.
Outcomes - Obtain clarity and vision in personal matters - Heal and absorb emotional wounds - Mark a significant life change and rite of passage - Bury the "old" self and allow the birth of the new - Recapitulate life events � Recharge personal energy before or after a demanding task or challenge - Experience in a tangible way the profound love and healing energy of the Earth
"�I feel refreshed, alive and very awake. I am out of the wilderness, born again." Rachel Newman, Sunday Life Magazine
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
aFTER the initial tingling for a few days I get a feeling of warmth everytime I lie down. I dont need as many blankets now? anyone else get that?
Posted by hoot (Member # 19281) on :
I seem to be a little warmer like you. Tingling is gone since the first few days.
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
check out the one minute brain rewiring technique called bodytalk. Anyone know of it? watch the video mentioned
He warns build up slowly
Posted by Healing in Santa Cruz (Member # 7798) on :
I started Earthing with the Earthing bands in Dec. Rt away it helped me with pain,sleep and was more relaxed. I was using the bands when on computer and all night when sleeping. About a week ago I got slammed with a Huge horrible herx.
Posted by Healing in Santa Cruz (Member # 7798) on :
I was Ramping up on A-Bart and A-Babs and have now backed down.And cut my time on bands. On other sites I am seeing more and more peeps having BIG herx's.Most rt away,and I am extremely sensitive.
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
From Dr LC on facebook
I have seen tremendously positive health benefits in patients when they kept their treatment unchanged and only started doing progressively more grounding of their bodies to the earth each day. I do not have any stock or ownership in earthi...ng pads nor do I get financial benefit from suggesting this to patients. Cave men & cave women walked on the earth barefooted much of the day & often slept on the ground at night. They were grounded to the earth hours per day. Most present-day humans walk on synthetic non-grounding shoes all day long, sleep on synthetic beds all night long & only get grounding for a few minutes when they take a shower. Because most people don't have the time or correct circumstances to ground to the earth as much as they would benefit from, I have suggested to patients that when the weather permits, they should take their shoes off & sit in a chair with their feet touching the ground (not touching the synthetic carpet, linoleum or wooden floor) while they read a book or do some other task that they needed to be seated for. If patients need more grounding than they can get that way (and some patients appear to require many hours per day), I sometimes suggest they purchase some small-guage insulated, braided speaker wire, a 2-foot-long metal rod & a small pipe-clamp to attach the wire to the rod (total cost less than$10). They drive the metal rod into the earth outside their bedroom window, strip 1" of insulation off the speaker wire, and attach it to the metal rod with the pipe clamp. The wire is then run through the window in such a way that the window still closes. The wire is extended to the place on the bed where the patient sleeps. Approximately one foot of insulation is removed from that end of the wire so that it can be wrapped loosely around the patient's wrist while the patient sleeps. It is important that the patient set a battey-operated alarm clock to awaken in the night to take the wire off the wrist until they have built up to at least 3 hours of use each night (starting with only about 10 minutes). Then they can sleep with it for 8-9 hours without getting excessive detox reaction from grounding (see Connie's comments above). Instead of the speaker wire approach, most find the metalized cloth grounding sheets easier & the cost is approx.$170-200 (includes a plug that can plug into a properly grounded electric outlet in the house & a device to measure each wall outlet to see if the outlets are properly grounded).Steyla, faith, hope & belief are critically important components in getting well, but if you believe that we were created to walk, live & work in the garden (of Eden) and now are living in a fallen, mostly-synthetic, chemically & electromagnetically polluted world, then maybe at least some of the illness is from our not doing each day what we were created to do. I suggest that Jenni & Finette educate themselves more on this topic before commenting here further on this topic.
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
quote:Originally posted by Healing in Santa Cruz: I was Ramping up on A-Bart and A-Babs and have now backed down.And cut my time on bands. On other sites I am seeing more and more peeps having BIG herx's.Most rt away,and I am extremely sensitive.
can you provide any links?
I think I am like you sensitive but dont want to just go to 10mins earthed per day as DR c suggests. I will try an hour a day.
However this wont stop me from getting naturally earthed as much as possible.
Posted by Healing in Santa Cruz (Member # 7798) on :
[ 01-20-2011, 04:16 AM: Message edited by: Healing in Santa Cruz ]
Posted by Healing in Santa Cruz (Member # 7798) on :
One of my lyme friends only did 2 mins on grass and herxed hard. Interesting I felt good for quite a few days and then herxed hard.If it messes with cyst form like the doc on S Chicks says I am wondering about Biofilm etc.I am sure the critters r affected also.
Posted by Healing in Santa Cruz (Member # 7798) on :
[ 01-20-2011, 04:13 AM: Message edited by: Healing in Santa Cruz ]
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
thanks Healing.
I may try just sleeping at night on my bedsheet and see what that brings.
The problem is not that it doesnt work but that it works too much!!!!
Posted by Healing in Santa Cruz (Member # 7798) on :
You r welcome Wallace. I think this is powerful medicine. Just need to find the right timing. I was so excited that I was having positives,so did too much too soon. Sooo had to back down. Going slow. Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
Also michael sandlers book on barefoot running. Very comprehensive with mentions of earthing.
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
discussed in the Sandler book:
Barefoot Medicine. Going shoeless is now recognized as an anti-Alzheimer�s, brain-boosting activity because the sole sensation entices your brain into growing extra, efficient neuron connections. Merzenich believes our brains decline if we �limit the sensory feedback from our feet.� He advocates walking barefoot (to improve balance, posture, and co-ordination functions in the vestibulocerebellum.) Dr. Norman Doidge (author of The Brain That Changes Itself) concurs that skipping shoes will increase brain flexibility and youthfulness, and many podiatrists now advise going barefoot as much as possible. Bare feet are today�s prescription.
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
uesday, December 28, 2010 Earthing-In The New Year
The Earthing Institute Clinton Ober Stephen T. Sinatra, M.D. James Oschman, Ph.D. Gaetan Chevalier, Ph.D. Martin Zucker
We, and all the folks at �Earthing Central,� would like to wish all of you and your families a fulfilling and healthy 2011. We would also like to express our thanks for encouraging us with your interest, feedback, and questions. We receive many questions from people who have read the Earthing book and who have started Earthing themselves. We appreciate the questions because they stoke the process of helping us better explain the remarkable phenomenon of Earthing. We know some � but certainly far from all � of the benefits of Earthing. Often we have to rely on hypothesis and suggestion to describe the mechanisms because the science done to date has only scratched the surface of understanding. We have posted the most commonly-asked questions on the FAQs page atEarthing Institute and we invite you to check them out anytime you have a question. If you don�t find what you are looking for there, don�t hesitate to contact us at [email protected]
One of the most interesting questions we received recently was sent in by Ross Dean of Fairfield, Iowa. Mr. Dean asked about �good free radicals� that participate in protective body functions vs. �bad� free radicals involved in chronic inflammation. �If the free electrons that enter the body through grounding neutralize free radicals, how do they discriminate between the good free radicals and the bad? he wanted to know. �Aren�t the good free radicals also desiring to bond with the free electrons that come in through grounding?�
For a precise answer, we went to our electron expert, biophysicist James Oschman, Ph.D. Here is his answer:
Free radicals or reactive oxygen species (ROS) are essential to life. The �good� free radicals attack bacteria or other pathogens crossing the skin barrier when you have a cut or other injury. They also break down injured cells. These actions are essential to protect the body from infection and to make space for regenerative cells that will repair an injury. The benign ROS are delivered by white blood cells directly to a site of inflammation. They are not readily neutralized by electrons from the earth because they are delivered to a precise location at a very high concentration, and their electron-grabbing activity is precisely focused on damaged cells and pathogens that may have crossed the skin.
In an ungrounded body, free radicals leaking from a site of injury will damage surrounding tissues, which can coagulate into an �inflammatory barricade.� A local pocket of inflammation is then created that can endure and leak damaging toxins into the system. This is one example of how free radicals become �dangerous.� We believe the healthy connective tissue matrix of a grounded person will have abundant electrons to neutralize those leaking free radicals and thereby prevent �collateral damage� to healthy tissues.
Other dangerous ROS are produced during normal metabolism and breathing. You can prevent them from forming if you stop eating and stop breathing�obviously not recommended. The leading theory of aging (the free radical theory) is that aging results from the cumulative damage caused by free radicals that come from oxygen in the tissues, from normal metabolism and from environmental toxins. These free radicals are thought to cause aging in three ways:
1) by damaging DNA, leading to mutations and cancer; 2) damaging mitochondria, the energy-producing structures inside cells; 3) by cross-linking proteins, which compromises the functioning of enzymes and also causes wrinkling of the skin.
We believe that all of these mechanisms of age-related free radical damage are slowed significantly by grounding, and that in the grounded body the healthy connective tissue matrix will be populated with enough electrons to neutralize free radicals wherever they form from whatever cause. There is a beneficial feedback effect: the grounded body will not form inflammatory pockets around sites of injury. Injuries will heal quickly. And the connective tissue in the body that is free of inflammatory pockets will be more conductive to electrons (inflammatory barricades are poorly conductive) and therefore will be better able to neutralize free radicals quickly wherever they form from whatever cause.
Some Important Earthing Reminders We also get questions from a sprinkling of people concerned about their initial Earthing experiences � during the first few days � or whose expectations of benefits didn�t manifest as quickly as they had hoped. We have talked about this in the Earthing book, and also in earlier reports on this website, but the explanation is worth repeating.
In the vast majority of cases, people begin to feel better soon after they start Earthing. They feel no discomfort at all with the Earth�s energy and adjust to it easily. Remember that sleeping grounded or sitting inside your home or office with bare feet on an Earthing mat is the same as being barefoot outside. Nevertheless, the energy can be strange or even discomforting for some people. They may even experience flu-like symptoms, pain, achiness, or cramps. In practically all of these situations, the experience is temporary, a result of the body normalizing to the natural energy from the Earth. As this process gets underway, your ability to release accumulated toxicity appears to accelerate and become more effective. When detoxification occurs, you can feel worse before you feel better. The feeling might last a few days but it will go away and you will feel renewed and energized afterward. We think that the leg cramps that some people feel may be related to toxins coming out of the tissues. So we advise people to start drinking more water so as to flush out the toxins more readily. The strategy usually works and the cramps disappear. In any case, the better hydrated the body is the more conductive it is. So drinking plenty of good quality water serves health in general and Earthing as well. If someone can�t tolerate the initial discomfort we usually recommend they stop Earthing for a couple of days, then begin again, but with shorter sessions, like an hour or two during the day. Then gradually increase the exposure to the point where they can comfortably sleep grounded. It may take a bit of experimentation in these cases, but the rewards are usually well worth sticking with it. It is also possible that Earthing could generate a healing process in the body that causes nerve fibers to function better, resulting in unaccustomed sensations. Generally, such sensations also go away in a short period of time. Everybody benefits in some way, but each of us is different. The benefits can come quickly and dramatically, or subtly and gradually over time. Often people who are very ill or saddled with various symptoms feel the difference dramatically. One older man adamantly told us he didn�t feel any difference but then admitted that he didn�t get up at night to urinate as frequently as he did before, and often didn�t get up at all. That�s a sign of deeper sleep and probably reduction of prostate inflammation. Both are great benefits!
Someone with radiant health and who sleeps well may not feel any difference. However, connecting to the Earth helps to preserve and perpetuate good health. In this situation, regard Earthing as a simple, effortless, and natural form of anti-aging and preventive medicine, whether you feel benefits or not.
For people taking medication, we always suggest being alert to the possibility that as they feel better, the dosage level of medication may be able to be reduced. You may experience signs of overdose. If you do, please see your doctor right away. In any case, do not reduce medication without consulting with your doctor. If you are taking any form of blood thinner, whether a prescription medicine like Coumadin, or a nutritional supplement, remember that Earthing has a blood thinning effect. Monitor your blood level very carefully and talk to your doctor about what you are doing. You want to guard against excess thinning and the risk of bleeding.
A new European study to be published this spring indicates that Earthing improves thyroid function. This is something we have known on an observational basis for years. Some people on medication for underactive thyroid have reported feeling palpitations, irregular and/or forceful beating of the heart. This unpleasant symptom can reflect an arrhythmia but is also a common sign of excess thyroid hormone, including thyroid medication. So if you take thyroid medication and start Earthing, be alert to the possibility of medication overdose. If that happens, you may need to cut down on your medication. Many people have been able to do. But please consult with your physician who prescribed the medication.
Earthing Care Tips We would also like to remind you about taking good care of your Earthing sheets. Remember NO BLEACH when you wash the sheets. Bleach will destroy the conductive silver threads in the sheet that carry the Earth�s energy. Use gentle laundry detergent, such as the eco-friendly varieties you can purchase in health food stores, or a product like Tide Free and Clear.
Please avoid using creams, lotions, and essential oils on your feet or body before bedtime if you sleep on an Earthing half-sheet, fitted sheet, or recovery bag. The oils contained in these products become absorbed into the fabric of the sheets and can destroy the conductivity of the silver. Try to use such body products at an earlier time. There is no problem with facial creams for people who sleep with pillows. Some years ago conductive Earthing pillows were developed but later discontinued because they were rendered ineffective by people applying facial creams at bedtime. The oils in the creams oxidized and ruined the conductivity of the pillows.
Inspiring Feedback From the many communications we receive it is amply clear that more and more people are discovering the surprising and health-nurturing benefits of Earthing. On a daily basis, we hear things like this:
● �I have had a miraculous health reversal.� ● From a health professional in Portland: �Occasionally, I come across a genuine breakthrough in natural health care�A low cost idea easy to apply, that anyone can use at home, and that is applicable to everyone regardless of age or body type. Earthing definitely fall into this category.� ● From a doctor in Los Angeles: �I have been sleeping better now than I have in probably 50 years.� ● �My husband�s snoring stopped.� ● �This past mother�s day my kids gave me the best present I have ever received � the Earthing sheet. I have never slept so well in my life since then.� ● �It�s only been six weeks and we are seeing such improvement in our health and well-being.� ● �I�ve been on lots of pain medication for twelve years since an accident. Sleeping grounded got rid of the pain. My life has changed profoundly.� ● �My 80-year-old aches and pains have diminished 50 per cent. I can do things better and move better.� ● �My blood pressure has improved.� ● From a mechanical engineer in Kennewick, Washington: �I�ve been using my Earthing sheet and mats for about 5 months and gave sheets to all my sisters and children. Everyone is sleeping better and is experiencing their version of increased vitality. My sister completely turned her life around and all the pieces fell into place which allowed her to pursue her dreams. It�s like her connection to the Earth gave her the ability to see exactly what needed to be done. It�s very calming for her.� ● From a doctor in New York: �I am beyond grateful for the relief.�
The gratification we feel after reading and hearing words like this, of lives being so positively touched, is hard to describe. Words also fail us to describe how we personally feel about being messengers for this beautiful discovery or revival of knowledge�messengers, in a sense, for Mother Earth�s great endowment of health for all mankind. We feel utterly blessed to be able to explore this natural gift, and share the revelations, and spread the word to ever-growing numbers of people.
Looking Forward in 2011 In 2010, the Earthing book was published and created a strong wave of interest for Earthing. After more than 12 years of endlessly and exhaustively explaining the Earthing concept to thousands of people, Clint Ober had his wish: a book that could at last do a lot of the explaining for him. Looking forward, we envision at least several new Earthing studies to be published in 2011, further validating this most remarkable concept from the perspective of science. In the first half of 2011 we hope to finally get our online Earthing training program going. Many of you have asked about it. We appreciate your patience.
Also in the first half of the year we will have grounded flipflops available. And 100 percent cotton sheets, too. The price of cotton has soared, unfortunately, but not much we can do about it.
We look forward to Earthing capturing mainstream media attention this year. It�s too attractive and natural a story to stay under the media radar much longer.
Meanwhile, we�ll keep sending out announcements and reports to you as Earthing developments unfold. Posted on 12/28 at 11:36 PM Permalink
Posted by mattnapa (Member # 26414) on :
I have heard a doctor named Steven Sinatra talk on this subject. Any of you heard of him?
Posted by Healing in Santa Cruz (Member # 7798) on :
Steven Sinatra is one of the docs that wrote the earthing book. Also mentioned it the last post Wallace posted as well a he is on the Spiro chicks web that I posted.
Posted by linky123 (Member # 19974) on :
The prices are going up on this stuff already. Barefoot Sales in Palm Springs, CA just informed me yesterday that the full fitted sheet had gone up $40 in the last two weeks - from $249 to $289!
There is also a 20% re-stocking fee if you need to return something for any reason.
Do these people have a monopoly on these things? I have heard that you can get the pad and some of the smaller stuff elsewhere, but what about the sheets?
I hate it when these companies take advantage of sick people. It really makes me mad. Anyone know of another co. selling the sheets?
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
five dollars for a wrist strap seems to me eminently affordable.
Besides remember the earths healing energy is free!
Posted by linky123 (Member # 19974) on :
That still does not address the way this company does business. Anyone else sell this stuff?????
It's freezing where I live, so running around outside barefoot isn't an option.
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
On bodytalks ideas on why we are dehydrated and what we can do about it.
I find it interesting but very annoying that you can not buy a book on it that explains it fully. You have to go on at least a one day course and there is none near me even if I could afford it!!
A stunning contrast to EFT which is free on the web!!!!!
Posted by MichaelTampa (Member # 24868) on :
I bought some things from lessemf.com that allow me to ground myself while sleeping. I bought a conductive cloth and a grounding clip. I plug in the grounding clip, connect it to the cloth, and tuck the cloth in my shirt while in bed. They sell other products as well. Last I looked, they didn't have anything as fancy or specifically meant for bed as what has been discussed on here. I have found them trustworthy.
Posted by hoot (Member # 19281) on :
wallace--
I can not get the above link to work. I went to wellspringtherapygroup home page but could not find what you reference.
Are you talking about Body Talk and dehydration? If so, I am thinking about taking the one day course (ACCESS) at the end of February in Chicago.
Posted by D Bergy (Member # 9984) on :
Regarding going barefoot:
In the past, particularly in the South, hookworms were a big problem as many people went barefoot. They can enter through the bottom of the feet. In the North, the cold temperatures make it less of a issue.
I only mention this because it was almost an epidemic in the past, but long enough ago that it is pretty much forgotten. Much of the problem was the poor sanitation and raw sewage where people walked, but hookworms are still around today.
is the access course. She says she will teach you over the phone, free!!!
But why not just put on the web?????
As I say I am a little disgruntled with the bodytalk money making part of it!
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
REBECCA ECKLER reports on the new foot fetish
Whatever happened to the N3? (No shirt, no shoes, no service.) Ubiquitous photos of pop tart Britney Spears walking barefoot into a gas station washroom still have people trash talking. Then there was Barefoot Britney stepping on a hypodermic in Hawaii, parading shoeless (with her new bump on display) in L.A. and irritating other passengers with her bare feet on a commercial flight.
Blame it on the yoga craze, the hippie revival or the theory that singing shoeless is grounding, but it seems the culture is in the throes of a new foot fetish.
On American Idol, female contestants are belting out their songs in formal dresses and bare feet. Brit singer Joss Stone performs sans footwear, as does Canadian opera singer Measha Brueggergosman.
Surfer dude singer Jack Johnson is so well known for baring his soles, Saturday Night Live did a parody ad for shoes that look like bare feet.
According to Jake Gold, Canadian Idol judge, musicians like bare feet because "it's more comfortable, easy to move around stage, and there's a whole sexual side to it as well."
Actors like it too. Mischa Barton recently was photographed barefoot in a Malibu parking lot and outside her hotel in Maui. The best part? She shills for Keds.
And then there's poet-actor-photographer-painter Viggo Mortensen, who likes to do interviews in bare feet and wears a bracelet that reads "Peace." (His director in Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson, also made headlines a few years back with his barefoot ways.)
Designers and alternative healing practitioners are also tapping into the benefits of bare. Nike's popular new Nike Free line of lightweight sneakers claims to mimic "barefoot running in grass." A hot new product in North America is the Cobblestone Walkway, a mat that mimics the effects on bare feet of walking on smooth pebbles. Based on traditional Chinese healing practices such as reflexology (there are actual cobblestone walkways all over Asia), the mat has been shown to increase balance and circulation.
Some people are long-time barefoot aficionados. In a recent cover feature about Calgary in Maclean's magazine, a top interior designer, Paul Lavoie, was featured in a full-page portrait in jeans, a turtleneck and bare feet.
"I like to be barefoot quite often," says the 39-year-old Lavoie. "It's the hippie in me. I'm always barefoot at home. I guess it's like my inner child coming out."
Lavoie says there's nothing more natural in the world than for him to wear a suit, even a tux, without socks. "Of course, I need to wear shoes to events. But I never wear socks. There's absolutely a comfort level about walking around barefoot. I would do it all the time if I could."
Katy Cook, 21, a hairstylist at the trendy Luxe spa in Calgary, is also a fan. Though she must wear shoes to work, she wears sandals, with no socks, even in winter. "The first thing I do at home is take off my socks and shoes," says Cook. "I drive barefoot all the time. And my all-time favourite thing is gardening barefoot." She doesn't only go barefoot at home though. "I'll walk to the corner store barefoot. Yes, some people look at me and think, 'Who is that strange girl?' I don't care."
There's even a society, boasting more than a thousand members worldwide, called the Society for Barefoot Living. Who belongs? Well, according to their website, members "enjoy walking barefoot as nature intended, taking delight in feeling the many textures the world has to offer, like having tough, callused soles, and even think it's cool to get them dirty. We also hate wearing shoes and, if we had our way, would never wear them again. Shoes are unnecessary ballast. Plus, bare feet are cool and look great!"
Barefoot society member Bryan Macdonald, 61, went au naturel 11 years ago. The 61-year-old from Windsor, Ont., owns two pairs of shoes and one pair of flip-flops, which he keeps in his cars for emergencies (such as snow) or when his wife refuses to be seen with him in public.
"It just plain feels good," says Macdonald, who calls himself the Barefoot Photographer. "I shot a wedding last July. I wore a short-sleeve dress shirt with nice slacks and was barefoot from start to finish, from the bride's home, to the church, to the reception."
Part of the new barefoot cachet is undoubtedly the widespread influence of yoga, traditionally practiced in bare feet, and the accompanying interest in the ancient Indian beliefs embodied in the discipline.
"I'm a foot lover," says Toronto-based yoga instructor Graydon Moffat. "I often talk to my students about how they should appreciate their feet and not take them for granted."
Even while not teaching, Moffat hates wearing shoes. "The best is in the summer when the ground surfaces feel warm. But even in the colder months, I love to feel the different textures on the soles of my feet. More and more people these days, including men, are taking care of their feet, which encourages people to show them off," she says. "Feet are sexy."
It's those hypodermic needles that aren't.
Globe & Mail 20th May 2006
Posted by hoot (Member # 19281) on :
wallace-- You can purchase The Body Talk System book by John Veltheim on Amazon. It goes through the basics of the system and treating yourself and others.
I got a new book from Amazon for $14.85 plus $3.99 shipping.
You can also see the cortices technique video on the Body Talk website. All other aspects of the basic technique are well explained (with pictures as well) in the book.
Hope this helps.
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
Hoot
Lots of things are missing from the book. I want to be able to do it by myself without a partner!!!!
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
Maybe you need to grow more arms to do the technique without a partner
If you look at the Cortices video, you can see that you place your hands on the side of your head for a few seconds and then you take one hand away and tap. This probably can be done with the other parts of the system as well.
For example, in treating the SB joint, place one finger on the pituitary spot and the other one in your mouth touching the hard palate...then take one hand away and do the tapping while deep breathing.
I think the same thing can be done for hydration, too.
I could be wrong about this. I will try to remember to ask the practitioner when I take my son for his first appointment tomorrow.
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
Berlin - Walking barefoot is the most natural and effective foot reflex therapy available.
'Putting the soles of your feet in contact with all the normal sensations helps to relieve internal tension and reduce stress,' says Dieter Breithecker, head of Germany's Federal Institute for Posture and Mobilisation Support.
'Shoes, on the other hand, prevent direct contact with the ground and so adversely affect the health of our feet, our balance and posture.'
It is worthwhile at least at home, in the garden or unpolluted green spaces, to do without shoes while walks on on sandy or pebble beaches are considered perfect.
'The unevenness of the surface underfoot has to be compensated reflexively by complicated muscle work,' explains Breithecker. 'This strengthens the metatarsal arch and leads to a sustainable and healthy posture.'
At the same time, walking barefoot also trains the blood vessels. Breithecker recommends the therapy for people suffering from varicose veins in their legs.
'Wet stones and damp meadows caused by the autumnal morning dew are especially beneficial,' he says. 'The coldness stimulates the circulation, strengthens the immune system and encourages organ function.'
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
quote:Originally posted by hoot: Wallace--
Maybe you need to grow more arms to do the technique without a partner
If you look at the Cortices video, you can see that you place your hands on the side of your head for a few seconds and then you take one hand away and tap. This probably can be done with the other parts of the system as well.
For example, in treating the SB joint, place one finger on the pituitary spot and the other one in your mouth touching the hard palate...then take one hand away and do the tapping while deep breathing.
I think the same thing can be done for hydration, too.
I could be wrong about this. I will try to remember to ask the practitioner when I take my son for his first appointment tomorrow.
Thanks Hoot. It would be nice if you could confirm this with your practitioner. Thanks a lot.
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
Dr. Mercola's Comments:
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Every modern school of alternative medicine talks about "energy," although they may use a variety of words to describe it. But what is this fundamental "energy" you keep hearing about?
As Dr. Oschman went about to investigate, he found there is very good science that can help demystify this nebulous term.
He wrote a number of articles for a journal published by Churchill Livingstone on the subject, and after some encouragement from the publisher, those articles eventually resulted in two books: Energy Medicine: The Scientific Basis, and Energy Medicine in Therapeutics and Human Performance.
Dr. Oschman was also introduced to earthing, or grounding, and his research in this area has turned up some very interesting and compelling information about how the energy from the Earth can help you live a healthier life. He has recently written the Foreword for a new book by Clinton Ober, Stephen T. Sinatra and M. Zucker, entitled Earthing: the most important health discovery ever? published in 2010 (Basic Health Publications, Inc., Laguna Beach, CA.).
If you're like most people, you probably wear shoes with rubber or plastic soles for the better part of each day. Read on to learn why shoes might be one of the banes of modern existence.
The Emergence of "Earthing"
The concept of earthing, also known as grounding, was initially developed by Clint Ober. Stated in the simplest terms possible, earthing is simply walking barefoot; grounding your body to the Earth.
Oschman was introduced to Ober via Jeff Spencer, the chiropractor for Lance Armstrong's cycling team and an expert in treating professional athletes who I will be interviewing later this year.
"When Clint described the earthing phenomenon to Jeff, Jeff immediately called me and had me fly out to California to meet Clint and talk about what kind of research could be done to find out what is going on," Oschman explains.
"People have known for a long time that walking barefoot feels good. There are places in the world like Germany and Austria and Switzerland with communities where there is a tradition of getting up in the morning and going barefoot."
My own introduction to the concept of earthing was also through Jeff Spencer, some five or six years ago. I found it very intriguing, although I initially approached it with some skepticism. As you will soon see, it's a simple concept�to some it may appear too simple.
Fortunately, Dr. Oschman is now able to provide the scientific groundwork for understanding what actually occurs. In fact, his team has now published about a dozen papers on this topic.
What Happens to You When You Walk Barefoot?
Your skin in general is a very good conductor. You can connect any part of your skin to the Earth, but if you compare various parts there is one that is especially potent, and that's right in the middle of the ball of your foot; a point known to acupuncturists as Kidney 1 (K1).
It's a well-known point that conductively connects to all of the acupuncture meridians and essentially connects to every nook and cranny of your body.
Interestingly, grounding�or rather the lack thereof�has a lot to do with the rise of modern diseases.
How is this?
Well, Dr. Oschman's research into grounding has led him to better understand inflammation. I've discussed before, chronic inflammation is a primary cause of virtually all disease, from diabetes to cancer. And by looking at what happens during grounding, the answer to why chronic inflammation is so prevalent, and what is needed to prevent it, is becoming better understood.
When you're grounded (whether it's walking barefoot or being connected electrically on the K1point of your foot or sleeping on grounding sheets), there's a transfer of free electrons from the Earth into your body. And these free electrons are probably the most potent antioxidants known to man.
These antioxidants are responsible for the clinical observations from grounding experiments, such as:
* Beneficial changes in heart rate * Decreased skin resistance * Decreased levels of inflammation
To better understand the science behind what happens during grounding and how it impacts the inflammatory response, Dr. Oschman begins by explaining what happens when you experience an injury.
"Even the slightest bump, if you bump the door, your immune system immediately responds by sending white blood cells (neutrophils) to the place of injury�
The neutrophils secrete a Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)� called free radicals, in what's referred to as an oxidative burst... These are like Pac-Man. They are very important molecules that tear things apart.
If bacteria have gotten through your skin, these free radicals will destroy the bacteria very quickly. If you have damaged cells, the free radicals will break them apart so that there is a space for healthy cells to move in and repair the tissues.
That's known as the inflammatory response.
What we have discovered that is truly profound is this: we now understand why you get the inflammatory response, which has five characteristics: pain, redness, heat, loss of range of motion, and swelling. All of those are the five hallmarks of inflammation and it turns out that that doesn't have to happen.
Inflammation, which in medicine is considered an important part of the healing process, is really an artifact caused by lack of electrons in your tissues.
What happens is, the neutrophils deliver the Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) to the site of injury, but in so doing, some of those free radicals can leak into the surrounding tissue and damage healthy tissue. That's what creates the inflammatory response".
Interestingly, grounding research has now discovered that if you place your feet on the ground after an injury (or on a grounded sheet, or place grounding patches on the balls of your feet), electrons will migrate into your body and spread through your tissues.
Any free radicals that leak into the healthy tissue will immediately be electrically neutralized. This occurs because the electrons are negative, while the free radicals are positive, so they cancel each other out.
"So really what is happening with grounding or earthing is that you're protecting your body from -- I call it, collateral damage," Dr. Oschman says.
"Damage that was not intended to take place but does take place because we have disconnected ourselves from the Earth by putting rubber and plastic on the bottoms of our shoes."
Grounded Sheets Can Provide Better Sleep
The first health benefit of earthing discovered was that people slept better when they were grounded. This was done by bringing the ground into the laboratory or into people's homes to evaluate how well they slept when lying on a grounded sheet.
This is essentially a bed sheet that has silver threads (electrical conductors) embedded in it, which are connected to a grounding device. You simply plug it into a grounding outlet in your room to create a grounding circuit in the sheet.
The findings showed that sleep was improved because their day-night cortisol rhythm evened out. Cortisol is the "stress hormone," and you can't sleep well at night if your cortisol is elevated.
When you sleep better, everything in your physiology works better.
Pain Relief Using Grounding Patches
People also slept better because they experienced a reduction in pain. Using thermography, which picks up heat signatures such as that of inflammation, they were able to determine that inflammation was reduced during these grounding experiments.
According to Dr. Oschman, people with painful inflamed joints would sometimes experience significant relief in as little as 20 minutes of grounding. Grounding patches can be placed either on the ball of your foot (on the K1 spot), or directly on the area that hurts.
The grounding patches are very useful in clinical situations. For example, if you've had surgery, Dr. Oschman recommends placing the patches around the site of the incision to speed the healing process.
Earthing as an Anti-Aging Strategy
One of dominant theories on aging is the free radical theory, which is that aging occurs because of accumulative damage to your body caused by free radicals. You get free radicals when you have an injury or chronic inflammation, from breathing, and from the food you eat, among other things.
While you don't want to completely eliminate ALL free radicals, you do want to maintain a healthy balance of antioxidant electrons in your body to ensure the damage from free radicals doesn't' get out of hand.
Earthing can help accomplish this delicate balance.
There are three kinds of sub-models of the aging process caused by free radicals.
1. DNA damage and mutation due to free radical damage 2. The mitochondrial theory. Mitochondria in every cell in your body carry out oxidative metabolism and a byproduct is free radicals. Eventually the mitochondria wear out or self-destruct due to excess free radicals 3. The protein cross linking theory, which explains why you get wrinkles in your skin. The proteins stick to each other, reducing the efficiency of enzymes
"It looks to me, from my study of biophysics and cell biology, like the body is designed with a semi-conductive fabric that connects everything in the body, including inside of every cell," Dr. Oschman says.
"I refer to this system as the living matrix. Those electrons that enter the bottom of your foot can move anywhere in your body.
Any place where a free radical forms, there are electrons nearby that can neutralize that free radical and prevent any of those processes: mitochondrial damage, cross linking of proteins, and mutation or genetic damage.
So the whole fabric is basically an antioxidant defense system that is in every part of our body.
We have this material called ground substance which is part of the connective tissue. It goes everywhere in the body. It's a gel material and it stores electrons. So that if you go barefoot, you will take in electrons and your body will store them, and they will be available at any point where you might have an injury, or any point where a free radical might form..."
How Grounding Affects Your Blood
Another very important discovery, and one of the most recent, is that grounding thins your blood, making it less viscous. This discovery can have a profound impact on cardiovascular disease, which is now the number one killer in the world.
Virtually every aspect of cardiovascular disease has been correlated with elevated blood viscosity.
Dr. Sinatra has been coaching Dr. Oschman's team in how to measure blood viscosity using a method called zeta potential. It measures the potential on your red blood cells by determining how fast they migrate in an electrical field.
It turns out that when you ground to the earth, your zeta potential quickly rises, which means your red blood cells have more charge on their surface, which forces them apart from each other. This action causes your blood to thin and flow easier. It also causes your blood pressure to drop.
Another obvious implication of this is that by repelling each other, your red blood cells are less inclined to stick together and form a clot. Blood clots don't have to be very big to form like a pulmonary embolus that would kill you instantly, so this is a significant benefit.
Additionally, if your zeta potential is high, which grounding can facilitate, you not only decrease your heart disease risk but also your risk of multi-infarct dementias, where you start losing brain tissue due to micro-clotting in your brain.
The Best Surfaces for Grounding
Clearly, the simplest way to ground is to walk barefoot. But what about urban or city dwellers who are surrounded by asphalt and concrete? Can you ground on those? And what about natural surfaces�which ones are the most effective?
There are indeed significant differences between various surfaces.
The ideal location for walking barefoot is the beach, close to or in the water, as sea water is a great conductor. Your body also contains mostly water, so it creates a good connection.
A close second would be a grassy area, especially if it's covered with dew, which is what you'd find if you walk early in the morning. According to Dr. Oschman, concrete is a good conductor as long as it hasn't been sealed. Painted concrete does not allow electrons to pass through very well.
Materials like asphalt, wood, and typical insulators like plastic or the soles of your shoes, will not allow electrons to pass through and are not suitable for barefoot grounding.
Why Living in a High-Rise Could be Detrimental to Your Health
Additionally, there's a major difference between standing outside in your bare feet and standing outside in shoes. And, how high up you are, off the surface of the Earth, without being grounded also matters.
Why is this?
Dr. Oschman explains:
"The Earth's surface is electrically charged and can push electrons up in your body. So from the top of your head to the Earth, there is a potential, which you don't feel because it doesn't cause any any particular current to flow, even though it can be a couple of hundred volts. If it did, it would give you a shock.
What happens is when the weather changes is that the potential can go up enormously. It can go from a hundred volts per meter to 10,000 volts per meter. That's pre lightning. We're talking about the potential that causes lightning to come to the earth. That voltage is well known and well understood�
This is the potential between the surface of the earth and the ionosphere, hundreds of miles up, which is very electrically active; charged by the solar wind, the charged particles that come from the sun.
Those charged particles eventually reach the Earth by lightning and electrify the entire surface of the Earth so that anywhere you touch the Earth, there are electrons. They come originally from the sun, to the ionosphere, to the earth.
There is no lightning happening right here right now but somewhere there is lightning, a constant current flow from the ionosphere to the earth. Those are the electrons that your body needs for your immune system to function properly."
What this means is that the higher up you are, separated from the surface of the Earth, the higher this potential would be, and the worse the implications for your health if you're not grounded.
For example, if you live on the 20th floor of a high-rise and you're not grounded (using grounding technology, of course), the consequences to your health will be more significant than if you lived on the first floor.
Likewise, when you wear rubber- or plastic-soled shoes, you are effectively shielding yourself from this beneficial influx of electrons from the Earth. For optimal immune function, you want these electrons to enter your body, so make sure you take your shoes off now and then!
Easy Ways to Incorporate Grounding Into Your Daily Life
Exercising barefoot outdoors is one of the most wonderful, inexpensive and powerful ways of incorporating earthing into your daily life and will also help speed up tissue repair and ease muscle pain due to strenuous exercise.
Indoors, using a grounding pad is an excellent way to help prevent health ailments such as carpal tunnel syndrome and tendonitis, for example. Dr. Oschman also uses a grounding pad beneath his computer desk that he keeps his bare feet on
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
A Detox Foot Spa Using Sea Salt Detoxification is a vital part of good health. Using warm water and sea salt, you can encourage toxins to leave your body by way of your feet! Find out how in this article. The detox foot spa is done by placing the feet in a bowl with warm water and sea salt. It creates a magnetic field of the charged ions and neutralizes oppositely charged particles. It creates a position in the water magnetically attracting toxins and heavy metals in the body, and excreting them through sweat glands and pores of the feet by osmosis which is the process of moving particles at a lower concentration to the higher concentration.
The body has energy meridians that flow through each organ, and the top or bottom of the feet. If the energy becomes stuck we feel emotional and physical discomfort. The foot bath removes these meridians of free radicals and allows energy to flow. In addition, it balances the pH of the body and leaves you feeling revitalized.
A lot of experts have said that extreme toxicity to the body creates a wide range of serious diseases, such as joint swelling and pain, heart disease, cholesterol, diabetes and cancer. To prevent this disease you have to be in harmony with the awareness of body's condition and then be committed to giving the body a good thorough internal detox no less than once in a year. There are many means of detoxification.
The detox foot bath is a new way to cleanse toxins from your body and has been adopted as a popular and effective treatment. This is done through the usage of sea salt. Sea salt is generally obtained through the natural evaporation of seawater. This process has been used mainly in artificial ponds, which are close to the coastline that is secluded. Sea salt consists of 98% sodium chloride with the remaining 2% composed of iron, magnesium and sulfur.
Add a handful of natural sea salt in a bowl with hot water and stir until the granules are dissolved. Sea salt is known to be a natural cleansing agent, drawing toxins from the body of the skin and tissue and encouraging relaxation. It is also rich in minerals. Once you have prepared the bowl with warm water and add the selected ingredients, place it before your partner and ask him to soak his bare feet for at least five minutes. Suggest that he bends over and stretches his toes and feet in the water to exercise the tendons and muscles and release tension. These actions will result in a feeling of relief as the feet start to relax.
A detox foot spa is an effective and painless way to eliminate harmful toxins from the body. Its beginning dates back to early times when the Japanese have soaked their aching and tired feet in a hot spring. It is also derived from healing techniques that are used in reflexology. There are a lot of benefits to detoxifying the body via the foot bath. In addition to enhancing the health of your respiratory system, internal organs, and circulatory system, it also enhances your well being.
By Tony Ulrich Published: 11/15/2010
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
A Special Interview with Dr. James Oschman By Dr. Mercola DM: Dr. Joseph Mercola, DO DO: Dr. James Oschman DM: Welcome everyone. We�re just delighted today to have an expert in the energy medicine field, who has written a number of books and is widely recognized as an authority in this discipline. His name is Dr. James Oschman. I am going to let him describe his professional training and his expertise that allows him to share with us some very important information about an exciting topic that I�m sure many of you have not heard about which is earthing or grounding. Welcome, Dr. Oschman. DO: Thank you. It�s nice to be with you. I really value and appreciate all the work you�ve done to educate people about various very important health matters. Thank you for that. DM: :It�s a great privilege to have the opportunity to do that and connect with people like yourself who have really committed so much time, effort, and energy in developing expertise that can have such profound implications. We�re going to get into your background but just let me give a brief -- well, why don�t we get into your background first then I�ll talk about my introduction and exposure to this then we�ll go into the details. Why don�t you tell us about your training and what you�re currently doing professionally. DO: My background is that I have a Bachelor�s Degree in Biophysics and a PhD in Biology from the University of Pittsburgh. After my PhD, I traveled around the world and worked in various laboratories and met wonderful scientists and became more or less plugged in to conventional scientific processes. I did a lot of research using the electron microscope looking at very small things. After a long period of success, I realized that I was ready to look at something else. That�s when I encountered alternative medicine. This was 25 years ago when scientists -- it just was not politically correct� DM: Well, it still isn�t for most. DO: I realized that if I looked at the science behind the various therapies, it would be useful, and that sooner or later it would pay off. It has paid off in that now I am connected with therapists of all kinds all over the world. I have visited more than 20 countries and been in most cities in the U.S. talking about energy medicine, about alternative medicine, complimentary therapies, and learning a 2 lot from the therapists and putting the science together with the practice of every method from acupuncture to zero balancing -- A to Z and all the ones in between -- learning about these techniques. Each of these techniques teaches us a little bit of new information about the human body and how the human body works. I brought my rigorous academic training into this rather amazing world that many people have been confused about and have been skeptical about. I just wanted to help people understand what�s going on and learn. I ended up writing a series of articles for a new journal: The Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies. They wanted to know about energy. Every school, every modern school of alternative medicine talks about energy and the editors of the journal wanted to know, what is this energy. They all say something different. Is there some science that can be used to demystify the word �energy�? The more I looked, the more I found very good science. The articles that I wrote for the journal were a big hit. I validated a number of therapies that had never had any validation before. No one had ever said there is a science behind this work. The articles were a success and the journal was published by Churchill Livingstone. The publisher decided I should put all of that into a book. The result was Energy Medicine: The Scientific Basis and the second book on Energy Medicine in Therapeutics and Human Performance. How I got into earthing is an interesting story. My local chiropractor in Dover, New Hampshire went to Boston for a meeting. Jeff Spencer who is a chiropractor who also works with elite athletes -- Jeff Spencer gave a talk in Boston. Part way through the talk he held up my book and said, �All of you need this book on energy medicine.� My chiropractor went up to Jeff at the break and said, �You know that guy Oschman who wrote that book, he�s my patient.� Jeff said, �No. Get out of here.� One thing led to another and Kevin Reichlin, my chiropractor, invited Jeff to come to Dover to speak to the New Hampshire Cycle Club just so that we could meet. Jeff gave a fascinating talk about his experience with the Tour de France, with Lance Armstrong and the other cyclists in the Tour de France. We had dinner. Jeff and I talked about exciting things that I know about from energy medicine. Jeff was all ears because he�s always working with the elite athletes, people at the cutting edge and he�s always interested in new techniques. We were both very excited to know each other. And then what happened was we met Clint Ober who would develop the idea of grounding people -- we call it earthing now -- connecting the body to the Earth. Clint was trying to find somebody who might help do some research on the subject and one thing led to another. He ended up looking for an athletic person, an athletic trainer. He ended up going to Jeff Spencer. 3 One of the funny things that happened was Clint�s associate, Kaye, saw these yellow jerseys in frames on the wall. She said to Clint, �What is with this guy? He�s got these shirts with writing all over them hanging on the walls. This is very strange.� Those are yellow jerseys that Lance Armstrong wore as he rode into Paris at the end of the Tour de France, autographed by all of the team members saying, �Thank you, Jeff for all you did to see us through this most arduous event in the athletic world, the Tour de France.� They were very grateful. They all signed. He had these signed yellow jerseys. When Clint described the earthing phenomenon to Jeff, Jeff immediately called me and had me fly out to California to meet Clint and talk about what kind of research could be done to find out what is going on. People have known for a long time that walking barefoot kind of feels good. There are places in the world like Germany and Austria and Switzerland where there are communities where there is a tradition of getting up in the morning and going barefoot. DM: Before we go into that. I wanted to go into my experience with it too and then we�ll go into the definition of what this earthing is all about. My introduction into this concept was also through a chiropractor who is actually responsible for caring for the dance troupe for Celine Dion in Las Vegas at the time. He introduced me to Jeff Spencer who as you mentioned, was really the chiropractor for Lance Armstrong�s team. And really, a major factor on why Lance was able to win seven Tour de France�s which is a record to this day. It was very intriguing. It�s a simple concept. We�ll discuss it in a moment. My introduction occurred at least five years ago maybe even six or seven years ago. It�s been a long time. I had some skepticism a few years ago and some concerns that this whole concept could actually sort of self destruct and may actually be counterproductive. But those have been addressed because I actually had a chance to meet with Clint personally, not the on the phone, but personally earlier this year. I�m very excited about it and full speed ahead. I�m really very excited too for your work and really providing the scientific groundwork and basis and justification for understanding what occurs because ultimately, it�s a pretty simple concept. As you were just starting to explain, where people get some health benefits by going back to what we did -- what our ancestors did generations ago which was simply walking barefoot without shoes on the ground. It doesn�t look like much is happening but in the physics and an electronic level, which you have specific training in, there is quite a magic that occurs. Largely because of the industrialization in wearing shoes and living in buildings now where we�re really isolated from that. Why don�t you discuss this whole concept of earthing. What actually happens to an individual when they start walking barefoot on the ground? 4 DO: To find out, we had to bring the Earth inside of the laboratory. One of the very good methods is to have a person lie down in a room that is very quiet and peaceful and connect their body to the Earth. You can do a period where you measure all of the physiological processes. DM: How do you do this connection? Do you just put a ground to their back or their feet or hands? DO: It turns out the skin is a good conductor. In any place that you connect the Earth to the skin works. It turns out that if you check various places there is one place that is especially good for connecting the body to the Earth and that�s on the ball of the foot; a point known to acupuncturists as Kidney 1 (K1). A well known point that connects electrically -- conductively connects to all of the acupuncture meridians and essentially connects to every nook and cranny of the body. So that point, Kidney 1 on the ball of the foot, is a good place to put a little patch. These are electrode patches like you would use for taking an EKG or measuring brainwaves or whatever, little conductive patches. So you put conductive patches on the balls of the feet and then you have a period where the person is not connected to the Earth and you measure every physiological parameter� DM: Sorry for the interruption again. You mentioned the ball of the foot, this point K1, the acupuncture point. For those who aren�t familiar with acupuncture, where is it on the ball of the foot? Is it the middle tarsal? Is it towards that outside or the inside of the foot? DO: Right in the middle of the ball of the foot. It�s actually a well known point in many therapies because a lot of therapists like massage therapists will put their thumbs on a person�s Kidney 1 and hold it for a minute or so at the end of a massage. It�s a very nice connection. Now, because of the work we�ve done, we understand why that�s so important and why that makes people feel good. DM: Is there a benefit when you�re connecting them electrically to the grounding to have both feet or one foot or is one foot better than the other or it doesn�t really matter as long as one of the feet are connected at K1? DO: As long as you connect one of the feet. We do both just to have a good connection. That�s the only thing that�s being done. Of course, these rooms are very quiet and nothing else is going on so it�s a controlled situation. We can see what the grounding or the earthing is doing and every major shifts. The first thing is the skin resistance within a fraction of a second. That�s indicating an autonomic nervous system -- it�s indicting a relaxation going from sympathetic to parasympathetic state. It�s sort of described as stress draining out of the body. It�s very relaxing and then things begin to happen with the heart rhythm and the breath and so on. 5 We have now published probably a dozen papers. We have I think a dozen scientists working on the project. We�re finding out a lot about what happens when you connect the body to the Earth and what it�s really helping us with. That is tremendously exciting. Is that it�s helping us understand inflammation. As you know, inflammation is one of the hottest areas in modern biomedicine. There are hundreds of thousands of papers correlating chronic inflammation with chronic diseases of all kinds. My curiosity is why? What is the connection? Why does inflammation, how does inflammation correlate with every disease -- Alzheimer�s, kidney disease, diabetes and so on and so on. Virtually every chronic disease -- for example, cancer, there are over 30,000 scientific studies reporting a correlation between cancer and inflammation. Why is that? What�s going on? What�s going on is now understandable from the kinds of results we�re seeing from studying earthing. So that�s a very exciting thing. For me, this is the most exciting. I�ve worked on a lot of projects. This is a project that can literally help the lives of millions of people around the world. DM: I would have to disagree with you there. There are somewhere between six and seven billion now. I think it�s billions. I mean, there is virtually very few people that wouldn�t benefit from this. The only ones who wouldn�t are those who are actually being grounded everyday themselves because they live in Third World countries. But for those of us who live in industrialized societies, I think that it�s going to benefit virtually everyone. My understanding of this process, this magic that occurs when you�re grounded whether it�s walking barefoot or being connected electrically on K1 or sleeping on grounding sheets, is that there is this transfer of free electrons from the Earth into your body. And these free electrons are probably the ultimate and most potent antioxidants known to man. These antioxidants are responsible for the clinical observations that you�re noticing such as the change in the heart rate variability, the decrease in skin resistance, the decrease in inflammation and all the associated consequences. I�m wondering if you can discuss the science because I couldn�t agree with you more. I think that the potential implications for this innovation -- it literally is Nobel Prize winning but it is just beyond phenomenal. It�s such a simple basic concept. Really part of my reluctance to sharing this initially was it is so simple and there is a lot of skepticism on this. But many years have passed. You�ve done a lot of science. There is a lot of research and studies that have been done. 6 If you could expand on this concept of the free electron transfer and how that impacts the body, it would be great. DO: I have to say that I�m very proud of you for doing this because you provide antioxidants. I take some of your products everyday. You have a deep understanding of the importance of antioxidants. It�s very special to me that you have seen what earthing can do and that you appreciate it. I�m appreciating your appreciation for this phenomenon. What is going on? The first discovery was that people sleep better if they�re grounded. This was done by bringing the ground into the laboratory or into people�s homes and just checking to see how well they could sleep when they�re sleeping on a sheet that is connected to the Earth. Why do they sleep better? It turns out they sleep better because their day-night cortisol rhythm evens out. You can�t sleep well at night if your cortisol is elevated. It�s the stress hormone. That was the first thing that we found out that stress is reduced and people reported feeling better, sleeping better. It turns out that when you sleep better, everything in your physiology works better. There is thousands of studies of the correlation between sleep and health. So that was the first thing. And then we realized that people were sleeping better also because they had less pain. It�s hard to sleep when you�re in pain. So we did some thermography studies. With thermography you can see where inflammation is in the body. It�s a very sensitive method that picks up the heat associated with inflammation. You could literally see the inflammation go away as the heat went away. Joints that were inflamed and were painful stopped being painful and stopped being inflamed sometimes in 20 minutes. There were people who haven�t been able to walk without a cane for years just as one example, after 20 minutes, they said, nothing happened and then they stood up and they said, �Oh my goodness. My knee doesn�t hurt anymore.� DM: I�ve got a point of clarification for you. This improvement that you�re describing occurred when they were connected to K1. Is that correct? DO: Sometimes it�s good to just put the patch right on the place that hurts. DM: That�s what I was asking. Does it make a difference whether you�re in K1 or on the point that is causing the health challenge or pain? DO: If you really want to be sure, you put it on K1 and on the joint that�s painful. In the Tour de France when a cyclist was injured, Jeff would put patches all around the site of injury. They have lots of patches on. 7 DM: Do you think there is a significant additional benefit from the patches versus just sleeping on the grounding sheets? DO: The patches are very useful in a clinical situation where you have a person with a particular -- for example, if you had surgery, it would be good to have the patches post surgical around the site of the incision to speed the healing process. The healing process is definitely speeded up. So the patches are useful in the clinical situation. But for day to day life, the simplest thing you can do is put the sheet on your bed and forget it. You don�t have to do anything else. No refills, you just have the sheet. You don�t have to change your lifestyle in any way at all. It benefits your physiology by every measure that we�ve been able to make. DM: Now that we�ve created some confusion talking about the mechanical logistics of how this works -- let me just clear that up and then we�ll talk about the science again -- the sheets are essentially bed sheets that have silver threads in them and they�re connected to -- these threads are obviously electrical conductors and they�re connected to a grounding device. Initially, that grounding device was a pole that stuck in the Earth and led by a wire up into the bedroom. But now you�ve got an easier, less complex process where you just plug it into the grounding outlet so that you create a grounding circuit and essentially achieve the same process. DO: Right but you have to be sure that the outlet in your home or your apartment is a good ground. We have a little tester that you can use. DM: So you just confirm that. Most of the times, they are but if they�re not of course it�s not going to work. Ultimately, any of these systems are designed to transfer these free electrons. Why don�t you pick it up there and kind of help us understand how this process works because that�s really the key, the foundation. Actually, it�s just such a profoundly beneficial concept that I really want to make sure that we�re clear about the science. DO: This is so interesting. It has to do with what happens when you have an injury. Even the slightest bump, if you bump the door, the immune system immediately responds and sends white blood cells to the place that�s injured. Bigger injuries more white cells. The body knows the size of the injury and how many cells to send to the site of injury. The white cells, they�re called neutrophils. That�s one type. There are a variety of white blood cells. 8 The neutrophils secrete -- it�s called the oxidative burst. It�s basically a reactive oxygen species or reactive nitrogen species sometimes called free radicals. These are like Pac-Man. They are very important molecules that tear things apart. If bacteria have gotten across your skin, these free radicals will destroy the bacteria very quickly. If you have damaged cells, the free radicals will break apart the damaged cells so that there is a space for healthy cells to move in and repair the tissues. That�s known as the inflammatory response, very widely studied. What he have discovered that is truly profound is we understand now why you get the inflammatory response which has five characteristics: Pain, redness, heat, loss of range of motion, and swelling. All of those are the five hallmarks of inflammation and it turns out that that doesn�t have to happen. Inflammation in medicine is considered an important part of the healing process. Inflammation is really an artifact caused by lack of electrons in the tissues. What happens is, the neutrophils deliver the Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) to the site of injury. Some of those free radicals can leak into the surrounding tissue and damage healthy tissue. That�s what gives the inflammatory response. If you have your feet on the ground after an injury; If you fall down and hurt yourself, if you can put the injured area or put your feet on the ground, electrons will come in to your body and spread through your tissues. Any free radicals that leak into the healthy tissue will immediately by neutralized electrically. The electrons are negative, the free radicals are positive, they neutralize each other. So really what is happening with grounding or earthing is you�re protecting your body from -- I call it, collateral damage. Damage that was not intended to take place but does take place because we have disconnected ourselves from the Earth by putting rubber and plastic on the bottoms of our shoes. DM: Let me interject something here too just for clarification. In that the way the traditional antioxidants work such vitamin C, vitamin E, astaxanthin, lutein, all of these powerful biochemicals that many of us take as supplements, the way they work and the only way they work -- coenzyme Q10 is another one -- is that they transfer free electrons. Because once they are oxidized -- they only work in the reduced form. For those who haven�t taken chemistry, that means they have an electron to donate. If they are oxidized, an electron is gone, they don�t work. 9 Perhaps maybe you can help us understand the differences between these traditional antioxidants that most of the people listening to this call or watching it, are taking themselves and this transfer that one gets through grounding or earthing. DO: The difference is that when you take an antioxidant in your diet -- I take Mercola antioxidants everyday and turmeric and other materials that are known to have antioxidant properties -- they of course are digested and they have to cross the digestive tract into the blood stream and they have to make their way to any place where they�re needed. The grounding is a completely different pathway. It�s up through the feet, through the tissues of the body that are able to conduct electrons. One of the problems with the inflammatory response is that it�s well known that when you have inflammation, there is a barricade that forms around the site of inflammation. It�s made from injured cells. It actually is a barrier to the antioxidants that can get in to your system. It�s difficult for them to get across that barricade. It turns out the barricade is conductive to electrons. It�s actually made of collagen which is a semi-conductor. There are semi-conducting molecules all through the body so the dietary antioxidants are very important. I take them everyday. This other method is also very important to deliver antioxidant electrons to any place where there might be free radicals. One of the places that is very important has to do with aging. We could talk about aging if that is a subject� DM: Sure we can go right into that but before we do, I just want to clear up some of the distinctions. Do you believe that there is a synergy -- obviously, you do since you do both, you do the grounding and you take antioxidants. I guess, could one just do grounding or earthing and achieve most of the benefits or is there a synergistic benefit from taking the oral antioxidants or the dietary ones? DO: I think that�s a great question for research. I don�t have an answer. DM: Alright, we don�t know. That�s interesting. It seems to me we need both. Many of these approaches are just based on observation of what our ancestors did. Our ancestors ate healthy raw foods that typically were loaded with these antioxidants and they also walked barefoot on the Earth. It does seem to make sense that we should be doing both, not just one or the other. DO: It makes sense. DM: And then we�ll let the science prove it later. Why don�t you talk about the implications of this transfer of free electrons on our aging process because unless 10 you�re going to die prematurely of an accident, that�s something that all of us are challenged with. We like to retain as much of our function as possible. I think ultimately, we are getting close to the technology where we actually develop the ability to lengthen our telomeres which, I�m sure you�re familiar with it, believed to be one of the primary causes of aging. But until we�re at that level, we need to keep ourselves and our tissues healthy and this transfer of free electrons is one way to do it. Why don�t you help us understand some of the implications on this technology it has for us. DO: The dominant theory of aging is the free radical theory which is that aging occurs because of accumulative damage to the body caused by free radicals. You get free radicals when you have an injury from breathing toxic materials, from breathing, from eating food. If you don�t want any free radicals in your body, you can stop eating and stop breathing but that doesn�t work very well. The reason being that oxygen is very active, very reactive and oxygen is all through the body and can be damaging to the tissue. So there needs to be a balance. That�s probably the answer to your previous question maintaining the appropriate balance of antioxidant molecules and antioxidant electrons in your body. Having everything balanced, we know, is the secret of life. One of the things that happens is we know that dietary restriction -- animals live longer, if they eat less. That�s another practice that I carry out very much. I like to eat and a lot of people do. The reason is there are three kinds of sub-models of the aging process caused by free radicals. One is the mutation idea that free radicals damage DNA. DNA can repair itself to some extent but if you keep damaging it, eventually you can get a mutation which can lead to problems like cancer. The mutation model is one free radical model of aging. Another one is the mitochondrial theory. Mitochondria in every cell in your body are very busy carrying out oxidative metabolism and a byproduct is free radicals. So the mitochondrial theory of aging is that eventually the mitochondria wear out or they just self destruct because of these free radicals. Another theory is the protein cross linking theory which is why you get wrinkles in your skin. The proteins stick to each other, and enzymes don�t work as well. Those are the theories of aging. It looks to me from my study of biophysics and cell biology -- it looks to me like the body is designed with its fabric, its semi-conductive fabric it goes everywhere in the body including inside of every cell. I refer to this system 11 as the living matrix. Those electrons that enter the bottom of your foot can move anywhere in the body. That matrix is poised so that any place where a free radical forms there will be electrons nearby that can neutralize that free radical and prevent any of those processes, mitochondrial damage, cross linking of proteins and mutation, genetic damage. So the whole fabric is basically an antioxidant defense system that is in every part of our body. We have this material called ground substance which is part of the connective tissue. It also goes everywhere in the body. It�s a gel material and it stores electrons. So that if you go barefoot, you will take in electrons and your body will store them and they will be at any point where you might have an injury or any point where a free radical might form nearby will be ground substance that can deliver electrons to prevent collateral damage in case of injury or the other kinds of damage that I just mentioned. DM: I kind of like to view those theories of aging that you mentioned as really more of an accelerated aging because there is this basal rate of aging that even if you�re doing everything perfectly, you�re going to age. That�s believed to be related to telomere shortening. DO: Exactly. DM: I don�t know that optimizing free electron flow would optimize telomere shortening but it would certainly -- that would be the goal to get just to the base and have everything ideal. I really do believe very strongly that within the next decade or two, we�ll have some clinically proven approaches to actually increase the length of our telomeres which is essentially the same as reversing aging. You will grow younger if your telomere is lengthened. At least that�s what it shows in the test tube. The evidence seems pretty compelling which is pretty shocking if you think about it. But in the meantime, we�re not there yet so we need to implement these things. That�s why I think grounding has such profound potential to extending our lifespan to the point we�ll be able to apply these as yet to be discovered technologies. DO: It�s great that you�re on top of all of these. A lot of information comes to you everyday. You process it and pass it on to everyone. DM: I like to share it with people because my passion is health. Not only to stay healthy personally but to teach people how to do that and in the process, uncover a lot of the fraud and deception and the brainwashing that�s occurring because of essentially corruption in the multinational corporate interest who are really deceiving people for their own financial gain which is really sad but nevertheless the reality that we have to deal with. 12 I�m thankful that the internet allows us this platform to help educate people and to share the truth and to give us the opportunity to discuss these new technologies with people like you who are really advancing the science in this really important area. It�s just massively important. Last week, I had a chance to interview another exciting scientist who I believe is one of the top experts in the world on structured water, Dr. Gerald Pollack out of the University of Washington. He�s a professor of Biology there. The reason I mentioned him is that it occurred to me during our discussion that one of the benefits of grounding maybe that it actually structures the water in your body. I certainly didn�t know it before that a quantity of molecules, 99.9% of the molecules in our body, is water. It�s actually the structuring of the water that has this profound amazing benefit. When you actually expose regular water to a negative electrode, it will start to structure. That�s his concept. He put a positive electrode and then it will start to destructure. Of course, when we ground that�s exactly what we�re getting. We�re getting this negative, this transfer of free electrons into our body. I�m wondering if you have been exposed to that concept or if you have any familiarity about grounding as it relates to structuring the water in the matrix in our body. DO: That�s very interesting that you say that. I have not looked into that. I know Pollack�s work. I know of the importance of water. There are people who think there is water system in the body and it is a conductor of protons actually, so we have electrons and protons. There is a relationship between the movement of electrons through the fabric of the body and the structure of the water related to that fabric. I�m getting around to the answer to your question is yes, there is a relationship between free electrons moving in the system and water. It turns out, hydration is extremely important as you know. One of the discoveries made actually in Woods Hole -- when I was working there at the lab across the hall where Albert Szent-Gyorgyi was working on the electronic properties of tissues -- they discovered that if you change the moisture content of tissue by a small amount, there is an enormous increase in conductivity, of semi conduction. So the water shell around the proteins is highly structured and very important to the conduction of energy through the system. Hydration is vital. DM: Is it just simply making sure you�re drinking enough water, high quality water? Is that correct? DO: Right. 13 DM: It�s so easy to get dehydrated. The mistake that most of our culture makes is assuming that tap liquid, as Daniel Vitalis likes to refer to, what flows out of most people�s home faucets is actually suitable for drinking. It really isn�t because it�s loaded with so many toxins like chlorine, disinfection byproducts, fluoride, arsenic, drugs that have been consumed in the community. We really need high quality water to achieve this ideally that�s free from the toxins. DO: One of the things is that a lot of people are dehydrated. Most of the people you see walking around are dehydrated and they are electron deficient. I refer to them as being electron deficient. Their immune system is not ready for an injury. People for example, a lot of people get headaches and they take an aspirin and drink a glass of water. The headache goes away and they give the credit to the aspirin. It�s actually the glass of water that makes their headache go away. So the aspirin bottle should say on the side, in case of a headache, drink a glass of water. DM: It�s certainly a simple�of clean water as you mentioned but that certainly is simple enough and one of the best approaches that most of us don�t do. Actually, sort of taking that a step further, the best water you can get would be highly structured water and the best structuring you can do is to squeeze fresh from organic vegetables and having that green juice. Not so much the fruits but the green vegetables. That will do an enormous benefit for body hydration and something I recommend that people do on a regular basis. It�s a very powerful habit to get into. DO: These are wonderful natural things that can -- natural medicine is on the upswing for sure. DM: As it needs to be. Our current system isn�t working. We�re spending literally well over 2 trillion dollars and it�s vastly on its way to approaching 3 trillion especially with the new healthcare plan passed and really not getting much benefit. Our system is such that we�re really ranked not very high in a world perspective of the quality of care that�s being rendered in this country. We got to make some changes if we�re going to see some improvement. DO: We have the most expensive healthcare system in the world but it is not the best. It�s far down on the list in terms of the quality of healthcare. It�s a tragedy. I�m really hopeful that things will swing around pretty quickly. DM: I think things have to get worse before they get better and then people realize that the current system is not working and they�re going to be seeking alternatives. We�ll be there with the simple ones that people can do with strategies like this that are so powerful. I mean, it�s just basically simple things, you exercise, stay away from grains and sugar, you make sure your vitamin D is optimized and ground yourself. I mean, that is so basic. 14 These things will clearly address the majority of illnesses and probably get up to 70, 80 maybe 90 percent of the challenges that people suffer with. Of course you�re there is going to be room for fine tuning in professional health coaches to help figure out the subtleties of why that isn�t working but that�s a basic strategy that everyone needs to implement. DO: One of the important discoveries, the most recent discovery is that grounding thins the blood, makes it less viscous. This is a profound discovery. Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer in the world. It turns out that every aspect of cardiovascular disease has been correlated with elevated blood viscosity. DM: What�s the best measurement of that problem, the blood viscosity? Is there a simple tool that people can use or it has to be done in a laboratory? DO: I�m sure you know Dr. Sinatra. DM: Yes. DO: He has been coaching us in how to do the measurements and the method of choice is called zeta potential. Measure the actual potential on the red blood cells by seeing how fast they migrate in an electrical field. It turns out that when you ground to the earth, very soon, your zeta potential goes up which means the red blood cells have more charge on their surface and they force each other apart. The blood gets thinner and flows easier. Blood pressure drops. All aspects so far with just our experience with patients with different kinds of cardiovascular problems, all aspects of cardiovascular -- all of the issues are mitigated by grounding. High blood pressure is caused in part because the blood is too thick. The heart has to pump harder. DM: The obvious implication for those who may not fully appreciate that is -- well, these red blood cells are kind of like magnets so they�re repelling each other and as a result, they�re not able to stick together and form a clot. These clots don�t have to be very big to form like a pulmonary embolus which would kill you instantly. But in my mind the more dangerous ones are the really small ones that tend to clog up the arteries in your brain and you get these multi-infarct dementias where you start losing your brain tissue because it�s clotted. If you got this high zeta potential which grounding can facilitate then you�re really radically decreasing not only the heart disease but the brain disease. That is an absolutely frightening epidemic that�s coming up to have one in three Americans losing their brain from Alzheimer�s in the next few decades is not a pretty picture. So we need these basic strategies to help us. To me that�s even more exciting are the neurological implications of this improvement on the blood thinning. 15 DO: Exactly. We�re talking about cardiovascular disease, stroke, all of the inflammatory neurological issues that people can have that can be very disruptive and very painful. DM: That�s exciting. Dr. Sinatra has done a lot of this research too. An interesting component is that when I first was exposed to this as I mentioned earlier, a lot of this research wasn�t done. We didn�t even know about the zeta potential and the decrease in the blood viscosity at that time and since it�s been learned, that that is the case. I mean, this is new great science. One of the other interesting areas that I was very excited to learn about and actually have started to do it myself now is to ground when you are exercising. Previously, it was really obvious to me that we should be taking antioxidants during exercise because it increases free radicals and it�s probably a good idea. But it would seem the best way to do this is to be grounded when you�re exercising. Ideally the simplest way is just to run barefoot. I�m not a particular fan of long distance running but you could do sprinting and stuff but if you�re doing it while you�re connected to the earth, there is no problem. There are other systems that you can do that while you�re exercising in a gym or something. I�m wondering if you can comment on the benefit or the recommendation of grounding while you�re exercising. DO: Actually, we did a study and this was done at the University of Oregon using a method called delayed onset muscular soreness. It�s the only way that we can in the laboratory cause inflammation to human beings legally. What happens is with delayed onset muscular soreness is that you over exert. You lift something that is too heavy and you do it too many times and then you stop doing that and the next day, your muscles hurt and they are inflamed. DM: Which many of us view as actually a good thing. We like to push to the point where we have a little pain the next day that we know we�re really worked out. DO: Exactly. This is a way of doing that in a controlled manner and seeing if you can speed up the recovery, speeds up resolving the pain. Grounding, earthing seems to be the best method that�s ever been found for speeding the recovery from delayed onset muscular soreness in a controlled study. This proves the pain reduction aspect of grounding. DM: Let me try to understand a little better. So are you suggesting that by grounding during the exercise you actually were able to prevent the delay of the onset of muscle soreness or actually just increase the recovery from it? DO: You speed the recovery. What you�re recovering from is inflammation. Dr. Brown who did these studies measured the changes in the blood in all of the various cells of 16 the immune system and you could follow the changes in the immune system. There was definitely less inflammation as shown by changes in blood profiles and in recorded pain that resulted from the excessive exercise. DM: So it seems like that really should be a new almost universal recommendation when you�re exercising especially when you�re pushing it and you�re creating all these free radicals or also doing strength training exercises is to really make sure that you�re grounded. And sleep grounded because it�s going to continue the healing process and decreasing inflammation and improve the recovery rate. DO: I gave a workshop in London, a two-day workshop, and I talked about grounding the first day and the second day, when I got there to the class, one of the students was all excited. He said, �You know, I�ve been doing this exercise where I go up on the balls of my feet. For 20 minutes, I just lift my heels off the ground�� DM: Calf raises. DO: Yeah. �I forgot this is a chi-gong exercise.� He said, �I forgot that the chi-gong teacher told me to do this barefoot on the earth. So I�ve been doing it for 20 years in my living room. This morning, I went out and I did it in the garden in my bare feet. It made all the difference in the world. It was fantastic.� Yoga should be done grounded. Exercise grounded, fantastic idea. DM: Especially if you do many of things like tai chi or chi-gong. Ideally you would do it outside. Let me just expand on that too and maybe you can help us understand the differences but this grounding can occur when you�re connected to the earth. So that will interestingly also occur when you�re on concrete because concrete I believe has water going through it so that allows electrons to pass through. But materials like asphalt or any wood or any typical insulators, plastic; certainly, that will not allow it. But being in the water at the beach or on the sand that will also work. Maybe you just expand a little bit on that so people can understand how they can get grounded outside and how they might not get grounded. DO: The best thing you can do is go to the beach and put your bare feet into the sea water. It�s fantastic. Sea water is a great conductor. That�s probably the best grounding you can get at the beach. That�s part of the reason people like to go to the beach and run along the beach. The wet sand in their bare feet, it�s so good for them. Concrete is a good conductor if it hasn�t been sealed. If it�s been painted it probably is not a good conductor. DM: Interestingly, I live in Chicago and then as we have this interview it�s 4 degrees outside. So I escape to -- previously in Maui or South Florida this year but it�s all in the beach. Can you help us understand the differences between actually being in the ocean 17 and getting grounded that way versus being just on the grass or walking on ground. Is it just a matter of the quantity of the electron flow? DO: I think so because the sea water is a very good conductor. So when you put your feet in the seawater, your feet are just surrounded with this great conductor. The electrons from the Earth travel better through seawater probably than through the Earth�s crust. Although the Earth�s crust is a good conductor of electrons, seawater is the best. We have seawater inside of us in our circulatory system. So that�s a very good connection. Asphalt is not a good way to get grounded and as you said, wood isn�t. Moist grass is fantastic -- when the dew is still on the grass. In Europe, there are places where people go for two hours. There is a custom of walking first thing in the morning, two hours walking through the grass in your bare feet. They�re very healthy people. DM: So the converse of that is if you�re in more arid or dessert-like environments where the grass or the shrubbery is really parched and there is not a lot of water in the top soil that�s not going to be as good a conductor. Would that be true? DO: Probably not as good but there is still some connection. DM: There was a book published earlier this year which I believe is called Earthing. Really a phenomenal summary of what we�re discussing. One of the interesting concepts in that book which I wasn�t aware of prior to reading it was that and I like you to review is that the further you go away from the surface of the Earth the larger the differential is in the volts. I don�t really quite fully understand it. I mean, even just standing from the ground to the top of your head either five or six feet there is over 100 volts difference and if you go to 10 or 20 or 100 feet, where you go on a high-rise building, it becomes enormous because it�s a difference. Can you help explain that and expand on the concept which I�m a bit confused on but I thought it was a really very crucial point to consider and one that I wasn�t aware of before reading the book. DO: There is a huge difference between standing outside in your bare feet and standing outside in shoes. Basically the Earth�s surface is electrically charged and can push electrons up in your body. So the top of your head to the earth, there is a potential as you described, you don�t feel it particularly. It doesn�t cause any -- even though it can be a couple of hundred volts -- it doesn�t cause any particular current to flow. It would give you a shock. What happens is when the weather changes the potential can go up enormously. It can go from a hundred volts per meter to 10,000 volts per meter. That�s pre lightning. We�re talking about the potential that gives rise, that causes lightning to come to the earth. That voltage is well known and well understood. 18 Trees, it sort of creates an umbrella effect that protects you from electromagnetic fields actually. We talked about the umbrella effect in the book. DM: How does this potential get there? Is it an artifact of just a separation from the Earth, the further you go, the bigger the difference is and as a result of that difference, there has to be an electrical potential? DO: It�s the potential between the surface of the earth and the ionosphere hundreds of miles up which is very electrically active, very much charged by the solar wind, the charged particles that come from the sun. Those charged particles eventually reach the Earth by lightning and electrify the entire surface of the Earth so that anywhere you touch the Earth, there are electrons. They come originally from the sun, to the ionosphere to the earth. There is no lightning happening right here right now but somewhere there is lightning, a constant current flow from the ionosphere to the earth. Those are the electrons that our body needs to have the immune system function properly. DM: So the higher up you are separated from the surface of the Earth, the higher this difference would be and the worse the implications for your health if you�re not grounded, is that correct? So that if you live in a high rise building and you�re not grounded and you�re on the 20th floor or the 50th floor, that�s going to be a potentially more significant health consequence to you than just living on the first floor or even the second floor. Can you go into that? DO: I think you�re right about that. I think eventually, we will have our buildings redesigned, our living spaces, our working spaces redesigned in a way that keeps us in contact with the Earth as much as possible. The key thing is not the voltage. The key thing is having those electrons enter your body so that they are available for your immune system to function properly. DM: Because modifying your living space to have this free electron availability to you is relatively easy to do if you design it in from the beginning. But this is a totally new concept and it�s not recognized and utilized at all in any of the professional architectural plans but it�s just a matter of us bringing this awareness to them and it should be easily adopted. DO: I talked to a spa conference a couple of years ago in Monaco. I told them they need to be aware of grounding because it makes such a difference. They have lovely pictures of people stretching out in the sun on a piece of wood. If they were stretching out on a grounded surface, it would make all the difference in the world. So you go the spa to get healthy but there should be a place where you can go and learn how to be grounded and the importance of grounding and you should be grounded 19 as much as possible all the time. I have a pad under my computer desk and I have my bare feet on it all the time while I�m using my computer. Just as an example, you can�t get carpal tunnel if you�re grounded. Carpal tunnel is tendonitis and inflammation of the retinaculum, connective tissue around your wrist. That inflammation will not happen if you�re grounded. So you can use the computer all day, all night and not have it bother you. So that�s very important for people who work at computer stations. DM: Absolutely. They still should probably have an ergonomic keyboard and pay attention to the biomechanics but clearly, I mean, just for health reasons, they should be grounded but it�s certainly nice to get the additional benefit of reducing carpal tunnel. You can also do this in your vehicles. A significant risk for those of us who travel is being 30 to 35 thousand feet up in a plane and being exposed to radiation dangers because we�re so high up. It is possible to ground yourself on a plane. Forget the plane, we can just talk about the more significant dangers of living in our environment either at home or work or school the electromagnetic radiation in that. I�ve talked a lot about it on the site. It�s clearly a danger and a risk. You don�t want to be holding a cellphone to your head. Even the most committed person is going to be exposed to the radiation just in the environment. Can you help us understand how being grounded will minimize your health damage or risk from this radiation whether it�s in your homes, school, at work or at 35,000 feet in the air. DO: We don�t emphasize this as much as we emphasize the importance for your immune system to have electrons from the Earth. However, you can measure the potential on your body with a simple volt meter. This is really how Clint got started on this. He had a volt meter. He made a little thumbtack sized terminal that he could hold with his thumb and the other terminal on the volt meter measuring AC volts connected to a wire that he plugged into the ground about a foot long plugged into the ground. He was measuring the potential on his body relative to the earth. He walked around his house and found some places where there is a lot of electricity on his body. If you put your head near a fluorescent lamp, the voltage goes way up. He found out that his bedroom was very electrically active. The wires that are hidden in the wall behind the bed. The wires that go to your bed lamp; to your clock radio. The worst thing of all is an electric blanket. It really electrifies you. Once he realized that, he wondered what would happen if he grounded his body. So he rigged up a simple thing on his bed so that he could ground himself and he laid down on 20 the bed. This is the real story of how all of this began. He laid down on his bed that was connected to the Earth, he looked at his volt meter and he was reading just a couple of millivolts, a few thousands of a volt. The next thing he knew it was the next morning. He had the best sleep he had had for years. He didn�t take his pain meds before he went to sleep. He was totally surprised. So that�s what got him started in realizing how important it was to sleep grounded. For sure it lowers the voltage that�s induced into your body basically capturing your electrons and making them vibrate back and forth 60 times a second. That goes down to virtually zero when you ground yourself while you�re in bed. It�s like your body repels the electrical field in your environment. Those fields are there even when your bed lamp is turned off. The wires going to your bed lamp and to your clock radio, and to other appliances are irradiating you with 60 cycle electricity. There is controversy about whether that is good for you or not good for you. We don�t want to get too wrapped up on that because the main thing is the importance of the electrons as antioxidants. But you definitely have less induced voltage on your body if you�re grounded. DM: So this less induced voltage will translate to a protection against the well documented damages from exposure to this type of radiation? DO: Exactly. DM: Whether you�re flying which is a significant issue or being exposed sleeping in your bedroom. A number of really astute clinicians advise for everyone to actually have a switch where you could turn of all the electricity to your bedroom at night so that you�re sleeping in an electrically neutral environment. That�s a bit cumbersome for most. More than likely one would achieve the same benefits if they were grounded. DO: I think so. It is a good idea to switch off your electricity. You have to put a relay on your power system for your home or you�ll have to isolate which circuits are the ones that are electrifying you while you�re in bed. That�s a process and it can be done. The grounding does the job. DM: For those who maybe engaging in a new home construction one of the simple strategies that they can use is to make sure that their wiring is actually in a metal conduit which will essentially cancel out, because it�s a cylinder, the radiation. Then there will be no radiation behind the walls, it will only be coming out if you plug something in to an outlet. You can actually get electrical cords that are either grounded or neutralized so they don�t have that field either. I forgot the term that it�s called for. It is important to pay attention to details here. Ideally, you want to do both. I mean get rid of that radiation and then also be grounded for all the other benefits and reasons. 21 DO: Yes, and you also need to be sure you�re not sleeping next to a source of a rotating field such as a refrigerator has. Those fields aren�t good for you. I did a survey of a woman�s home. She was very particular. She had her whole house rewired, electrical metal conduit put in everywhere. She had me checkout her house and everything was good until I got to the desk where she sat to open her mail. On the other side of her wall, was her refrigerator in her kitchen. She was opening her mail in a place that had a rotating magnetic field from the refrigerator motor. She was horrified. But she realized that she was now aware of something in her environment that she could change that would probably have a health benefit. DM: In any of the electrical devices in a home it�s probably is the most pernicious and dangerous is that refrigerator. That field will go through like a hot knife though butter through a wall. That wall will not stop it or slow it down in the least. The only way to minimize is to really increase the distance between yourself and that source. You go to look at the back of your refrigerator as a very dangerous source. You want to stay at least 5 feet away from that on the other side. The more distance the better. DO: And don�t have your kids watch the food cooking in the microwave oven. DM: Ideally, you don�t have the microwave oven. We strongly recommend that people consider safer forms of heating your food like infrared but not microwave. The only way why I tell people to do the microwave oven is if you have a relative or a neighbor that they don�t particularly care for and give it to them as a gift. Get it out of their house. A really important thing. Do you have any other points of information you would like to share about the science or the benefits of this earthing and grounding. DO: One of the things that�s very important to me is that my dog sleeps on a grounded pad -- we have these little cushions that have the silver material on the surface. If your dog doesn�t go outside, it�s very helpful to have a grounding place and they love it. They go there. Dogs and cats will go and sleep on a grounded surface. They can tell that it�s good for them. That�s a very important aspect of our lives, our pets. DM: I agree. My girlfriend has two cats. I would just confirm the same observation is that there is a grounding sheet on the end of her bed and the cats just absolutely migrate to that and they spend most of their time on that sheet in the winter so they�re not going outside. Typically in the summer, they would go outside on the patio but it�s interesting that they will migrate to that one. They like it. They�re smart. DO: They know what�s good. DM: We can learn a lot from our pets. No question. 22 I want to thank you for your time, effort, and energy in your work in this field and helping us understand that profound benefits of this. The book is a good resource, Earthing. Do you have any other recommendations that you would advice for people who would like more information? DO: The book refers to the Earthing Institute. EarthingInstitute.net has the research papers, information on the benefits and information on the research that we�ve done. Earthing.com is the place to go if you�re interested in connecting yourself to the Earth inside your home and where you work or getting the various technologies for bringing the benefits of Mother Earth right into your home. So you can spend as much time as you can grounded. It turns out that the autoimmune diseases especially, Clint has found that in every case of autoimmune disease -- and there are a lot of them -- people benefit from grounding. This is MS and lupus and countless others. DM: Rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease would be the other big players in that area. It is a profoundly important area. It�s interesting too that my observation is that there are two other characteristics of those with an autoimmune disease is that they almost universally have a low vitamin D. If you think about it, the way we�re ideally designed to get vitamin D is to be outside having the sun on our skin and typically at least our ancestors when they were outside were frequently grounded and barefoot. Obviously, there is a very strong correlation there that it would make sense. I wasn�t aware of it until you mentioned that there was this connection. That�s something I want to add to my recommendations for those with autoimmune disease because vitamin D works really well as does addressing some of these emotional traumas that occur in earlier age. But grounding should be clearly added to that list of recommended therapies. DO: People are stronger when they�re grounded. The weightlifters notice the difference. My recommendation for any athlete is before an event, stand barefoot for 15 minutes and two things will happen. You will have more energy and your electron reservoirs in your body will become saturated so that if you do fall down or bump into somebody or have some kind of injury, it will heal very quickly. DM: How long does the saturation last? Is it a matter of seconds, minutes, hours? What rate does the dissipation of those free electrons occur? DO: I don�t know. We need to find that out. Definitely the body changes back if you�re wearing insulating shoes. You lose your electrons and I don�t know how quickly. DM: I think the take home message is to get grounded as much as possible. Ideally you do that through the environment. If that�s not a practical option as it is for most of us 23 certainly in the northern areas of the U.S. and most of the U.S. in the winter that�s just not going to be happening regularly because it�s just not part of nature for us to do that. But if you can, you know, it�s the summer then definitely get outside as much as you can barefoot. I�m very excited about applying this personally when I leave for my winter retreat in South Florida to be grounded. One of the things I despise most about winter is the fact that I actually have to put shoes on and socks. I just don�t like it. I like to be without shoes on the ground. It really is personally very appealing to me to not to have to do that. DO: Good idea. When are you heading South? DM: After the holidays. Thank you again, for all your time, effort, and energy and information in helping to enlighten us on this really important area, an emerging area, an innovative component of understanding how we can benefit from exposing our bodies to these free electrons from the Earth. DO: I thank you for helping people understand this and many other important emerging techniques that can make us feel better and get more out of our lives. Thank you for all your good work. [END]
Posted by hoot (Member # 19281) on :
A little hard to earth outside today...huge snowstorm in the Chicago area (and many other places...). Good thing I have my earthing pad/sheet.
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
Got my lovely soft star shoes via lymesentinal blog! Very warm!
As i dont have the wrist bands I am now using a sock to earth just one foot using a little of the sheet.
I am trying to Earth all the time.
I think I agree that starting with the wrist band on the foot K1 might be best for us sensitive types.
Take care wallace
Posted by hoot (Member # 19281) on :
wallace-- spoke with my son's BodyTalk practitioner about doing the treatments as outlined in the book on one's own person. He said this is not a problem. Just follow the cortices example on video. He said the book gives some of the basics but if you want to experience it at a deeper level, you need to see a trained BT person.
Posted by dogmom2 (Member # 23822) on :
Hi, I'm wondering how the wrist band is different than the emf attenuating devices(blue bead, cell phone chips, etc.) that are out there. Those make me a bit agitated so not sure I can tolerate the wrist band, but would like to try. and where would I get one?
If you read the long interview on the end of page 3 with James Oschman he says all the studies were done with the wrist band on the K1 on one foot.
Do you pray before you earth or go barefoot?
Some religions see going barefoot as a form of penitence!
A Benedictine Monk ... Definition ...
A Benedictine Monk is one who by taking the Vows of Religion (Poverty, Chastity & Obedience) binds himself to the monastic life in its integrity.
The essence of living a monastic life, is for the formation of a community of Monks, bound to live together until death, under the Holy Rule of St. Benedict, in common life, in the monastery (Abbey) of their Profession, as a Religious Family, leading a life not of marked austerity but devoted to the service of God.
The Abbey (monastery) in which they live is the fixed abode of the community and consists principally of a Church, Chapter-house, Cloisters, Refectory, Cells for the Monastic�s, Library, Work-rooms, Guest Quarters, Parlours and any other ancillary facilities that are needed in being a self-contained community.
The Monks of Holy Rosary Abbey live the life according to the Holy Rule of St. Benedict, to the best of their ability, given the climate of society today. They live together in common, sharing all that they have with the entire community.
The traditional Benedictine Holy Habit, which consists of the Tunic, Scapular, Cowl, Cincture, Rosary and Benedictine Crucifix, is worn at all times in this Benedictine House. Although Monks are generally barefoot (discalced), this is not always possible, but at this particular Abbey, the practice of being discalced is not only encouraged, but practiced by most of the Monastic�s. The Holy Habit represents our life, our commitment to the service of God and His Church in this world, as well as our outward sign of our life freely chosen: that of poverty, penance and sacrifice.
Posted by dogmom2 (Member # 23822) on :
Can I just buy the wrist band to try? It doesn't have the cord like the kit of bands does. Is that okay?
thanks
Posted by hoot (Member # 19281) on :
You need to be grounded for it to work...so you will need the cord with the wrist band. Otherwise, if you live in a warm climate, you can just walk barefoot on wet sand, damp grass or unpainted concrete, etc (no wrist band needed).
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
Anyone here tried pulsing Earthing as you would do with a abx?
Posted by dogmom2 (Member # 23822) on :
hoot, thanks. I've tried just siting outside with bare feet on the dirt for about 15-20 min. but haven't noticed anything yet.
Posted by arenele (Member # 29360) on :
Not that many Lymies noticed much from this earthing as I see it.
Should we give it more time?
Posted by hoot (Member # 19281) on :
I think you get more benefits the longer you do it. Just because you don't notice anything does not mean it is not helping. According to studies, after an hour of earthing, the blood is more fluid (increased zeta potential so the red blood cells repel each other instead of clumping together).
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
At the moment just earthing while I am sleeping. Less is more!
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
Earthing giveaway and important info on how you need a voltmetre. Click on comments at the end.
I am on a third floor so using the rod isnt a option for me. Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
Buy a voltmeter!
From the comments on the above post
Alix said... Wallace, Good questions. "The Earthing folks" have confirmed the necessity of the voltmeter. I've had direct conversations with Dr. Amalu (he's done Earthing research and is cited in the book). And, he and I tested outlets together last month with both the outlet checker and the voltmeter. The voltmeter is indeed the true test. It will be obvious once you play around with it. Oh, and it's possible to Earth on any story - the cord just has to be long enough. A rod and insulated copper wire from the hardware store will work just fine, except they have to be fitted at the end (spliced) with Earthing attachments if you are using any indoor Earthing stuff designed to fit in a standard outlet.
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
have no way of using the ground rod as I am surrounded by concrete. I need to move!
I will try to sleep with friends so i can test out the ground rod.
I am unable to get a stable signal with my tester.
Posted by Wallace (Member # 4771) on :
The last fews days I have put the iron pole in healthy houseplant and immediately got the flu plus fever!
Does anyone think this could have some grounding effect? Could one measure that with a voltmetre and a stable current?
This weekend I am staying with friends so will try out the pole in the real ground!
Posted by suz9601 (Member # 6968) on :
Just read the book on this. It is interesting..anyone have any updates? At least Spring is coming soon so I plan to try it outside as much as I can. Not sure about the pad/sheets, etc yet.
Posted by MichaelTampa (Member # 24868) on :
still connected through grounding plug during sleep. still think it helps.
Posted by Mo (Member # 2863) on :
up for any new experiences.
i always feel better earthing in the barefoot, contact with earth/water.
i never realized why or how powerful it can be.
i'm thinking of digging a cave!
how are folks doing with the mats/sleeping pads?
Posted by Brussels (Member # 13480) on :
Yes, Mo, best is walking barefoot or just sitting on your garden barefoot. Lyme sufferers have a psychological problem with that due to ticks, but I do find it is the best. The best deep sleep I ever get is when I'm touching the wet grass with my feet, in some afternoon naps I got, even with all the telephone antennas around.
Earthing the bed is also good, but not as efficient.
You got to protect yourself against EMRs (protecting against mobile phones, wireless devices, external antennas AND your own house wiring). I covered my bedroom walls with alu foil on the height of my bed, earthed these foils too, earthed my bed as it is a metal bed, connected myself with copper wires under my sheets to the earth AND still turn off the circuit breaker.
The quality of sleep is not comparable to sleeping barefoot on my garden, but it is much better than not doing that all!!!
Dr. K. said one of the fastest ways to get rid of cancer is to dig a hole and lay down inside it for about 30 minutes a day, if my memory is good.
Some humidity is necessary (so a thin sheet will do the job), so that your skin touches it. Then go out 10 minutes a day on the twilight exposing maximum of skin. In Japan, there is a hospital using that to treat all types of cancer with a lot of success!!
If you use the pendulum or muscle test, you can even CHOOSE the best place to connect yourself, as the quality of places vary. Some are better than others, but generally, just connecting to grass is enough!
I did earthing only after my lyme was gone, but if I had to re-start again, I would do this from start. Easy to do and unexpensive.
Posted by Mo (Member # 2863) on :
thanks selma!
i have perfect places to test for this, and can easily get to them.
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) . I think it will come today. I will let you know how it goes. He has neuropathy (from newly diagnosed diabetes...or maybe lyme).
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and it seems as though I am dreaming more (or remembering that I have had dreams). I don't have any chronic health issues. I think I read that the people with more serious issues may see more...![[Wink]](wink.gif)
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...because they might be for my son with autism). He seems to move more fluidly and can walk/run faster when he is not wearing shoes or boots. If he can not or does not want to wear them, I will take them since we wear the same size right now.![[kiss]](graemlins/kissing.gif)
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