Biological grounding involves standing barefoot on the ground. The idea is that any residual static electricity drains to the ground, as if draining the battery, so to speak. The idea has intuitive appeal. Who hasn’t been hit by a car door handle that discharges static electricity, sometimes with an audible crack? Or, who hasn’t taken off a shirt or blouse and heard the crackle of static discharge? The question is, is there any therapeutic benefit? This article explores what published science has to offer to support the practice of grounding in the context of health and wellness.
A search of the university library on the term grounding returned 183,000 peer-reviewed publications. The meaning of the word ‘grounding’ ranges from the devastating grounding of a mischievous teenager to the grounding of a problem in fact, and beyond. Another search, this time on biological grounds, narrowed the field to almost 31,000 peer-reviewed publications. The term biological grounding produced a manageable 600 peer-reviewed publications to sift through. This article reports on many of these posts and their relevant linked posts.
So here is the very simplified theory. Now we all know that free radicals are not good for you. A free radical is missing an electron (so it has a positive charge). When connected to the ground, the ground supplies the electron to nullify the free radical. In 1994, Anisimov conducted tests to show that the Earth’s surface is electrically charged.
Now according to Rosalind Tan (2014) our bodies are electrically conductive. Charged ions and free electrons get good conduct through blood and other body fluids. Electrical charge builds up in people like a battery, especially in dry weather. Fuel truck drivers must discharge any chance of sparks, sometimes with wrist straps. The relevance here is that grounding or grounding a person is a very important part of solid science.
The oldest and most pioneering work was that of Dr. White GS (1929). Ahead of his time, he helped sleep deprived people by grounding their beds with copper wire.
In 2010, Clinton Ober et al state in their book: “Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery in History?” monitoring:
- “It turns off the cause of inflammation and improves or eliminates the symptoms of many inflammation-related disorders.
- Reduces or eliminates chronic pain.
- Improves sleep in most cases.
- Increase energy.
- It reduces stress and promotes calm in the body by cooling down the nervous system and stress hormones.
- Normalizes the biological rhythm of the body
- It thins the blood and improves blood pressure and flow.
- Relieves muscle tension and headaches.
- Reduces hormonal and menstrual symptoms.
- Dramatically speeds healing and helps prevent bedsores.
- Protects the body against potentially harmful environmental electromagnetic fields.
- Accelerates recovery from intense athletic activity.”
Ghaly & Tepliz in 2004 measured cortical (stress hormone) secretion during sleep in 12 subjects. The subjects’ electric field was measured and found to decrease as a result of grounding an average of 12 subjects from 3.270 V to 0.007 V. They concluded that grounding a person during sleep reduces the nocturnal levels of cortisol, thus improving sleep.
Ib Andersen in 1965 commented on how a person can become electrically charged relative to their surroundings simply by walking on a nylon mat. He added that an electric field can electrically induce a person, if:
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“A person has a certain potential in relation to the environment.
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A person is at ground potential while free charges are produced in the surroundings.
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Both 1 and 2″.
Christian Back (1967), an electrical engineer, dedicated his book “Ions to Breathe” to atmospheric electricity. The term ‘ion’ is poorly defined, as a rock can range from slightly larger than the size of a grain of sand to the size of a massive asteroid. The term extends from atomic ions such as household salt dissolved in sodium cations and chloride anions to the largest aerosol size. Discuss the electric field in the rooms around the occupants and delves into the effect of the ions on those people.
A good study of the dispersion of small concentrations of ions in the air is a case study by Jamison et al, who in 2006 measured charged particles and molecules in an office for one person. Measurements were taken on a horizontal plane at eye level when seated and then on a vertical plane nominally coinciding with the seated person. In the vertical plane, the average number of small negative air ions per cubic cm (SNAI cm-3) was 361 per cubic cm at 276 sampling points ranging in number from 10 ions to 930 ions per cubic cm. In the vertical plane, the isoline areas bounded by the upper limit concentrations completely obscured the seated subject, immersing the person in the higher SNAI ranges.
Another point of interest is the electrostatic potential measured by them in the vertical plane with an average of 104.9 V and a range from 2.2 V to 7.7 kV. The highest values were around the footrest where the operator had been rubbing the shoes. Russian and Swedish guidelines stipulate less than 500 V at 50 cm from the computer.
High school science teaches about anions and cations. It should come as no surprise that the air we breathe also contains ions, and Charry (1984) concludes that small air ions are likely to have biological effects. However, Krueger in 1976 had already presented experimental data that small air ions are biologically active.
Just as fish swim in an ocean of sodium and chloride ions, so do humans in an atmosphere of ions, positive and negative. While ions can be generated, more than a third of positive ions are produced naturally as a result of radioactive decay. They do not travel far and are short-lived. Inside, the ions have an even shorter life (30 seconds) as they collide with things and shear. (Alpha Lab Inc) Therein lies the key to biological grounding: short-circuiting your grounding with Mother Earth.
To conclude, an excerpt from an invited editorial prepared by the late Dr. AP Kruger in 1982 from the International Journal of Biometeorology is presented. The editorial clears up many urban myths about air ions. He concludes his editorial with advice for potential buyers of air ion generators:
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“Air ions, negative and positive, are normal constituents of our biosphere and are biologically active.
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Much is known about the effects of air ions on bacteria, protozoa, plants, insects, and small animals. Less is known about its action in humans. There is evidence that air ions can influence mood, behavior and performance of certain tasks.
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There are some suggestions that air ions may be of value in the treatment of certain diseases, but more critical trials are needed before air ion therapy can be established as an acceptable addition to the medical armamentarium.
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Some air ion generators produce ozone and should be avoided.
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No one has yet found that the negative air ion concentrations produced by any properly constructed commercial generator can be harmful.”