Grounding the Body To Neutralize Bioelectrical Stress 

A. Clinton Ober

INTRODUCTION

From the beginning of time, except for the past few generations, humans lived their entire lives in direct physical contact with the earth; therefore, it is a given that the human body, throughout evolution, was naturally grounded.
In modern times, humans insulate themselves from contact with the earth by wearing synthetic soled shoes and by living in homes that elevate the body above the earth. Consequently, humans are no longer naturally grounded and the body now stores excess body electricity and becomes charged with static electricity and induced weak electric currents from common exposure to electric and magnetic fields (EMFs). [1]
This study provides evidence that loss of natural grounding allows extraneous charge in the body to interfere with and stress the normal bioelectrical functions of the nervous system, which thereby interfere with human sleep and health.
Today everyone is physically stressed, their muscles are tense, back and joint pain are the norm and most do not sleep well. These conditions all relate to excess stimulation of the nervous system and/or interference of the bioelectrical communications between cells.
For instance, to function properly, muscles must respond to bioelectrical communications from nerves. When these communications are interfered with, muscles become and remain contracted, which leads to fatigue, skeletal problems and joint pain.
The 1995 report from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences [NIEHS] and the US Department of Energy [DOE] states, and confirms, that common exposure to electric and magnetic fields (EMFs) from household electrical wires produces unnatural weak electric currents between human cells. [1]
These unnatural weak currents in the body are the direct result of the body being insulated from ground contact. The question arises: do these currents along with the static electricity created on the body from carpets, synthetic fibers, etc., interfere with normal bioelectrical functions?
An answer is indicated as follows: according to the American Institute of Stress, over 75% of all visits to primary care physicians are now for stress-related health conditions. And stress is described as a state of continuous anxiety and nervousness in which muscles become and remain tensed. (Stress is now confirmed to be a primary contributor to cardiovascular disease, cancer, gastrointestinal, skin, neurological and emotional disorders, and a host of disorders linked to immune system disturbances ranging from the common cold and herpes, to arthritis and AIDS.) [2]
In the late 1960s, when humans were first widely diagnosed as being stressed, synthetic soled shoes, carpets and the like had just become popular and the use of electricity and household electrical devices tripled from the previous generation. 
Does excess and extraneous charge in the body interfere with sleep?
According to the National Sleep Foundation's Sleep-2000 report [3], nearly two thirds of American adults (62%) now suffer from sleep problems. Americans have the most comfortable beds and the most protected sleep environments in the world. Yet, in traditional societies where most humans sleep on animal skins, grass mats or directly on the ground, sleep problems do not exist. [4] As for Americans, most now sleep within 12 inches of electrical wires hidden in the wall at the head of their bed and with electric cords around or near the bed. All of these emit e-fields throughout the night and create weak electric currents in the body [1].
The fact that the majority of people, with the best health care in human history, now increasingly suffer from poor sleep and stress-related health problems suggests that something, largely unknown to the health community and public, is wrong. The dramatic change from the body being naturally grounded to now storing charge and conducting unnatural weak electric currents between cells is the most likely candidate. Circumstantial evidence is provided by the fact that humans in traditional societies that maintain contact with the earth do not experience the common sleep and stress-related health problems of the modern world [4], nor do the animals that live in direct contact with the earth. [5]
Further conclusive evidence was reported by the NIEHS and the DOE [1] in which it was stated that in some laboratory studies the biological effects of EMFs are the following:
- Changes in functions of cells and tissue
- Accelerated tumor growth
- Decrease in the hormone melatonin
- Changes in biorhythms
- Alterations of immune system
- Changes in human brain activity and heart rate
The question is raised: by restoring natural ground to the body and thereby neutralizing excess and extraneous charge in the body, do muscles relax and normal sleep return? In search of the answer the following test was performed.

METHODS AND MATERIALS
To effectively restore ground contact for an extended period, test subjects slept on mattress pads containing 13% carbon fibers. The pads were placed under their fitted sheets and connected via a ground wire (with a 1/100-amp ground fault) to a ground rod driven into the earth near their bedroom window. The grounded mattress pads exactly replicated sleeping directly on the earth when in bed. 
Sleep disturbances along with chronic muscle and joint pain, which the subjects had been experiencing for at least six months, were recorded to establish a base line.  The test was for a period of 30 days.

SELECTION OF PARTICIPANTS
An advertisement distributed to ten beauty salons in Ventura County, CA solicited individuals experiencing sleep problems accompanied by tense muscles and/or chronic joint pain to participate in the study. Of the respondents, sixty individuals participated.
Age of subjects was between 23 and 74 years
Male subjects :: 22
Female subjects :: 38
Declared sleep problems :: 100%
Declared chronic muscle or joint pain :: 100%
The subjects were randomly divided into two groups. The first group of thirty slept on carbon fiber mattress pads connected to a dedicated earth ground, just outside their bedroom window. The second control group of thirty, slept on carbon fiber mattress pads but were not connected to an earth ground.
E-field created charge on their bodies was recorded with an AC voltmeter connected to the earth ground and body contact made with a hand held probe or an EKG electrode patch.
E-field created charge measured on subject's bodies while lying in their beds was as follows:
                                           TEST SUBJECTS       CONTROL SUBJECTS
Less than 1 volt                                     2                                  2 
1 volts or more                                     28                                28
2 volts or more *                                  16                                15  
3 volts or more                                     8                                  6
4 volts or more                                     4                                  3
5 volts or more                                     3                                  2 *All subjects averaged 2+ volts on their bodies while lying in their beds (ungrounded).
E-field created charge measured on test subject's bodies after grounding: averaged 10 milli-volts or less.

THE RESULTS
 
Test Subjects*
Control Subjects**
Categories
Same
Improved
Same
Improved
Time to fall asleep
4  -  15%
23 -  85%
20 -  87%
3  - 13%
Quality of sleep
2  -   7%
25 -  93%
20 -  87%
3 -  13%
Wake feeling rested
0  -   0% 
27- 100%
20 -  87%
3  - 13%
Muscle stiffness & pain
5  -  18%
22 -  82%
23- 100%
0  -  0 %
Chronic back &/or joint pain
7  -  26%
20 -  74%
23- 100%
0  -  0%
General well-being
6  -  22%
21 -  78%
20 -  87%
3  - 13%
  *Reports not received from three participants. **Reports not received from seven participants. 

  DISCUSSION
The purpose of this work was to provide evidence that when the human body is grounded it is naturally protected from static electricity and radiated electric fields. The meter reading of the grounded subject proved this true. It was expected that muscles would relax and sleep would improve due to the benefits of grounding. This also proved to be true.
Worthy of mention is that several subjects in the study stated they also experienced significant relief from asthmatic and respiratory conditions, rheumatoid arthritis, PMS, sleep apnea and hypertension, while sleeping grounded. These unexpected results indicate that loss of ground contact plays a much larger role in overall health then was anticipated at the start of this study.
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR THESE FINDINGS  ·  In the May 1999 NIEH-EMF RAPID report, mention is made that reported biological effects to humans exposed to EMFs, such as changes in melatonin levels cannot be confirmed in animal studies. Therefore, the actual effects to humans are inconclusive. [5]
In the animal studies, sheep exposed to EMFs from a power line were reported to have experienced no change in melatonin levels. The sheep, which walked and slept directly on the earth, were naturally grounded throughout the experiment. The fact that melatonin levels remain normal in sheep when grounded, supports these findings that when humans are grounded their sleep improves.
Personal note from Roger Coghill, MA Biol., MI Biol., MA Environ Mgt. who is a leading research scientist and author specializing in the field of Bio-electromagnetics, the science investigating the interaction of electricity with organic life.
Yes, I would be prepared to believe that grounding the body will help dispel any extraneous electric fields which could otherwise interfere with the body’s own endogenous fields. We have found that these latter are vital for well-being, with adverse effects if disturbed. It could also be a way forward for protection against high frequency radiation.
                                                                            Best, Roger Coghill 12/05/99
·         Comments from Russell Whitten, D.C. Ojai, CA  8/25/00
Prompted by the results of a patient, who participated in Mr. Ober's study, I grounded the beds of 35 additional patients over a two-month period. The bed e-field measurements in this group ranged from .3 to 47 volts before grounding. A variety of health benefits occurred in this time. Many of the improvements, such as increased energy and athletic performance, can be attributed to the improved sleep that almost everyone reported. However, in many cases metabolic and hormonal conditions responded as well.
Chronic back pain went away in several cases, stiff arthritic joints became more flexible, asthma attacks subsided and PMS symptoms lessened greatly. These indications confirm that e-fields do affect the body.

CONCLUSIONS

The important finding of this study is that the human body, when grounded, is naturally protected from static electricity and the weak electric currents created in the body by radiated electric fields. The observed health benefits of eliminating extraneous static and e-field related electricity in/or on the body via ground contact are the following: sleep significantly improves, muscles relax, chronic back and joint pain subside and general health improves.

PRINCIPAL REFERENCES

• National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the U.S. Department of Energy, Questions and Answers about EMF, electric and magnetic fields associated with use of electric power [1995]  
• American Institute of Stress, www.stress.org/problems  
• National Sleep Foundation, www.sleepfoundation.org/pressarchives  
• Slumbers Unexplored Landscape [1999] Carol M. Worthman, Anthropologist, Emory University, Atlanta, GA  
• National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences EMF Rapid Report [May, 1999]

For additional information on this study or for parties interested in performing additional studies related to personal grounding and health, please contact: Clint Ober @ 805- 844-0888 or e-mail clint@earthtether.com

A. CLINTON OBER

I was born on the 14th of July 1944 in Fort Dodge Iowa, but spent most of my formative years in the great state of Montana. There exposed to the Native American Culture I developed a love of nature and learned of my connection to the natural world. My immediate and extended families were farmers and ranchers, who also taught respect for the land and to listen and learn from the ways of the natural world.

In 1959 my father died from leukemia, leaving my mother and his five children with crops in the ground and a herd of livestock. Being the eldest child, I then had to forgo school and assume the care of my mother who was also ill, my four younger brothers, crops and a herd of livestock. To leave school and tend to family business was a very common practice back in those days.

My Grandfather, Earnest Monroe Davis, on my mother's side was one of the youngest to enter the Spanish American War and at the age of 89 years was the third last living survivor. Just before his death, he said; do not worry about your not being formally educated, if you want to learn something, go to the local library and there are books to provide any knowledge you are lacking. There, if you cannot find the knowledge you need to achieve your aim, then hire the very best schooled in that knowledge and let them guide you. Then listen to your heart and follow your natural instincts. This sage advice along with the personal challenges of life, have provided the means for an unusual but quite extensive education and connections with great teachers and leaders.

BACKGROUND

After leaving the land for the excitement of the city in the early 60's, I found and took an interest in the fledgling CATV industry. The appeal (at that time) was that Television provided visual information of the larger world and therefore provided a window from which everyone could gain a better perspective of the real world in which they live. After a few years of working with the local CATV operators in Montana, I was hired by Telecommunications Inc. of Denver, CO as the National Director of Marketing. During the four years in this position, working with Dr. John Malone, the company grew from near bankruptcy to become the largest CATV operator in the US, (now a part of AT&T)

Upon leaving TCI in '72, I then began my own company, Telecrafter Corporation, which specialized in developing CATV systems, broadcast television and microwave communication properties. This company became the largest provider of CATV marketing and installation services in the US. The company also developed and owned interests in CATV systems, broadcast television properties and microwave distribution systems throughout Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. This company became public in 1980 and four years later merged with Wegener Communication Inc. of Atlanta, GA.

Intrigued with the advent of the personal computer in the early 1980s and seeing the PC as a TV set without a signal, I began a new company, X.press Information Services. This company, which became a partnership between TCI, McGraw Hill and myself, accumulated distribution rights to every known wire service in the world. These included the likes of United Press International and The Associated Press to TASS news agency in Russia, Kyodo in Japan and Xinua in China along with live feeds from all US Securities Exchanges. These wire services, combined into a unified data stream, were then transmitted via satellite to CATV systems and broadcasters for redistribution directly to personal computers via multiplexed sub-carriers to a de-mod receiver attached to the PC. At the time, we along with Microsoft, Apple and Commodore assumed that like TV, radio and newspapers, live news and quote information to personal computers would be free (ad supported) and in a broadcast form. Needless to say, the Internet was discovered and e-mail and chat rooms gave rise to a new generation of communications. X.press Information Services then redirected its efforts to serving the news media.

In 1993 after experiencing near death from a major health disorder and spending 28 days in a hospital, I awoke one morning and noticed the sky was a deeper blue and the trees were a more vibrant green than I had ever seen before. At that moment I felt alive again but very much different from before. Then, while struggling to walk around the house that day, a stark realization came over me that I never owned my home and this mountain of possessions, but rather they owned me. Recognizing that I had become a slave by my own making, to things, I decided to set myself free and find something to make my life about other than things. The big home was sold and all of its contents given to the children. Then after gaining my freedom, I spent the next four years living in a forty-foot bus and traveling around the US. Then one night while sitting and staring across the bay, while parked in Key Largo, and asking what should I be doing, I automatically wrote on a piece of paper "become an opposite charge."

Upon rising the next morning, an odd notion went through my mind that the earth itself was trying to tell me something. Little did I know at the time, that through an inexplicable series of events, a compelling force would lead me to understand that we humans have a bioelectrical connection with the earth - one that creates an "opposite charge" in the body that naturally protects the vital bioelectrical communications of the nervous system and the endogenous electrical fields of the body.

Twenty-five years of experience in the field of protecting magnetic spectrum (TV) transmissions and electronic communications equipment with electrical grounding provided insight as to how the "opposite charge" of the earth works. For instance when electromagnetic transmit antennas are not properly grounded, foreign electrical influences cause noisy radio transmissions and create interference that makes TV signals difficult or impossible to view. Extraneous electricity from the faulty grounding of a computer can cause software to crash or microchips to fail. Grounding was also of vital importance to prevent stray electricity from causing sensitive amplifiers to malfunction or burn out.

In the modern electrical world with our bodies now insulated from ground contact, we are also vulnerable to electrical interference since our cells all transmit and receive the vital information that keeps us alive and healthy through bio-electromagnetic communications.

Now you know how a cowboy from the great state of Montana became aware of nature's role in protecting the vital communications of the body.

During the last two years, I have spent every waking hour in the pursuit of understanding and identifying the impact that loss of ground contact has on the body. The findings to date extend far beyond anything I would ever have believed. 

SUMMARY and OVERVIEW.

In the beginning of my search, time spent with electrical engineers and medical professionals resulted in little more than blank stares, and research in the medical libraries turned up nothing. Then after discovering that the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences was compiling a paper on the effects EMFs have on human health, I focused my attention on their work and as luck would have it, their information provided a simple piece of evidence that gave me direction. It was their conclusion that the adverse effects from exposure to EMFs, found in some human studies, was determined to be inconclusive since the same adverse effects could not be reproduced in animal studies (a herd of sheep, baboons and the like).  Pay dirt.  EMFs in some studies adversely effected human health yet animals in similar studies did not experience the same adverse effects.  The reason for these differing results became obvious to me.  These animals were not wearing shoes nor were they sleeping in comfortable beds insulated from earth; they were naturally grounded.

In one study, researchers examined a herd of sheep sleeping under a power line to study changes caused by EMFs in human melatonin levels.  I could not resist; this determined the area of study, ground humans while asleep, the primary time when the healing and restoration of the body takes place.  The method to effectively ground people while in bed was developed and the study began. The effort produced, with a control group, the following results:

• 85% went to sleep more quickly
• 93% reported sleeping better throughout the night
• 100% reported waking, being and feeling more rested
• 82% experienced the elimination of/or a significant reduction in muscle stiffness
• 74% experienced the elimination of/or a reduction of chronic back and joint pain
• 78% reported improved general health

In addition, several subjects in the study also reported experiencing significant relief from asthmatic and respiratory conditions, rheumatoid arthritis, PMS, sleep apnea and hypertension. 

Then Dr. Russell Whitten of Ojai, CA confirmed these findings when he took an interest in the study and additionally grounded 35 of his own patients and found similar results.

This combined evidence confirmed that the human body, with loss of ground contact, is now operating in a bioelectrically stressed state.

Now the task is to identify individuals and companies that can help develop and provide effective and safe methods to restore our vital connection to the earth.