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Mindstates
Earthing: Solving the Riddle of Inflammation
by David Gersten, M.D
Over the last decade scientists have concluded that eighty chronic diseases are caused by inflammation. Any illness that ends with the letters “itis” is an inflammatory disease, such as: arthritis, dermatitis, and colitis. Lupus, MS, and fibromyalgia are also inflammatory. Doctors treat each illness as if it were a separate entity, but it is becoming clear that the “process” of illness is where we need to focus our attention. When we understand the process of inflammation, we can put an end to an enormous amount of suffering.
For more than a year I have incorporated a new technology, Earthing, into my holistic medical practice—a technology that dramatically reduces inflammation. Earthing has been extensively researched and is used by tens of thousands of people, including hundreds of professional and world-class athletes.
The research behind Earthing has led to the development of Barefoot Connections products. They are conductive sheets that, through our home’s grounding system, allow us to re-connect to the earth while we sleep, which is the most important time for rejuvenating our bodies. To understand the Barefoot Connection, we need to understand “Earthing,” which is what happens when we are in barefoot contact with the earth’s healing, bioelectrical fields.
After people have slept “earthed” for 2 to 8 weeks, inflammation is largely turned off. In addition, sleeping earthed heals adrenal stress and burnout. An early study on Earthing done by Dr. Ghali showed that all subjects had normal cortisol levels after sixty days. Cortisol is the main adrenal stress hormone.
Sleeping on a Barefoot Connection sheet has been proven to:
- Improve energy
- Enhance recovery
- Improve sleep
- Relieve muscle tension
- Reduce stress
- Restore normal biological rhythms
We are now able to begin treating the cause of disease and not just symptoms. Earthing is the most powerful and significant health technology I have found in 33 years as a medical doctor.
The Earth’s Restorative Power
To understand Earthing, we need to understand the earth’s bioelectrical field. Recall what it feels like to stand barefoot on grass or sand. We all feel good when we’re in barefoot contact with the earth. Why?
When making direct contact with the earth, we are electrically grounded. A layer of free electrons covers the earth. When we walk barefoot on the beach, we feel peaceful and grounded. Part of that is due to our spiritual connection to nature. A huge factor is that our bodies become charged with free electrons when we’re in direct contact with the earth.
What Is Inflammation?
The Earth’s free electrons, which have a negative charge, neutralize free radicals, which are positively charged. A free radical is a charged molecule that is missing an electron. Because we have lost touch with the earth, free radicals continuously build up in our bodies with no way for them to be neutralized–until now.
Inflammation, oxidative stress, and free radical damage all involve the same thing, namely free radicals, positively charged particles that cause damage by stripping electrons from healthy tissue. When we are in barefoot contact with the earth, billions of free electrons enter our bodies every second, neutralizing free radicals and hence inflammation. The earth’s infinite supply of free electrons are probably the most powerful antioxidants in existence.
Here’s a simple illustration of the inflammatory response. Whenever our skin is cut, inflammation kicks in. Blood vessels dilate, and a variety of white blood cells pour into that area to kill infections (bacteria, parasites, and mold), carry off wound debris, and heal the area. White blood cells have several functions, but an important function is the explosive release of free radicals, or “reactive oxygen species”(ROS). It’s a shotgun approach. Our immune response pours out large amounts of free radicals to kill infections, but the amount of free radicals is not carefully measured, and large amounts of free radicals enter the blood stream, where they are harmful.
Good Inflammation / Bad Inflammation
What happens when the inflammatory process turns against us? The immune response sprays healthy tissue with free radicals. For example, in arthritis, bursts of ROS attack joints, stripping electrons from bone and cartilage.
By re-connecting with the earth’s infinite supply of free electrons, we are able to neutralize the free radicals that “are” inflammation. Here are a few vignettes of people for whom I’ve recommended Barefoot Connection sheets.
1. Theresa, 97 years old, has had arthritis for 15 years. After sleeping earthed for three days, her pain had decreased by 80 percent. This is a common response to Earthing. Arthritis is usually a vicious cycle in which pain causes depression and insomnia, and things slowly get worse. I am now witnessing the reversal of the “process” that causes inflammation.
2. The impact on sleep is astounding. “I just had the best sleep I’ve had in 20 years.” Frequently I receive that kind of E-mail or phone call after someone has slept on a Barefoot Connection product for just one night. My experience is that 95 percent of people experience dramatically improved sleep.
Based on clinical observation and double-blind research studies, Earthing is now fully integrated into my practice of nutritional medicine. The power and simplicity of Earthing cannot be over-estimated. It is an infinite supply of free electrons, which enter our bodies and neutralize the free radicals that cause inflammation.
For more information call 760.778.1200 or visit www.earthfx.net.