ChevalierMori 18 No 3

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Experimental

THE EFFECT OF EARTHING ONHUMAN PHYSIOLOGY PART 2: ELECTRODERMAL MEASUREMENTS

by Gaétan Chevalier, Ph.D., Kazuhito Mori, Ph.D.

ABSTRACT

The human body evolved while living in direct electrical contact (electrically grounded) with the earth.The question that arises is: Does loss of electrical contact with the earth affect human physiology? Thisdouble-blind study was designed to address this question by measuring several electrophysiological parame-ters of the body. Subjects were assigned to an experimental group that was grounded to the earth aftera 28-minute baseline recording. Grounding the body (earthing) was achieved by placing electrode patches

on the soles of the feet and connecting them to a conductive cable that was attached to a metal rodplanted in the earth. The total recording time was 56 minutes. The control group was not groundedbut “sham grounded.” Part 1 of this study presented results from measurements taken with clinicalbiofeedback equipment. This paper presents results obtained on Jing-Well points using the SSVP (SingleSquare Voltage Pulse) method. With the SSVP method we were able to corroborate results presented inour first paper with the biofeedback system. The SSVP method results are that grounding the body produces a reduction in tension (relaxation) of the internal organs and a reduction in inflammation. Wealso postulated that the body was developed to take advantage of the contact with the earth through thefeet by developing a system of distribution of electrons through the kidney meridian at KI1. The presentfindings are consistent with the results of our previous study which concluded that grounded subjectsexperienced a reduction in stress and a normalization of the functioning of the autonomic nervous systemafter earthing.6

KEYWORDS: Acupuncture, meridians, Single Square Voltage Pulse method, SSVP, grounding, earthing,electrophysiology, acupuncture points.

Subtle Energies & Energy Medicine • Volume 18 • Number 2 •



INTRODUCTION

B ACKGROUND

I

n recent times, and in most developedcountries, humans live almost 100% of

the time electrically insulated from contact with the earth. This insulation is princi-pally due to 1) modern buildings and homesmade from wood and other insulatingm ate r ia l s , 2) th e m o de rn - day use o f insulated footwear and 3) the low conduc-tivity of the atmosphere. This has not beenhow the human body evolved over millionsof years. So a question arises as to whether

this lack of contact with the earth may posea health risk.

I t i s w e l l e s tabl i sh e d th at th e E arthmaintains a negative electrical potential onits surface.1,2 When the human body isinsulated from the earth, its electricalpotential becomes more positive because of the progressively higher electrical potential

existing above the ground. This electricalpotential, which is around 200,000 Voltsbetween the ground and the clouds in clear weather, can be millions of Volts duringthunderstorms, causing electrical discharges(lightning).

In this paper, we use the term “earthing” tomean connecting a person to the ground with a wire and conductive patches. Thisi s to di ff eren tiate th is pro cess f ro m“grounding” to protect the body from highelectrical voltages as it is done in theelectrical power industry and the electro-static discharge industry, for example.

When earthed, the earth’s electrons are

c ond uct ed i nt o t he hu ma n bod y,maintaining the body at the same electricalpotential as the earth.3,4 This has been thenatural bioelectrical environment of thehuman body during its evolution. There is

mounting evidence that earthing hasimportant benefits for human health. Forexample a report by Ghaly and Teplitz hasshown that earthing the human body duringsleep normalized circadian secretion levels of cortisol (the stress hormone), reduced painand inflammation and improved sleep.5 Ina p re vi ou s d ou bl e- bl in d s tu dy, w edocumented the effects of earthing on 58

subjects using standard biofeedback equipment.6 The observed physiologicalchanges indicated a reduction in overalls tre ss , a nd a n or ma li za ti on o f t hefunctioning of the autonomic nervoussystem. Good review articles on the subjecto f e arth in g h ave be en publ ish ed by Oschman.7,8

PURPOSE

The present report is the second and lastpaper on a double-blind study aboutearthing conducted at the CaliforniaInstitute for Human Science (Encinitas,California) in 2003. The f irst paperreported results of electrophysiologicalmeasures obtained from a commercially available biofeedback system.6 For thepresent report we analyzed data that was

collected in the same double-blind study by the SSVP (Single Square Voltage Pulse)method using the AMI (Apparatus forMeridian Identification, to be describedlater). We looked for statistically significantdifferences in the recordings of each of thethree parameters measured by this instru-




ment (termed BP, AP, and IQ) before andafter earthing. We also compared earthedsubjects with controls.

H YPOTHESES

From our previous study, we developed theoverall hypothesis that earthing relaxes thebody and normalizes the autonomic nervoussystem functions. The present study alsoevaluates some of the anti-inflammatory aspects of earthing. The specific hypotheses we tested with the AMI are:

H0: There will be no difference before and

after measurements of BP, AP, or IQ.

H1: There will be a statistically significantdifference ( p < 0.05) in earthed subjects’mean BP values when comparing a 14-minute recording taken immediately beforeearthing with a 14-minute recording takenimmediately after earthing.

H2: There will be a statistically significantdifference ( p < 0.05) in mean BP values when comparing a 14-minute recordingtaken immediately after subjects wereearthed with a 14-minute recording takenimmediately after controls were “shamearthed”.

H3: There will be a statistically significantdifference ( p < 0.05) in earthed subjects’

mean AP values when comparing a 14-minute recording taken immediately beforeearthing with a 14-minute recording takenimmediately after earthing.

H4: There will be a statistically significantdifference ( p < 0.05) in mean AP values

when comparing a 14-minute recordingtaken immediately after subjects wereearthed with a 14-minute recording takenimmediately after controls were “shamearthed”.

H5: There will be a statistically significantdifference ( p < 0.05) in earthed subjects’mean IQ values when comparing a 14-minute recording taken immediately beforeearthing with a 14-minute recording takenimmediately after earthing.

H6: There will be a statistically significant

difference ( p < 0.05) in mean IQ values when comparing a 14-minute recordingtaken immediately after subjects wereearthed with a 14-minute recording takenimmediately after controls were “shamearthed”.

MATERIALS & METHODS

SUBJECTS

Subjects’ exclusion criteria duringscreening included the following: below

the age of 18 or above 75; pregnancy;taking pain or anti-inflammatory medica-tion, sedatives or prescription sleepingmedication less than 5 days prior to testing;taking psychotropic drugs or diagnosed with mental disorder; recent surgery (lessthan 1 year); documented life threateningdisease (such as cancer, AIDS, etc.) ;consumption of alcohol within 48 hours ofparticipation; use of recreational drugs.The health status of prospective subjects was ascertained using a standard medicalquestionnaire (Past Medical Inventory or





Parameters measured included:a) BP (Before Polarization, a measureof meridian electrical conductivity)b) AP (After Polarization, a measure of autonomic nervous system function)

c) IQ (Integral Q = electrical charge, ameasure of immune activity)

The principle of functioning of the AMIand the parameters it measures have beendescribed in detail elsewhere.9,10 TheCAMI is an AMI with the measuring stylusreplaced by an electronic switching devicehaving 28 cables connecting it to each of

the 28 Jing-well points normally used withthe AMI. This setup allows the CAMI toacquire data in a quasi-continuous mannerin that data are acquired every second for 1millisecond moving continuously from one Jing-well point to the next in the samesequential order normally used by the AMI.9,10 Once data on a series of 28 Jing- well points (or acupoints) are acquired, thesystem goes back to the first acupoint andstarts measuring the same sequence of 28acupoints again. The experimenter has theability to determine how many series of 28acupoints are to be measured before theCAMI stops. A period of 14 minutes of data acquisition time is necessary to getgood statistics for each acupoint (30measurements for each of the 28 acupoints).It takes 28 seconds to complete one series

of measurements on the 28 acupoints. Forgood statistics we wanted to have 30measurements for every acupoint: 30 seriesof measurements × 28 seconds/series = 840seconds or 14 minutes.

PMI).6 Informed consent was obtained forselected subjects prior to their participation.

Of 65 subjects selected and tested, 58 (30controls and 28 earthed subjects) had data

sets complete enough to be used in thisdouble-blind study. Twenty-two earthedsubjects had data sets suitable for the statis-tical analyses presented in this paper. Basicinformation on subjects is summarized inTable 1.

The ratio of female to male subjects wasF/M = 2.22. The mean age and standarddeviation for each gender were similar, andthe mean age and standard deviation werealso similar between the earthed (experi-mental) and the “sham earthed” (control)subjects. The 22 earthed subjects withsuitable data for the statistical analysespresented in this paper had very similar ageand gender distributions as well as similar

means and standard deviations.

EQUIPMENT

Measuring Instrument

The measuring instrument utilized for this

project was the Continuous AMI (CAMI).

Table 1. Basic information on subjects




ro om w ith m o de rn w el l -g ro undedelectrical outlets (all wiring was clad ingrounded electrical conduits). Absence of electric field-induced body voltages, suchas from the 60 Hz wiring, was confirmedby using a voltmeter with a separatededicated ground system (a rod driveninto the earth, identical to the body earthing system used in the experiment).The voltmeter had a large (approximately ½ inch diameter) metal contact attached

to the ungrounded terminal. Subjects were asked to place their thumb on thiscontact to measure induced body voltage with respect to the earth. The meter hadan accuracy of about 0.3% and readingson the body were typically less than 5 mV.Thus the subjects, patches, and wires didnot have appreciable induced body voltages that could interfere with the AMI

measurements.

PROCEDURES & PROTOCOL

The protocol and informed consent formused in this study were approved by theBiomedical Research Institute of America,an independent Institutional Review

Earthing SystemThe earthing system used in this study consisted of two EKG (electrocardiograph)type adhesive electrode patches, one placedon the sole of each foot. The patches were

big enough to cover completely the kidney acupoint (KI1, Figure 1) and a region of atleast 1 inch around it.11 A standard electro-static discharge type ground system wassnap attached to the electrode patches.The earthing system consisted of a 50 footlong (15.24m) ground cord containing asnap attachment on one end to fasten to theelectrode patches and the other end was

attached to a 12-inch (30.48cm) stainlesssteel rod (diameter 0.25 inch or 0.635cm)planted in the earth outdoors. There wasa switching box in between both ends of the grounding cord to cut or establish theconnection with the earth. This box wasnecessary to implement the research design(see the Earthing Intervention section).The ground cord contained a UL approved10 milliamp fuse. Details of the earthingsystem are presented in Figure 2.

The purpose of using this type earthingsystem for this study was to replicate aperson standing barefoot directly on theearth while residing in a controlled environ-ment as described in the next paragraph.

There was a concern that the ground wire

could act as an antenna for electric fields,particularly when the lead was disconnectedfrom the earth during control periods.There were also concerns that the electric wiring in the walls of the lab could induceelectric fields on and in the body. To avoidthese problems, care was taken to choose a

Figure 1. Location of KI1 acupoint.



tively. The fuse in the ground cord wasreplaced by a similarly-shaped plastic objectfor control subjects. Hence flipping theon/off switch on the switching box did notcomplete the earthing connection for the

control group (“sham earthing”). Thisprocedure prevented the subjects, theexperimenters and the assistants helping inthe lab to know in which group each subject was placed. At the moment of earthing (28minutes after the beginning of the recordingperiod which lasted for a total of 56minutes) the experimental group experi-enced the active earthed/grounded device

and the control group the inactive device(“sham earthing”). Experimental vs. controlsubjects were randomly selected by anassistant before subject’s arrival. Thisassistant was the only person knowing into which group each subject was placed and he was in charge of secretly changing the fusebefore the arrival of each subject. Thisassistant was not allowed to be in contact

B oa rd ( IR B) l oc at ed i n S an D ie go ,California. Consent was obtained from allsubjects after they were informed of thenature of the study and its potential risks.

Earthing InterventionThis study was double-blind in that experi-menters, assistants (with one exception tobe explained below) and subjects did notknow in which group each subject wasplaced. Prior to measurement, each subject(subjects were tested one at a time) wasseated in a comfortable reclining chair anda conductive adhesive patch was placed on

the sole of each foot on top of the KI1a cu po in t ( Fi gu re 2 ). Pa tc he s w e reconnected to a conductive cord that wasattached to a dedicated ground rod driveni nt o t h e e ar th o u t do or s. A n i nl in eswitching box placed about 4 feet fromsubjects completed or had no effect on thecompletion of the earthing connection forexperimental and control subjects, respec-

Figure 2. Earthing system including patches (1.75” × 3.75” each or 4.45cm × 9.53cm) placed at the bottom of each

foot, inline switching box with an on/off switch and 50 feet (15.24m) cord (bottom of the picture) going out to a 12-inch (30.48cm) rod planted in the

earth outdoors. The switching box splits the earthing cable into two or more connections which can be snapped to multiple patches.




A total of sixty-five (65) subjects weremeasured. Sixty-two were measured withina 14-day period and three had to berescheduled a few weeks later. Each

subject’s participation lasted approximately1 hour and 10 minutes.

DATA ANALYSISEach subject was recorded for a total of 56minutes. The data sets for statisticalcomparisons of pre- and post- earthing (orpre- and post “sham earthing”) were takenfrom the last 14-minute period before

earthing (B2) and the first 14-minuteperiod after earthing (I1), respectively. Thedata sets for statistical comparisons betweenearthed (experimental) subjects and control(“sham earthed”) subjects after earthing were taken from the first 14-minute periodafter earthing or “sham earthing” (I1) forexperimental subjects and controls, respec-tively. Thirty (30) data sets for controls andtwenty-two (22) data sets for experimentalsubjects were suitable for the statisticalanalyses preformed for this paper.

Statistical tests used in this study includedStudent’s t-test of differences betweenmeans, F-test of differences betweenvariances and Chi Square for frequencytesting.

with subjects and could not come in thetesting lab until the subject had left. Anexperimenter (Mori) was in charge of flipping the switch at the appropriate timeregardless of the subject’s assigned group.

Records of each subject’s group assignment were kept by the assistant at a secret locationand remained confidential until all data were obtained. Each subject’s assignedgroup was revealed to the researchers only at the time of analysis.

Measurement ProtocolThe testing protocol included 5 phases:

Buffering, Baseline 1 (B1), Baseline 2 (B2),Intervention 1 (I1) and Intervention 2 (I2).Each phase lasted 14 minutes, except for theBuffering phase which varied depending onthe time needed to prepare each subject.

The Buffering phase was a resting, pre-baseline preparation period (electrodesplacement, no monitoring). B1 and B2 were periods with monitoring, howeversubjects were not earthed nor “shamearthed.” I1 and I2 were periods withm on ito r in g af te r e arth in g o r “sh amearthing,” depending on the subject’s group. At the beginning of I1, the experimenterflipped the switch which resulted in experi-mental subjects being earthed and controlsubjects being “sham earthed,” as explainedpreviously. Table 2 illustrates the sequence

of phases.

Table 2. Sequence of phases



conductivity of the meridian.11,12 Majorfactors contributing to the value of thisparameter are: 1) the water content alongthe path of the measured meridian (i.e.inflammation increases the value of BP

while dehydrated subjects show low BPvalues) and 2) the health condition of thecorresponding internal organ (the moreenergetic or healthy the organ, the higherthe BP value, on the condition that there isno inflammation).

First, we compared the mean BP values(mean of 22 values for experimental subjects

and 30 values for the control group, foreach entry in Table 3) for the last 14-minuteperiod before earthing (B2) with the meanBP values for the first 14-minute period

RESULTS

BEFORE POLARIZATION (BP)P ARAMETER

A s explained elsewhere in greater details,the BP parameter is a high frequency

current measurement and is consequently the equivalent to measuring the pureelectrical resistance (or conductivity)between the measured acupoint and theground electrode located on the wrist.9,10,12

The inventor of the AMI (Motoyama)claims that the high-frequency path betweenthe acupoint and the ground electrode is

along the corresponding meridian, asdescribed in classical texts of TraditionalChinese Medicine (TCM), and thus BP isconsidered the parameter of electrical

Table 3. Summary of t-test results for mean BP values per meridian




there is little possibility that these results arechance occurrences.

Next, we looked at the same data in yetanother way. In Table 3, we noticed thatall BP mean values for B2-I1 E werepositive while all BP mean values for B2-I1 C were negative. Since 28 acupoints

were measured, one would expect by chancealone that about 14 BP mean values wouldbe positive and 14 negative. The fact thatall BP mean values for B2-I1 E are going

in the same direction must have some statis-tical significance. The same applies for B2-I1 C. To check for the statistical signifi-cance of these results, we used a Chi Squaretest (Table 5 A) which is appropriate sinceall expected frequencies are above 5. Asexpected we obtained a highly significant

after earthing (I1). The highly significantresult ( p < 0.01) for each meridian on eachside of the body is presented in Table 3,column t-test p-level just after the columnB2-I1 E. This result implies that there was

a significant decrease in mean BP valuesafter earthing for every meridian on eachside of the body for the experimental group.No such result was found for the controlgroup (column t-test p-level just after thecolumn B2-I1 C). Also no significant result was found when comparing the first 14-minute period after earthing with the first14-minute period after “sham earthing” (I-

1; column t-test p-level just after thecolumn I1-I1 E-C).

Next, we looked at the same data using adifferent method of statistical analysis: theF-test of differences in variance. This testcompares the differences in variance withingroups with the between groups variance of B2-I1 for the earthed subjects and the“sham earthed” (control) subjects. Theresults are presented in Table 4. Again,highly significant results were obtained,meaning that the decrease in mean BPvalues after eathing resulted in a signifi-cantly larger between group variance thanthe within group variances. Even thoughthe meridians of the upper body show highly significant results with p < 0.01, themeridians of the lower body show an even

higher degree of significance with p < 0.001.This higher level of confidence for themeridians of the lower body may be due tothe placement of the patches on the solesof the feet at the KI1 acupoint (see discus-sion section for an elaboration on thispoint). With these levels of significance

Table 4. Summary of F-test results for mean BP values




resistance (EDR) measurement on anacupoint. Motoyama explains that AP is am ea su re o f t he s tr es s o n t he o rg ancorresponding to the measured acupointaccording to TCM.12 In support of thispoint, a Ph.D. dissertation was done at theCalifornia Institute for Human Science which showed no correlation between AP

average values or individual meridian valuesa nd c or t is ol l ev el s m ea su re d o n 3 1subjects.13 Cortisol measurements areknown to correlate with general, non-specific levels of stress (the flight or fightresponse). So if we assume that each APvalue correlates with the correspondinginternal organ stress level (a specific stressresponse), then there should be no or littlecorrelation with non-specific stress levels asmeasured by cortisol.

Contrary to BP mean values for experi-mental subjects, t-tests on AP mean valuesof B2-I1 for both experimental and controlsubjects did not show any significant result(Table 6).

result ( p < 0.001). This means that the factthat all BP values went down after earthingfor the experimental group while they wentup for the control group is not a chanceoccurrence. We will explore the meaningof these results in the discussion section.

Notice in Table 3 that all of the I1-I1 E-

C values were negative. A Chi Square testconfirmed the statistical significance of thissituation (Table 5 B). This result meansthat all the BP mean values after earthing were lower than the corresponding BP meanvalues after “sham earthing”. Again thishighly significant result ( p <0.001) supportsthe result of Table 5 A) that the BP values went down after earthing but not after“sham earthing.”

A FTER POLARIZATION (AP)P ARAMETER

The AP parameter is the low frequency counterpart to BP.9,10,12 It is equivalent toa skin conductance (SC) or electrodermal

Table 5: Chi Square Analysis of BP



From Table 7, F-test analyses showed that

only 2 meridians have statistically signifi-c an t r es ul ts f or A P: t he l ef t H ea rtConstrictor (L HC) and the left Diaphragm(L DI). The Diaphragm meridian does note xi st s i n TC M. Fr om h is r es ea rc h,Motoyama claims that DI reflects thefunction of the diaphragm muscle, thelower part of the esophagus and the upperpart of the stomach. 12 The level of

confidence on these 2 meridians is 1% andso for 28 measurements we should expectless than 1 false positive result (28 × 0.01= 0.28 false positives), yet we have 2 positive(statistically significant) results. Still, sincesignificance is showing up on only 2meridians and on one side of the body only,

we do not see that result as strong evidence

of a real effect due to earthing. Sincepatches were placed symmetrically on bothsides of the body, there is no explanation why one side of the body should be givingstatistically significant results and not theother side.

Next, Chi Square tests were performed in as imilar m an ne r as w ith BP. T his i s

presented in Table 8. B2-I1 E-C is the onlytest with significant results (Table 8 A).The meaning of this result is different thanit was for BP. Here all meridians of theexperimental group show that there was adecrease in AP mean values after earthing while there was no significant decrease or


Table 6. Summary of t-test results for mean AP values




increase for the control group AP meanvalues after “sham earthing” (9 showed adecrease and 16 showed an increase, notsignificant). This result means that theexperimental group and the control group

had very different behaviors after earthing(experimental group) or “sham earthing”(control group). This result means that theexperimental group had a relaxation of alltheir internal organs while the control grouphad no significant change.

Chi Square comparisons between theexperimental and control groups for the first

14-minute period after earthing and “shamearthing,” respectively, did not show any significant result (Table 8 B).

INTEGRAL ELECTRICAL CHARGE

(IQ) P ARAMETER

Electrophysiologically, the integral electricalcharge (IQ) parameter is a measure of theelectrical charge that accumulated at the

acupoint during the process of the SSVPmeasurement (values are in picocoulombs or

Table 7. Summary of F-test results for mean AP values

Table 8. Chi Square Analysis of AP



pC). A cco rding to M otoyama, th is

parameter reflects the homeostatic functionof the body particularly regarding thefunction of the immune system related tothe corresponding internal organs accordingto TCM.12

T-tests on IQ mean values of B2-I1 for boththe experimental and the control subjectsdid not show any significant result (Table

9). For I1-I1 E-C two meridians presenteda statistically significant mean difference atthe 5% level. These are left liver (L LV)and right kidney (R KI). However we donot see this result as very significant since we would expect 1/20 false positive or 1.4in 28 t-tests at this level of confidence. So

we attribute these statistically significant

results to chance occurrences only.

Next, just as for BP and AP, we looked atF-tests to find if there are any significantdifferences between variances. The resultsare presented in Table 10. Again we see nosignificant difference comparing withingroup variances with the between groupsvariance of B2-I1 E and B2-I1 C, in

agreement with the negative results of thet-tests. This result also supports ourprevious conclusion that the 2 statisticallysignificant t-test results were false positives.

Chi Square analyses for IQ providedinteresting results. The Chi Square analysis


Table 9. Summary of t-test results for mean IQ values



of B2-I1 E and B2-I1 C shows a very statis-tically significant result (Table 11 A). Theexperimental group has all positive results,meaning all the values of IQ decreased afterearthing, while the opposite is true for the

control group (except for 2 meridians: theleft small intestine (L SI) and the lefturinary bladder (L UB)).

Next looking at I1-I1 E-C all values (exceptfor the right Heart (R HT)) are lower forthe experimental group compared to thecontrol group (Table 11 B). This very significant result means that all but one IQ

mean values after earthing were lower thanIQ mean values after “sham earthing.” We will explore the meaning of that result inthe discussion section.

DISCUSSION

A s e xp la in ed p re vi ou sl y, t he B Pparam e te r i s th e in it ia l ( o r h ig h

frequency) current that is measured betweenan acupoint and a ground electrode located


Table 10. Summary of F-test results for IQ (E = earthed; NE = not earthed)

Table 11. Chi Square Analysis of IQ



on the wrist of the subject measured. According to Motoyama, BP reflects the water content of the body part in the pathof the meridian and also the energetic stateof the corresponding internal organ

according to TCM.

The results presented in Table 3 showedsome very significant results. The columnt-test p-level, just after the column B2-I1E, presented significant results for theexperimental group with a significance levelbetter than 1%. This result implies thatthere was a significant decrease in mean BP

value after earthing for every meridian oneach side of the body (experimental group).No such significant result was found for thecontrol group (column t-test p-level afterthe column B2-I1 C) . Acco rdin g toMotoyama’s interpretation of the meaningof the BP parameter, this result would meana decrease in water content of almost all of the body (since all meridians show adecrease) or a decrease in inflammation ora decrease in corresponding internal organfunction. In light of other results publishedon the effect of earthing on inflammation,8this result can be interpreted as a decreasein inflammation along all the meridianspaths, which means a decrease in inflam-mation for most of the body since all themeridians showed this decrease in BPvalues. Also no significant result was found

when comparing the first 14-minute periodafter earthing and after “sham earthing” (I-1) between the experimental and controlgroups, respectively (column t-test p-level just after the column I1-I1 E-C). So there was not a significant difference between theexperimental and the control groups after

earthing or “sham earthing” intervention,respectively.

The F-ratio for differences between BPvariances showed even more statistically

significant results when comparing thevariance between and within B2-I1 E andB2-I1 C (Table 4). For all the meridiansof the upper body the significance level isbetter than 1% while for all meridians ofthe lower body (except the left liver (L LV))the significance level is better than 0.1%.This 10 times higher level of significancefor the lower part of the body is probably

due to the location of the patches at KI1.This result supports the previous result witht-tests showing that the decrease in BPvalues after earthing was not a chanceoccurrence.

According to TCM, the KI meridianconnects to the Urinary Bladder (UB)meridian with which it is internally-externally related (forming an especiallyclose relationship in that if one meridiangets depleted in energy it will first try todraw energy from its internally-externallyconnected partner).11 The way thesemeridians are internally connected isthrough an internal branch of the KImeridian reaching the bladder (Figure 3)and the UB meridian reaching the kidneysthrough another internal branch (Figure 4).

The Kidney meridian starts from the insideside of the little toe (Figure 3, number 1)and runs obliquely toward the sole throughKI1. Emerging from the lower aspect ofthe tuberosity of the navicular bone (2) andrunning behind the medial malleolus (3), itenters the heel (4). Then it ascends along




the medial side of the leg (5) to the medialside of the popliteal fossa (6) and goesfurther upward along the postero-medialaspect of the thigh (7). I t enters thevertebral column through the coccys

(tailbone). Moving upward it leaves thespine to enter the kidney, its pertainingorgan (8), and connects with the bladder(9). Reemerging from the kidney, it passesthrough the liver and the diaphragm, itenters the lung, runs along the throat andterminates at the root of the tongue. A

branch springs from the lung, joins theheart and runs into the chest to link withthe Heart Constrictor (HC, also calledPericardium) meridian11. Thus it can beseen that this meridian connects with many

of the major organs.

The UB meridian starts from the innercanthus (Figure 4, BL1), between the eyeand the nose. Ascending to the forehead,it reaches the vertex (1) where a brancharises, running to the temple (2). From the

Figure 3: KI meridian showing an internal branch starting from the kidney (8) connecting it internally to the urinary bladder (9) and the UB meridian (adapted from ref. 11).



vertex, it enters the skull and communicates with the brain. It then emerges andbifurcates to reach UB10 where it splits intoa medial branch and a lateral branch, bothrunning down parallel to the vertebral

column. The medial branch descends alongthe posterior aspect of the neck (3).Running downward alongside the medialaspect of the scapula region and parallel tothe vertebral column (4), it reaches thelumbar region (5), where it enters the body cavity via the paravertebral muscle to

connect with the kidney (6) and joins itspertaining organ, the bladder (7). Thebranch of the lumbar region descendsthrough the gluteal region (8) and ends inthe popliteal fossa (9). The lateral branch

runs straight down from the posterioraspect of the neck along the medial borderof the scapula. Passing through the glutealregion downward along the lateral aspect ofthe thigh, it meets the preceding branchdescending from the lumbar region in thepopleal fossa. From there it descends along

Figure 4. UB meridian showing an internal branch connecting it internally to the kidneys (6). It is externally connected to the KI meridian at UB67 (adapted from reference 11).



the back of the leg and further to theposterior aspect of the external malleolus.Then, running along the tuberosity of thefifth metatarsal bone, it reaches the lateralside of the tip of the little toe (UB67),

where it links with the KI meridian.11

The way these meridians are externally connected is through acupoints called Luo-Connecting points.11 Each of the twelveregular meridians has, on the limbs, a Luo-Connecting point to link externally theinternally-externally connected meridians.For example, a small lateral branch (called

a Luo meridian) leaves the KI meridian atKI4 (located posterior and inferior to themedial malleolus) and connects it to the UBmeridian at UB58 (located on the calf muscle).11,14 The reason why this is calledan “external” connection is because theregion of the body where the twelve regularmeridians connect at the limbs through Luomeridians lie in the superficial fascia closeto the surface of the body in contrast to the

internal connections which lie deep insidethe body.14 TCM postulates that every m eridian h as se ve ral L uo m eridiansbranching out laterally (Figure 5) and thatthese Luo meridians traverse the wholebody, “spirally wrap” the correspondinginternal organs by traversing through theirfacial envelopes.14 This system of Luomeridians can be understood as a means by which electrons can be transported from theKI meridian to a site of injury anywhereinside or at the surface of the body.

The KI meridian main functions are

presented in Table 12. In TCM essence isthe material base of the human body andmany of its functional activities, one part isinherited from the parents and controls theaging process, the other part is acquiredduring life.11 Qi is the fundamentalsubstance or energy constituting the


Figure 5. A regular meridian (Jing) and its branches (Luo meridians) 14

Table 12. Major Functions of the KI Meridian 11,12



universe, circulating through the meridianchannels and supporting the functionalactivities of the internal organs and body tissues.11-12

As far as this research is concerned, the twomost important features of the KI meridianare: 1) its internal-external relationship withthe UB meridian and 2) its domination over water metabolism. It appears that theevolutionary process linked the watermetabolism control process in the body

directly to the earth’s electrons via the KImeridian. This would be a very effectiveand direct way of getting electrons into thebody, i .e . through the water controlpathway. Another way that the electrons

can be effectively transported and distrib-uted to the whole body through the KImeridian is because of its internal-externalrelationship to the UB meridian. In effectthe UB meridian connects to all 12 regularmeridians through special points in theback called Back-Shu points (Figure 6).11


Figure 6. Portion of the UB meridian showing the Back-Shu points. Next to the point’s name is the name of the meridian with which each Back-Shu point is related.11



The transport system for earth’s electronscan now be seen this way: electrons enterthe body through the KI meridian (in thisexperiment through a conductive patch and when one walks barefoot on the earth) reach

the UB meridian through their internal-external connections, are distributed tointernal organs through the Back-Shupoints and through the whole body throughthe Luo meridians.

Another way of looking at the same BP datais to check for an increase or decrease in BPmean values immediately after earthing or

“sham earthing” with a test that willdetermine if the number of BP mean valuesgoing up or down is significant. Forexample one would expect that if all 28meridian BP mean values go down, that isprobably not a chance occurrence. The ChiSquare is exactly designed for that type of testing. Table 5 A shows that all the BPmean values after earthing decreased whileall BP mean values after “sham earthing”increased. The Chi Square reveals that thisis not a chance occurrence. It is the experi-ence of one of the authors (Chevalier) that, when people relax, the tendency of BPvalues in general is to go up very slowly forseveral hours. So the increase in BP valuesafter “sham earthing” is consistent with thatobservation. The fact that mean BP valuesgo down after earthing is opposite to that

observation and indicates that a realphenomenon is occurring. This is furthersupport for the results of the t-test and theF-ratio.

The combined results of these 3 statisticaltests lead us to conclude that the BP mean

values of the experimental group after theearthing intervention were significantly reduced and that the probable explanation forthis reduction is a decrease in inflammation.

According to Motoyama, the AP parametergives information on the stress level of theinternal organs corresponding to themeridian under test as established in TCM.The t-test results for AP did not show any significant change for AP when comparingthe experimental group before and afterearthing (Table 6). The F-ratio (Table 7)supports that conclusion even though two

meridians show significant results at the 1%level (left Heart Constrictor or Pericardiumand left Diaphragm). By chance alone one would expect 0.28 (or 1) false positiveresult. We have two. Still this does notconstitute a strong effect since there is noapparent reason why this would happen inthe left side of these meridians but not theright side. We view these positive results as weak and we would need more reasons tobelieve that there is something specialh a p p e n i n g o n t h e l e f t s i d e o f t h e s emeridians compared to their right side.

The Chi Square results showed that all APmean values decreased after earthing for theexperimental group while there is no cleartendency for the control group after “shamearthing” (Table 8 A). This is a strong

result that showed that subjects in theexperimental group relaxed (or at least theirinternal organs did) more than the subjectsin the control group despite the fact thatthe BP mean values of the control groupshow an increase. Comparing AP meanvalues after earthing and “sham earthing”




did not provide any significant result (Table8 B). This means that the AP mean valuesafter earthing were not s ignif icantly different from the AP mean values after“sham earthing”.

The fact that the difference between themean AP values before and after earthingfor the experimental group was not statisti-cally significant (Tables 6 and 7), combined with the fact that the Chi Square testsshowed AP mean values for the experi-mental group to decrease but not thecontrol group (Table 8 A) and that AP

mean values after earthing and “shamearthing” were not statistically significant(Table 8 B) leads us to conclude that there was a decrease in AP mean values afterearthing but it was small. So the organrelaxation was measurable but small overall.

Next looking at results for IQ, we find nosignificant difference in B2-I1 for theexperimental group and for the controlgroup (Table 9). This means that there wasno significant increase or decrease in IQ mean values after earthing or “shamearthing”. The F-ratio results of Table 10co rro bo rate th is co n clusio n. W he ncomparing the IQ mean values afterearthing with after “sham earthing” wefound no significant differences except fortwo meridians, left liver (L LV) and right

kidney (R KI; Table 9 column t-test p-level after I1-I1 E-C). The significancelevel is 5% and so we would expect about1.4 false positives and the 2 positive results we obtained can easily be explained by chance occurrence. Hence the t-tests do notappear to show any significant result for

IQ. The F-ratio supports that conclusionof no difference before earthing or “shamearthing” (Table 10).

Chi Square test results for IQ showed that

there is a decrease in IQ mean values afterearthing for all meridians and an increasein all but two meridians after “shamearthing” (Table 11 A). This oppositebehavior between the two groups is verysignificant (at the 0.1% level) and meansthat there is a decrease in immune activityafter earthing but an increase after “shamearthing.” Just as is the case with BP, it is

usual to see a slow and gradual increase inIQ values over time.15 Comparing thedifferences in IQ mean values after earthing with after “sham earthing” one finds that allbut one of the meridian IQ mean values isnegative (Table 11 B). This result is verysignificant ( p < 0.001). All but one IQmean values for the experimental group islower than for the control group. Thisresult again supports a significant decreasein IQ mean values after earthing, meaninga significant decrease in immune function, which is a normal occurrence when inflam-mation decreases.

CONCLUSION

O

verall, the results support a decrease ininflammation after earthing and a shift

toward parasympathetic function of internalorgans. The results confirm our previousstudy6 which concluded that earthingre du ce s s tre ss a nd n or ma li ze s t hefunctioning of the autonomic nervoussystem. To be specific, this study showedthat:




1) There was a significant decrease in meanBP values after earthing for every meridianon each side of the body for the experimentalgroup as measured with t-tests. This supportsour hypothesis H1 and means that there was

a significant decrease in inflammation.

2) The F-ratio for differences between BPvariances showed even more statistically significant results. For all the meridians of the upper body the significance level is betterthan 1% while for all meridians of the lowerbody (except one) the significance level isbetter than 0.1%. This supports the previous

result of a decrease in inflammation.

3) We found that all the BP mean valuesafter earthing decrease while all BP meanvalues after “sham earthing” increased. A Chi Square test confirmed that this is nota chance occurrence ( p < 0.001). It is theexperience of one of the authors (Chevalier)that when people relax the tendency of BPvalues is to go up very slowly for severalhours. The increase in BP mean values after“sham earthing” is consistent with thatobservation. The fact that BP mean valuesgo down after earthing indicates that a realphenomenon is occurring. So this is furthersupport for the results of the t-test and theF-ratio of a decrease in inflammation.

4) H2 was partly validated. While there

was no statistically significant difference when comparing before earthing mean BPvalues with after earthing mean BP values(Table 3 and 4), the Chi square showed thatall BP mean values were lower after earthingthan after “sham earthing” (Table 5 B).

5) H3 was partially validated. Just as forBP, there was no statistically significantresult when comparing mean BP valuesbefore and after earthing (Table 6).However, all meridians’ mean BP values

decrease after earthing (Table 8 A).

6) H4 was not supported by the statisticaltests performed in this paper.

7) Chi Square results showed that all APmean values decreased after earthing for theexperimental group while there was no cleartendency for the control group after “sham

earthing.” This result showed that subjectsin the experimental group relaxed (or atleast their internal organs shifted towardparasympathetic activation) more than thesubjects in the control group.

8) H5 and H6 were partially supported. While t-tests and F-ratios for IQ did notshow any significant mean differencesbefore and after earthing or after comparingearthing with after “sham earthing” (Tables9 and 10), the Chi Squares showed that IQ mean values went down after earthing and where lower than their “sham earthing”counterparts (Table 11).

9) Chi Square results for IQ showed thatthere is a decrease in IQ mean values afterearthing for all meridians and an increase in

IQ mean values for all but two meridiansafter “sham earthing.” This oppositebehavior between the two groups is very significant (at the 0.1% level) and meansthat there is a decrease in immune activity after earthing but an increase after “shamearthing.” This decrease in immune system




activity is consistent with a decrease ininflammation.

10) Comparing the differences in IQ meanvalues after earthing with after “sham

earthing” one finds that all but one of themeridian IQ mean values are negative. Thismeans that all but one IQ mean value forthe experimental group are lower than forthe control group. This result againsupports a significant decrease in IQ meanvalues after earthing and a decrease inimmune function which is a normaloccurrence when inflammation decreases.

Again, the results support a decrease ininflammation after earthing and an increasein parasympathetic activity in their internalorgans. The results confirm our previousstudy which concluded that earthingr ed uc es s tre ss a nd n or ma li ze s t hefunctioning of the autonomic nervoussystem.6

• • •

CORRESPONDENCE:Please send all correspondence to:Gaétan Chevalier, Ph.D.P.O. Box 231025Encinitas, CA 92023U.S.A.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:The authors would like to acknowledge Earth FX Incfor its financial support, the California Institute forHuman Science for the use of the premises andCAMI equipment and Dr. Clifford Weedman for hisstatistical analyses.

REFERENCES & NOTES1. S.V. Anisimov, On the generation and evolution

of aeroelectric structures in the surface layer, Journal of Geophysical Research 104 D12 (1999),pp. 14359-14367.

2. E.R. Williams, D.J. Boccippio, J. Susskind, E. Anyamba, D.D. Sentman & R. Bold, What l ightning type dominates the excitation of Schumann resonances (IUGG XXI General

Assembly, Boulder, Colorado, July 1995).3. P.S. Callahan & H. Kornberg, Photonic ionic

cloth radio amplifier. United States Patent5,247,933, issued September 28, 1993.

4. R.P. Feynman, R.B. Leighton & M. Sands, The Feynman Lectures on Physics (Addison-Wesley,Boston, MA, 1963).

5. M. Ghaly & D. Teplitz, The Biological Effectsof Grounding the Human Body During Sleep,as Measured by Cortisol Levels and Subjective

Reporting of Sleep, Pain, and Stress, Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 10(2004), pp. 767-776.

6. G. Chevalier, K. Mori & J.L. Oschman, TheEffect of Earthing (Grounding) on HumanPhysiology, European Biology and Bioelectro-magnetics (2006).

7. J.L. Oschman, Perspective: Assume a sphericalcow: The role of free or mobile electrons inbodywork, energetic and movement therapies.

Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies 12,1 (2008), pp. 40-57.

8. J .L. O sc hm an , Ca n E le ct ro ns Ac t a s Antioxidants? A Review and Commentary Journal of Alternative and ComplementaryMedicine 13 (2007), pp. 955-967.

9. H . M o to ya ma , M . R ak e, G . C h ev al ie r,Bioenergy Differences Among Races, SubtleEnergies & Energy Medicine 9,2 (2004), pp. 101-133.

10. H. Motoyama, G. Chevalier, O. Ichikawa & H.Baba, Similarit ies and Dissimilarit ies ofMeridian Functions Between Genders, SubtleEnergies & Energy Medicine 14,3 (2006), pp.

201-221.11. C . Xi nnong , Chinese Acupuncture and

Moxibustion (Foreign Languages Press, Beijing,China, 1996)

12. H. Motoyama, Measurement of Ki Energy ,Diagnosis & Treatments (Human Science Press,Tokyo, Japan, 1997).

13. J.-C. Ayoub, A Comparison of Three Measuresof The Stres s Response: Endocrinological ,




Psychological , and Electrodermal (Ph.D.Dissertation, California Institute for HumanScience, 2002).

14. K. Matsumoto & S. Birch, Hara Diagnosis: Reflections on the Sea (Paradigm Publications,Brookline, MA, 1988), p. 142.

15. Motoyama, personal communication. It is alsothe experience of one of us (Chevalier) aftermore than10 years of working with the AMI.

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