Grounding

I’m an electrician by trade and in our industry we work with and rely on, The Earthing System. 

An earthing (grounding) system is designed to bring back stability and safety in the event of a fault or surge by acting as a low-resistance path for excess electricity to dissipate into the earth. The funny thing is, I had spent 9 years in the electrical industry before I got introduced to grounding on my own personal health journey, and prior to that, never associated earthing/grounding in an electrical system and earthing/grounding in human beings (which of course, is also an advanced electrical system). 

So, just like the earthing/grounding system, creates a path of least resistance for excess charge to dissipate and bring back stability into electrical systems, so does it in us, human beings. Our bodies do not just contain energy; they actively produce and use bioelectricity to control nearly every bodily function, from the beating of the heart to the firing of neurons in the brain. This is a great time to remind you that we are not separate from nature, we are a part of it. 

Every bodily system goes back to homeostasis (balance) when our feet are grounded to the earth, whether this be in the oceans, lakes, rivers, grass, sand, or dirt. Our body absorbs free electrons (negatively charged ions) from the earth, which help us to mitigate an overflow of positively charged ions originating from heavy metals, toxins and free radicals that overrun our system and contribute to the leading cause of most diseases, we know as….Inflammation. 

This next part is going to get a bit sciency, and disclaimer, I am not a scientist. This whole blog, I am writing from notes I have taken over the years while researching grounding for my own benefit. I highly recommend you research and look deeper into earthing/grounding for your own benefit. 

The surface of the earth is charged negatively. The ionosphere (a level of atmosphere 60 miles up) is ionised by the sun, meaning the rays from the sun are so strong that they split the molecules in two, a positive charge and a negative charge. The sun spews out electrons, they come to the earth, they hit the ionosphere, they charge it and periodically the ionosphere releases lots of electrons which is what we know to be lightning. The negative charge is transferred to the surface of the earth, mainly through lightning. The positive charge stays in the ionosphere (60 miles up). 

The earth is electrically conductive and anywhere you stand on it, your body absorbs free electrons (negatively charged ions) that originated from the sun. Problems begin to arise for human beings when they lack negative charge. It has been researched that 45 minutes to 2 hours of ground has seen results in reduced inflammation. 

Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body, it's the building block of our tissues. We have  approximately a gazillion collagen proteins in the body that lay in a gel that has a large surface area and it absorbs electrons and then releases them when you have an injury. Inflammation is produced by neutrophils (white blood cells). When you have an injury, you have damaged cells and the white blood cell encapsulates the damaged cell and they release reactive oxygen species (ROS) or more commonly known as Free Radicals. These ROS rip electrons (negatively charged ions) from the damaged cell and that destroys the damaged cell. 

White blood cells release free radicals at the injury site, they chew up pathogens, bacteria or dead cells. They clear the area and that area is known as the repair field. Without earthing/grounding, some of the free radicals leak into the repair field and enter the surrounding tissue. If there aren't enough free electrons (negative charged ions) present to reduce the remaining free radicals, they will steal an electron from a healthy cell causing damage to those healthy cells and sending messages to the immune system. 

A lack of grounding has been found to have a dire effect on the health of human beings, especially since the invention of the rubber soled shoe in the 1960’s. The human body absorbs free electrons so fast, it's instantaneous. A 2017 study conducted by Penn State University found that electrical grounding in the NICU significantly increased vagal tone in premature infants, with a 67% increase in heart rate variability, a key marker of parasympathetic nervous system activity and showed that overall, grounded babies are more relaxed. Study reference below: https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/electrical-grounding-technique-may-improve-health-outcomes-nicu-babies

Electromagnetism holds all cells together (energy). Grounding has been shown to reduce blood viscosity, resulting in a reduced heart rate as the blood can pump easier through the body. This is thought to be the start of reversing disease and returning the body's functions to homeostasis (balance). 

Mother earth is always here to heal and nurture, but it's imperative that we do the same for her. 

Written by: Rikimata Mason

31/01/2026