A good friend messaged me about grounding, also known as earthing, early this year: ‘Pretty amazing and well worth checking out,’ he enthused. ‘Many health benefits. I’ve been spending as much time barefoot as possible and feel better for it.’
A Google search revealed a vast alternative health movement, with web sites for everything from a 2010 book (Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever? by Clinton Ober, Stephen Sinatra and Martin Zucker) to a 2019 documentary (The Earthing Movie by Josh and Rebecca Tickell), a fullon Earthing Institute in the US (earthinginstitute.net), and earthing products available even here in South Africa (groundlive.co.za).
All centre on a single premise: that we are designed to be connected directly to the earth and its electromagnetic field, and our wellness depends on it; yet we insulate ourselves in shoes with rubber or plastic soles, spend our time indoors with synthetic flooring and furniture, and travel in vehicles with rubber tyres.
Watching tourists in trainers getting off a bus in Sedona, Arizona, some 20 years ago, this suddenly struck Ober, a retired cableTV technician who had dealt daily with electricity and insulation, and was battling a liver problem and a midlife crisis. As he tells it on a number of platforms, he decided to experiment: he stuck a strip of metal duct tape across his bed, threw a wire out the window and attached it to a metal rod to ground him – and he felt and slept better than in ages. Inspired, Ober headed for the University of California, where research persuaded him, and eventually several academics and integrative medicine professionals, that he had made an important discovery. The book he went on to write with one of them (Stephen Sinatra is a cardiologist turned bioenergetic psycho therapist) consolidated the movement.
Denne historien er fra July/August 2021-utgaven av Fairlady.
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Denne historien er fra July/August 2021-utgaven av Fairlady.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
'DESIRE IS NOT WHAT MATTERS'
Emily Nagoski wrote the book on women and desire - literally. And then her own sex life dried up. Here's what a prolonged sex drought (and a load of research) taught her about maintaining intimacy in a long-term relationship.
'We have to tell HARD STORIES'
Theatre director and playwright Yaël Farber is spending time in South Africa after her critically acclaimed run of King Lear at the Almeida Theatre in London. We chatted to her about the importance of the pursuit of truth.
THE WHY, THE WHICH & the wardrobe
We really got into it this month! Read on for more on the allure of a loosey-goosey jumpsuit, vintage-hunting and jingle-jangling jewellery, the best places to find quality African design and short-girl styling tips.
LIFT your GAME
Thought weightlifting was just for bodybuilders and powerlifters? Not so. In fact, 'lifting heavy shit' may be the secret to longevity, hormone regulation and mood for women through perimenopause and beyond.
TREATMENT PLAN ON YOUR MARKS
Armed with a six-month programme from Dr Nerina Wilkinson + Associates, Jennifer Morin set about tackling her sun damage and melasma.
PLAYING YOUR CARDS RIGHT
Here's how to get the most out of loyalty cards.
BIG SKY Country
Namibia. Twelve friends, five vehicles, 4000 km, thirteen days. Eight punctures, one angle grinder. One martial eagle, one full moon, one ghost town. Plenty of top-quality braais, maybe not quite enough oysters... and the best time ever.
IS YOUR HOME MAKING YOU SICK?
Leaks, damp and poor ventilation in old or poorly built new homes are being fingered for a growing health concern: mould.
HOW TO REALLY GET TO KNOW SOMEONE
The Korean word 'nunchi' describes 'the ability to be sensitive to other people's moods and thoughts'. It's an underrated skill that we seem to have lost.
How to write a memoir
Whether you want to share your experiences and insights with the world, leave a legacy or track pivotal experiences for yourself, writing your memoir can be a grand and worthwhile adventure. Here's some advice on how and where to begin.
