What to Do if Earthing (Indoors) Doesn’t Seem to Be Working?
We’ve written this report for those individuals who feel that nothing really different is happening, that they aren’t experiencing expected improvements.
If that is your experience, hopefully you will find some useful insights here.
First of all, we hope you have read the other reports posted on our website, or watched The Earthing Movie, and thus have a good grasp on what Earthing does for your body.
After starting Earthing, most people say they feel better and sleep better. Sometimes it happens dramatically and rapidly. Sometimes subtly and slowly. But, without any doubt, every person’s physiology changes when connected to the Earth.
Some people who are optimally healthy and who sleep well may not feel anything significant, yet they are benefiting from the countless ways that Earthing affects the body.
As biophysicist and Earthing expert James Oschman, Ph.D., points out: “Earthing seems to slow the inevitable effects of aging and help prevent so-called ‘diseases of aging,’ all of which are inflammatory conditions. The person with radiant health may take antioxidant supplements to maintain that good health, but these substances have to be absorbed into the circulatory system and carried to the places in the body where they are needed. In contrast, Earthing appears to rapidly deliver its antioxidant/anti-inflammatory effects throughout the body. The leading theory of aging is the free radical theory: cumulative damage from oxygen free radicals causes the process of aging. By neutralizing free radicals whenever and wherever they form in the body, we believe that Earthing can slow down the damage and actually slow the aging process.”
When people say they aren’t getting any benefits from Earthing, we ask them if they have a working ground, the results of connecting an Earthing product to a ground rod outside or to a properly grounded wall outlet.
We also want to know how long they ground each day. Some people get big benefits in just an hour. Others when they sleep grounded. But for some people, eight hours grounded may not be enough time. That means they are 16 hours ungrounded. And not enough time, especially for individuals with compromised health. We have found this often to be the case. As an example, women who suffer with multiple sclerosis. When they grounded for more hours. they get results, sometimes dramatic.
Generally speaking, we believe that if you are grounded as close to 24/7 you can’t have chronic inflammation in your body.
Here is our short list of issues to consider:
● Confirm Your Earth Connection
Test your outlet for a proper ground with an outlet checker. Many homes, particularly older homes built before the 1960s, may never have been grounded (earthed) or may have only a few outlets actually grounded, like in the kitchen and bathroom. If that’s your situation, use a ground rod or consult with an electrician.
The Earthing ground rod comes with an attached 40-foot (13 meter) Earthing cord that can be connected to the cord of the Earthing product. Simply push the rod into the soil below a window and then run the cord under the window or a nearby door and into the house. Then simply connect the Earthing product cord to the ground rod cord.
● Ground Rod Usage in Dry Climates
In a dry environment, such as the Southwest United States or any desert area, the ground may be minimally conductive on the surface. Our recommendation is to water the ground rod every week or so. Soak the soil around the ground rod. This will improve the conductivity in dry soil.
● Check Your Grounding System
To test product conductivity, use the Earthing continuity tester. Simply connect the tester to the ground port of a properly grounded wall outlet and place it directly on your Earthing product, such as a mat, or against the metallic snap end of the product cord. A green light will confirm that your system and wire are in good working order.
Whether connected to an outlet indoors or a ground rod outdoors, check from time to time that your wire is still plugged in and is intact. When you are disconnected you may notice you aren’t sleeping well or feeling as good and wonder why.
Here are some examples that explain the “why”:
• Unplugged!
From a long-time user in Iowa: “For two weeks after the departure of a house guest, I was suddenly feeling miserable with a lot of fatigue. My teeth started to be sore and I didn’t sleep well at all. At first I thought it was a result of too much activity while playing host to my guest, but I finally discovered that I had forgot to plug in my Earthing mat. Now all is well again. Sleep and energy restored!”
From a doctor in Brazil: “I was on holiday in Rio de Janeiro and I connected my sheet in the hotel. The first night I had a very good night sleep but the second one was terrible. During the night I thought, ‘well, I am grounded and this time it didn’t help with my sleep.’ In the morning when I was packing to go back home I realized that the chambermaid had disconnected the sheet wire after the first night, so the second terrible night I slept disconnect.”
• Critters!
We have had a number of reports of outside wires targeted by deer and squirrels, and inside wires by pets. Here’s an example of what can happen in a home with pets: ”My kitten chewed my grounding wire in two pieces. I noticed I have not slept well in several nights and only discovered last night that I was not connected.”
● Reposition the mat
If you are using a grounding mat in bed, you may want to reposition it, so that it is under the middle (heaviest) part of your body.
● Dehydration
Many people don’t drink enough water during the day. They are dehydrated. We have observed that people who are dehydrated may not experience the benefits of grounding as fully as those who drink an adequate amount of water.
● A Medication Issue
Many people take strong medications, and often multiple medications. Because grounding affects the physiology systemically, medications dosages may need adjustment.
● Stress!!!!
The presence of acute and chronic stress calls for more time being grounded to offset the effect of stress on the body. Stress is a leading cause of sudden death, insomnia, depression, elevated blood pressure, and a weakened immune system.
We have often encountered people who deal with intense stress in their lives. They become emotionally and physically drained. In many cases the ongoing stress exhausts the critical adrenal glands that make stress hormones. The adrenals are linked to other glands and hormones in the body, as well as inflammatory responses. Imbalances and abnormalities arise, and feed on each other.
People who are grounded more in their lives typically experience calming of the nervous system, improved circulation, and a reduction of chronic and burning pain. Grounding will help defuse stress and put out the fire of inflammation. Benefits usually come, even in the presence of significant stress. Some people may possibly have developed an electro-sensitivity due to stress and may experience discomfort from grounding. In such cases, we advise starting Earthing with short exposure, a half hour or hour, and gradually increasing exposure as is comfortable for the body.