Get Grounded
Part 1 - Inflammation
Electricity is a network, a flow, that transfers information into energy and matter. It is how nature communicates on a subatomic level. So we all live and function electrically on an electric planet.
The natural vibes of the Earth are waves of energy explained by science as a motion of various particles or waves. A motion that can be successfully tracked by observing the behavior of one of these particles - the free electron. If you study the atom you’ll discover that it contains protons, with a positive charge, neutrons with no charge, and electrons, with a negative charge. The protons and neutrons are in the center while the electrons are buzzing around orbits in the periphery. Electrons are the free spirits who travel the world. Their traveling pattern is altered through three types of media. The conductors are the ones that allow a free flow. An example of a conductor is the metallic copper wire. The insulators are doing the opposite ( plastic, rubber, glass, and wood ) - no flow, and the semiconductors are in between - sometimes conducting, sometimes not.
Earth gets replenished with free electrons every second through solar radiation, lightning strikes, and energy coming from its core. Similar to the earth’s texture, our bodies are mostly water and minerals which are wonderful conductors of electrons. So we mingle with “Mother Earth” electronically. We get to drink from the fountain of energy for as long as we are in direct connection. The free electrons will flow into our body only if our skin is touching the ground.
Our ancestors didn't have to know this through millions of years of evolution because they weren't insulated with rubber shoes, plastic material, and other petrochemical compounds. They were connected. They were extracting energy from the earth just like a plant root is extracting moisture from the ground for nourishment.
Modern living has gradually disconnected us from Nature - wearing artificial clothing, sleeping on insulated padded beds, living in elevated houses, walking on synthetically covered floors. Illnesses are blooming and we are more inflamed and in pain than ever.
Inflammation and free electrons
Inflammation (Latin, īnflammō, "I ignite, set alight") is a complex defense system. It is a protective attempt by the organism to counteract any harmful attack, to destroy or remove invaders, and to heal after the fight has ended. The department of defense is the immune system. I say the process is complex because there is a lot of communication going on. The immune system tracks everyone, checks IDs, figures out who is food, who pretends to be food, and who is malicious. Then comes up with a strategy, sends troops, fights, and when peace is restored, sends the rebuilders to recover from the damage. We can see there are two distinct phases - the pro-inflammatory first response and the anti-inflammatory rejuvenation. In the first phase the body initiates an immunological battle causing pain, swelling, and redness. The troops sent to the battlefield fall into five distinct battalions: chemical mediators, complement systems, eicosanoids, cytokines, and immunological attack cells. The first chemical mediator sent is histamine. Histamine is an alarming system which gets activated by bacterial toxins, viruses, malicious microorganisms, heat, UV radiation, trauma, proteolytic enzymes, other irritants and allergens. Once the histamine finishes ringing the bell it is quickly inactivated. Other initial inflammatory mediators such as serotonin and bradykinin work together with histamine to communicate more details - the complement system. There are more than twenty proteins which carry the signals further. Then eicosanoids, extremely powerful hormones produced within every cell, come into action to open the blood vessels to let the soldiers ( immunological cells ) onto the scene. Eicosanoids raise the temperature ( heat is a serious weapon against invaders ), increase the blood flow ( swelling and redness ), locate the intruders, and increase the sensitivity of the nervous system ( pain ), so everyone is aware there is a problem. The final whistle calling the white blood cells comes from the cytokines. They also release inflammatory proteins to help. The most famous is the C-reactive protein or CRP - a marker often used as a predictor of a heart attack or a stroke.
Once the immune cells step onto the field it gets ugly. Activated by the cytokines ( which are stimulated by the eicosanoids ), the white blood cells ( macrophages and neutrophils ) unfold by attaching to the invader, engulfing it, killing it, and eating it. On top of that neutrophils launch an aggressive bombardment of free radicals to destroy the enemy completely.
Free radicals are positive-charged molecules, lacking one or more electrons, that search for free electrons to fill the void and become stable again. The free radicals obtain their missing electrons usually from pathogens or damaged cells which kills the bad guys. After the battle is won these hungry killers get neutralized by the negative-charged antioxidants or the free electrons flowing in the body. This is one reason we shouldn't prematurely overload with artificial antioxidants - it will depress your immune system in times of war. We need Nature’s intelligence to take care of the free radicals instead.
The second phase of inflammation, the rejuvenation phase, is really a true anti-inflammation. It starts with calling off all battalions. The cytokines talk to the brain which fires up a chain of hormonal responses. This ends up with an increased production of cortisol from the adrenal glands. For that reason cortisol is considered a stress hormone but in most cases it acts as an anti-stress hormone because it shuts down inflammation or I should say military operation. When all the soldiers are out, a specialized cleaning group of white cells known as macrophages goes in to remove all the debris. This is an important moment because if these guys leave anything behind, the pro-inflammatory phase will prolong. Once the canvas is clean then comes regeneration and repair. This is when balance between the pro-inflammatory and the anti-inflammatory messengers matters the most. If all the communication goes clear the rejuvenation process might not only repair the damage but make you stronger than you were before (this is what happens during adequate weight training for instance ).
So far so good. And why am I describing inflammation in such a detail when nothing seems to be wrong? Why do we hear more than ever that inflammation is the underlying cause of chronic illnesses including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, alzheimer's, autoimmune disorders, allergies, premature aging and more?
Well, because I want you to see how complex the flow of information is and how easily it can break down. The pro-inflammatory phase protects us but when there is miscommunication or lack of energy ( free electrons ) the war never ends. It goes on turning the vital acute response into an indefinite chronic attack. An attack producing free radicals in a vicious circle, damaging its own self. An attack that creates constant fear, harms the cell, and shuts down growth and repair. An attack that never really transforms into rejuvenation.
Free electrons are the defense on all counts. Abundant flow of electrons is a marker of clean communication. In every significant reaction there is a transfer of electrons. Adenosine triphosphate ( ATP ) - the primary unit of chemical energy in the cell is bond to the flow of free electrons. Cells success, or lack thereof, is dependent on ATP and free electrons for a healthy cell repair and regeneration.
When there are not enough electrons to neutralize the free radicals during the acute response all surrounding tissues get under fire and all cells get damaged .
So where do we get the free electrons from?
Food is one answer - life evolved in the presence of oxygen so all living forms have developed some kind of antioxidant defense. Vitamin C is a good example, as well as flavonoids and other plant molecules. Melatonin is the antioxidant we produce when it is dark. Clean water is also an important source of free electrons. But above all the most abundant reservoir is right under our feet. That’s right, the Earth is the biggest and the best antioxidant and anti-inflammatory that exists.
The Earth is the best free electron donor.
Reconnecting to the living matrix is called earthing or grounding. It is very simple to do. Your skin is a very good conductor. You can connect any part of your skin to the Earth and this will open the gate for free electrons. It also appears that some points on your skin have higher sensitivity for electrons . One such point is located in the middle of the ball of your foot. Acupuncturists call it Kidney 1 or K1, the point that connects all of the acupuncture meridians. You can learn more in the extensive interview between Dr. Mercola and Dr. Oschman.
Dr. James Oschman is an expert in the field of energy medicine. He wrote numerous articles which resulted in two books: Energy Medicine: The Scientific Basis, and Energy Medicine in Therapeutics and Human Performance. He also has written the Foreword for the book Earthing: the most important health discovery ever? ( by Clinton Ober, Dr. Stephen T. Sinatra and M.Zucker ).
Dr. Oschman and his team have provided the world with the scientific research needed to understand better what happens during inflammation:
"Even the slightest bump, if you bump the door, your immune system immediately responds by sending white blood cells (neutrophils) to the place of injury…
The neutrophils secrete a Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)… called free radicals, in what's referred to as an oxidative burst... These are like Pac-Man. They are very important molecules that tear things apart. If bacteria have gotten through your skin, these free radicals will destroy the bacteria very quickly. If you have damaged cells, the free radicals will break them apart so that there is a space for healthy cells to move in and repair the tissues.
That's known as the inflammatory response.
What we have discovered that is truly profound is this: we now understand why you get the inflammatory response, which has five characteristics: pain, redness, heat, loss of range of motion, and swelling. All of those are the five hallmarks of inflammation and it turns out that that doesn't have to happen.
Inflammation, which in medicine is considered an important part of the healing process, is really an artifact caused by lack of electrons in your tissues. What happens is, the neutrophils deliver the Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) to the site of injury, but in so doing, some of those free radicals can leak into the surrounding tissue and damage healthy tissue. That's what creates the inflammatory response.
So really what is happening with grounding or earthing is that you're protecting your body from -- I call it, collateral damage,... Damage that was not intended to take place but does take place because we have disconnected ourselves from the Earth by putting rubber and plastic on the bottoms of our shoes."
And indeed if you look into the wild you will notice that the inflammatory response is way milder and all animals heal much faster.
So be an animal. Get grounded and you’ll start feeling more like a human being. When you find yourself surrounded by nature get your shoes off, reconnect any part of your skin to the Earth, grass, or any natural water.
“And I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, 'If this isn't nice, I don't know what is.”
― Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without a Country
To learn more how to get grounded in your house or working place you should visit earthing.com or earthingcanada.ca.
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