<h4>Background</h4>Grounding refers to having direct contact with the Earth, such as by walking barefoot or lying on the ground. Research has found that grounding can improve inflammation, free radical damage, blood pressure, sleep quality, pain, stress, mood, and wound healing. However, there has been no research on the effect of utilizing grounding for patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Thus, in this study, we investigated the effectiveness of grounding as a non-pharmacological therapy for treating sleep disturbances, anxiety, and depression in patients with mild AD.<h4>Methods</h4>Patients with mild AD were enrolled in the study. The electrochemical analyzer CHI 1205b was employed to check the electrochemical signals at acupoints KI1 and GV16. We used the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) to evaluate sleep quality, anxiety, and depression, respectively, at weeks 0 and 12.<h4>Results</h4>This 12-week placebo-controlled study enrolled 22 patients, but only 15 patients completed the 12-week intervention and survey. Grounding significantly improved PSQI scores compared to the sham-grounding group (mean ± SD: 0.3 ± 0.7 vs. 3.0 ± 1.9, <i>p</i> = 0.006). The scores on the BAI and BDI-II did not change significantly after grounding in comparison to the sham-grounding group.<h4>Conclusions</h4>Grounding can improve sleep quality, but it does not significantly improve anxiety and depression among patients with mild AD. Grounding, or earthing, refers to contact of the body with the ground, such as by walking barefoot, which can affect the health of individuals who live on Earth [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. Grounding can reduce pain, regulate immune response, and reduce inflammation-related chemical factors, which are all beneficial for the treatment of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases [ 10 ]. Additionally, better sleep quality was noted after grounding [ 11 ]. A pilot study showed that 1 h of grounding can significantly induce a pleasant mood and relaxation when compared to a sham-grounding group [ 7 ]. All participants received grounding for 30 min at a time, five times per week for 12 weeks. We used the electrochemical analyzer CHI 1205b and completed the questionnaire before the study (week 0) and 12 weeks after starting grounding. 2.4. Grounding Methods Grounding can be achieved by direct contact with the Earth’s surface (e.g., by walking barefoot) or by using conductive systems (e.g., grounding mats) [ 8 ]. People can connect to the Earth by sleeping or sitting on the grounding mats, which are equipped with conductive wire connecting to the ground outside [ 10 ]. The connection to the Earth allows the free electrons to flow into the body and reach electrical equilibrium between the body and the Earth [ 11 ]. In our study, we used a grounding mat (EARTHING Conductive Earthing Universal Mat with Earthing Cord) as our grounding method, which is convenient for studying In this study, the electrochemical analysis showed a positive charge before grounding in both groups. This result is similar to that of a previous study in which it was implied that losing contact with the Earth may contribute to electric unevenness, causing positive charges and electron deficiency in the body [ 15 ]. Grounding can affect physiological human processes and increase catabolic activity, which may be the primary factor regulating endocrine and nervous systems [ 24 ]. Superoxide accumulates in the human body and results in dysfunction or disease when the body part disconnects from the Earth [ 15 ]. It is hypothesized that electrons flow into the human body from the Earth to neutralize positively charged free radicals after grounding, which is the hallmark of chronic inflammation [ 25 , 26 , 27 ]. Based on the results of previous studies [ 25 , 26 , 27 ], we used an electrochemical analyzer to detect the superoxide concentration and electric current at the acupoints. However, electric current flow toward the Earth was observed in both groups and at both acupoints after the 12-week experiment. There was no significant difference between the grounding and control groups, although the tendency of the superoxide concentration seems larger with the current flowing towards the Earth in the grounding groups compared to the sham-grounding group ( Table 2 ). We used a GEE to correct the possible standard error and to investigate the relationship between both groups, acupoints (GV16 and KI1), and timepoints (baseline and 12 weeks). There was no significant difference between the dependent variables in our study ( Table 3 ). However, the p -value for time was 0.066 ( Table 3 ). We believe that if more subjects were enrolled, there might have been a significant result after 12 weeks of grounding. Our results could not fully explain that electrons flow into the body to neutralize positively charged free radicals after grounding as in previous studies [ 25 , 26 , 27 ]. We believe that the behavior and daily activity of humans are different, unlike those in animal experiments. Grounding is a simple method that involves direct contact of the body with the Earth, including sleeping on the ground, barefoot gardening, or direct contact with the soil via the hands [ 15 ]. In our study, we could not monitor the patients outside of the experiment during the 12-week study. Therefore, we suggest designing different periods of time, such as 8 weeks, 12 weeks, 16 weeks, and 20 weeks, to compare the effects of different exposure times in the future. Third, we tried our best to use only a grounding mat for easy grounding and randomizing methods, and we asked the patients to not walk outside barefoot. Nonetheless, the participants might have accidentally participated in grounding in their daily life when their feet were in contact with the Earth, such as soil or grass. 5. Conclusions Grounding is beneficial for improving sleep quality in patients with dementia.

The living matrix (or ground regulation or tissue tensegrity-matrix system), the very fabric of the body, appears to serve as one of our primary antioxidant defense systems. As this report explains, it is a system requiring occasional recharging by conductive contact with the Earth’s surface – the “battery” for all planetary life – to be optimally effective. Acknowledgments The authors are indebted to Martin Zucker for very valuable comments on the manuscript. A Clinton Ober of EarthFx Inc. has provided continuous support and encouragement for the research that has been done to explore the science of earthing, with particular focus on the immune system. Footnotes Disclosure G Chevalier and JL Oschman are independent contractors for EarthFx Inc., the company sponsoring earthing research, and own a small percentage of shares in the company. Richard Brown is an independent contractor for EarthFx Inc., the company sponsoring earthing research. The authors report no other conflicts of interest. References 1. Ober CA, Sinatra ST, Zucker M. Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever? 2nd. Laguna Beach: Basic Health Publications; 2014. [ Google Scholar ] 2. Amalu W. Medical thermography case studies. Clinical earthing application in 20 case studies [undated article on the Internet] [Accessed July 5, 2008]. Available from: http://74.63.154.231/here/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Amalu_thermographic_case_studies_2004.pdf . 3. Oschman JL. Can Electrons act as antioxidants? A review and commentary. J Altern Complement Med. 2007;13:955–967. doi: 10.1089/acm.2007.7048. [ DOI ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ] 4. Chevalier G, Sinatra ST, Oschman JL, Sokal K, Sokal P. Review article: Earthing: health implications of reconnecting the human body to the Earth’s surface electrons. J Environ Public Health. 2012;2012:291541. doi: 10.1155/2012/291541. [ DOI ] [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ] 5. Ghaly M, Teplitz D. The biologic effects of grounding the human body during This work is published by Dove Medical Press Limited, and licensed under Creative Commons Attribution – Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License 2015 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ The full terms of the License are available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. Multi-disciplinary research has revealed that electrically conductive contact of the human body with the surface of the Earth (grounding or earthing) produces intriguing effects on physiology and health. Subjective reports that walking barefoot on the Earth enhances health and provides feelings of well-being can be found in the literature and practices of diverse cultures from around the world. 1 For a variety of reasons, many individuals are reluctant to walk outside barefoot, unless they are on holiday at the beach. Experience and measurements show that sustained contact with the Earth yields sustained benefits. Various grounding systems are available that enable frequent contact with the Earth, such as while sleeping, sitting at a computer, or walking outdoors. These are simple conductive systems in the form of sheets, mats, wrist or ankle bands, adhesive patches that can be used inside the home or office, and footwear. These applications are connected to the Earth via a cord inserted into a grounded wall outlet or attached to a ground rod placed in the soil outside below a window. For the footwear applications, a conductive plug is positioned in the shoe sole at the ball of the foot, under the metatarsals, at the acupuncture point known as Kidney 1. From a practical standpoint, these methods offer a convenient and routine, user-friendly approach to grounding or earthing. Taken together, these observations indicate that grounding or earthing the human body significantly alters the inflammatory response to an injury. Anatomical and biophysical aspects The concept that the inflammatory barricade forms from collateral damage to healthy tissue surrounding an injury site is supported by Selye’s classic studies published along with his description of the granuloma or Selye pouch ( Figure 10 ). In fact, they represent a “hidden variable” that could have affected the outcomes of countless studies, and also could affect the ability of other investigators to reproduce a particular study. Dominant lifestyle factors such as insulating footwear, high-rise buildings, and elevated beds separate most humans from direct skin connection with the Earth’s surface. An earth connection was an everyday reality in past cultures that used animal skins for footwear and to sleep on. The disconnection from the Earth may be an important, insidious, and overlooked contribution to physiological dysfunction and to the alarming global rise in non-communicable, inflammatory-related chronic diseases. A lack of electrons can also de-saturate the electron transport chains in mitochondria, leading to chronic fatigue and slowing the cellular migrations and other essential activities of the cells of the immune system. 64 At this point, even a minor injury can lead to a long-term health issue. When mobile electrons are not available, the inflammatory process takes an abnormal course. The living matrix (or ground regulation or tissue tensegrity-matrix system), the very fabric of the body, appears to serve as one of our primary antioxidant defense systems. As this report explains, it is a system requiring occasional recharging by conductive contact with the Earth’s surface – the “battery” for all planetary life – to be optimally effective. Figure 1 Photographic images documenting accelerated improvement of an 8-month-old, non-healing open wound suffered by an 84-year-old diabetic woman. Notes: ( A ) Shows the open wound and a pale-gray hue to the skin.