This is the second post of my “Healthy Living Begins At Home” series- devoted to discovering how to make our homes and our clients’ homes places that support health and vitality.
While there are so many advantages to living our modern lives, in terms of health, there is notable advantage that our ancient ancestors had over us- they stayed grounded all of the time. They had more direct contact with the earth.
Before the advent of synthetic and non-conductive materials, our ancestors had naturally conductive footwear and mats to sleep on, allowing them have regular cell regeneration and physiological states that avoid inflammation. They reportedly had their health stabilized by being grounded to the earth.
We now live removed from the earth, walking in non-conductive footwear and sleeping on mattresses far removed from the healing ground energy of the earth. And, it seems to be having a huge negative effect on our well-being.
According to Dr. John Briffa,
"when the body loses contact with the earth it can carry a positive voltage relative to the Earth. Some people believe this is not good for health and wellbeing. Earthing the body returns the voltage to zero which is, supposedly better for us...If the body has a positive charge on it, Earthing allows electrons to flow into the body where, in theory, they can neutralise overblown free radical and inflammatory damage."
Is this snake oil or a legitimate path to vitality? To answer that question I skipped on reading uninformed online opinions and went straight to see research results. Clinical trials have confirmed the effectiveness of this technology in this academic journal. And, chapter 38 of this energy medicine book confirms the same.
I’m in. Why not?! But how to do this while maintaining my lovely lifestyle?
Rather than calling for a return to nature, because, frankly, few us would really want to face nature’s harsh ways around the clock just to stay connected, modern science came upon an amazing solution to this problem: “Earthing” or “grounding” products.
These products help us get the same benefit of having our bare skin (hands and feet) in direct contact with the earth, i.e., a forest floor, wet grass, sand, or natural bodies of water, such as a river, lake, or the sea. Yet, they do it through an unexpected channel- the grounding of our home’s electrical circuitry.
Yes, you heard me right.
Your wall outlets are the gateway to your health.
Who knew?
What one does is get themselves an earthing throw blankets, bed sheets, or pillow cases, and plug it into the grounding outlet. Then, while you sit, work, sleep, or watch tv, all of the buildup of electromagnetic charges from modern technologies- such as wifi and cellular signals- releases through the ground device, and you are left in a neutral state of pure goodness!
According to the Townsend Letter, the benefits are vast -- all of which can be reaped from these accessories. Such health benefits include:
- Decreased (and sometimes eliminated) inflammation
- Reduced chronic pain
- Sounder sleep
- Increased energy
- Reduced stress
- Improved blood pressure
- Reduced hormonal symptoms
- Faster recovery from athletic activity
"Victorious American-sponsored cycling teams at recent Tour de France competitions used Earthing "sleeping bags" to recover dramatically faster than normal from injuries and grueling competition."
It doesn’t sound far-fetched to think that restoring some of our original order could help us elude some of the diseases of modernity.
And, the trick is that you don’t need a lot of exposure to the grounding product- meaning you don’t need to be wrapped in a head-to-toe sheet- even just minimal contact will do fine as long as you keep connected to it for many hours every day.
PILLOW CASES
Stay grounded all night!
BEDDING SHEETS
For those not minding the additional expense, there is the full size bed sheet.
THROW KIT
This Earthing throw kit is super cool- complete with a grounded detector and some good learning materials in the format of book and DVD. (Does anyone have a DVD player anymore?)
MAT KIT
As for the one I am most intrigued by, I say as I sit at my desk typing, is the mat kit.
What looks great about this is that it can be used on the floor like this:
For feet connection.
Or, like this for, not as consistent, hand connection:
Shaved legs are not required for it to work!
(I just ordered my mat kit here).
I’m pretty intrigued to see how these Earthing accessories would improve my mind and body -- as well as how they will crop up in the design community! How about an Earthing mat in front of the kitchen sink to stand on? Or an Earthing throw on the sofa?
I am really hoping that these products are just the tip of the iceberg, the forerunners to the vast revolution.
Will there one day be Earthing sofas and chairs? Earthing countertops? Earthing floors? How about most every surface to be grounded so that we can stay in contact with the energy of the Earth even while inside?
Will clients start asking for it like so many ask for low VOC paint and eco-friendly materials?
Is this the new green?
Have you installed any Earthing technologies on your clients’ projects? Are you inspired to do so now? Let me know in the comments below! And, I’ll surely post again once I put mine to use!♥
