More Chapter 1 Goodies
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul
Genesis 2:7
Many cultures around the world see the Earth as a living entity with healing and restorative powers.. A belief reflected in their traditions, customs, and narratives.
In North America, Indigenous cultures like Lakota revere Mother Earth, believing in the interconnectedness of physical, mental, and spiritual realms. They see natural elements like water, soil, and wind as vital for maintaining this balance. In South America, the Andean cultures honor Pachamama, or Mother Earth, as the giver of life and a healer (offering ceremonies to show gratitude and seek her healing powers). Australian Aboriginal cultures, through "Dreamtime," recognize the Earth as imbued with spiritual essence, believing that every rock, tree, and river holds a spirit that can bring healing. Daoism in the Far East emphasizes living in harmony with the Earth, with balanced Qi between humans and the Earth leading to good health. Across these cultures there is a shared reverence for the Earth as a powerful healer and life-sustainer.
In Earth & Water, you'll discover how contemporary scientific research aligns with, and often corroborates, the wisdom of our ancestors about the Earth's healing potential. Through explorations of physics, biology, medicine, and more, the book provides an exploration of how the Earth's inherent qualities can offer healing, sustenance, and ultimately, a roadmap for our species to navigate towards a healthier future.
In our fast-paced, tech-driven, 5G, onlyfans ridden world many seek to reconnect with the Earth and escape from the bullshit. Grounding, a practice that draws on the Earth's free electrons for health benefits, is one such method.
Grounding, a practice gaining attention in alternative medicine and the twittersphere, involves connecting the body to the Earth's surface, enabling an electron exchange that helps balance the body's electrical systems. This process can reduce inflammation, oxidative stress, and promote well-being via a plethora of different ways. The research highlighted in Earth & Water shows grounding's benefits, including improved sleep, pain relief, stress reduction, enhanced circulation, better immune function, and regulation of the autonomic nervous system.
The book serves as a guide that blends traditional wisdom with modern science to explore the benefits of grounding. It is divided into four parts:
Part I: Earth, Introduction - This part introduces grounding, exploring its origins and the science behind the Earth's electrical charge, providing essential context for understanding its health benefits.
Part II: Earth & Body - This part investigates how grounding impacts various physiological aspects, including the heart, mind, immune system, and performance, and matrix.
Part III: Earth & Water - This part explores the role of water and the body's matrix in the grounding process, emphasizing the importance of charging the body's systems through grounding.
Part IV: Earth Application - The final part offers practical guidance on incorporating grounding into daily life, covering techniques, tools, and best practices to safely harness the Earth's healing power.
Let’s get into the fundamentals prior to going into specifics. Grounding electrical systems is crucial in engineering, ensuring safety, stability, and proper function. It involves connecting an electrical system to the earth to safely dissipate excess energy, protecting people and equipment from electrical faults, lightning, and interference.
Imagine a city during a heavy rainfall. The rainwater (analogous to electrical current) needs a place to go, or else it will flood the city (like a surge or fault in an electrical system). In well-planned cities, there are storm drains and canals (similar to grounding in electrical systems) that provide a safe path for excess rainwater to travel, preventing the city from flooding. Similarly, in an electrical system, the grounding provides a safe path for excess or unwanted electrical current to travel directly to the earth, preventing potential damage to the devices and appliances in the system, and protecting people from electrical shocks.
Grounding, essential for electrical system safety, also benefits the human body. By connecting directly with the Earth's surface, the body creates a natural electrical connection.
The Earth, as a vast reservoir of electric charge, provides a constant source of negatively charged electrons. When we ground our bodies by making direct contact with the Earth's surface, we facilitate the transfer of these electrons, effectively neutralizing irregular charge and promoting a balanced electrical state within our bodies.
In the realm of electrical systems, grounding creates a direct, low-resistance path to Earth. This prevents the buildup of excess electrical charge, providing protection against electrical faults and ensuring the stability of voltage for safe, efficient operation. When it comes to human health, grounding with the Earth's surface facilitates the neutralization of excessive free radicals (promoting healthy redox state), leading to a decrease in inflammation and stress. Analogous to electrical systems, grounding of the human body restores and maintains a state of balance.
Grounding the human body entails creating a direct connection to the Earth, either through barefoot contact or using conductive materials. This connection facilitates the transfer of electrons between the Earth and the body, leading to a process known as charge transfer.
Charge transfer is underpinned by the foundational principle that opposite charges attract, while similar charges repel, a concept further nuanced by Richard Feynman's insightful observation, "like likes like because of intermediate unlikes."
Much like in electrical engineering where Earth's surface is frequently used as a reference point for measuring electrical potentials, in grounding the human body, Earth serves as a natural reference point, providing a baseline electrical potential for the body. Grounding helps our bodies maintain an electrical state in sync with the Earth.
In 2004, electrical engineer Roger Applewhite conducted a study, published in the European Biology and Bioelectromagnetics journal, investigating the reduction of induced human body voltage through a conductive patch and bed pad. His findings offered valuable insights into the potential of conductive materials in mitigating the impacts of electromagnetic fields on the human body. To understand the relationship between the human body and the AC voltage, a simplified electrical network model is used here:
This model is a useful approximation, although the actual electrical behavior of the body is more complex and includes elements such as resistance and inductance. The capacitance of the human body to the earth is estimated to be 100 picofarads (pF), while the capacitance to common AC sources, such as mains wires, can vary greatly.
Applewhite’s study focused on reducing the induced AC voltage on the human body by grounding it. This can be achieved through either a conductive connection or significant capacitive coupling.
By grounding the body, the goal is to reduce induced voltages and potentially mitigate any negative health effects associated with exposure to nn-electromagnetic fields. The test subject (Roger hisself) remained lying down on a bed while measurements were taken at three different positions on the body: left breast, abdomen, and left thigh. The measurements were taken several times until consistent results were obtained. His results are presented here:
The main finding of Applewhite’s study was that both the conductive patch and conductive bed pad were effective in reducing mains-induced body voltage by a significant amount through grounding. This provides evidence that the use of conductive grounding materials can be a useful approach in reducing induced body voltage.
It is important to note that while this study successfully demonstrates the effectiveness of the conductive patch and conductive bed pad in reducing mains-induced body voltage through grounding, it does not provide a quantification of the magnitude of the charge transfer. Chamberlin et. al. would later set out to quantify this.
In 2014, Chamberlin’s study aimed to examine the concept of grounding the body from an electrical standpoint by measuring and analyzing the natural electron flow between the human body or a control and the ground. The investigation focused on the magnitude of charge exchange. Custom-made, low-noise instruments were developed to measure low-level current flow at low frequencies. These instruments were utilized to record current flow between human subjects or a control and the ground, conducting approximately 40 measurements under various conditions. The obtained data were analyzed to determine if any information could be extracted from the current exchange. The research group found that when a connection to the ground is provided, an interaction takes place between the human body and the earth, resulting in a flow of charges between them. This transfer of charges confirms that the human body has the capacity to exchange electrical charges with its surroundings.
Despite the occurrence of charge flow, it is essential to highlight that the magnitude of this interaction is quite small, registering at less than 10 nanoamperes (nA) once the grounding path has been successfully established. An interpretation of the study's findings is that the relatively small magnitude of charge flow between the human body and the ground, measuring less than 10 nanoamperes (nA), may still be sufficient to influence the body's electrical environment. These influences will be elaborated all throughout Earth & Water. It is possible that even subtle changes in the electrical balance of the body can have significant effects on physiological processes and cellular functions.
Moreover, within any electrical system, minute variations in electric charge or potential can precipitate substantial alterations. This axiom holds true for the intricate electrical networks that underpin the human body, wherein infinitesimal electrical currents and potentials are instrumental in regulating essential physiological functions.
The change in measurable voltage in and on the body is noted in several studies that we’ll discuss in Part I of the bookI. All you need to know is that grounding reduces induced body voltage. More specifically, Karol Sokal and Pawel Sokal out of Poland note that when a human body is not grounded, the electric potential in various measured points is around 0 mV. This can vary depending on the electrical environment. Upon making contact with the earth through a moistened copper conductor, the electrostatic potential on the body and in venous blood rapidly decreases to about -200 mV. This effect is immediate and widespread. Disconnecting from the earth causes the potential to quickly return to its initial values.
As grounding starts to gain more traction, it is essential to have a practical understanding of how to measure its effects on our bodies. By using a voltmeter or multimeter, you’ll be able to visualize the changes in your body's electrical state, allowing you to better understand this charge transfer and appreciate the benefits of grounding.
Real-Time Assessment of Grounding Effects on the Human Body Using a Multimeter
To observe the real-time effects of grounding on your body, you can utilize a multimeter, a tool that can measure AC voltage, which is more relevant for assessing the impact of grounding in typical environmental settings. I have a very sensitive multimeter in my home. Let's look at two ways to do it.
Measuring Body Voltage With a Grounding Mat
Setup: Connect your grounding mat to a properly grounded wall outlet. Ensure you are not in contact with the mat at this stage.
Multimeter Setting: Set your multimeter to measure AC voltage.
Ground Probe Connection: Attach one probe (commonly black) to the common (COM) terminal of the multimeter. Connect this probe to the grounding part of the outlet.
Voltage Probe Connection: Attach the other probe (usually red) to the Voltage (V) terminal of the multimeter. Hold the red probe.
Measurement: Place a foot or hand on the grounding mat. The reading on the multimeter represents your body voltage when grounded through the mat. You should observe a voltage drop
Measuring Body Voltage While Standing Barefoot on Natural Soil
Outdoor Setup: Go outside and find a natural soil area to stand on barefoot. Bring your multimeter and probes.
Ground Connection: Connect the black probe to the COM terminal and insert it into the soil.
Holding the Probe: Keep holding the red probe connected to the V terminal.
Measurement: Stand barefoot on the soil. The multimeter will now display your body voltage in this natural grounding scenario. Ideally, grounding (whether via a mat or direct contact with the earth) should result in a significant decrease in voltage, indicating effective discharge of built-up charges and electrical connection to the Earth.
Another important note:
Safety and Outlet Testing When using grounding products, safety is paramount. Ensure your outlets are correctly grounded before use, which is vital for the efficacy and safety of grounding practices. An outlet checker, or outlet tester, is a simple tool for this purpose, available at most hardware stores.
Using an Outlet Checker
Plug the Outlet Checker: Insert it into the outlet you plan to use for grounding.
Interpret the Results: The tester will display a pattern of lights indicating the outlet's status. The correct pattern confirms proper grounding. Refer to your outlet checker's manual as light patterns can vary by model.
If an outlet isn't properly grounded, grounding products won't function as intended and might attract ambient electromagnetic fields, akin to an antenna, potentially increasing EMF exposure instead of reducing it. Always test your outlets before using grounding products and consult with an electrician if there's any doubt about your electrical system's safety or if the outlet tester indicates a problem. Remember, electricity demands respect and caution at all times!
The human body is a pretty sweet ass thing.. A biological marvel really, designed to conduct electricity, essential for vital functions. This conductivity stems from the movement of charged particles within our cells and the matrix surrounding them. Each heartbeat, thought, and movement reflects the body's intricate electrical activity. Cells, rich in ions, maintain a delicate balance of charges, generating electrical signals that enable efficient communication across the body's networks.
I’ve dealt with many critics throughout my life when discussing this topic. When people doubt the effectiveness of grounding the body, they are questioning fundamental principles of physics. Grounding is based on well-established electrostatics, where like charges repel and opposite charges attract. Just as the third prong on an electrical plug safely dissipates excess charges to prevent shocks, grounding the body helps restore electrical balance. Skepticism about grounding overlooks the basic physical laws that protect us daily in an electricity-dependent world. The science behind grounding is clear and rooted in the very principles that govern our reality.
All of this grounding to bring back something that's been lost very recently during our time here on earth - electrical homeostasis!
This is just some stuff from Chapter 1, Part I, Earth, Introduction - Earth & Water Book.
You can get the book HERE.