EARTHING: OUR CONNECTION WITH MOTHER EARTH CAN HELP US HEAL. MY PERIMENOPAUSAL JOURNEY (PART 3)

THE HEALING WONDERS OF EARTHING AND HOW IT HAS HELPED ME WITH MY PERIMENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS (PART 1)

EARTHING: THE UNBEATABLE, NATURAL SLEEP AID FOR WOMEN IN PERIMENOPAUSE (PART 2)

There's something genuinely magical about connecting with the Earth. The feeling of warm beach sand beneath my toes, the soothing sound of waves crashing against the shore, or even that simple act of walking barefoot on grass can bring me an inexplicable sense of calm and serenity. I don’t know about you, it comes with age probably, but this is how I feel.

But did you know that this connection with the Earth, also known as earthing or grounding, has scientifically proven healing wonders? As someone who has personally experienced the transformative effects of earthing, I can attest to its remarkable benefits.

Like many other women who are transitioning into menopause, I experienced a plethora of symptoms. Thought I’d ticked all the small boxes in the symptoms department. Sometimes, I’m too short for words to describe it as they’re alien sensations to me – like internal vibration, dizziness like I’m about to pass out, and generally feeling out of my body. It often left me feeling stressed, anxious, and disconnected. 

So my quest for healing brought me to try various non-conventional ways. I veered away from Hormone Replace Therapy as I thought this is just a phase and I don’t want exogenous stuff being put into my body. ‘This too shall pass’ is a mantra I adhered to. But you know, this is just me. If you feel like you really need one, feel free to talk to your doctor.

In my journey, I kept telling God to reveal to me, to guide me to the right ways to ease up what I’m feeling. At this point, I put myself in the place of surrender, “they will be done unto me, Lord!”

And then things happen, as some spiritual leaders would say, when the student is ready the teacher will appear. 

One day while scrolling through some audiobooks about energy grounding on Youtube, a video called The Earthing Movie: The Remarkable  Science of Grounding (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44ddtR0XDVU&t=967s) in green thumbnail caught my eye. I was intrigued as it already has 6M views as of today.

I watched it and the minute the documentary was over was also the beginning of my in-depth interest in the subject. Soon after I began researching and lo and behold, the results changed my life. 

So what is earthing or grounding?

Earthing is the practice of physically connecting our body to the Earth's natural electrical charge by walking barefoot on grass, sand, or soil, or by using conductive products that replicate the charges of the Earth's surface. 

The Earth is an abundant source of free electrons, which are negatively charged particles that act as powerful antioxidants, helping to neutralize harmful free radicals in our bodies. These free radicals are linked to inflammation, chronic pain, and various health issues.

When humans invented rubber, we slowly disconnected ourselves from the earth. We now wore rubber-soled shoes all time, seldom on a day where we have our feet get in contact with the earth. We ride rubber-tired cars. We live way far above the ground with plastic insulations and etc. And when we’re on the ground we often sit on rubber mats to protect us from dirt not knowing touching the earth has so much for us to benefit from.

You may think this as a woo-woo stuff, I also thought the same in the beginning. But my research brought me to read various scientific pieces of evidence that were conducted supporting the potency of this practice. You may visit The Earthing Institute website to further your interest in the subject. (https://earthinginstitute.net/)

Since then, I have incorporated earthing into my daily routine, and the benefits have been profound. One of the most noticeable changes has been a significant reduction in my stress and anxiety levels. The simple act of taking off my shoes and walking barefoot in the park here in our subdivision or just sitting on my small frog-grassed patio at home has become a powerful tool to reset my nervous system and restore my sense of calm. 

Studies have shown that earthing can lower cortisol levels, the stress hormone and promote better sleep, which further enhances our body's natural healing processes. (https://earthinginstitute.net/learn-more-about-stress-relief/)

But earthing is not just about reducing stress. It also shows a positive impact on our physical health. Many chronic conditions, such as inflammation, and pain, have been linked to an excess of positively charged particles in our body. Earthing helps to neutralize these particles by providing a direct source of negatively charged electrons, which act as powerful antioxidants to reduce inflammation and promote healing. (https://earthinginstitute.net/reduced-pain/)

Here are some other benefits of grounding or earthing;

• Reduce Inflammation
• Reduce Pain
• Reduce Stress
• Shift from autonomic nervous system from sympathetic to parasympathetic nervous system
• Increase heart rate variability
• Speed wound healing
• Reduce blood viscosity
• Normalize the day-night cortisol rhythm
• Improve quality sleep. This benefit is what I am going to share with you profoundly as this one has the most impact on me.

How grounding has helped me tremendously with my sleep?

As I said, at the onset of my perimenopausal journey I experienced a variety of symptoms – hot flashes, night sweats, dizzy spells, vertigo, internal vibrations, anxiety, and the hallmark of this life’s phase of mine – insomnia. 

At one point, I had two nights in a row with just two hours of light sleep. Lack of sleep is one single factor that can truly ruin the quality of our life. At that time, I had to go to the ER early in the morning for a prescription drug just for me to at least get a respite out of my life’s sleeplessness. 

Out of frustration, I even went to a Korean Doctor for an invasive acupuncture procedure. That experience freaks the heck out of me. The procedure feels like I had to go on another birthing experience. Imagine a big needle being poked into your head and blood comes out all over. That was so painful as heck. But I endured it to find a cure for my sleeplessness.

I also have all sorts of herbal teas in line, I do yoga, catch the early morning sun, exercise, and walk 6,000 steps a day (that's my sweet spot by the way) but still, I felt like something’s a miss with my sleep. 

I keep telling my subconscious mind and God to give me the answer and one day, it manifested and showed me clear as day, earthing or grounding was the answer.

I have a small earthing patch on my front patio. I purposely had it frog grass covered just for this purpose. I do yoga here without a yoga mat just so I can touch the earth. I sit here drinking my sugarless hot chocolate every morning. I do deep breathing here and I even wrote this article here sitting cross-legged.

My home’s sacred place. My earthing or grounding patch.

Grounding at least 30 minutes a day has a profound impact on our health. It’s actually the reason why we feel good when we spend time outdoors, swimming on the beach or rivers, or just simply spending time with nature. (https://intuition-physician.com/safe-grounding/) 

Today’s reality is that most of us don’t have that time to spend outside grounding or earthing because of our busy schedules. We’ve evolved so modernly that we can’t just go out there walking in the office or malls barefoot. 

So what are we going to do to get grounded? 

Sleeping is the only time we get our systems to rest and recover. Now, if our goal is to rest and recover, why not enhance it with grounding while sleeping?

Here’s what I did to get grounded while I’m asleep. 

There are grounding mats available these days, most of them are made in the US and you can purchase them on Amazon. There are also some that are made in China. They’re a bit cheaper, but as always, you get what you pay for. Some don’t work at all. So do your homework researching first before purchasing.

Here’s a sample from Earthing.com. (https://www.earthing.com/collections) 

Standard earthing mat from earthing.com

These mats require a grounding plug to access the electrons from the ground. The sad news is that most of our plugs at home here in the Philippines may have ground options, but they’re really not wired or grounded.

I’ll show you my DIY grounding mat that works 100%. 

Here’s what you need:

1. Electrical Copper wire. The bigger the better (you can buy it at any electrical shop). The length depends on how far your room or your mat set-up is from the ground. 
2. 2 small alligator clips 
3. 200-micron copper mesh. I bought this from Shopee. (At least there’s one even if it took it a long time to reach Davao)
4. Option 2. Conductive fabric. Also bought from Shopee. For this, you need any cotton cloth as backing to make it a little thicker as the conductive fiber is thin. This will prevent the conductive material from not being torn easily.
5. Digital Multi-meter reader. This is available at any hardware store electrical section. 

Here’s what you’re going to do;

1. Attach the alligator clips to both ends of the electrical copper wire (again the length of the wire depends on how far your grounding set-up is from the ground)
2. As shown in the photo below, attach the other end of the alligator clip to your mat of choice set-up (copper mesh or conductive fabric) then tuck or bury the other end on the ground. Make sure to peel the wire open to reveal the copper before burying it. You can also coil this end around a copper or metal ground rod for better conductivity. 
3. Test using your digital multi-meter whether it's working or not. How to test? See this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awCjiulGmWg or search other videos you can easily follow.
4. Sleep with your body touching the mat. I prefer to put this on my foot area.
5. For localized grounding, say your knees, neck, or any part of your body hurts or has wounds, you can use ECG electrodes and do the same procedure. 

Again, this may look woo-woo to you. Well, I also thought it that way too in the beginning, but there’s actually science behind this.

Do this for at least a week and observe how you’re sleeping. 

This system is not going to let you sleep right away when you touch or sleep on the mat. This system is going to improve the quality of your sleep and that’s what we are all after.

DIY Copper-mesh grounding mat

DIY Conductive Fabric grounding mat

This is my digital multi-meter. 

The above photo is my digital multi-meter.  I use this to test whether my DIY mat is working or not. You can purchase this in any hardware store. For more information on how to test your ground mat, here’s a video. There’s a ton of info on Youtube, your choice. But you may start from here;

(How to test your ground mat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awCjiulGmWg)

Since that moment I’ve known of this practice, I have incorporated this into my life. I still have nights where hormones are bonkers and it’s kind of hard to fall asleep but I can tell you, even if I wake up twice at night, I still feel that quality sleep this grounding mat promised to give. I now sleep deeply, I dream vividly and definitely get into that REM state of sleep. 

We went to Bukidnon province recently and I brought my DIY ground mat with me. I was so glad our room was near the open grounds. It was easy to run the wire out of our accommodation room and tuck it to the ground. My concern is for future travels that I would be up above ground, I probably have to choose hotels that have working ground plugs on them. How would I know then? Wish me luck. 

Finding ways to address our health issues naturally and not rely on pharma all the time is by far the best thing we can gift ourselves. 

In a world brimming with technological and material marvels, where our lives are intricately interwoven with devices, screens, and homes above ground, it's easy to forget the profound connection we share with the very ground beneath our feet. Exploring the concept of earthing or grounding, has been an enlightening journey that has brought me back to my roots, both metaphorically and literally.

In summary, As I delved into the research, I unearthed a treasure trove of scientific evidence highlighting the tangible benefits of reconnecting with the Earth's energy. The practice of walking barefoot on grass, sand, or soil, once dismissed as a quaint pastime, has revealed a powerful ritual that can enhance my well-being. 

The simple act of absorbing the Earth's electrons has the potential to reduce a lot of our aches and pains, and even promote better sleep. But beyond the clinical realm, grounding awakened a sense of wonder within me, reminding me of the symbiotic relationship we share with mother nature.

Yet, this journey was not just about personal rejuvenation. It was a poignant reminder of our responsibility as custodians of the planet. As I grounded myself, I couldn't help but reflect on the urgent need to safeguard our environment. The Earth, like a nurturing mother, offers us its energy and solace, but it's imperative that we reciprocate this love by adopting sustainable practices.

In conclusion, the concept of earthing or grounding transcends scientific discourse; it is a visceral experience that rekindles our primordial connection with the Earth. It's a call to step away from the digital dissonance, to pause, and to embrace the profound simplicity of nature. 

So, the next time you find yourself caught in the whirlwind of life, take off your shoes, let the Earth cradle you, and feel the gentle hum of existence course through your being. 

In grounding, I discovered not only a remedy for modern ailments but a timeless communion that enriches my soul.

For further information about the science of grounding, you may visit https://earthinginstitute.net/ 

I'm eternally grateful you dropped by reading this post. If this has helped you in any way, I would appreciate it if you share your experience at the end of this post.

Disclaimer: This is not a piece of medical advice. This is not intended to cure or replace your medications. Always seek the guidance of your doctor with any questions you may have regarding your health or medical condition.

Posted in Menopause Wellness, Natural Remedies and Supplements, Women and Health, Women and Mental Wellness