By Dr. Mercola
Dr. Stephen Sinatra is a prominent cardiologist and an innovative pioneer. He promotes a number of natural strategies as “add-ons” to the field of cardiology, such as grounding or earthing, which is the topic of this interview.
He’d done five years of post-graduate training in conventional medicine when, in 1977, he met Dr. Jacob Rinse, a 91-year old Dutch chemist who exposed him to alternative medicine.
“After that I studied some nutrition,” he says, “but I became a psychotherapist. I spent 10 years training in psychotherapy. I studied bioenergetic psychotherapy, which looks at energy blocks in the body.
That really helped launch me even more into alternative medicine. Then I decided that nutrition needed more work, so I studied for the American College of Nutrition exam, a test to certify a nutrition specialist.”
Then, 10 years ago, he met Clint Ober, who introduced him to grounding. (Ober is the co-author with Dr. Sinatra of the 2010 book, Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever?).
“At first I was skeptical,” Dr. Sinatra admits.
“I said, ‘My gosh, putting my feet on the ground is going to improve my heart, my body; or at least the things that Clint is talking about?’ But then… I spoke to him for about an hour, and went from skeptical to being all in! … [L]ook, the heart is the most electrical organ of the body. We are electrical [beings].”
What Is Earthing?
The terms “earthing” and “grounding” are interchangeable. It is simply the act of placing your bare feet on the earth, or walking barefoot. When you do, free electrons are transferred from the earth into your body, and this grounding effect is one of the most potent antioxidants we know of.
Unfortunately, few people ever walk barefoot anymore to experience it.
Hopefully, as more and more people become aware of the importance of being grounded, this will change, or at the very least spawn a much needed change in the way most footwear is made. Synthetic rubber soles disconnect you from the earth. Leather soles do not. So you can still find shoes that allow you to remain grounded without going barefoot.
Grounding has numerous benefits, aside from creating a general feeling of well-being. For example, walking barefoot can help ameliorate the constant assault of electromagnetic fields and other types of radiation from cell phones, computers and Wi-Fi.
By getting outside, barefoot, touching the earth, and allowing the excess charge in your body to discharge into the earth, you can alleviate some of the stress put on your system. That is the grounding effect. I have personally prioritized grounding myself to the earth as much as possible for over 5 years.