Jojoba wrote:
Yeah, admittedly one of the problems with earthing is testing. There really isn't an easy test a person can do to see changed results. One can report feeling better, sleep more soundly, feel tingling when standing barefoot outside or on a grounding mat as I and family do, but that is an observation. It would be nice if there was a test one can do that shows improvement. Maybe some day that will happen.
I googled a bit and found that cortisol can be measured.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15650465[
Quote:
quote]J Altern Complement Med. 2004 Oct;10(5):767-76.
The biologic effects of grounding the human body during sleep as measured by cortisol levels and subjective reporting of sleep, pain, and stress.
Ghaly M, Teplitz D.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES:
Diurnal cortisol secretion levels were measured and circadian cortisol profiles were evaluated in a pilot study conducted to test the hypothesis that grounding the human body to earth during sleep will result in quantifiable changes in cortisol. It was also hypothesized that grounding the human body would result in changes in sleep, pain, and stress (anxiety, depression, irritability), as measured by subjective reporting.
SUBJECTS AND INTERVENTIONS:
Twelve (12) subjects with complaints of sleep dysfunction, pain, and stress were grounded to earth during sleep for 8 weeks in their own beds using a conductive mattress pad. Saliva tests were administered to establish pregrounding baseline cortisol levels. Levels were obtained at 4-hour intervals for a 24-hour period to determine the circadian cortisol profile. Cortisol testing was repeated at week 6. Subjective symptoms of sleep dysfunction, pain, and stress were reported daily throughout the 8-week test period.
RESULTS:
Measurable improvements in diurnal cortisol profiles were observed, with cortisol levels significantly reduced during night-time sleep. Subjects' 24-hour circadian cortisol profiles showed a trend toward normalization. Subjectively reported symptoms, including sleep dysfunction, pain, and stress, were reduced or eliminated in nearly all subjects.
CONCLUSIONS:
Results indicate that grounding the human body to earth ("earthing") during sleep reduces night-time levels of cortisol and resynchronizes cortisol hormone secretion more in alignment with the natural 24-hour circadian rhythm profile. Changes were most apparent in females. Furthermore, subjective reporting indicates that grounding the human body to earth during sleep improves sleep and reduces pain and stress.
Cortisol is something that can be objectively measured. And yes, Fnord, The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (in which this was published) is peer reviewed.
http://www.liebertpub.com/manuscript/acmQuote:
he Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine: Research on Paradigm, Practice, and Policy is a peer-reviewed journal. It includes observational and analytical reports, ideas, commentary, and opinions on therapies currently thought to be outside the realm of conventional Western biomedicine that are gaining interest and warranting research to assess therapeutic value. The Journal includes current concepts in clinical care, including case reports, which will be valuable for physicians and other health care professionals who are seeking to evaluate and integrate these therapies into patient care protocols.
not that I have done this. I still get the willies just thinking about it (and no I don't use an electric blanket). Nobody has ever been electrocuted doing this (I looked) but a few years ago a tree in my neighborhood was split in half when it was struck by lightening so the reassurance that lightening strikes are statistically unlikely near me just doesn't hold.
07 Nov 2013, 8:44 am
