We and our bodies are connected. The better awareness we have about our bodies, the more we understand when we are not well and can decide then what needs to be done to get the issue corrected. Chiropractic is great at increasing that mind-body connection. Having it as a part of my lifestyle (and profession) has definitely taught me a lot about myself and one thing that I want to talk about today is nature, or “the green stuff” as I like to call it.

We went up to see Arthur’s seat last week in Edinburgh and I happened to get a dizzy spell just a few hours before, so my energy levels were not tip-top that morning (joys of having thyroid upsets occasionally). As we started to walk up the hill, I felt a sudden urge to take my shoes off and walk barefoot. So I did. And my oh my, how good it felt. What happened later was quite the eye-opener for me and my partner- within 15minutes I had a surge of energy and I was ready to reach the top of the hill!

This is why I take my connection to my body seriously, as it allowed me to understand what my body needed at that time, solve the issue and end up having a great time (and an amazing view).

So why would someone be taking their shoes off and walk on the grass/ground then? There is a specific name for this and is called grounding (or earthing).

It essentially means walking(or sleeping) on the surface of the earth, barefoot. From a scientific point of view, you are having physical contact with electrons of the surface of the earth, which promotes benefits of wellness and physiological changes like reduction in pain and stress, increased blood circulation, and improvements in sleep. You can find multiple research papers that are emphasizing the benefits of grounding on various physiological aspects of the human body. There is one paper I have read recently that talks about the reduction in inflammatory levels, which is something I see every day in practice.

High inflammatory levels are associated with pain, autoimmune diseases, issues with sleep, and stress. By only having 30-40minutes of grounding a day decreases the levels of inflammation, plus, there are no side effects from the process itself, so what is there to lose?

Scientists are also interested in thyroid health in relation to grounding. It appeared that a couple of researches that were done noticed a change in thyroid markers in the blood. People with optimal thyroid health started noticing a few symptoms from hyperthyroidism, like heart racing and increase in energy and their T4 (thyroxin) and thyroid-stimulating hormone and decrease of T3 (tri-iodothyronine)-important thyroid hormones. It would be amazing to see what happens to my thyroid health after a couple of months of consistent grounding. I shall let you know if I do.

The modern times we live in unfortunately reduce the easy access to the nearby forest or a park, depending on where you live. Offices, flats, and buildings don’t excite human beings that much, except for when it’s pouring rain- then I shall hide inside and curse the weather. We also see more diseases, inflammatory and autoimmune conditions, stress levels are rising and psychological issues are sky-high.

So if you are looking for a natural approach to some of the issues you are experiencing, why not try this?