Earthing_ The Most Important Health Discovery Ever? Part 10

"As a nurse, I was skeptical about this Earthing idea when I first heard about it. But I decided to give it a try, and I'm sure glad I did. I've been sleeping grounded for four years and wouldn't think of sleeping any other way. Within two or three days, I noticed a difference. I remember calling my daughter at the end of the first week and telling her that my back wasn't hurting anymore.

"I don't have back pain as long as I sleep on the bed pad. It was proven to me very graphically once when I went to visit my daughter in Florida for two weeks. I didn't take the pad, and that trip home on the plane was excruciating. As soon as I got back home, I got myself onto the pad and the pain eased away.

"Another time I washed the pad and forgot to put it on the bed that night. When you're pain free, you don't think about it. I left it drying on the chair on the patio and woke up the next morning with pain. So I took a nap on the pad and got rid of the pain.

"Now I use it religiously and take it with me no matter where I go. Nothing has ever worked for me like that. It has really helped my quality of life overall.

"From my perspective as someone who worked with ill patients for more than twenty-five years, I think that Earthing could help so many patients. You could eliminate many problems and speed the healing process. Today, they give you one pill for one thing and then another one for the side effects. And it goes on ad nauseam. Earthing could eliminate a lot of that. It could be extremely helpful in surgical recovery and chronic pain clinics."

Anita Pointer, sixty-one, Beverly Hills, California, singer: "Throughout my adult life, I have had on-and-off lower back pain. I always t ravel a lot in connection with my work as a singer. But long flights and pulling suitcases around often bring out the pain. Sleeping grounded has helped a lot with the problem. After a recent trip, for instance, I returned home in pain. I was also feeling fatigued and a bit low. I slept on the sheets that night, and the next day the pain was gone, plus I had a lot of fresh energy and my mood was much lighter. Sleeping grounded has also helped improve elimination. I feel this is really doing some good for me." "Throughout my adult life, I have had on-and-off lower back pain. I always t ravel a lot in connection with my work as a singer. But long flights and pulling suitcases around often bring out the pain. Sleeping grounded has helped a lot with the problem. After a recent trip, for instance, I returned home in pain. I was also feeling fatigued and a bit low. I slept on the sheets that night, and the next day the pain was gone, plus I had a lot of fresh energy and my mood was much lighter. Sleeping grounded has also helped improve elimination. I feel this is really doing some good for me."

Jim Bellacera, fifty-one, Rocklin, California, business motivational speaker: "Six years ago, I first heard about sleeping on a bed pad that was grounded. I thought I would be a great test case because for more than twenty plus years I had had chronic pain from my days in construction and cabinetmaking. My pain problems started at around age twenty-six. I had back pain, neck pain, and carpal tunnel pain. During one job, I jumped off a trailer while carrying one of my cabinets, and I crushed my back. And that act alone caused me to have endless and serious pain. "Six years ago, I first heard about sleeping on a bed pad that was grounded. I thought I would be a great test case because for more than twenty plus years I had had chronic pain from my days in construction and cabinetmaking. My pain problems started at around age twenty-six. I had back pain, neck pain, and carpal tunnel pain. During one job, I jumped off a trailer while carrying one of my cabinets, and I crushed my back. And that act alone caused me to have endless and serious pain.

"Nothing I ever did ever seemed to help, from seeing doctors and getting regular back treatments to taking 800mg of ibuprofen two or three times a day and sometimes other anti-inflammatories as well.

"And, son of a gun, I woke up in disbelief the morning after the first night I slept grounded. 'No, this can't be,' I said. 'My back doesn't hurt.' "Not only didn't it hurt, but after a day or two, I didn't have to reach for my daily dose of big ibuprofen horse pills.

"Getting up in the mornings was also a challenge. Before I would roll out of bed, use my arms, and do kind of a push-up with my feet touching the ground so I could stand straight up without bending my back. That changed right away with the grounded pad. You can't believe what it meant to be able to get out of bed with no pain. Today, I don't have pain in the back, neck, or wrists. It's been an absolute blessing.

"Anybody who's in business for themselves is feeling a lot of different types of stresses. There are a lot of things going in your mind 24/7. You're never really turned off. So for me, one of the hardest things to do was just actually going to sleep. It used to be where I would just toss and turn all the time, and my head would go back and forth, until at some point I would fall asleep. Besides the pain, I also noticed from the start that I went to sleep really fast and I'd wake up in the morning really refreshed and with more energy."

INFLAMMATION OF THE BLOOD VESSELS.

Behcet's syndrome causes problems in many parts of the body, including skin sores, swelling of parts of the eyes, pain, swelling and stiffness of joints, meningitis, blood clots, inflammation of the digestive system, and blindness. The condition mostly affects people in their twenties and thirties. There is no cure. Treatment focuses on reducing pain and preventing serious problems.

Randy Gillett, fifty-five, Upland, California, retired manager of bedding manufacturing company: "In December of 1999, I was diagnosed with Behcet's syndrome. Within seventy-two hours of becoming ill, I was left profoundly deaf and in a constant state of vertigo, a result of lack of blood flow to my inner ears and vestibular (balance) centers caused by inflammation. "In December of 1999, I was diagnosed with Behcet's syndrome. Within seventy-two hours of becoming ill, I was left profoundly deaf and in a constant state of vertigo, a result of lack of blood flow to my inner ears and vestibular (balance) centers caused by inflammation.

"I also lost sight in one eye and had constant joint pain throughout my body, especially in my blistered and swollen feet. I developed ulcers in my mouth and lesions on various parts of my body, and I was left extremely fatigued.

"After months of medications and bed rest, I was able to return to work, but I still had to take multiple medications to reduce inflammation and regulate my immune system.

"At the end of each work week, I would be very fatigued and spent most of my weekends sleeping. My feet got progressively worse with pain and swelling. I had to start wearing sandals to work and kept a pair of house slippers by my desk to wear around the office. My doctor prescribed Vioxx for the pain and inflammation in my feet. I fully expected that some day I would not be able to walk, and chronic pain was something I must live with. Between the medications and pain, I would be up three to six times a night and sometimes couldn't sleep at all.

"I started sleeping on a grounded pad in February 2004. In the morning, after the third night of sleeping grounded, my feet were no longer swollen. I was able to wiggle my toes and didn't have any pain. It was unbelievable. Every morning after that was like waking up with new feet. I was able to stop taking the prednisone, the Vioxx, and a blood-thinning medication. I was sleeping deeper than ever before and most of the time completely through the night. On weekends, instead of sleeping, I was able to enjoy my leisure time.

"Ear cochlear implant surgery, along with behind-the-ear sound enhancement technology, has helped my hearing on one side, although it is nowhere near what G.o.d gave me. I do not expect the grounding to restore my hearing and cure the vertigo or completely restore the damage done to my body by Behcet's, but I know it has reduced the pain caused by inflammation, and in fact, I wake up pain free every morning.

"I sleep grounded every night and will always do so. It keeps the inflammation in check and helps me to be as healthy as possible. Because of grounding I am able to function pretty good and have had very few flare-ups.

"I still see my doctor every four months and get blood work done every year. My doctor tells me my blood tests are like that of a man in his thirties. Now, that is really something since I am fifty-five.

"I tried working for five years after getting better, but I was withdrawing from people, accounts, and phone calls. Doing everyday business was just too stressful. The amount of energy and focus to try and stay balanced and understand what was being said was exhausting, and driving was dangerous. So I keep busy around the house, watching aging parents, and doing things to help wherever I can with family and friends. If I am busy doing yard work and ch.o.r.es around the house, the pain in my feet sometimes creeps back, and by the end of the day I am ready for sleep and grounding, but again in the morning I feel good and pain free.

"I can't express enough how much it has helped me in just feeling better overall. Behcet's did a job on my body and grounding has made my life better. I feel blessed, and I am happy to be alive."

ELECTROSENSITIVITY.

"Electropollution" is slang for the unseen, unfelt, and unnatural EMFs, the electromagnetic fields generated by everything from high-tension electrical wires, wiring in the walls of homes and offices, and many appliances. Some people are highly sensitive-allergic, you might say-to EMF emissions. They can develop headaches, arthritic pain, insomnia, chest discomfort and heart arrhythmias, anxiety, and depression. EMF sensitivity is rarely diagnosed, and although these individuals may take medication, their symptoms rarely go away. Researchers in Europe suggest that 3 to 6 percent of the population is affected by EMF exposure.

Step Sinatra, whose story you will read next, is the eldest son of coauthor Stephen Sinatra. Despite all the best care that Dr. Sinatra could arrange, he and his family watched anxiously while Step's health deteriorated over several years. "I don't really have to look very far to see the damage that electropollution can do," says Dr. Sinatra. "There was great fear we might lose Step. Doctors diagnosed him variously as having an autoimmune disorder, parasites, and even mercury toxicity. We now strongly believe that electropollution set him up for internal dysfunction and negatively affected his body's innate intelligence to heal itself. He has made a remarkable recovery, literally from death's door."

Step Sinatra, thirty-three, Encinitas, California, entrepreneur: "In the late 1990s, I was trading stocks on Wall Street, on a floor with a hundred guys surrounded by a battery of computers, phones, and electronics. I got my first cell phone in 1997 and another one a year later. I used them all the time. I worked in this intense environment from 9:00a.m. to market closing time. "In the late 1990s, I was trading stocks on Wall Street, on a floor with a hundred guys surrounded by a battery of computers, phones, and electronics. I got my first cell phone in 1997 and another one a year later. I used them all the time. I worked in this intense environment from 9:00a.m. to market closing time.

"I was in constant overdrive, filled with a zest for life and a desire to experience it all. I was young, strong, and healthy. I worked hard, took enormous risks, and felt I could handle it all. I was living the Manhattan lifestyle. I had an apartment on the forty-third floor that faced the World Trade Towers five blocks away.

"I didn't know it at the time, but I was being bombarded 24/7 by EMFs and cell phone tower emissions. For the four years I worked on Wall Street I didn't sleep much. I was wired. In time, I began to feel something affecting my health. I thought it was the high stress level of my work. Then things started to go wrong. I developed ear, eye, and nose problems, a chronic cough, and major congestion. My symptoms got worse, but I didn't stop and listen. I felt I would get healthy later. I was making serious money and living an ego-driven, high stress lifestyle.

"However, at one point I had chest pains that my father thought might be coronary artery spasms or an early warning of a heart attack. I was twenty-five years old!

"The experience stopped me in my tracks. I realized I was really beaten down and was smart enough to know when to throw in the towel. In 2001, after the attack on the World Trade Towers, I moved to Colorado and worked on getting my health back. But I just kept deteriorating. I was starting to get scared.

"I set up a small office in Boulder-a trading operation-and filled it with wireless networks and cordless phones, not knowing the harm they were causing me. I worked and slept there, so I was getting hit with EMFs day and night. I still didn't understand what I had. All I knew was I was getting worse, with weight loss, weakness, severe bloating and gas, inability to digest certain foods, muscle pains, injuries, sleep issues, and food allergies.

"I became as tenacious about my health as I had been before trading stocks. I consulted with nutritionists, acupuncturists, far-out alternative therapists, and conventional doctor after doctor. My father was also trying to help me. I did blood test after inconclusive blood test. n.o.body knew what was wrong. I kept fading away, losing two or three pounds a month no matter what I did.

"I had to get out of trading, but I still needed my laptop and cell phone because I worked for myself. I began to strongly suspect that EMFs were harmful because exposure made me feel worse. I don't know if I was always sensitive to EMFs or developed an extreme sensitivity on Wall Street.

"My father had me see some of the best doctors in the country he knew. n.o.body could figure it out. I spent hundreds of thousands of dollars and read almost every book I could get my hands on, and still I got worse. I spent $20,000 of my own money at one famous clinic and they couldn't figure anything out. They just said I had endocrine problems. It was scary knowing that something was seriously wrong and yet no doctor knew why I got sick or why I was doing so poorly. Only one thing was clear in all the confusion: I became a defenseless host, vulnerable to heavy metals and any parasites that came along.

"I reached a culmination point in 2007 when I went to a clinic for a parasite infection. I spent three weeks on parasitic medicines and a raw food diet to help cleanse my body. However, I lost another thirty-five pounds in several weeks. My body completely shut down, and I had to be hospitalized. I was six feet tall and weighed eighty-three pounds. My liver, kidney, and blood tests were off the charts! And there I was in a hospital surrounded by a lot of electromagnetic monitoring devices and equipment. I couldn't eat or digest any food. I had to be fed via intravenous nutrition. That's what saved me, along with the prayers and love from family and friends.

"I was in the hospital for forty days. In the beginning, it looked like I wouldn't make it. The doctors gave me a 1 percent chance. If I did live, they had no idea what my life would be like because my body had eaten most of itself. I was in excruciating pain. I couldn't go to the bathroom because I was pretty much paralyzed. I was utterly vulnerable. There were times I was so weak that if a visitor walked into the room talking on a cell phone I would feel nauseous. If somebody brought a laptop to show me pictures, I couldn't look at it for more than a minute. I was that sensitive and had become increasingly aware of my sensitivity.

"One night I almost choked while taking a sip of water, and I thought I was gone. So did my dad, who was with me. But in that moment something Divine manifested, a sort of spiritual awakening or angelic intervention. I suddenly knew that we create our fears, dreams, and almost everything else. It was the worst and best moment of my life at the same time. I realized that with the intention of spirit I could create anything. I asked G.o.d for a miracle, and my prayer was answered. I felt reconnected and knew I would recover. I felt all I wanted to do was help people. This was my purpose and I had a message.

"I started to reverse course and improve. In the spring of 2008, I was strong enough to leave the hospital. I was still super fragile, though. My father talked to me around this time about Earthing, even just sitting with my bare feet on the gra.s.s. As the weather warmed up, I started sitting, standing, and walking barefoot a bit. I noticed my strength coming back slowly. I made sure that there were very few electromagnetic gadgets in my vicinity.

"Once, I had a big relapse when cordless phones and wireless Internet were set up in the room I was recovering in. I developed a Salmonella Salmonella infection in my bladder and had to be hospitalized again. After that I obtained an electromagnetic detector that alerted me to the unseen EMFs harming me. I became extremely wary about my environment and cleared out any electrical and electronic stuff. I immediately felt and slept better. I didn't use a computer for the first nine months out of the hospital. I wouldn't even look at one. I stopped speaking on a cell phone unless absolutely necessary and that might be only once or twice a month. I only used a corded phone and a computer connected to a landline. No wireless. infection in my bladder and had to be hospitalized again. After that I obtained an electromagnetic detector that alerted me to the unseen EMFs harming me. I became extremely wary about my environment and cleared out any electrical and electronic stuff. I immediately felt and slept better. I didn't use a computer for the first nine months out of the hospital. I wouldn't even look at one. I stopped speaking on a cell phone unless absolutely necessary and that might be only once or twice a month. I only used a corded phone and a computer connected to a landline. No wireless.

"Shortly after I got out of the hospital, I started sleeping grounded. It was amazing. The first few nights, I got perhaps six or seven hours of sleep, but I woke up feeling better each day-compared to sleeping nine or ten hours previously and waking up feeling poorly. I felt such a dramatic boost in energy and health that I have not slept ungrounded since. When I travel, I take my grounding sheet with me. On one trip, I arrived at my hotel rather late and set up my sheet. I slept very poorly that night and realized the next morning I had forgotten to connect it. That was a big confirmation for me that Earthing was very effective and instrumental in my healing. I've actually been able to handle more EMFs as I got stronger. When I use a computer, I have my feet on a grounded floor mat, so I'm able to stay on the computer much longer than before. If I'm not grounded, after about ten minutes I get hot, sweaty, and uncomfortable.

"Today, at 150 pounds, I am stronger than I have been in years. I'm blessed to be alive. I pray that others become more aware of EMFs without having to endure the path that I did, and can live this wonderful gift of life to the fullest."

Edie Miller, fifty-six, Inman, South Carolina, bookkeeper: "Extreme sensitivity to electromagnetic fields keeps me from working outside my home. I literally feel the energy coming in to my body, and it is very disturbing. From 2000 to 2005, I was forced to leave three different jobs because of this sensitivity. After quitting I would have to recuperate at home. I didn't know what was causing the problems and was going to doctors for fixes, but they didn't understand what was happening either. I had to figure it out on my own and until I did my life seemed to be one health crisis after another. "Extreme sensitivity to electromagnetic fields keeps me from working outside my home. I literally feel the energy coming in to my body, and it is very disturbing. From 2000 to 2005, I was forced to leave three different jobs because of this sensitivity. After quitting I would have to recuperate at home. I didn't know what was causing the problems and was going to doctors for fixes, but they didn't understand what was happening either. I had to figure it out on my own and until I did my life seemed to be one health crisis after another.

"Sleeping became a big problem. It was as if all the cells in my body were vibrating. Over time, this sensation became more and more intense. The vibrating became faster and faster. I had no idea what it was. Later, I understood that it had to do with my sensitivity and probably the wiring in my house. This went on every night. Many times I wouldn't get to sleep until 3:00 or 4:00a.m. There were nights I didn't sleep at all. I would get totally exhausted, and then I would sleep. Doctors couldn't help me. They wanted to give me sleeping pills, which wouldn't solve my problem. I lived in a constant state of sleep deprivation and chronic fatigue. If I sat down to watch television, I would fall asleep. My husband and I used to play tennis and cycle regularly. All that stopped. I am not a cranky or depressed person by nature, and I was becoming quite cranky, depressed, and unhappy. When you don't get enough sleep, everything bothers you. I had this problem for ten years.

"I also had physical problems. I had been a purchasing agent for one of the country's biggest suppliers of canvas, nylon, and other fabrics for commercial industrial, recreational and clothing applications. I worked at a computer all day. I was having major problems with my right shoulder as a result of using the mouse. The mouse put a wallop on me more than the keyboard. Just putting my hand on the mouse I could feel the energy going up my arm, and it was very uncomfortable. At first I thought I had pulled a tendon in my shoulder. One doctor wanted to perform rotator cuff surgery, but I was very scared to have it. My dad had had that surgery done and never had good use of his arm after that. I had bodywork done with the shoulder and it helped a lot.

"I had lots of problems picking up things. At another job, I worked as a cas.h.i.+er. By the end of the day, the muscles in my right arm had no strength at all. That was the hand that I used to work the register. Just picking up a loaf of bread was difficult. I felt the electrical energy coming into me through the register.

"In an effort to get away from working with registers, computers, or anything electronic, I got a job at one of the big chain bookstores stocking books. I worked there for two years. In the beginning I was okay, but increasingly we were working with battery-operated electronic scanners. While using this device I developed trigger finger, a painful condition in which fingers or thumbs lock up in a bent position. You can straighten them out with a snap. Women develop this more than men, and I was one. Both my thumbs were affected, along with my right index and middle finger and left index finger. I went to a doctor, but the treatment did nothing for the condition. I also developed tennis elbow. In fact, every joint on the right side of my body was affected, including my right knee. I got to the point where I couldn't even lift the books up to the shelf or raise myself after squatting down to place books on a bottom shelf. I am very small and it had nothing to do with weight.

"I learned about Earthing on the Internet in 2004. This seemed like something that might help me deal with my problem. I sure needed something. I got myself a grounded floor pad and put it in my bed, so that my feet rested on it. I felt the difference immediately-the very first night. The cells in my body just stopped vibrating. The night before I had a typical night of maybe three or four hours of sleep. With the pad, I fell asleep right away. I woke up at 9:30 or 10:00a.m. feeling a sense of blessed relief. For about three months I would sleep late like that, something I had never done before. My body was apparently catching up with lost sleep. Then my sleep simply normalized. When 7:00a.m. comes, I'm up and ready to go. My depression faded away and my energy picked up. I was able to exercise regularly again. The trigger fingers started loosening up within a week of sleeping grounded, and in about a month, they were 100 percent functional.

"Needless to say, I sleep grounded all the time. I work at the computer at home and use another floor pad at my desk. I can work all day, even with a mouse, without any problem as long as I am grounded. I take a pad with me when we travel. If I don't, the problem comes right back and immediately. I still have my electrosensitivity, and I am reminded of it every day, but I can live with it and function pretty normally as long as I stay grounded."

FIBROMYALGIA.

Fibromyalgia is a common chronic pain condition affecting an estimated 3 to 6 percent of the world population, including 10 million Americans, more than three-quarters of whom are women. According to the National Fibromyalgia a.s.sociation, the causes "still remain a mystery." The primary symptom is chronic widespread body pain, along with moderate to extreme fatigue and sleep disturbances. Often there are overlapping conditions, such as irritable bowel, lupus, and arthritis.

Armida Champagne, sixty-eight, San Diego, real estate agent: "In 1995, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. That, along with arthritis, was making my life increasingly miserable. I had a very hard time sleeping because of the pain. Just lying in bed hurt, and on top of that, I couldn't sit too long in any one place either. I wasn't disabled to the point where I couldn't do things, but I was in a lot of pain. And I was tired all the time. The pain was always there, and in the evening it was particularly bad. On a scale of 1 to 10, the pain was probably at an 8 level every night. The pain was all over, from my shoulders down to my toes. It would often wake me up. "In 1995, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. That, along with arthritis, was making my life increasingly miserable. I had a very hard time sleeping because of the pain. Just lying in bed hurt, and on top of that, I couldn't sit too long in any one place either. I wasn't disabled to the point where I couldn't do things, but I was in a lot of pain. And I was tired all the time. The pain was always there, and in the evening it was particularly bad. On a scale of 1 to 10, the pain was probably at an 8 level every night. The pain was all over, from my shoulders down to my toes. It would often wake me up.

"I tried all kinds of remedies, creams, and pain relievers. They might help for about an hour or so but that was it. I avoided taking any strong painkillers, but on occasion I would use Aleve, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory over-the-counter medication, and that would help me for a while longer.

"In 2000, I started grounding myself at night with one of the first prototype bed pads. The very first night, I fell asleep right away and woke up refreshed without any pain. I couldn't believe it. The pain was completely gone. To be sure, I have slept grounded ever since. I also have a pad on my couch, so when I lie down to relax or watch TV I am getting in some extra grounding time.

"Every once and awhile I get a twinge of pain but never like it was before. I sleep for eight hours straight. Sometimes for nine or ten. I feel fantastic and with plenty of energy. I don't know how I would be without this pad, especially with all the stress involved in my real estate work the last few years.

"Occasionally, I visit a cousin in Santa Barbara and I bring my bed pad with me. The first time I brought it, I plugged it into what I thought was a grounded wall outlet in the guest bedroom. But I didn't sleep well that night or the next. I also started to hurt a bit. I asked my cousin about the electrical system in the house. She said the bedroom wasn't grounded, but the kitchen and bathrooms were. So I took an extension cord with a ground p.r.o.ng and plugged it into an outlet in the kitchen, which was grounded. I immediately felt the difference that night and slept well.

"I was also amazed at the effect of sleeping grounded on my significant other. He had a slight sleep apnea problem diagnosed by his doctor. He used to wake up during the night, gasping for breath. Sometimes he could go back to sleep right away. Other times not. He also used to snore so loud that I couldn't go to sleep. I would have to go to bed first and then he would come in later. The grounding changed all that as well. In a couple of months, his snoring tapered off and then stopped. The apnea took longer but it also eased up and then went away. He hasn't had that problem for more than four years.

"For the last five years of her life, my mother slept grounded. She died in 2005 at the age of ninety-six. She was a horrible snorer until she slept grounded. Her snoring stopped as well, and I believe the grounding gave her some comfort and ease in those last years of her life."

JET LAG.

Jim Bagnola, sixty, Austin, Texas, leaders.h.i.+p consultant and corporate educator: "In my work, I travel all over the world, so jet lag is always an issue. In my experience, going barefoot and sleeping grounded are the fastest ways to realign to a far-flung time zone. I also sleep more soundly, with more lucid dreaming, and feel stronger physically. "In my work, I travel all over the world, so jet lag is always an issue. In my experience, going barefoot and sleeping grounded are the fastest ways to realign to a far-flung time zone. I also sleep more soundly, with more lucid dreaming, and feel stronger physically.

"In the past I have tried all kinds of treatments, remedies, and gadgets to counteract jet lag. Walking on gra.s.s and sleeping grounded works for me the most effectively. After returning home to Texas from a recent trip to France, England, and Romania, I recovered within a couple of days. It would otherwise take me a week after an extended trip like that.

"When I arrive at foreign destinations and check into my hotel, I walk barefoot on gra.s.s wherever I can find it. This has been a hilarious experience at times. I travel to Romania quite a bit, and in downtown Bucharest I take advantage of a good patch of gra.s.s in front of the National Theatre, next door to the Intercontinental Hotel. As I do my twenty minutes of barefoot walking there, people will often stop and watch me circling the gra.s.sy area in my bare feet. Some ask what I am doing. I attempt to tell them about grounding and jet lag, and they look at me as if I am crazy. Many cannot speak English so it makes the situation rather humorous. I did get a bee sting once so I have to be careful where I walk. But otherwise it works great."

MIXED CONNECTIVE TISSUE DISEASE.

Mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) is an autoimmune disorder sometimes called an overlap disease because it manifests with signs and symptoms of several other connective tissue diseases: lupus, scleroderma, and polymyositis. This condition occurs mostly in women. Symptoms may include fatigue, muscle weakness, joint pain and swelling, and difficulty swallowing. Many patients have difficulty breathing as a result of inflammation of the lining that covers the lungs and the inside of the chest.

Lynne Corwin, sixty-three, Hemet, California: "Ten years ago I became very ill. After many tests, the doctors diagnosed mixed connective tissue disease. The condition stopped me in my tracks. The doctors said the statistics indicated I had three years to live. They recommended I go home, get my affairs in order, and whenever I had a good day I should enjoy it. The implication was clear that there wouldn't be too many good days. They essentially wrote me off. "Ten years ago I became very ill. After many tests, the doctors diagnosed mixed connective tissue disease. The condition stopped me in my tracks. The doctors said the statistics indicated I had three years to live. They recommended I go home, get my affairs in order, and whenever I had a good day I should enjoy it. The implication was clear that there wouldn't be too many good days. They essentially wrote me off.

"For years, I was in a very bad way, just sitting painfully on the sidelines and watching the world go by. I went from one prescription to another. I couldn't be the active grandmother that I wanted to be for my five grandchildren.

"At some particularly low point, I decided I had to try to lift myself up by my bootstraps and do whatever I could to improve my quality of life. I recall that one day between breakfast and lunch I resolved to become a strict vegetarian and stay away from fatty and processed foods. That made a difference. Later I met Richard Delany, a medical doctor who integrates conventional and alternative medicine in his practice. He has helped me a great deal. In March of 2009, he recommended I sleep grounded as part of his evolving therapeutic strategy. In the six months since that time, I have slept ungrounded only one night. I take the grounded sleeping bag with me whenever I travel.

"It is hard to pinpoint the specific improvements from any individual treatments I have received. But ever since I started sleeping grounded, there has been noticeable improvement all around, and certainly with my primary symptoms of shortness of breath and difficulty swallowing.

"I haven't had problems sleeping in the past. What has changed is the quality of sleep. I noticed it the very first night I slept grounded. Profoundly restful is the best way I can describe it. It was the same the next night and the night after that, and it has continued. After a while, I guess I became accustomed to this wonderful quality of sleep.

"One of my problems is reflux if I lie flat, so I have to sleep on an incline or in a chair, sitting up. This is because my esophagus has deteriorated. It doesn't work right. It doesn't retain contents in my stomach if, for instance, I bend over. The content may come right up, and when it does, I have tremendous pain in the throat and my ears will hurt. I have been taking extremely high doses of acid suppressants for years to counteract this problem. Thanks to Dr. Delany's guidance, I have been able to significantly decrease the dosage, and dramatically so since I've slept grounded. We have eliminated one medication altogether at night and cut back on another by two-thirds. Needless to say, I am very excited about this.

In the past, when I felt poorly I couldn't think straight. There was mental confusion and I was in the doldrums. Since grounding myself I have found my brain operates clearer. My thinking processes are more precise. Despite not being able to function the way I would like, I seem to be more cheerful than before. And I also have more energy than before. Prior to being grounded I couldn't get through the day without an afternoon nap, anywhere from a half hour to two hours. Now I don't need to nap at all. That's how improved I am.

"There was a time when I couldn't read a story to my grandkids. I didn't have the breath to do it. Breathlessness is still a problem, but now it's less of a problem and I can get through a story with perhaps just a momentary rest or two."

MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a degenerative disease of the central nervous system that typically emerges in young adults and can lead to severe disability. Symptoms often include aching, loss of balance, muscle spasms, paralysis, and general fatigue. Experts roughly estimate that 1.3 million individuals globally are affected, but many regard that number as a "big underestimation." As least twice as many women as men are affected. The highest incidence of MS occurs in countries the farthest away from the Equator, and experts believe this is possibly due to less sunlight, environmental factors, or dietary reasons. Among the unrecognized environmental factors is lack of grounding. Our observations are that when patients with MS are grounded, they get better.

Cindy Walsh, forty-seven, Southern California marriage and family therapist: "I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1999 at a time when there was a lot of stress in my life. The symptoms included a sensation of heaviness throughout my left side that would last for thirty seconds or so. My right hand would twist up, so that my palm faced upward. I was prescribed three medications, but I dropped them after six weeks because of the side effects. One of them, an injectable, gave me fevers, chills, and achiness. A year after my diagnosis I had to go on disability. I had limited amounts of energy and had to carefully balance my schedule around my two beautiful and active young children and the need for rest. "I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1999 at a time when there was a lot of stress in my life. The symptoms included a sensation of heaviness throughout my left side that would last for thirty seconds or so. My right hand would twist up, so that my palm faced upward. I was prescribed three medications, but I dropped them after six weeks because of the side effects. One of them, an injectable, gave me fevers, chills, and achiness. A year after my diagnosis I had to go on disability. I had limited amounts of energy and had to carefully balance my schedule around my two beautiful and active young children and the need for rest.

"I had several years where things were fairly good. I was exercising a lot, swimming, and even walking for miles. It was great. But in 2007 I had a bad flare-up. My rib cage would tighten, as if a girdle was tightly squeezing me. It was very uncomfortable. My whole body felt strange.

"In 2008, it was record-breaking hot where I live, and heat is an enemy for someone with MS. I had the worst flare I've ever had. It was very scary. My left arm stopped working, as if it was no longer connected to my brain. It would move on its own and I couldn't grip anything. I couldn't type with my left hand. My arm just became useless. And then my legs started feeling strange.

"It was around this time that a friend told me about a study being conducted nearby on something called Earthing. The friend thought that maybe this could help me. I found out that partic.i.p.ants had to sit for a period of time while the testing was going on, and I wasn't sure I could last that long. Still, I was invited to come over anyway one weekend when the study wasn't going on, just to see if Earthing could help my condition.

"That's when I met Clint Ober. He hooked me up, and I sat there for a while. It felt very soothing and I enjoyed it. When I was unhooked, I got up and went to the restroom. In the restroom I took one look at myself in the mirror and couldn't believe what I saw. It was as if I had slept for three days or been on a healing retreat. I looked so much better and younger. I'd been very tired, sad, and stressed out. I was amazed.

"Clint gave me some grounding paraphernalia to take home and try out. I've been sleeping grounded most of the time ever since. Despite going through a very stressful year, including surgery, the grounding gives me a genuine sense of comfort. I haven't had a flare since starting, despite all the stress. And my energy level is up. I'm looking at my body, and I'm thinking about what I've been through and how well I'm doing.

"I just pa.s.sed my tenth anniversary of being diagnosed with MS. I got through the last flare in a really beautiful way. For several years, some dear friends have helped me get hyperbaric oxygen treatments. I eat a good diet with as much organic food as possible. I take B vitamin shots. I have been doing a lot of things for my health, and then I added Earthing. It's part of my 'healing team.' I do believe it makes a big difference and has helped keep me feeling the way I do. I sit on the grounding sheet sometimes while reading or watching movies. I make sure I do more than just sleep on it. I'm actually doing really, really well."

SCIATICA.

Sciatica refers to leg pain caused by compression of the nerves coming out of the lower spine and forming the major nerve in the leg, the sciatic nerve. There may also be pain in the low back and b.u.t.tock, along with tingling and numbness in the lower extremities.