Earthing_ The Most Important Health Discovery Ever? Part 11

Mike Miller, sixty-two, Encinitas, California, retired software engineer: "I have had sciatica since 1966-over forty years. I pulverized my fourth, fifth, and sixth lumbar vertebrae in a car accident and have lived with a great deal of pain and discomfort ever since. There is nothing medically that can be done about the situation except to take aspirin, which relieves the swelling of the sciatic nerve where it exits the spine. Aspirin actually works pretty well, but not perfectly. It does not eliminate the pain but relieves the swelling, which reduces the pain to a manageable level. For forty-two years I have basically taken two aspirin every night. "I have had sciatica since 1966-over forty years. I pulverized my fourth, fifth, and sixth lumbar vertebrae in a car accident and have lived with a great deal of pain and discomfort ever since. There is nothing medically that can be done about the situation except to take aspirin, which relieves the swelling of the sciatic nerve where it exits the spine. Aspirin actually works pretty well, but not perfectly. It does not eliminate the pain but relieves the swelling, which reduces the pain to a manageable level. For forty-two years I have basically taken two aspirin every night.

"My symptoms were extremely painful shooting pains usually down my right leg to the knee and sometimes all the way to the middle of the foot, which contracts like a fist. I say usually because, in some cases, it would switch to the left leg and on really bad nights affect both legs. Additionally, I was dealing with a constant low-grade pain in the lower back, the muscles around the knees, back of the thighs, and the calves of both legs. The pain was there every night. It exhausted me. I usually took about an hour to an hour and a half to fall asleep. And when I did finally fall asleep, it was from exhaustion. When I woke up, I usually felt like I had jet lag or a hangover.

"In early 2008, I started sleeping grounded and everything changed. I experienced an immediate cessation of all the symptoms. I was stunned. I couldn't get over it. I just laid down and went right to sleep without a sciatic attack. I woke up the next day and said, 'Hey, I slept all night!' That was the first time I slept through the night in five years. I didn't have to go through my nightly ritual of discomfort before falling off to sleep. From the very beginning, I knew this was something special.

"I have been using the pad every night since, plugged into my wall socket. I even took the pad camping and used a grounding rod with it and could sleep in our camper without the least discomfort! That's a first too.

"In general I have no symptoms or pain, or need for medication, as long as I behave myself. By that I mean not lifting something too heavy or otherwise overdoing it, which, unfortunately I do from time to time. I'll irritate the nerve and have to take three aspirins to cut the pain. The next day, though, I am okay again.

"The results have been remarkable. I couldn't do much for years, and any kind of stress would aggravate my condition. I wasn't able to garden for four years. Now, I'm able to garden again and do light physical work. I can handle stress much better. I have my life back again."

Better Sleep Nearly everybody who sleeps grounded says they sleep better, including globetrotting celebrities.

Actor Orlando Bloom: "It's the best sleep."

Chad Reed, World Supercross Champion: "No matter the work load I put on my body, I'm recovered for the next day when I sleep grounded." Supermodel Miranda Kerr: "Sleeping grounded gives me sound uninterrupted sleep. I awake feeling refreshed, even with all my traveling."

SLEEP APNEA.

An estimated 20 million Americans have sleep apnea. This means episodes of impaired breathing and disturbed sleep caused by a narrowing of soft tissue in the upper airway. Apnea reduces oxygen in the blood and prompts arousal from sleep. A continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine is widely used as a remedy. It delivers a stream of compressed air via a hose to a nasal pillow, nose mask, or full-face mask. The pressure keeps the airway open. Researchers think that obstructive sleep apnea activates an inflammatory response in the body that may contribute to cardiovascular disease.

Daryl James, eighty-three, Palm Springs, California, business consultant and writer: "Increasingly, over a period of a few years, I would wake up a few times a night gasping for breath. Finally, I went to a sleep clinic. The tests indicated that I had a moderate case of sleep apnea, with episodes where I would stop breathing for twenty seconds at a time. A lot of sleep apnea patients die in their sleep. I didn't want to be one of them. "Increasingly, over a period of a few years, I would wake up a few times a night gasping for breath. Finally, I went to a sleep clinic. The tests indicated that I had a moderate case of sleep apnea, with episodes where I would stop breathing for twenty seconds at a time. A lot of sleep apnea patients die in their sleep. I didn't want to be one of them.

"I was told to get a CPAP machine. I did just that. I used it every night and it helped me sleep without interruption, but I didn't like using the device. It's not very comfortable.

"After hearing about grounding and how it improved sleep, I decided to give it a try it and see if it could possibly help my situation. It did!

"There were times when the CPAP face mask was too uncomfortable so I removed it. And even without it, I was able to get through the night without any problem. I noticed this within a few months of grounding. Now, I've been sleeping grounded for about almost a year and hardly ever need to use the CPAP anymore. I've been able to wean myself off. I had a serious condition, and there is no doubt the grounding helped me cope and recover.

"As a result, I have found that I have more energy during the day. In addition, my blood pressure has stabilized. I have been on hypertensive medication, but the blood pressure control hasn't been as good as my doctor would like to see it. I've been able to noticeably control the pressure better since being grounded."

STRESS RELIEF.

Scott Hyatt, forty-five, Northern California law enforcement officer: "I work in narcotics, and my life can be very stressful from just the people I come in contact with, to making time for court, and for family and everything else. In my work, I can be one minute on surveillance, sitting there and nothing's happening. And the next minute, I'm out of the car and running, trying to get my raid vest on and my weapon out. So the stresses are from zero up to 100 miles an hour at any given time. "I work in narcotics, and my life can be very stressful from just the people I come in contact with, to making time for court, and for family and everything else. In my work, I can be one minute on surveillance, sitting there and nothing's happening. And the next minute, I'm out of the car and running, trying to get my raid vest on and my weapon out. So the stresses are from zero up to 100 miles an hour at any given time.

"Sleep takes a hit in all this irregularity. My sleep routine was skewed at best. So there's a lot of fatigue. In my job I've broken my foot, my hand, my nose, and my wrist. So there are also aches and pains from that, as well as a stiff back from wearing gun belts and raid vests.

"I've been sleeping grounded for about six years. And it made a huge difference. I used to be up a lot in the middle of the night-tossing and turning, fluffing my pillow, getting up, stretching, getting back into bed. And after I started using the bed pad, I've been getting a better quality of sleep-maybe not as much time as I would like because we still have strange hours we have to work with, but the quality of sleep really improved.

"There's also been a big difference in the aches and pains. They're gone. I didn't even really notice it until after six months or so. I woke up one morning and got right out of bed and there were no aches and pains, no sore back, no sore feet. It was amazing. I had probably not had any pain or stiffness before that but hadn't noticed it.

"I'm an avid runner, and so I'm used to the aches and pains of my ankles, knees, and hip flexors. They were gone as well. When I was out running later that day, it just kept reoccurring to me that something had changed and it wasn't my job, it wasn't my eating habits, it wasn't anything else. I could only put it to the bed pad.

"When I would run races-like five kilometers-and trying to beat my friends I would be running faster than when I'm out just on my own. The next morning I would usually be plenty sore and achy. The bed pad has taken that away as well. The aches are minimal. It's amazing."

Brad Graham, fifty-four, Lakewood, California, firefighter: "This job, as you can imagine, involves a lot of stress, physically and mentally. You never know what you are going to face at any particular time of the day or night. "This job, as you can imagine, involves a lot of stress, physically and mentally. You never know what you are going to face at any particular time of the day or night.

"You could be asleep at 1:00a.m., and you get a call. It may be to respond to a fire or to a situation where people are trapped in a car that's been in an accident. You go from deep rest to fast and furious action and saving lives.

"When you get back to the station, it's hard to get the scenes of what you have been through out of your mind. If you rescue somebody who was injured, you wonder if they will be okay. And you may think about what you could have done different to affect the outcome.

"Because of the nature of the work, sometimes it is very, very difficult to get back to sleep after a call. Sometimes I'll lie in bed for hours. Sometimes I'll even get up, take a shower, and go to the kitchen and read the paper.

"When I sleep grounded, I find I am able to go back to sleep after a call in what I would consider a decent time period. Maybe twenty minutes versus two and a half hours. I also notice that I sleep deeper and feel more rested when I get up in the morning. I'm more rested, but still alert.

"There seems to be a physical benefit as well. Our type of work can be quite strenuous. I think some of the issues that firefighters face, especially as the years take their toll on us, is that our knees get a little stiff. Or, as we get older, we develop back problems. Ever since I've been sleeping grounded, my knees don't feel as stiff as they used to. I like to maintain my strength by lifting weights. For quite a while, I pretty much wasn't able to do squats. Now, at the gym, I can perform squats again. And I'm able to run better than before."

VARICOSE VEINS AND BAD CIRCULATION.

Roland Perez, sixty-six, Palm Desert, California, medical film producer: "Experts say that some people are likely to inherit varicose veins, and I appear to be one of them. My mother had a severe case, and so did I. It left my feet, up to the ankles, almost black in some places, particularly on the instep. The veins were getting smaller and the circulation was not very good. My feet were very cold, and as I walked around, I didn't have much feeling in them. I could walk on cold tile and not feel the cold. I didn't know what to do about it. There was nothing that doctors could do for it. "Experts say that some people are likely to inherit varicose veins, and I appear to be one of them. My mother had a severe case, and so did I. It left my feet, up to the ankles, almost black in some places, particularly on the instep. The veins were getting smaller and the circulation was not very good. My feet were very cold, and as I walked around, I didn't have much feeling in them. I could walk on cold tile and not feel the cold. I didn't know what to do about it. There was nothing that doctors could do for it.

"Then I heard about Earthing and got a grounded bed pad. It was a Sunday afternoon when I first tried it out. I lay there for about twenty minutes, watching television. There had been no pain before. Now there was bad pain. The feet started to spasm. I jumped up and said, 'Done, I'm not doing this.'

"The next day I spoke to Clint Ober and told him about the pain. He suggested that what I had experienced was not uncommon and was very likely part of an initial healing response. So I decided to continue. Within two days the pain went away. It was replaced by tingling in my feet for about three weeks. Then I started noticing that the color in my feet was getting lighter. I thought to myself that this couldn't be possible. It is not something that you could clear up. But it was clearing up.

"Before my feet used to get very dry, crack, and sometimes bleed. I would develop sores. All a result of bad circulation. Slowly, my feet softened on the bottom. The cracking and bleeding stopped.

"These improvements happened within two months. I hadn't said anything to my wife. One day during breakfast, she noticed my feet. She was surprised. 'Your feet really look good,' she said.

"By five months, the color of my feet had cleared up completely. Both feet.

"My wife has varicose veins on the back of her legs, and she used to put makeup on the back of her legs. She wondered if grounding would help her. After six weeks, one leg was totally clear. The other has a slight purplish curved line. The legs have definitely have improved. We haven't done anything other than be grounded."

THE YOGIS KNEW.

John Gray, fifty-eight, Mill Valley California, author of Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus (Harper Collins, 1992): "The concept of Earthing resonates deeply with me. I have, in fact, done something similar since 1995 when I was in India and studying with teachers of the Indian meditation system. It was recommended to me that for the best results in my practice I should sleep and meditate on a deerskin, and the deerskin should be on the ground. (Harper Collins, 1992): "The concept of Earthing resonates deeply with me. I have, in fact, done something similar since 1995 when I was in India and studying with teachers of the Indian meditation system. It was recommended to me that for the best results in my practice I should sleep and meditate on a deerskin, and the deerskin should be on the ground.

"This was the tradition of the Yogis. The teachers said there was energy from above that comes to the Earth and then comes to you if you stay connected to the Earth. The Yogis, of course, would meditate for long periods of time and always do so on an animal skin. They often lived in caves where they would be surrounded by the Earth. They would also put down little sheets and sleep on earthen or marble floors as well. The Christian mystics had practices like this. They would go out into the desert and meditate in Nature, knowing that the results were better.

"When I was in India, I wasn't very interested in sleeping on the ground. The Yogis said there was another option for me, something that the kings did when they studied Yogic techniques in the past and apparently received benefits in terms of longer life. The option was the use of a bed sheet made with copper material that was connected to a copper rod outside, placed in the ground. I guess they did a lot with metal thousands of years ago. They certainly had some specific knowledge.

"I obtained a setup like this in India and used it in my home. At the time, I had some pain from bursitis in the shoulder. I'd had it for two or three years. I would feel it particularly when I woke up. Then, after sleeping on the Indian sheets for a while, the pains were not there anymore.

"I had the Indian sheets for about twelve years and enjoyed them very much. Then I moved the bed and the original wire wouldn't reach so I stopped using the copper sheets for a while. Then I heard of Clint Ober's work and obtained some conductive sheets that he had developed. One of the first things I noticed is that I could no longer sleep later than 8:00a.m. Even if I am up late the night before, there's no way I can sleep past 8:00a.m. Yet I am up at that time, fully refreshed. That's part of normalizing the circadian rhythm. Your cortisol level is highest at that time. There's no possibility anymore of sleeping late for me when I'm on those sheets.

"Other people who I have turned on to Earthing have had positive experiences. I've heard about arthritic pains going away in a few days and restless legs immediately calming down."

Keep Track of Your Earthing Experience To monitor how Earthing may be helping you, we have created a simple symptom checklist and progress chart. You'll find it in Appendix D.

CHAPTER 11.

The Heart Connection: Steve Sinatra's Perspective Earthing research is in its bare infancy as far as the heart and cardiology is concerned. Yet our observations and the feedback from patients point to an exciting potential: an utterly simple method that can both protect healthy hearts and help heal ailing ones. In addition, we can perhaps draw some a.s.surance at this early date in our research knowing that countless barefoot and much-closer-to-Nature generations that came before us were pretty much free of heart disease. Today, it is the No. 1 disease killer in the Western world and is rising rapidly in tropical and subtropical countries where it was previously uncommon. As a cardiologist who uses both conventional and complementary methods, I envision Earthing becoming a major practical tool against cardiovascular disease. In fact, it looks like a big winner in the practice of medicine in general.

Like any new idea in the medical world, Earthing needs to be carefully scrutinized and tested objectively without bias. If that happens, I see it taking a central place as a natural, low-cost pillar of health maintenance and disease prevention and treatment. In this age of off-the-chart medical costs and skyrocketing chronic disease, doctors need as much help as we can get in order to give patients cost-effective care. Where better to get that help than from Mother Earth herself? From the ground up, no less.

I am excited by the broad implications of key improvements related to the following: * *ATP production *Sympathetic nervous system activity * Arrhythmias Arrhythmias *High blood pressure *Blood viscosity

With time, I am confident that many more benefits will come to light. Meantime, I'd like to discuss what we know now about Earthing and its positive effects on the heart and cardiovascular system.

PROMOTING THE BODY'S ENERGY FUEL-ATP For me, a metabolic cardiologist keenly interested in improving and maintaining the energy production in the hearts and bodies of patients, Earthing has all the makings of a simple, safe, and effective energy booster. For years, I have recommended natural supplements such as coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), L-carnitine, D-ribose, and magnesium to elevate the bioenergetics of nutrient-starved heart cells and protect them from the ravages of aging, environmental toxins, and relentless oxidation. I have written books and articles about these supplements I refer to as "the awesome foursome." They provide key metabolic raw materials that are typically deficient in patients. This nutritional approach has worked remarkably and consistently well in helping to restore the failing pumping capacity of sick hearts. Now, Earthing appears to provide another primary ingredient for cellular restoration and cardiac rehabilitation.

The Earth feeds energy into all organisms that make direct contact with it. One aspect of this bioelectrical energizing likely takes place in the mitochondria of your trillions of cells. The mitochondria are like microscopic power plants. There can be thousands of them in each cell, depending on how much energy the cell has to provide (heart and kidney cells contain the most). Inside the mitochondria, a complex process takes place nonstop. In it, electrons are pa.s.sed along, like a football, through an a.s.sembly line of enzymes that create a substance called adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the fuel that enables cells to function and repair themselves. By providing an unlimited flow of electrons into the body, grounding may ensure that ample electrons are available in the mitochondria and may thus contribute to the production of ATP in all the cells.

It's taken me the better part of thirty-five years of practicing cardiology to learn that the heart is all about ATP. The bottom line in the treatment of any form of cardiovascular disease is the restoration of your heart's supply of ATP. I've come to realize that sick hearts leak out and lose vital ATP. Cardiac conditions such as angina, heart failure, silent ischemia, and diastolic dysfunction can all cause an ATP deficit.

Another aspect of cellular energy production is that the electrons transported through the a.s.sembly line are of a higher energy type, more like a "hot potato" than a football, and that this energy is transferred to ATP. Scientists say these energized electrons are in an "excited state." We think that electrons provided by the Earth must be of that type-electrons br.i.m.m.i.n.g with higher energy. The Earth thus provides us not only more electrons but supercharged electrons at that!

THE SYMPATHETIC-HRV CONNECTION.

Whenever you can turn down the volume on stress in the body, it's good for the heart and that's one of the big benefits of Earthing.

Chronic stress triggers an excess release of the stress hormones, like cortisol and adrenaline. It also throws off the balance between the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system. Too much sympathetic "arousal"-from stress-leads to the well-known fight-or-flight mode, an alert and readiness state that humans automatically switch on in reaction to an imminent danger, like fighting in a battle. In today's world, unpredictable social, financial, and political events conspire to keep stress levels at an unhealthy high level. More and more people live day to day in a state of physiological arousal. (Refer to the inset "Factors Contributing to Sympathetic Nervous System Activation" for a list of factors that rev up the sympathetic nervous system.) Revved-up sympathetic activity overwhelms the calming influence of the parasympathetic nervous system. The result, among other things, is a heightened risk of hypertension, arrhythmias, and even sudden death. One major yardstick of sympathetic overdrive is disturbance to what cardiologists call heart rate variability (HRV), a measurement of nervous system balance on heart function as well as an important indicator for both acute and chronic stress produced by mental load, anxiety, and emotional trauma. HRV refers to the beat-to-beat alterations in heart rate. People with low variability are less able to "go with the flow" when faced with stress and are more p.r.o.ne to stress-related disorders, including cardiovascular disease.

Factors Contributing to Sympathetic Nervous System Activation Environmental and/or medical conditions Air pollution (particulate matter <10 microns)="" insulin="" resistance,="" diabetes,="" or="" metabolic="" syndrome="" congestive="" heart="" failure="" obesity="" depression,="" anxiety="" sleep="" apnea="" hypertension="" psychosocial="" and="" behavioral="" conditions="" abuse="" of="" stimulants="" sleep="" deprivation="" chronic="" stress="" smoking="" hostility,="" anger,="" or="" rage="" social="" isolation="" and="" loneliness="" sedentary="" lifestyle="" sugar-laden="" diet="" pharmaceutical="" drugs="" beta-agonist="" bronchodilators="" short-acting="" calcium="" channel="" blockers="" peripheral="" alpha="" blockers="" in="" 2008,="" i="" partic.i.p.ated="" with="" electrophysiologist="" gaetan="" chevalier,="" ph.d.,="" in="" an="" experiment="" to="" measure="" the="" effect="" of="" earthing="" on="" hrv.="" we="" believe="" that="" the="" autonomic="" nervous="" system="" (ans)="" is="" one,="" and="" possibly="" the="" first,="" of="" the="" major="" body="" systems="" to="" react="" to="" earthing.="" the="" ans="" serves="" the="" body="" as="" a="" rapid="" response="" mechanism="" to="" control="" a="" wide="" range="" of="" functions.="" cardiovascular,="" respiratory,="" gastrointestinal,="" hormonal,="" urinary,="" and="" other="" systems="" are="" regulated="" by="" the="" ans's="" sympathetic="" and="" parasympathetic="">

Previous experiments have shown that grounded individuals experience a reduction in stress and a normalizing, balancing effect on ANS function. In this new study, which will be published in 2010, data from twenty-eight healthy men and women (average age of forty-eight) showed that Earthing produces a trend toward improvement in HRV. Each partic.i.p.ant was measured for forty minutes, grounded as well as ungrounded. The results give yet more strong evidence indicating its potential for balancing the nervous system and supporting cardiovascular health.

This represents an important finding. If there is a trend in forty minutes, what will sleeping grounded for six or eight hours do? Whenever there is an improvement in HRV, a reduction in sympathetic intensity and a better balance of the ANS takes place. The study gives us a glimpse of significant cardiac possibilities inviting more investigation. It hints at a cardiac-protective feature of Nature hitherto unknown. In our opinion, Earthing should be added to a host of other simple, cost-effective and noninvasive interventions that positively impact the ANS (for a list of these interventions, see the inset "Interventions to Improve Autonomic Nervous System Function").

ARRHYTHMIAS AND EARTHING.

Arrhythmias-whether of the skipped heartbeat variety or atrial fibrillation or malignant ventricular irregularities-are frequently set off by emotional stress and turmoil, situations that generate heightened sympathetic activity. Worry and fear can trigger these cardiovascular events. There is definitely a heart-brain "hotline."

Imagine living with a heart that vibrates, quivers, and races rapidly and erratically instead of beating in a steady, comfortable, and predictable rhythm. Atrial fibrillation is the medical name for this condition, the most common arrhythmia of the heart. Every year, 2 million or so people are diagnosed with "atrial fib" or "a-fib," as it is called for short. Although it isn't by itself life threatening, it can lead to heart failure or stroke. For sure, it can scare the heck out of most anybody who has it and drain his or her energy. People frequently think they are having a heart attack.

A-fib means there is an electrical problem in the heart. In a normal heart rhythm, the upper chambers of the heart-the atria-contract in unison in response to an electrical signal generated by pockets of specialized cardiac cells called the sinus node. In patients with a-fib, however, the conduction is deranged and electrical signals are scattered throughout the atria. Instead of contracting, the atria beat quickly and irregularly. This results in the loss of normal, synchronous pulsation and raises the risk of blood pooling inside the chambers, where it can form clots. Coumadin is usually prescribed to prevent clot formation.

Interventions to Improve Autonomic Nervous System Function EARTHING.

Lifestyle modifications Exercise Smoking cessation Meditation, yoga, tai chi, qigong Social support Religiosity or faith Stress reduction, biofeedback Restoration of normal sleep Weight loss Medications Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors Beta blockers Natural supplements Omega-3 fatty acids Emergency interventions include electrical cardioversion to "break" the atria from fibrillating and allow the heart to resynchronize and reestablish control. This procedure involves a perfectly timed, low dose of electricity to give the conduction system a "jolt," which enables it to reset itself.

Bob Malone, sixty-nine, Boulder, Colorado, financial adviser: "After experiencing chest pain, rapid heart beat, and flutter, I was diagnosed with a-fib in 1996. It's very scary. You don't know when the next episode is going to come on and whether or not you will survive it. In my case, it was all brought on by stress in my life, particularly business stress. My work involves advice and decisions that affect people's lives. "After experiencing chest pain, rapid heart beat, and flutter, I was diagnosed with a-fib in 1996. It's very scary. You don't know when the next episode is going to come on and whether or not you will survive it. In my case, it was all brought on by stress in my life, particularly business stress. My work involves advice and decisions that affect people's lives.

"Medication kept the symptoms under control most of the time. When the meds were unable to control the wildness in my heart, I would have to get the electroshock and jolt the heart back into a normal rhythm. I needed that kind of treatment about every nine months or so. The meds were horrible. They took my energy down to zero. It was sort of like not having a life. I've always been an active, creative guy, and I love the outdoors, and now this stopped me in my tracks.

"I started sleeping grounded in 2000. I went from not getting sleep and waking up frequently at night to getting good, solid sleep pretty much all the time. I later added a grounded floor pad while I was reading or watching TV, and during the last couple of years, I have even used one at the office where the stress level is pretty high. I wear leather shoes so I can get the Earth's energy while I work.

"The number of incidents slowly started to stretch out. They went from days to weeks to months apart. Over time I was slowly able to wean myself off the medication. I had a flare-up in 2006, which I believe was related to the stress over the death of my brother. I had to take medication, but I haven't taken any for the last eighteen months.

"In 2007, I went to Vail for some fresh air and took an hour-and-a-half hike up and down a mountain. My pulse was ranging between 115 to 130 beats per minute. In the process I got chest pain (angina), which happens whenever I exercise aggressively. Then it normally goes away at night when I sleep grounded. But I wasn't grounded up in Vail, and the chest pain continued the following two days when I took two small hikes. I came back home the next day, a Sunday afternoon, with the pain still there. So I lay down on a grounded bed pad and napped for about a half hour. When I got up, the chest pain was gone completely. I even took a one-hour moderate bike ride afterward and no chest pain came back. So after having chest pain for three days straight I was greatly relieved.

"I haven't had chest pain since that time or any sign of atrial fib since October of 2008, about the time that the financial markets went sour. Despite all the stress that followed I didn't have another episode. Obviously I'm thrilled to have gone through the tough and anxious times without incident."

HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE.

Doctors don't know the precise cause of high blood pressure, but they do know that it affects a huge segment of the human race and is increasing at an alarming rate. A 2007 report from health organizations around the world predicted a 60 percent rise, to an estimated 1.56 billion people by 2025. Currently, one billion people globally and about 72 million Americans have high blood pressure. The report envisioned a cardiovascular disease epidemic as a result. High blood pressure, while it is often symptomless, is serious business because it places you at increased risk for blindness, kidney damage, an enlarged heart, heart attack, and stroke.

High blood pressure is one of the biggest and most insidious heart risk factors around. Unless you get it under control, it is a sure ticket to heart disease. I've treated this common condition countless times in my practice and even wrote a book about it: Lower Your Blood Pressure in Eight Weeks Lower Your Blood Pressure in Eight Weeks (Ballantine, 2003). (Ballantine, 2003).

I've often treated patients who came to me from other doctors unable to bring their blood pressure numbers down with conventional treatment. My experience has been that standard drug and diet therapies frequently fall far short of their intended goals, permitting incompletely controlled blood pressure to silently continue chipping away bits and pieces of the arterial system.

For a large percentage of patients with high blood pressure, I have used four major tools in a nondrug approach and they work both for prevention and therapy: diet, supplements, mind/body techniques, and exercise. Mild high blood pressure, as a matter of fact, is one of the easiest medical conditions to control without drugs or medical treatment. Management of emotional stress, optimal nutrition and supplements, weight management, exercise, elimination of smoking and caffeine, and moderate restriction of alcohol, as well as other lifestyle modifications can prevent, delay the onset, reduce the severity, treat and control the condition in many cases. Individuals with symptomatic kidney disease, a result of high blood pressure, need to take medication.

When I was in medical school more than thirty years ago, we didn't have a cause for high blood pressure. Now we regard the biggest cause as oxidative stress, meaning you have inflammation and free radicals eroding the sensitive endothelial cell linings of blood vessels. The second, and perhaps equally as big, is sympathetic overdrive that, among other things, causes the blood vessels to constrict.

As far as Earthing is concerned, we haven't done a study yet to doc.u.ment the effects on blood pressure, but our observations so far are very promising. Earthing snuffs out harmful free-radical activity and inflammation. It pacifies sympathetic overdrive. We think Earthing may represent the easiest possible way to lower your blood pressure. You do it in your sleep without a pill or anything else.

The following two stories show the possibilities.

Dean W. Levin, fifty-four, Redondo Beach, California, marketing strategist: "Around 2000, my father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Unfortunately, his decline has accelerated in the last couple of years, and in 2008 he began being a.s.sisted through a hospice program. "Around 2000, my father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Unfortunately, his decline has accelerated in the last couple of years, and in 2008 he began being a.s.sisted through a hospice program.

"Doctors use a 0 to 30 scale to describe the level of cognition in patients. My dad was at a 20 or 21 level seven years ago. Now, at age eighty-eight, his level is around 10. He requires 24/7 care, including hand-feeding. He is pretty much immobile. He has to be lifted from the bed to the wheelchair. He's had no exercise in at least a year, and there are only very limited moments of awareness/consciousness. He has very, very limited moments of being in the present.

"The hospice doctors visit him monthly and monitor his health and overall condition. For the past several years, they have prescribed only two medications for him-one for the Alzheimer's and the other to regulate his blood pressure. He had been taking hypertension medication for years as well.

"At the end of 2008, I put a grounded sheet in my father's bed and he has slept grounded ever since. Six months or so later, the doctors observed that his blood pressure had returned to normal. They didn't understand how this could happen with someone who had no mobility. My father couldn't walk or talk. Consequently, they took him off his blood pressure medicine.

"Another unusual thing also occurred. He hasn't developed a single bedsore despite the fact he's sleeping perhaps 85 percent of the time. That's rather uncommon for someone so thoroughly bedridden. Bedsores develop when you don't move, and of course there's limited circulation. He didn't have bedsores before, but earlier on in the disease he was moving or being moved around. Since there is a radical decline in functionality toward the final stages of the disease, the doctors are surprised that there are no bedsores."