Earthing Considerations

What to Do if Earthing Doesn’t Seem to Be Working?


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 nevertheless from the countless ways that Earthing affects the body. Elite athletes whose bodies operate in super-high gear often say they recover faster from competition, training, and injuries.


Some individuals wonder why they feel no change, so we’ve written this report in an attempt to explain a lack of expected improvements for those new to Earthing. We hope you have read the Earthing book and previous reports posted here and have a good grasp on what goes on in your body when you begin Earthing.


One thing we want to unequivocally say is this:
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 (as determined by an outlet checker).


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 Earthing 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 mat or sheet. A green light will confirm that your system and wire are in good working order. You may have to press firmly to get the light to go on when testing the sheet. You may need to moisten the metallic plate on the tester for optimum testing.


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 sheet. 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 also 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 Earthing sheet 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 Earthing as fully as those who drink an adequate amount of water.


● Improper Care of Earthing Sheets
Improper laundering of grounding sheets can result in loss of conductivity and benefits. Launder just as you would wash other bedding, using a gentle wash cycle and a mild detergent. However, do not use any chlorine bleach or any detergent that contains bleach, as these chemicals can ruin the conductivity of your sheet. When necessary, use hydrogen peroxide-based non-bleach to remove stains and/or to whiten your sheet. Low-heat drying is recommended. Also it is not advisable to apply lotions, creams, or oils before bedtime to areas of your skin that will come in contact with the sheet. The reason for this is that such substances can easily become absorbed into the sheets. The oils they contain become oxidized by the air and can diminish the conductivity of the sheets. For more information, please refer to this article on protecting the integrity of your Earthing sheet.


● A Medication Issue
Many people take strong medications, and often multiple medications. Because Earthing affects the physiology systemically, medications dosages may need adjustment. Please refer to our important article on Earthing and medication.


● 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 are, or who have been, dealing with intense stress in their lives. They are living in a stressed state. 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 in complicated feedback loops to other glands and hormones in the body. 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. They will get benefits from Earthing even if emotional things are still going on in their lives. Some people, however, may possibly have developed an electro-sensitivity due to stress and may experience discomfort from the natural ground energy. 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.


● Earthing is not a Panacea
Finally, some people express disappointment that Earthing has not helped them with a specific health concern. They had expected quick relief and dramatic improvement. They read the many testimonials and perhaps heard about major benefits from friends or family. Yet, they haven’t been helped noticeably or fast enough.


In this situation, we remind people that while Earthing has so much to offer and benefits the body systemically, it is still not a panacea, a remedy for all diseases. It should never be regarded as such.


People are all different, and affected by a variety of factors that can undermine health: genetic deficits, congenital problems, severe biochemical imbalances, pronounced immune dysfunction, poor eating habits and nutritional deficiencies, lack of exercise, intense stress, and environmental, chemical, or food sensitivities. Earthing may not be able to influence or overcome a deep-seated factor, or just have a minimal effect. We wish this weren’t so. We wish that Earthing was indeed a cure-all. But it’s not.