Want to Improve Your Health? Take Your Shoes Off.
Earthing: health on your feet
In all things of Nature there is something of the marvelous — Aristotle
Walking barefoot in nature — Earthing — is a relaxing and enjoyable activity.
Think about the sensation you have when you take your shoes off and walk barefoot on the beach, or in fresh grass. Marvellous, isn’t it? But what if I tell you earthing benefits your mental health but your physical health as well?
The simple (and cost-free) act of walking barefoot prevents illness and improves your health. Let’s see why:
What is Reflexology?
Reflexology is an alternative health therapy that acts holistically in the body.
It’s based on the theory that feet and hands are connected to different areas of our body and that each point represents one organ.
The premise of reflexology is that applying pressure in those points will help the correspondent organ, and helps to reduce the existent symptoms.
What’s the connection between reflexology and earthing?
When walking barefoot you pressure points in your feet, which, as reflexology explains, has a positive impact on the organs they’re connected to.
But earthing has more benefits than walking barefoot around the house, as you will be in direct contact with the Earth’s energy.
The Earth’s surface has a negative charge, rich in electrons, and it’s electrically conductive.
In this study, researchers proved the Earth supplies us with antioxidants and free radicals.
With earthing, you’ll be transferring the Earth’s electrons into your body, creating the perfect syntony.
Walking with shoes doesn’t allow this intake because of the rubber soles, that act as an insulator, stopping your body from absorbing the energy.
Dr James Oshman, an expert in energy medicine, states:
When walking on the earth barefoot, free electrons from the earth transfer into your body via the soles of your feet. These free electrons are some of the most potent antioxidants known to man.
Earthing is practice with physical and mental benefits.
The healing power of Earthing
Several scientific studies, (e.g. this one), concluded that after walking barefoot in nature, people described a significant sense of well-being and experienced a wide variety of health and recovery benefits:
. Rapid reduction of inflammation and chronic pain
. Relief of stress and anxiety
. Increasing energy
. Improved sleep quality
. Accelerated healing from injuries and surgery
. Improved immune system
Earthing also combats premature ageing and impacts positively on heart problems and cardiovascular diseases.
In short, earthing restores and maintains the human body’s most natural electrical state, promoting optimum health and functionality.
Where can you do Earthing?
You can get grounded to Earth anywhere were your feet are in direct contact with an element of nature.
Places with barriers between the Earth surface and yourself — asphalt, rubber, plastic, or tarmac -, aren’t adequate for the practice.
Instead, you can do earthing while you walk your dog in the park/forest (my favourite), while camping, gardening; walking on the beach or one activity that returns you — body and soul — to nature.

My personal experience with Earthing
Due to rheumatic disease, I suffered long years from chronic pain.
Traditional medicine wasn’t doing much for me, so I looked for answers in alternative medicines. As a result, I changed my lifestyle.
I’ve been medication-free for seven years. Occasionally, I take pain killers but, overall, I’m healthy.
I approached my disease in a holistic way. I adjusted my diet, did Yoga, learned about mindfulness, and started walking barefoot in nature several times a week, average thirty minutes each walk (as recommended by experts).
I can’t prove earthing has credit for my disease’s regression, but I believe it contributed.
As science states, earthing doesn’t cure diseases, but connecting with the natural electrical signals from the Earth will promote normal functioning of the body.
As a whole, I know earthing is good for my health — physical and mental.
If, as I did, you need to improve your health, try earthing. You’d love it, I promise.
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