Navigating the Quality Spectrum of Grounding Products

I recently read the book Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever! (and my twin boys also watched the accompanying documentary "Earthing").

Although I already knew about the importance of having an intimate connection with the planet we live upon, this book blew my mind when it comes to identifying one of the best solutions for chronic inflammation, better sleep, enhanced deep sleep and much more. Since reading it, I've been traveling everywhere with my grounding mat, wearing my Earth runners every day, and my boys have barely even touched their shoes.

In the book, author Clint Ober introduces the planet's powerful, amazing, and overlooked natural healing energy and how people anywhere can readily connect to it. This never-before-told story, filled with fascinating research and real-life testimonials chronicles a discovery with the potential to create of global health revolution.

So obviously, I had to the get Clint on the show! Clint Ober is the innovator behind the Grounding Movement & CEO of Earth FX Inc., a research and development company located in Palm Springs, California.

A series of seemingly unrelated synchronistic events dating back to his early childhood led to a groundbreaking discovery that’s being recognized as the Greatest Health Discovery of all time. Grounding has now become a massive international movement - causing people to shed their shoes and reconnect electrically to the surface of the Earth.

Clint first learned about grounding when installing Cable TV systems in Billings, Montana in the early 1960s. A decade later, he formed Telecrafter Corporation and built it into the largest provider of cable installation services in the United States. This company specialized in proper grounding of cable installations for safety and TV signal stability.

In the 1980s, he turned his attention to the developing computer industry and partnered with McGraw-Hill to distribute live digital news services, via cable, to PCs. This led to the development of the first cable modem and an increased awareness of the need for proper system grounding. Following a health challenge in 1995, he retired and embarked on a personal journey looking for a higher purpose in life.

During his travels, he noticed people wearing plastic and rubber soled shoes that insulate the body from earth. He wondered if no longer being naturally grounded could affect us. The question led to an experiment that suggested grounding alone reduced chronic pain and improved sleep. Thereafter, he developed a working hypothesis: Grounding the human body to the Earth normalizes the functioning of all of the body’s systems ​—​ the body utilizes the earth’s electrical potential and free electrons to maintain its internal electrical stability, normalizing all of its self-regulating and self-healing systems. Over the past twenty years, he has supported over 20 research studies* that collectively demonstrate that grounding reduces inflammation and promotes normal functioning of all body systems.

During our discussion, you'll discover: -How a near-death experience led to Clint's interest in earthing -- 6:10

• Clint grew up in rural Montana; childhood friends were Native Americans
• "If the pasture is pristine, the cows will be healthy"
• Grew up with a prevention mentality: look at the cause, not the syumptoms
• Spent 30 years in the communications industry
• Near-death experience involving a infected liver after a root canal
  • "The next time I die, I wanted my life to be worth more"
  • "Be the opposite charge"
  • "Status quo is the enemy"

-Why a roll of duct tape proved to be the catalyst to Clint's most important discovery -- 19:40

• While living in Sedona, AZ experienced problems with computer crashing; identified static electricity as the problem
• Intuitive question: Are modern shoes preventing us from grounding with the earth?
• Began testing the charge in the earth with a volt meter
• Grounded himself to the earth via metal tape;
  • Static reading on his body went to zero
  • Slept the night without moving (was typically in a lot of pain)
  • Friends reported reduced pain, lowered arthritis

-The early days of Clint's clinical research on grounding the body with the Earth -- 25:45

• There was very little research on how grounding with the earth reduces pain and improves sleep
• Two doctoral students at UCLA helped him design the study
  • 60 participants: 30 grounded, 30 ungrounded
  • Positive results on the participants who were grounded
  • Similar results among those exposed to EMF and not exposed to EMF
• An anesthesiologist in San Diego was willing to help with the research; he was interested in saliva cortisol levels in patients
  • Cortisol levels went from erratic to synchronized after grounding
  • At 4 am, cortisol spikes until 6 am
  • Everyone's cortisol went up beginning at 4 am (with no other environmental cues)

-What is going on in the body when a person is grounded with the Earth -- 34:00

• Dr. Stephen Sinatra
  • "When you're reducing pain, you're reducing inflammation"
• Led to a different understanding of inflammation
  • Inflammation is caused from neutrophils: encapsulates damaged cell and releases reactive oxygen
  • Reactive: short on electrons
• We're no longer naturally grounded with the Earth since the advent of plastic-soled shoes in the 1960's
• When you stand barefoot on the ground, the Earth is negative 20-50 millivolts
• The Earth has negative ions from lightning, the sun
  • Noon is the high point for the sun exciting the electrons on the earth
  • Imbalance in charge beginning 2 pm (constant lightning)
  • You'll feel the effects of lightning from far away locales
  • The air feels amazing after a thunderstorm because of negative charge in the atmosphere
• If the body has a negative surface charge, you can't have charge in a grounded object
• Clint and Dr. Sinatra's study had the following results (via grounding):
  • Reduced rouleaux formation in blood cells
  • Increased negative surface charge of red blood cells by factor of 2.7
• Face and skin color turns pink after being grounded for 20-30 minutes

-What our ancestors understood about earthing and grounding -- 54:00

• One of the healing methods for the kidney in ancient Chinese medicine is grounding with the earth
• Our ancestors didn't need to know about grounding; they were barefoot or wore conductive footwear

-The best surface when it comes to conductivity between the Earth and the body -- 56:15

• Concrete, grass and dirt are ideal; asphalt is not
• Rocks are good conductors
• Salt water is the optimal way to ground; fresh water speeds up the process but is not itself conductive (unless it contains minerals)
• Spring water has a natural amount of minerals
• If you can feel the tree and it feels cool, it's grounding; bark inhibits the grounding process
• Earthrunners grounding sandals
• Pluggz grounding shoes
• Earthling grounding strap
• Diabetes is inflammation-related; you can be grounded and have diabetes

-The length of time required for a person to become properly grounded with the Earth -- 1:04:04 -How to know whether or not your home is grounded with the Earth -- 1:10:45

• Homes built before the 1960's were not grounded; there was no need for it at the time
• Remodels of older homes don't necessarily have grounding, even though new outlets are installed

-Are all grounding mats created equal? -- 1:12:15

• "Ours is an accidental business"
• Mass production has compromised the quality and efficacy of the mats
• Clint maintains his products are the best on the market; although he wishes more would get in the business
• The patches are an athletes best friend

-And much more.... Resources from this episode:

-Click here to visit Clint's website (Ultimate Longevity) to get FREE* 2-day shipping (as long as the order is over $99) and a FREE* copy of the Earthing paperback book by Clint Ober (included with every Ground Therapy Sleep Mat purchase) and 3 bonus videos available online for immediate streaming or download (access link provided on order confirmation page)!

- Clint's book "Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever!"

- Root Cause movie

- Earthrunners grounding sandals

- Pluggz grounding shoes

- Earthling grounding strap

-Note from Ben:

"I didn't even have time, today, to delve deeply into ALL of the over 20 peer-reviewed research studies that have been conducted on grounding, but I do want to at least give you a comprehensive list of the vast results that have been seen in the research, so far - impressive results have been seen when it comes to inflammation, pain, stiffness, circulation, blood pressure, blood viscosity, HRV, vagal tone, cortisol, stress, anxiety, depression, tiredness, fatigue, energy, mood, blood glucose, immunity, sleep, thyroid function, metabolism, serum electrolytes, wound healing, athletic performance and recovery, and more. There have also been anecdotal reports of improvements in autism, Parkinson’s, MS, PTSD, autoimmune conditions, and pet health, just to name a few. But I'm going to put all that below! Enjoy!"

• Quick View: Grounding Research Results
• Initial Grounding Experiment Conducted by Clint Ober: Improved Sleep And Reduced Pain

1. Medical Thermography Case Studies: Clinical Earthing Application in 20 Case studies
2. Electrical Grounding Improves Vagal Tone In Preterm Infants
3. Emotional Stress, Heart Rate Variability, Grounding, And Improved Autonomic Tone: Clinical Applications
4. Effectiveness of Grounded Sleeping on Recovery After Intensive Eccentric Muscle Loading
5. Pilot Study on the Effect of Grounding on Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness
6. The Biologic Effects of Grounding the Human Body During Sleep as Measured by Cortisol Levels and Subjective Reporting of Sleep, Pain, and Stress
7. Earthing (Grounding) the Human Body Reduces Blood Viscosity—a Major Factor in Cardiovascular Disease
8. Earthing the Human Body Influences Physiologic Processes
9. The Effect of Grounding the Human Body on Mood
10. Effects Of Grounding (Earthing) On Bodyworkers' Pain And Overall Quality O Life: A Randomized Controlled Trial
11. Changes in Pulse Rate, Respiratory Rate, Blood Oxygenation, Perfusion Index, Skin Conductance, and Their Variability Induced During and After Grounding Human Subjects for 40 Minutes
12. Differences in Blood Urea and Creatinine Concentrations in Earthed and Unearthed Subjects during Cycling Exercise and Recovery
13. Grounding After Moderate Eccentric Contractions Reduces Muscle Damage
14. Effects of Grounding (Earthing) on Massage Therapists: An Exploratory Study
15. The Neuromodulative Role of Earthing
16. One-Hour Contact with the Earth’s Surface (Grounding) Improves Inflammation and Blood Flow — A Randomized, Double-Blind, Pilot Study
17. Grounding the Human Body during Yoga Exercise with a Grounded Yoga Mat Reduces Blood Viscosity
18. Grounding the Human Body Improves Facial Blood Flow Regulation: Results of a Randomized, Placebo Controlled Pilot Study
19. The Effect Of Earthing On Human Physiology - Part 1
20. The Effect Of Earthing On Human Physiology - Part 2

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