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| Photo Courtesy Dave Goodman's photostream |
Science proves benefit of going barefoot! I know I always feel better when I've been barefoot out in the garden, but I didn't know there is some scientific validity to it.
I love being barefoot outside, working in the garden or the yard. I love the feel of the soil and grass beneath my feet. I love sticking my feet into the tumbling waters of my creek, and when I was a kid I loved splashing in the ocean. I suppose subconsciously I feel 'connected' when I do that, but frankly, I just never gave much conscious thought to it. I suppose you don't either.
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| Photo Courtesy ecnadniar's photostream |
Then I came across "Earthing"... the interaction of the life-energy of the earth and the human system, and it all began to make sense.
We all know about grounding electrical devices so they don't shock us, and most of us have experienced the shock of walking across a carpet on a low-humidity day and then touching something metal like the doorknob, and getting a shock... or getting zapped in winter just by touching the car door as we exit the car. But even when no sparks are jumping, there is still a high voltage between our bodies and the ground, and our body is surrounded with an invisible electric field.
If you think about it, we are surrounded by electricity in many forms. Electromagnetic fields are all around us... microwaves, radio waves, portable phones, cell phones, computers, fluorescent lights, even the crackling during an electrical storm scatters electricity. We are constantly bombarded by voltage-induced inflammatory stress our grandfathers would never have imagined.
Our houses are grounded by a bare copper wire from every electrical outlet that runs back through the electric panel which is connected to a long metal conducting rod driven into the earth to discharge (ground) that build-up of electrical current (free radicals). Technically, that ground rod discharges the positively-charged, electron-seeking free radicals into the earth where they are neutralized by negatively-charged electrons. Free radicals (+) are constantly seeking electrons (-) to which they can attach themselves. Everything strives to be in balance!
When we touch the earth with our bare feet, the same thing happens... we discharge the electrical current that has built up in our bodies. Even though we are not visibly 'plugged-in' to any electrical source, our bodies run largely off of bio-electricity, and we have organs dedicated to sensing electromagnetic impulses, both inside and outside the body. The pineal and pituitary glands are both directly tied to the body's ability to sense and actively experience electromagnetic phenomenon.
Our nervous system is based entirely on the ability to transmit electric pulses. Every cell within the human body pumps ions in and out of the cell for energy purposes (this is called the Sodium-Potassium pump, and can be found in all animal life).
"Recent scientific innovations have discovered that the [rubber] shoe sole completely blocks all the free electrons that shield and nourish the entire earth. When you step outside barefoot, especially when you step onto stone, you are encompassed at the speed of light with free electrons that the earth just gives you – all day, every day – all night, every night – forever. As soon as we put this (the shoe) on, it’s gone – totally gone. We are insulated.
There's a great photo by Dr. Stephen Sinatra the 'source' link just above, showing blood cells before and after Earthing. Before, the cells show massive clumping and irregularity... and 40 minutes later they show relatively uniform and symmetrical cell disbursement. I highly recommend reading the whole article, where the health benefits I haven't mentioned here are fully discussed.
There's far more to Earthing than "just" the exchange of ions when we go barefoot. The Earth is a living organism, capable of healing us, and itself. All our 'medicines' come from the Earth in some form... originally from plants (including medicinal herbs) and more currently, from chemicals. But those chemicals didn't come on a shuttle from outer space. Nothing we ever touch came from outside the Earth, except maybe a meteor fragment.
I've always been a barefoot girl. My podiatrist yelled at me and told me to wear crocs. I'm still barefoot most of the time. Even now!
ReplyDeleteBet you are healthier because of it, too!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this article a lot, Darius. Click on my name to see a review I wrote of "Earthing."
ReplyDeleteInteresting, I have a parallel idea. I think we suffer by always being on flat surfaces. I suffer severe degenerative disks in my neck and back. I made the floor in my house in a cobble stone manner. Yes I'm barefoot most of the time and in contact with the earth in my own home. At the time I was thinking the slight variation in footing would use my whole foot and help cushion my back. It does seem to help. Anyway I'm always "Earthing" in my own home...go figure!
ReplyDeleteBetter to come in and read this late than never. Thanks for such a wonderful article, Darius. I am going to seriously try earthing and see how it helps me out with all the inflammatory issues I have. I grew up barefoot in the tropics and never wore shoes (except to church) until I was about 9 years old and two years later I started having major issues with pain complexes. When I do go barefoot I know I feel so much better but can't do it outside here due to a nasty weed that the locals call goatheads. BUT we have been discussing removing the carpet in our home and just live with the concrete floors until we can afford new flooring (not carpet). Lately I have been thinking of doing mosaic pattern edging with a granite tile floor since we can get all the leftover granite from a business that sells counter tops. They used to haul all their pieces left to the landfill but lately we have been getting all of it so I have a pretty good stockpile of it already and will continue to save and now probably do my floor so I can do the earthing in style. Thanks again for this article. Ponditis from DG(Lani)
ReplyDeleteLani, glad you stopped by! Good luck on the flooring, the mosaic and granite sounds much better than carpet!
Deletesomeone told me, in russia it is method to garden barefeet. but from a different perspective. they say, we loose our toxins through our feet and by walking barefeet, the garden takes on our toxins. The plants again, take them in and when we eat them, we clear our body homeopathically of the toxins.
ReplyDeletei dont know if this makes sense.. but i can imagine there is something in there
Well, it makes sense to me about the toxins. Thanks!
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