Earthing Day 17 – More Symptoms Arise

Just when I thought I was making progress with this Earthing therapy, I started suffering from itchy skin on my feet. (Possibly from chigger bites that arose while walking barefoot.) Today, I noticed that the lump on the bottom of my feet was painful again. When I started barefoot walking, the lump had decreased in size and almost went completely away. 

I’m officially on day 17 of the Earthing journey, and the lump on my foot is tender when I step again. This stinks. I was hoping to report that my symptoms were just going away rather slowly, but that is not the case. This one seems to have come back. 

The one symptom that hasn’t come back just yet is seizures. This is a pretty big deal. I can handle some skin irritation and an uncomfortable wart on the bottom of my foot, but a seizure will prevent me from getting my driver’s license back. It disrupts my life and shakes my confidence. I’m hoping that Earthing combined with the ketogenic diet keeps the seizures at bay for good. 

Trying to Stay Positive

I’m still a long way away from my 90-day goal. It is tough to stay positive when you don’t seem to see a lot of progress. Right now, I will admit that I’m sinking into a bit of despair. But I really want to complete the full 3 months of Earthing every single day to see what I can accomplish with my health. 

I have decided that writing some positive affirmations and listening to my ThinkRightNow success download will be helpful. It may cheer me up a bit to start thinking more positive thoughts. 

I have used the ThinkRightNow CDs in the past and when I consistently listen to them, I often tend to start incorporating the thoughts that are said in the CD into my life. Unfortunately, I tend to get lazy and forget to play them. 

Staying positive will be a most important tool in completing my Earthing journey because it will help me stick with it when I have “down days” and discouraging thoughts like today. I need to push past the negativity and start to focus on the positive. 

The political environment and focus on a virus going around is pretty exhausting. I can see how the pandemic is being used as a tool of manipulation and as a transfer of financial wealth. Sometimes it is challenging when other people are focusing on fear and panic from a virus. 

Consistency is Key

Sometimes it is the little things that make the biggest difference. Staying consistent with the therapy that you select will often determine whether or not you see results. In my life, I have been quick to adopt diets or lifestyle changes with big hopes and then abandoning them when I didn’t have success immediately. 

Not regrowing hair or having a seizure can play into discouragement. The mindset that arises after a seizure is pretty bad. So, even though I may have been making progress in the past on the GAPS diet, a seizure early on killed my motivation to follow through. 

My last Earthing journey may have been jeopardized by not using the products enough and testing to make sure that they actually worked and my body was grounded. This time around, I have been much better about testing to ensure grounding and staying consistent with using the products or going barefoot outside. 

Earthing Day 16 – Itchy Feet

I have been walking barefoot in the morning for about an hour every day for almost a month now. I like to think that it is helping me connect to the earth and heal. That’s the theory behind Earthing. But I may need to start wearing the Earthing shoes. My feet have become itchy and slightly pink. Not terribly itchy. We’re talking about a 2 on a scale of 1-10. I almost don’t even notice.

At first, I thought it was chiggers or some insect. But I’m not so sure now. Some of the areas of break-out look like they could be an eczema-type skin condition. I had eczema when I was a child pretty badly, but it has gone away and hasn’t come back since.

I’m actually very disappointed to report this. I was so hopeful that Earthing would be the answer to all my health problems. But it isn’t. I’m seeing some slight improvement in the varicose veins that I had, but that is about it.

I get my hopes up high when I read the testimonials of others. This happened with the ketogenic diet and how it was so helpful in curing all kinds of things. It may be that I’m not patient and give up too quickly on dietary and lifestyle interventions, but since I try a lot of them I have pretty good overall health.

It’s just those dang autoimmune conditions that are bugging me. They aren’t even painful.

I have been keeping up with the 16 hours per day of staying grounded, or “earthing.” I’ll continue on with the experiment for a full 90 days. Remember, there is a 90-day guarantee on the product that I purchased, so if I’m not seeing progress, I can return it.

One thing that I did notice was great today was my digestion! It was smooth and easy. I had a bowel movement yesterday and another one today. This is great news. It means that I am effectively eliminating waste and by not holding it, I’m not recirculating excess estrogen that could throw my hormones off balance.

I did not have any seizures today, so that was wonderful! I hope to keep the seizure-free period up for a very long time.

What is Earthing and How to Do It

This is a great video that describes how the negative electrons flow into the body and help decrease free radicals and reduce pain. She demonstrates how to use the Universal Mat. It is very easy to use for sleeping and yoga. Check it out if you want to learn more about Earthing.

Earthing Day 15 – Feeling Great!

Today, I set a goal to do my Earthing for an hour this morning and I achieved it. I was barefoot and doing my archery practice at the crack of dawn. I listened to the positive affirmation CD Think Right Now twice while shooting my arrows. The grass was wet with dew and my feet were cold at first, so I did some light jogging between shots. It worked. I adjusted to it. 

Here’s a shot of the morning sky as the sun was rising. The air is much cooler and more comfortable early in the morning. There are fewer gnats just before the sun comes up. They must be sleeping. 

Allergy Improvement

Today I noticed a bit of seasonal allergy improvement. I had two sneezes today in the late afternoon. I didn’t notice any irritation this morning or when I was walking barefoot in the afternoon. I’ll keep monitoring my progress to make sure that it sticks. 

No Seizures

This is always wonderful to report. I do feel that my GAPS ketogenic/Paleo ketogenic diet has contributed to having good brain nutrition. I also feel that getting moving outdoors helps digestion and I suspect that when I get constipated and the hormones fluctuate is when I’m at the greatest risk for seizures. That wasn’t today. I had a bowel movement that was easy and I’m done with my period.

No New Hair

I haven’t noticed any new hairs popping up lately. That is totally disappointing. I had read someone who reversed her alopecia but it wasn’t until the 8th month of the AIP diet. Whew! I’m only through five months of an AIP-like diet. I keep reminding myself to keep it up. I have “cheated” on AIP by eating eggs, which are allowed on GAPS and Paleo Ketogenic diet once you have healed, but it is tough to keep going on the diet without seeing improvement. Also, hair does take awhile to grow. 

Eating Outside

I have started the practice of eating one of my meals with my feet on the grass or patio. I like feeling the sun on my face and getting an extra boost of vitamin D while I enjoy a meal. This practice was suggested in a video by Dr. Laura Koniver. I’m also going to attend a few of the summer concerts in the area and take my shoes off while I picnic and listen to jazz. It should be fun. 

All in all, the Earthing has been easy and fun to do. I can’t say that it has been totally life-changing, but it is still really early in this experiment. I do feel like getting outside more is improving my health in some way. It definitely makes me feel a bit happier. I notice when I go back inside how dark the house can seem compared to how bright the sunshine is during the day. 

I hope you have enjoyed following my Earthing journey. If you haven’t taken your shoes off today and gone barefoot outdoors, try it! It could be just the thing that you need! 

The Earthing Large Body Band Review

Earthing Large Body Band Review

Name: Earthing Large Body Band
Website: earthing.com
Price: $89
Owners: Clint Ober
Overall Rank: 85 out of 100

Earthing Large Body Band, Product Overview

This is simply an orange elastic band with a metal attachment and a wire that connects to the grounding outlet in your home. It is used for earthing, or connecting to the earth’s negative electrons to help ground out your body. The large body band was designed to go around a thigh or large upper arm. It is not large enough to go around an adult’s waist or chest. 

There is a metal plate that is held close to your skin for good conductivity. There may be some conductive fibers in the elastic, but they don’t seem to be immediately conductive. 

The Good & the Bad

The Good:

PRO #1: Super easy to use. It keeps your body grounded while you are sitting at a desk, walking around a small room, or sleeping at night. 
PRO #2: Targets arms and legs that may have circulation issues. It is great for placing near a body part that may feel inflammed. 
PRO #3: It is convenient. You can put it on and forget about it…until you have to leave the room and go to the bathroom. 

The Bad:

CON #1: The band can unsnap from the grounding wire. This has happened to me while I was using it during sleep. 
CON #2: You can only walk around for about 8 feet or the length of the attached wire. It is best to use it when you are going to stay at a desk or in bed. 

Who is Earthing Large Body Band For?

This product is ideal for people who are new to earthing and want to test it out without purchasing a more expensive bed mat or earthing shoes. It is great for people who want to stay grounded working at their desk, or doing light exercise like Pilates. The band keeps you connected while allowing for some movement. 

I don’t recommend using it on your head. I tried this and found that the pressure of metal against my scalp made that area of my head sore. 

Earthing Large Body Band Tools & Training

The Earthing Large Body Band comes on its own, but is also sold in a kit. There are some instructions on how to set it up. The first thing that you will do is test your grounding outlet. Next, you will connect the wire to the outlet and snap the wire to the orange body band. Finally, you will secure the body band around an appendage or your head. 

Large Body Band Support

You can contact the Earthing.com support team M-F from 8am-4pm. They will respond to inquiries through email. Earthing support page.

Earthing Large Body Band Price

When I made this purchase, I couldn’t find where to buy only the body band, so I bought the kit. It was incredibly expensive in my opinion, but I’m actually pretty pleased with the updated version of the book and the extra cord and grounding tester that I now own. 

If you shop around on Amazon, you can find similar products at a less expensive price. However, I don’t know how well they work. I did use the continuity tester and discovered that the product does work. It works best with a little bit of moisture, so when I put it on, I always wet it down a little bit first. 

My Final Opinion of the Earthing Large Body Band

I think that it is a great product for anyone who wants to test out Earthing. I’m still evaluating this therapy to determine if there is any credibility to it. I have noticed some slight improvements to my health that may be attributed to the Earthing, but I’m not sure yet. 

This product has made getting extra hours of Earthing in while I work at my desk possible. It has also ensured that I stay grounded while I am sleeping when my feet may push the universal mat out from under me. 

Large Body Band at a Glance…

Name: Large Body Band

Website: Earhting.com
Price: $89
Overall Scam Rank: 85 out of 100

VERDICT: LEGIT – I actually do like using it as I evaluate the concept of Earthing. 

Earthing Experiment Day 13

I’ve almost been consistently Earthing for two full weeks. I am happy to report that I haven’t had any seizures during this time. I made it through a period and hormone fluctuation which often triggers my seizures without having a seizure. That is something to celebrate. Hopefully, I’m not jinxing myself by writing this. 

I’m finding some creative ways to do Earthing. I have eaten outside with my feet on the ground either on the patio or grass. I have wrapped my large body band around my calf muscle and walked around my room. I have placed my hands on the earth while gardening and walked the perimeter of my yard without shoes. 

I have read Earthing articles to keep convincing myself that this will work and eliminate my autoimmune disease. Yet, I have used these products before without improvement. I just haven’t been as hard-core and meticulous about ensuring that they were working and I was getting the hours in during the day. 

Slow Improvement

The hardest part of Earthing is that you don’t notice improvement quickly. I have been wanting to change up my diet to make sure that I see results, which defeats the purpose. It is important to determine if the Earthing is working rather than another dietary change. 

I personally think that one of the things that has led to an improvement in digestion and imbalanced hormones is actually getting out and moving more. My body likes movement and responds well to it. Will my hair start growing with more exercise? Tough to tell. 

Inexpensive To Start

While I did spend over $100 on products to keep me Earthing while I am indoors, getting started with Earthing was simple. Just go outside without your shoes on! There is no cost. You just need to take off your shoes and start connecting with the Earth. 

This can be difficult for people living in apartment buildings and the first time I tried Earthing, I was living in a studio apartment high-rise, so I wasn’t able to get out on the grass every day. If you do have a yard, there is no excuse. Take your shoes off while you are weeding your garden. Feel the earth beneath your feet and enjoy the blades of grass tickling your toes. 

Easy To Do

Earthing definitely is easy to do, but it is almost too easy. It is something that makes you wonder, “is it really working? Should I even bother…” 

Getting my hours of Earthing in each day has been very easy once I started putting my mind to it. I find it very easy to have the universal mat under my desk and on my bed at night. I do like having a “back-up” earthing band on my leg for those times when my feet slip off the universal mat or when I have to walk around my room. I almost don’t even think about it anymore except when I unplug from the products and go outside. 

There is Science Behind It

One of the things about Earthing that is making this experiment worthwhile is that there are some studies behind it. Clint Ober also has published the book, Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever! It includes many patient testimonials that are inspiring. Reading the science that is backing helps you to stick with it. 

I hope that you try some Earthing or barefoot walking today. It is a simple and easy practice that could improve your health! Earthing - eating out

My Earthing Update for Day 12

I did not get Earthing hours in last night. I must have tossed and turned a bit and the large body band unsnapped. My earthing mat got pushed away from my feet, so I can’t really count my sleeping last night in the hours of Earthing for today. I have mostly stayed connected, so I am not really worried about it. 

Earthing Improvements

I am noticing that the varicose veins are getting smaller and less noticeable. Yay!

My gum abscess seems to be improving even though it still produced some puss today. I don’t have any pain from it. It isn’t bulging out. I don’t know if it will get infected again or not, but for now it does seem to be improving. 

My allergies haven’t been that bad. I sneezed all of 3-4 times today. That does seem to be a reduced number of times. It is summer and the pollens that I have allergies to seem to be higher in the springtime. 

I haven’t had a seizure since I started my Earthing experiment. I’m hoping that holds through my next menstrual cycle and my hormones get balanced out so when I have excess estrogen it doesn’t trigger a seizure. 

Needs Improvement

I still don’t have hair! This is the biggest concern in my life. I really want to regrow my hair and I know it may take a few months. I’m hoping I start to see some improvement by the end of the month. My guess is that I won’t see any improvement until the end of September. 

I do have some toenail fungus on my right pinky toe. It hasn’t bothered me. My doctor told me years ago that he could give me an expensive prescription for it, but it probably wouldn’t work, so I never worried about it. 

Hormone balancing. I need to get my hormones balanced so that I’m not so estrogen dominant. I do think that when I have too much estrogen circulating that I am more prone to seizures. 

Erthe Strip DIY Earthing Shoe Update

I created a negative review of the Erthe Strips for turning your shoes into earthing shoes. I wrote that they weren’t conductive. I walked today and retested them with my continuity tester. I had walked for 45 minutes on wet pavement and grass. The strips were stuck to my shoes and slightly wet when I tested them. They actually do work! 

Now, the adhesive on the strips isn’t that great and they don’t look wonderful on your shoes, but I was happy to see that they actually were conductive. I want to be accurate on this website and make sure that I am providing quality information on the products that I try. I may keep these now instead of returning them. There are times when I want to wear shoes instead of going barefoot especially to work. 

Thanks for following my blog. I hope you go out and try some of the Earthing ideas that I have shared. The products are really easy to use while you are working and going barefoot for a few minutes each day hasn’t been difficult at all. What is harder is remembering to do it when you don’t see immediate results. That is where writing a blog helps you stay on track! 

Earthing Day 11 – Feeling Better

It is the 11th day of my earthing journey. I can honestly say that I am feeling much better than yesterday when I experienced some PMS-type symptoms. Those have diminished. However, I don’t always have PMS symptoms, so I can’t attribute the reduction in symptoms to the Earthing. I was able to connect for the majority of the day and eventually got out and walked barefoot for a little while. 

I started noticing continued improvement in my varicose veins. The color is getting back to normal on the back of my thighs. It is difficult to twist around and see the purplish hue. I can see it in my three-way mirror and it does seem to have an improvement. I’ll post a follow-up in a few days. 

Autoimmune Improvement

Unfortunately, there is no autoimmune improvement just yet. I did notice some ridging on my left fingernails, so if it was working, it didn’t stop the fingernail ridging. There is no hair regrowth just yet. Normally, I think it takes at least a month to notice hair growth in someone who actually does have hair. 

My allergies are not significant. I still notice some occasional sneezing each day. Today, we are having rain and I usually don’t have symptoms when the rain pulls the pollen out of the air. I haven’t noticed any sneezing yet today, but time will tell. 

Inflammation in Gums

I still have some inflammation in my gums near my root canal that was done a decade ago. I’m reluctant to get it checked out knowing how painful it can be to have a root canal redone. The abscess fills up with pus and then it drains without a lot of pain. I have seen this go away by itself in the past, so I’m not too concerned about it. 

For a while, I thought that the Earthing helped, but the next day I saw it fill up with pus. This is kind of a normal reaction to an infection. I am just letting my body handle it on its own. I wish I could report that the Earthing was more effective in assisting this healing, but I want to be completely transparent about the efficacy of the Earthing products. 

Seizures

I have not had any seizures in the last 11 days. I don’t know if the Earthing made a difference or if the Paleo Ketogenic diet was helping. I have noticed that the seizures tend to correlate with my periods and I was able to start this cycle without having one right before. Fingers crossed that the hormones are balancing out and I won’t have one later. 

Oddly enough, I did have PMS, so the hormones were out of whack even though they didn’t trigger a seizure this month. I’m optimistic that this will help reduce the excess electrical activity in my brain that triggers seizures. 

Keeping It Up

It is difficult to continue on without seeing major results, but I do think there are slight benefits going on. I think the majority of the health benefits are coming from actual barefoot walking on the ground as it stimulates some of the pressure points of the foot and enables you to get sunshine and vitamin D. However, today it is rainy and less comfortable outside and some days I would get too many bug bites to stay outdoors. Hopefully, I will be getting benefits from the products that I ordered from earthing.com. 

I’ll keep you posted on my progress! Earthing and Grounding feet

Earthing Day 10 – Not Feeling Good

So, I have made it to day 10 of Earthing. I have connected to one of the products or mother Earth for at least 16 hours per day for the last ten days. Today, I am not feeling that great. It is PMS. Yesterday, I had a slight headache which was odd for me. I almost never have headaches. I woke up this morning and had a great bowel movement and then a watery one half an hour later and another one. Ugh…

At first, I was thinking that this Earthing would have helped balance my hormones and I wouldn’t have to worry about the period diarrhea that I had experienced in the past. Since it is linked to my period, I know that it will be gone tomorrow. But I have experienced some periods without diarrhea. My last one I didn’t have it, so I’m not sure if this is a step in the wrong direction or if my body just hasn’t gotten around to healing the hormones yet. 

One thing that documenting this journey is doing is helping me really determine whether or not this intervention has improved my health. Initially, I wanted to go back onto the paleo ketogenic diet and eliminate vegetables to see if I could improve my autoimmune condition that way. I’m toying with the idea, but it would make it difficult to tell if the Earthing intervention was the healing mechanism or not. 

I’m still planning on sticking with the Earthing for a full 90 days just to see if I can actually tell if I have healing benefits from the practice. I’m still kind of hopeful, but rather discouraged and disappointed today. 

I did not exercise as long during my morning archery practice today. I think I got in about 15 minutes before calling it quits and running to the toilet. My walk wasn’t super long and I didn’t walk barefoot for the whole length of the walking trail. I just wasn’t feeling it today. 

I have stayed connected to my earthing mat and my large body bands for most of the day, so I am on track in that sense. Here’s to hoping that things will improve for me in the next few days. Maybe I’ll even start to see some hair regrowth in a few weeks! 

Thanks again for following my blog! Let me know in the comments if you have ever tried “earthing’ or “grounding.”  earthing with plants

Earthing Mistakes – Day 9

If you have been following my journey, you may have noticed that this is not my first time experimenting with Earthing. I have done it in the past. I slept on an earthing sheet and bought some earthing shoes. I think my frustration stemmed from the fact that I had a seizure while wearing the shoes and sleeping on the earthing sheet. 

What? 

But if I analyze what could have gone wrong with the Earthing there are a few things. First and foremost, I wasn’t checking to see if my Earthing sheet was still conductive. I had used it for years when I had a nighttime seizure. Once the sheet ripped, I threw it out. It had weakened to the point that my toenails caught on it and ripped it. So…it probably had lost its conductivity. 

Wearing shoes that were Earthing shoes didn’t prevent a seizure from occurring a few years ago. Why not? Probably because I was in a building and the floor that the shoes were touching wasn’t the Earth. While I think the Earthing shoes are a great idea, if you are indoors on carpet, you aren’t going to connect with the Earth anyway. 

Night Earthing Mistakes

Last night, I placed the universal mat under my feet and went to bed. I didn’t bother with my large body band because I measured and tested for the mat continuity. It worked. It always seems to work better than the body band. But the universal mat doesn’t stay under you when you toss and turn at night. 

When I woke up in the middle of the night, I wasn’t grounded. I had tossed and turned a bit and the mat had slipped out from under my feet. I was ungrounded for at least half of the night. 

Daytime Earthing Mistakes

One of the mistakes that I made was assuming that because a product was labeled as an Earthing product that it would work. I used the Erthe shoe strips and hoped that they would provide me with a few more minutes here and there of Earthing when I had to wear shoes in public. 

Once I got a continuity tester, I discovered that was not the case. There was no continuity with the strips. They also started falling off almost immediately. I did test the shoes that I had purchased and they were conductive, but I just don’t like the style for everyday use. 

Wearing socks does make a difference between whether you are grounded or not. I noticed that most of the time when I wear socks, the continuity tester shows that I am not conductive. It is extremely frustrating. 

Tips for Earthing

  1. Get a multimeter or continuity tester. You will be able to tell whether you are grounded or not. 
  2. Use a body band during the day or at night to ensure that you are grounded.
  3. The universal mat is very versatile and can be moved from your bed to your workspace to increase the time you are grounded. 
  4. Be careful about the products that you purchase. Many of them are not good at conductivity. 

Earthing Day 8 – Doubts

So, I don’t know if this is “working” or not. I think the auras that I have around my menstrual cycle have been shorter and less severe. It is very difficult to say because my seizure auras have never been very noticeable. I have a deja vu feeling and can’t seem to concentrate for a few seconds. They are very brief, to begin with. 

For years, I didn’t even think I had auras because I didn’t recognize them. I just would start thinking about something from years ago and it was odd to me. The next thing I knew, I was lying on the floor looking up at a paramedic who told me that I had a seizure. Or something like that. 

Today, I started my period. That explains yesterday’s gas and questioning whether I had an aura in the morning. This is great because it means that my hormones are changing and my progesterone is increasing. That will protect me from having another seizure until mid-cycle when the estrogen drops. However, I do think the barefoot walking and Buteyko breathing are helping to regulate my hormones. That should help as well. 

I watched a video on Earthing today by someone who had done it for 3 years. He commented that he didn’t notice any difference in his health. He also added that this could be because he was young. He said that he continued to do it because it sounded like it was a good thing to do and it was easy. 

Great. 

I have done Earthing before and can’t say that I had massive benefits. This is the first time that I have been really vigilant with staying grounded and monitoring my health for any improvement. I can’t say that the changes that I have seen have definitely been due to my Earthing practice or not. 

I’m thinking about getting a bit stricter with my diet and seeing if that makes any difference. I did the Paleo Ketogenic diet last fall and eliminated anything that would cause autoimmune issues, which is mainly what I have. But I think not exercising led to constipation issues which created hormonal imbalances that triggered my seizures. 

After incorporating exercises again, my seizures have spaced out despite not eating strictly Paleo Ketogenic. So, I don’t know how long I will be able to tolerate that strict diet. I really, really want my hair to grow back. I just have attempted that diet twice now for about two months each time without seeing hair regrowth. It is hard to try again.