Earthing Therapy
Sharing my experiences
This page is being updated periodically.
Request to readers
I suggest sharing this therapy after evaluating it for a reasonable time and getting fully convinced.
If you are taking medicines for hypertension, diabetes , blood thinners like coumadin , thyroid medications or others, please keep in mind that earthing therapy may reduce the need for some medications. It is advisable to check in periodically with your doctor and adjust the medications to avoid overdosing.
What is 'Earthing therapy'
It is to connect the body to earth to bring its electrical charge to match that of earth (that is zero volts).
How did I know about it
While watching some talks of Deepak Chopra on youtube, I heard him talk about grounded chairs and their significance. I was intrigued as I never heard of grounding the human body before. I searched on youtube for 'grounding' and found dozens of videos and documentaries on the topic. I searched online and found the earthing institute (non-profit). After studying this website and watching multiple youtube videos, documentaries and podcasts for a week, I was convinced that it was worth trying to see if it would help with some chronic health problems I had, as the one-time cost of the required items was not high with no recurring expense.
My chronic health problems
I was suffering from severe knee pains, pain and extreme heaviness of legs for at least 3 years. When climbing the steps I gripped the side rail and pulled myself up, to partly relieve the pain and came down the steps very slowly, holding the railing or wall to reduce the pain and avoid falling. My legs were stiff like wood and felt heavy like elephant legs.
My sleep has been very disturbed for many years - waking up every two hours to go to the bathroom though the bladder was not full. On waking up in the morning, I felt groggy.
I managed to keep going with regular practice of meditation, breathing exercises and yoga. I thought that these symptoms may be due to lack of testosterone in the body as I had undergone Orchiectomy to control the metastasis of prostate cancer. I have been under treatment for prostate cancer since 2006 and had surgery and radiation previously. When I told the urologist about the joint and leg pains, he said "You have done very well with the cancer treatments and of course you are getting older!". On hearing his comments, I thought that these symptoms were not unusual and it looks like not much that can be done about them. I thought this was how I had to live for the rest of my life. I cut down a lot of vegetable gardening and yard work this year. I didn't want to take regular pain medicines. My spirit was slowly sinking. At this point, I thought that the non-medical, no-side-effects earthing therapy with just a one time expense was worth trying.
How I tried this therapy
July 21: I searched on amazon for earthing and found many product options. I bought a grounding kit - a mat of about 2 x 3 feet and a connecting cord of 15 feet, that cost under $41.
I put the mat on my bed with its smooth side up, connected the button end of the cord to the matching button at one corner of the mat and inserted the pin at the other end of the cord into the ground port of the outlet near my bed. In the morning, I moved the mat to the floor and did meditation and yoga on it. Then, I moved the mat to the chair in front of the desktop computer where I spent 3 to 4 hours daily. In this way, I was some part of my body was electrically grounded for about 12 hours a day.
How earthing therapy helped me
WITHIN A MONTH
After three weeks of using the earthing mat, I felt significant relief from chronic and severe knee pains, leg pains and hot flashes. I am aware of many people suffering from such problems. I believe this therapy will help others as well. I would feel guilty if I keep this information to myself.
Relief from severe knee pains
After about 2 weeks of regular usage as described above, one day, I was coming down the steps from second floor. When there were 4 more steps to go down, I felt a click in my left knee and the severe pain that I had in this joint for more than 3 years instantly disappeared though the joint was still stiff with mild pain. I couldn't believe my experience. After two days, the severe pain in the right knee also disappeared. Both knees were stiff and had mild pain. I was not feeling handicapped with those pains.
Pain, stiffness and heaviness in leg muscles
After another week, I noticed a lot of relief from these symptoms in both legs. They felt lighter and had mild to no-pain while walking at home, hiking in the nearby park and going up and down the steps. Before this therapy, I was feeling drained and averse to physical work but forced myself to walk regularly for fear of becoming more unfit. Now I feel a whole lot better.
Hot flashes at night
These were a constant problem for many years and affected my sleep. Now hot flashes are much less though my sleep has not improved.
Please see the following section for updates on subsequent developments.
Aug 9, 2023: Bought the book "earthing - the most important health discovery ever!" by Clint Ober (founder of this therapy), Dr Stephen T Sinatra M.D and Martin Zucker. I read it completely and was convinced that this was not a health fad.
After I got remarkable relief from knee pains and leg pains, I tried it on the swollen and painful left index finger using 'Ground therapy patch'. I bought the patches, attached a patch to the swollen base of the index finger and connected it to the ground port of the outlet using the same wire (after detaching it from the mat), whenever I worked at the computer and even when I slept at night. The swelling and pain of the finger steadily reduced and it was 80% normal after 3 days. But when stopped using the patch, the swelling returned.
Aug 9 (3 Weeks) - When I stopped using the mt at night for a 5 days because I used the connecting cord to the patch on the swollen and painful left index finger, the right knee pain returned. So I have been using the mat every night on the bed and while doing meditation and yoga. After using the mat during sleep, the knee pain disappeared in two days. I realized that I had to use the mat every night to sustain the benefits. Every night I lie down on the 2x3 feet mat. In the morning I moved the mat to the floor and did meditation and yoga on it.
AFTER 1 MONTH
Aug 30: I bought two more cords and a second smaller mat of about 14x24 inches to increase the number of grounded hours. I put this mat below the computer desk and connected it to ground using the nearest outlet. I rest my bare feet on it whenever I sit at the desktop. This way, I spend about 3 hours in the daytime with my bare feet earthed.
2 MONTHS
September 24 (2 1/2 months): I found that the stiffness and swelling in my fingers responds to the patch provided I connect the patch to earth for 10 to 12 hours a day. So now I sleep on the 2x3 feet mat and at the same time, connect the patch on the finger to another earthing port throughout the night using another cord. When sitting at the computer desk, my bare feet rest on the smaller 14x24 inch mat and at the same time the patch on the finger is earthed by another cord. I know this sounds crazy. But I have been a maintenance Engineer half of my career. Our team had to make the machines keep running 24x7 doing whatever worked at that time.
I have been suffering from throbbing localized pain in the left hip and left ankle for many years. These pains have almost gone.
Sept 26: My left and then the right index finger have been mildly swollen and hurting for more than two months. I find that applying the patch and connecting it to the earthing port throughout the night steadily reduces the swelling and pain. I have been doing this to one left index finger for the last one week. It is responding to this therapy slowly and the pain is 70% less. I will continue using it on the left index finger till the pain completely disappears. Then I want to try it on the other finger.
Another important observation is that walking on the treadmill at about 2.5 mph for about 40 minutes reduces the stiffness of all the fingers. I have been doing this almost daily for the last 3 weeks, This practice seems to complement the earthing therapy.
Oct 6,: I have been using the patch at the base of the left index finger every night for a week. Today the pain is insignificant and the swelling is less by 80%.
Oct 7: Finally, my sleep has shown signs of improvement. I have had severe sleep disturbances every night for many years - waking up every two hours, difficulty falling asleep, feeling groggy on waking up. Meditation, breathing exercises and other techniques that worked for a long time did not help much. Taking Melatonin hormone pills of 5 mg either full or half pill helped. But the quality of sleep was not good. Since last 4 days, I have seen encouraging signs - I feel actually sleepy, close to bedtime! I forgot what was like to feel sleepy. I have to watch for a couple of weeks and see how it goes.
Oct 10: I have been connecting the patch at the base of the left index finger earthing cord every night for last 10 days. The swelling and pain are now 90% less. it looks like I may not need to use the patch after a few more days. Meanwhile the pain and swelling and pain in the right index finger are gone without using the patch on this finger.
Oct 11: Last night I was feeling sort of sleepy around 10pm which was unusual for me as explained on Oct 7. I woke up 3 times in the night but could get back to sleep without taking melatonin pill. Most surprising was that I woke up at 6.10 am, eyes wide open and could not close them. I did not feel like lying in the bed anymore! In contrast, for many years, I woke up 7 to 8 am and sometimes even later and felt groggy, eyes not opening and not inclined to leave the bed. I had to continue lying in the bed and practice focusing on breathing and chanting for 45 min to an hour to be able to leave the bed. My experience today is out of the world. But I have to see how it goes as I am still waking up 3 times in sleep.
Octy 15: The swelling and pain of the left index finger is 90% less, hardly any pain. I have been using the patch every night during sleep. When I go to the bathroom at night, I detach the cord and reconnect it when I return to the bed. I have also been earthing the patch whenever I sit at the desktop. The right index finger has no pain whatsoever, though I have not used the patch.
Oct 17: This is about my chronic problem of sleep disturbances. Three times every night I woke up, left the bed and went to the bathroom under the impression that I wouldn't be able to fall asleep otherwise. For the first time, I wanted to see what will happen if I continued lying and tried to go back to sleep. I woke up three times. First two times of waking up, I practiced the usual 'segment mode' and fell asleep without any struggle! The third time, I woke up around 4 am, feeling fresh. So I left the bed, sat in a chair and picked up my current book and read for about 30 minutes. When felt tired and sleepy, I lied down and fell asleep comfortably. I woke up around 8 am feeling great. This development is encouraging. I have to watch for a week to come to a conclusion.
3 MONTHS
Oct 21: Knee joint pains are mild climbing the steps and coming down. Leg muscle pains are mild but still there. Hot flashes - rarely. Sleep - able to fall asleep without pills, still waking up three times but the last stretch of sleep is longer 3 to 4 hours. Swelling and pain of the left index finger is 90 % less though I have been using the patch every night and also whenever I sit the computer desk. Right index finger is totally normal. Once the left index finger becomes totally normal, I will use the patch on one knee joint at a time, to see if it will improve the stiffness and discomfort.
Oct 22: Last night I woke up mid sleep only once. This was the second time I woke up only once. For many years, I was waking up three times.
Oct 23: Today I walked on the treadmill at 2.9 mph for almost 20 minutes without feeling drained. Before I could not cross 2.6 mph.
Oct 24: Last night was the third night I woke only once instead of the usual three times.
Oct 25: I discontinued the patch on the left index finger as it is almost normal. I will watch how it behaves without the patch.
Oct 27: Started using a patch on the left calf muscle band that has been sore for a long time. I connect it all through the night and whenever I remember about it when working at the computer desk.
Nov 2: Stopped the patch on the left calf muscle as it got better. Today I put a new patch at the long standing sore spot on the left ankle.
I am finding that the hot flashes at night are frequent and disturbing my sleep. It looks like the 'Evening Primrose Oil' supplement I had been using for many years helped with the night flashes. I will resume those pills asap. The left index finger swelling has increased though the pain is mild as of now.
I find one positive sign about my most concerning problem of sleep interruptions: I do wake up 2-3 times almost every night but the last leg of sleep is longer and deeper lasting 3 to 4 hours. This has happened at least on 10 days so far. I have to watch for more regularity to conclude on it.
Nov 11: Pains are not a matter of concern. No improvement in sleep interruptions. I am trying different strategies including taking a Melatonin 5mg pill before bedtime to get a decent number of hours of sleep.
Nov 13: Using a patch on the slightly swollen left index finger.
Nov 17: Used a patch on the painful and swollen spot in the right knee at night (a new development). After two days the pain and swelling is almost gone. I am also using another patch on the left index finger. This problem has been coming back when I discontinue the patch. This time I will continue it till the pain and swelling completely disappear. The sleep problem remains the same. I have been taking Melatonin 5mg pill at night. This is helping a lot even though my sleep interrupted at least two times. The last part of sleep is deeper and longer making me feel good on waking in the morning.
4 MONTHS
Nov 23: The soreness, stiffness and pain in my legs improved dramatically since last two days. My sleep pattern has remained same. I find that the last part of sleep is deeper lasting at least 3 hours in the last two weeks. For the last 5 days, I have been able to fall asleep and get back to sleep without taking Melatonin pills, though I still wake up three times. I think using the patch at some pain spot daily in addition to sleeping on the grounding mat is resulting in bigger and faster improvements compared with only sleeping on the mat.
Nov 26: I have been sleeping on the mat and also using a patch above the right knee for the last five days. The right knee pain is felt sometimes but has not affected my walking on the treadmill. I have been working on the rowing machine for about 10 minutes on alternate days to strengthen the muscles of hands and legs. Last night I woke up only two times instead of the usual three times. The second time, I didn't leave the bed and could get back to sleep doing the breathing and chanting. This may be the first time I got off the bed only once in the night!
Dec 4: Last night I slept from 10.30, woke up at 1am but didn't need to leave the bed to go to the bathroom. Went back to sleep soon, woke up at 4 am. went to bathroom, returned to bed and practiced breathing and chanting for almost 1 hour 30 minutes. Felt great in body and mind. Left bed at 6 am! This is a ground breaking development. I have to try to replicate this pattern.
5 MONTHS
Dec 19: The knee joints are pain free. Going and down the steps is a challenge as the lower leg and foot muscles are stiff. Left index finger is tender with a little swelling and pain, not a problem for doing routine activities. I have not done anything to the fingers over the last 2 weeks. Sleep pattern is settling down to waking up the first two times after 1.5 to 2 hours. But the last stretch of sleep has been consistently longer from 2.5 to 3 hours of deep sleep after which I wake up feeling much better than I used to before this therapy.
2024
Jan 2, 2024: Knee pains persist at a low level but not crippling like they used were 5 months back. The sleep pattern is definitely changing - I wake up 2 to 3 times in the night, no difficulty falling asleep first two times but the third time I wake up I don't get sleep easily. At this time, I adopt a special posture and breathe and chant for 30 min to an hour. This helps me fall asleep and have a really deep and refreshing sleep for 2 to 3 hours. This pattern has been going on for at least one month.
I have been earthing intensively:
1) Sleeping on the mat at night
2) Move the mat to the floor in the morning and do meditation and yoga for about 45 minutes.
3) Attach a patch, as sticky patch with a button that look similar to the EKG patches used in a doctor's office to a sore spot in my leg and attach a second earthing wire to it. Thus at night, my body is earthed at two different places in my body.
4) During the day, whenever I sit at the computer desk to work on the desktop computer, my bare feet rest on the smaller grounded mat. This is about 3 hours in the day.
8 Months (March 8)
I have been using the bigger earthing mat on the bed to sleep on all through. In the morning I have been taking it off the bed and spreading it on the floor for meditation and yoga. Before lying down for sleep, I put it back on the bed.
The smaller mat is permanently placed below the desk on which the desktop computer sits. Thus, whenever I work at the computer (3 to 4 hours a day) my bare feet rest on the mat.
My sleep didn't improve as expected. The stiffness and pains in the legs also didn't improve. I was wondering what I needed to do to relieve these problems. I noticed that I was burping without any signs of acidity for many years.
I had a history of adverse response to large quantities of diary milk on with breakfast cereal after coming to the US. I had chronic eczema on the legs. After cutting down milk consumption drastically, restricting its use only for tea and coffee, eczema totally disappeared. I consumed soy milk with cereal. It made a big difference.
Taking a clue from that, for the last 2 months, I totally eliminated diary milk. In its place I have been using soy milk even in tea and coffee. The burping was much less and I could get back to sleep in much less time. It improved my sleep. But still, burping continued on a lower scale. Also the severe stiffness in the leg muscles causing discomfort and pain continued. I guessed these were related to improper digestion and locking up of gas in the body. Then a clue came by.
Two weeks back, I saw a WhatsApp forward which mentioned many benefits of consuming a tea of curry leaves. Curry leaves are very common in Indian cooking. In my childhood, children with constipation were given a paste of green curry leaves and salt in marble size quantities. That relieved constipation and even led to loose bowels! Taking a clue from that post, I have been making a curry leaf tea - taking the leaves of two long stems of curry leaves which are always in the fridge and boiling the leaves in a cup of water till the leaves are fully cooked and consumed half cup after every meal. I take only two meals a day - brunch and early dinner. The results have been dramatic! Burping totally eliminated. Sleep improved. Most importantly, stiffness and pains in my legs reduced 80%. These are huge benefits for me at this time. I have to watch how these improvements behave going forward.
11 months (May 2024)
From may 2024 I started going to the gym alternate days to strengthen my legs which have been wobbly. I was motivated by granddaughter Veda and daughter Padma. Working on All the muscle groups helped my whole body. Moreover it has improved my sleep a lot. I have been enjoying good quality sleep for about 7 hours every night.
I continue to use the earthing mats on the bed, doing Yoga and meditation and as a foot mat when at the computer desk.
Reports from other users
I received some encouraging reports from a couple of users who tried this therapy on hearing about my experiences. I am waiting for them to send me detailed reports. I invite you to share your experiences with this therapy - positive and negative if any. If you permit, I will post your feedback in this page without your identity.
From a relative in India (50+ years)
After 4 months of usage:
The earthing mat works great.
The burning and pain in the soles of my feet are gone.
Knee pain is mild sometimes.
Sleeping happily.
Spoken in English and Hindi languages by mostly senior citizens.
If you try this therapy and derive benefits please share it
with your friends and family.
