“Earthing” ?
12-17-22, 08:38 AM
#76
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I'm merely suggesting that there "may" be some real physiological effects of grounding. I'm not reversing the burden of proof at all. I'm just pointing out that grounding is at least a real physical phenomena, whether or not beneficial to our health.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3576907/
https://harmony783.com/blogs/groundi...lood-viscosity
It could all be a scam to sell a few related products, but it doesn't strike me as such. It's hardly "big bike" is it? The author appears to be a legit cardiologist (possibly an outlier?) and there are plenty of other physicians who agree with his findings. As I say I haven't really looked deep into this, but I wouldn't rule it out as pure fantasy. Are there any sources debunking the theory that blood viscosity and other effects may be effected by grounding? Of course there are:-
https://borntolivebarefoot.org/earth...day-snake-oil/
What is fairly clear is that mainstream medicine doesn't really research any of this. But then that's all about peddling drugs anyway isn't it? So who knows?
So if there are some effects, why would we assume they were good? Well maybe because we evolved in that specific environment before partially isolating ourselves from it? Much of our modern life tends to be pretty negative to our health as we gradually detach ourselves from the natural world we evolved in.
Now I don't go out of my way to ground myself every day and I'm certainly not buying any grounding products, but I still think there could be something in it and wouldn't automatically dismiss it out of hand. I certainly wouldn't put it in the same category as ghosts and other supernatural bs.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3576907/
https://harmony783.com/blogs/groundi...lood-viscosity
It could all be a scam to sell a few related products, but it doesn't strike me as such. It's hardly "big bike" is it? The author appears to be a legit cardiologist (possibly an outlier?) and there are plenty of other physicians who agree with his findings. As I say I haven't really looked deep into this, but I wouldn't rule it out as pure fantasy. Are there any sources debunking the theory that blood viscosity and other effects may be effected by grounding? Of course there are:-
https://borntolivebarefoot.org/earth...day-snake-oil/
What is fairly clear is that mainstream medicine doesn't really research any of this. But then that's all about peddling drugs anyway isn't it? So who knows?
So if there are some effects, why would we assume they were good? Well maybe because we evolved in that specific environment before partially isolating ourselves from it? Much of our modern life tends to be pretty negative to our health as we gradually detach ourselves from the natural world we evolved in.
Now I don't go out of my way to ground myself every day and I'm certainly not buying any grounding products, but I still think there could be something in it and wouldn't automatically dismiss it out of hand. I certainly wouldn't put it in the same category as ghosts and other supernatural bs.
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12-17-22, 10:49 AM
#77
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In my early retirement years, I spent many summers as a USFS Wilderness Ranger. I can attest that walking barefoot on unused forest trails covered in duff was therapeutic for me. Not scientific, but real. More comforting than meditation, more relaxing than yoga, more interesting than deep breathing, more lasting than guided visualization.
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12-17-22, 11:17 AM
#78
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12-17-22, 11:54 AM
#79
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When weather permits, I enjoy Kenyan Diagonals on a football or soccer field. Not for grounding, but to work the muscles differently than how they work with shoes.
I was actually thinking about this recently. I had a spot as a kid I would ride my bike to and lay on a sloped piece of ground watching the clouds change shape and pass by. That memory was so peaceful I can only imagine how it would feel to do it again. But with the weather we are having I'll only be on my back on the ground if I fall off of my bike.
Did you go barefoot as a kid? I ask because I was never allowed to go barefoot as a kid and my wife was. She tolerates being outside barefoot much better than I can. Unless it is a well kept grassy area like the football or soccer fields I mentioned, I'm not comfortable.
Did you go barefoot as a kid? I ask because I was never allowed to go barefoot as a kid and my wife was. She tolerates being outside barefoot much better than I can. Unless it is a well kept grassy area like the football or soccer fields I mentioned, I'm not comfortable.
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12-17-22, 12:45 PM
#80
Did you go barefoot as a kid? I ask because I was never allowed to go barefoot as a kid and my wife was. She tolerates being outside barefoot much better than I can. Unless it is a well kept grassy area like the football or soccer fields I mentioned, I'm not comfortable.
12-17-22, 12:52 PM
#81
"real" being the operative word.
“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.”
― Isaac Asimov
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12-17-22, 01:07 PM
#82
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R.E. Asimov...
I believe that the person who is defending "earthing" is a resident of the UK.
DangerousDan, on the other hand, was born and raised in the US and is as American as a Nathan's hotdog.
He just has a very strong sense of that which belongs in a Manure Spreader, and worrying about the health impact of a nano amp static charge on the surface of a human goes in the Spreader, along with statements like the one attributed to a fiction writer.
I believe that the person who is defending "earthing" is a resident of the UK.
DangerousDan, on the other hand, was born and raised in the US and is as American as a Nathan's hotdog.
He just has a very strong sense of that which belongs in a Manure Spreader, and worrying about the health impact of a nano amp static charge on the surface of a human goes in the Spreader, along with statements like the one attributed to a fiction writer.
12-17-22, 01:24 PM
#83
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R.E. Asimov...
I believe that the person who is defending "earthing" is a resident of the UK.
DangerousDan, on the other hand, was born and raised in the US and is as American as a Nathan's hotdog.
He just has a very strong sense of that which belongs in a Manure Spreader, and worrying about the health impact of a nano amp static charge on the surface of a human goes in the Spreader, along with statements like the one attributed to a fiction writer.
I believe that the person who is defending "earthing" is a resident of the UK.
DangerousDan, on the other hand, was born and raised in the US and is as American as a Nathan's hotdog.
He just has a very strong sense of that which belongs in a Manure Spreader, and worrying about the health impact of a nano amp static charge on the surface of a human goes in the Spreader, along with statements like the one attributed to a fiction writer.
Asimov was also a trained scientist, an excellent nonfiction science writer, and wasn't wrong about the US. If you're reading that quote to mean that the US is filled with cranks or has a monopoly on crackpot nonsense, then maybe reread it. Asimov was a Russian Jew who immigrated to the US and was naturalized as a child. His was a classic American success story. If you're going to attack his Americanism, we are going to have a problem.
And I'm quite sure he'd be making fun of this earthing nonsense.
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12-17-22, 01:52 PM
#84
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Did you go barefoot as a kid? I ask because I was never allowed to go barefoot as a kid and my wife was. She tolerates being outside barefoot much better than I can. Unless it is a well kept grassy area like the football or soccer fields I mentioned, I'm not comfortable.
12-17-22, 02:26 PM
#85
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The US has a very diverse population. We produced Al Capone and the Kennedy family, but Carrie Nation was also 100% American.
We are not special in the production of cranks. Rancho Rajneesh was in the US, but a lot of the Rajneeshees were German. We also tolerate cranks. Ever listen to Art Bell or George Noory?
The US landed a manned craft on the moon, and some US citizens say it was all staged.
A German colleague of mine showed me an advertisement (in German) that promised to reject electricity generated by nuclear plants based on the Tachyon spin. He thought his sister would probably buy one if he showed her the ad.
I'm aware of Isaac Asimov's background. I also find most Sci-fi, including the little bit of his that I have read, dull and that it tends to be unbelievable. If you like it, be my guest.
I just don't like generalizations about nations or cultures. I also find that making gratuitous insults towards the US to be tiring.
We are not special in the production of cranks. Rancho Rajneesh was in the US, but a lot of the Rajneeshees were German. We also tolerate cranks. Ever listen to Art Bell or George Noory?
The US landed a manned craft on the moon, and some US citizens say it was all staged.
A German colleague of mine showed me an advertisement (in German) that promised to reject electricity generated by nuclear plants based on the Tachyon spin. He thought his sister would probably buy one if he showed her the ad.
I'm aware of Isaac Asimov's background. I also find most Sci-fi, including the little bit of his that I have read, dull and that it tends to be unbelievable. If you like it, be my guest.
I just don't like generalizations about nations or cultures. I also find that making gratuitous insults towards the US to be tiring.
12-17-22, 02:35 PM
#86
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12-17-22, 02:52 PM
#87
R.E. Asimov...
I believe that the person who is defending "earthing" is a resident of the UK.
DangerousDan, on the other hand, was born and raised in the US and is as American as a Nathan's hotdog.
He just has a very strong sense of that which belongs in a Manure Spreader, and worrying about the health impact of a nano amp static charge on the surface of a human goes in the Spreader, along with statements like the one attributed to a fiction writer.
I believe that the person who is defending "earthing" is a resident of the UK.
DangerousDan, on the other hand, was born and raised in the US and is as American as a Nathan's hotdog.
He just has a very strong sense of that which belongs in a Manure Spreader, and worrying about the health impact of a nano amp static charge on the surface of a human goes in the Spreader, along with statements like the one attributed to a fiction writer.
12-17-22, 04:23 PM
#88
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After reading the replies it came back to me that I first heard of "grounding" in 2016 after I had the worst cycling accident so far in my life. Researching ways to recover I ran into a video about it. I tried it daily during two months of recovery. Figured it wouldn't hurt. But it did, in that my feet hurt and I actually cut a toe. However, there was a benefit in that it distracted me from the major pains I was having, if only for a few minutes. For that I was grateful, belive me.
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12-17-22, 04:47 PM
#89
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Another topic in General Cycling Forum which has absolutely nothing to do with cycling. Amazing that it actually made 4 pages so far.
12-17-22, 05:01 PM
#90
Senior Member
I believe that is the point he is making. We are not unique in having cranks, but we tolerate them more than others. Thus we have a more active and visible crank subculture as evidenced by Art Bell et al.
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12-17-22, 05:18 PM
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12-17-22, 05:38 PM
#92
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...visualization, like the ones involved in this "earthing" business, have honestly been studied as a method for controlling chronic pain. I could post links, but that would just incite further "woo woo" talk among the science minded. I cannot explain how it works, or even why it works for some people, and not for others. But dismissing visualizations of body energy flow as "just the placebo effect", as a method for reducing your sensation of pain, is a luxury that is usually only afforded to people who do not suffer chronic pain. I first experienced this during and after a weekend spent with Al Huang, doing chi gong. Again, I don't claim any expertise in how or why it works. Thankfully, I didn't need that for it to work. But like I said, that has movement coupled with the visualization. Might be a form of self hypnosis, which also works remarkably well for pain.
I guess I'm kind of surprised, that on a forum with so many cyclists, more of you have not at least experimented with mind/body techniques as a way to increase performance.
...visualization, like the ones involved in this "earthing" business, have honestly been studied as a method for controlling chronic pain. I could post links, but that would just incite further "woo woo" talk among the science minded. I cannot explain how it works, or even why it works for some people, and not for others. But dismissing visualizations of body energy flow as "just the placebo effect", as a method for reducing your sensation of pain, is a luxury that is usually only afforded to people who do not suffer chronic pain. I first experienced this during and after a weekend spent with Al Huang, doing chi gong. Again, I don't claim any expertise in how or why it works. Thankfully, I didn't need that for it to work. But like I said, that has movement coupled with the visualization. Might be a form of self hypnosis, which also works remarkably well for pain.
I guess I'm kind of surprised, that on a forum with so many cyclists, more of you have not at least experimented with mind/body techniques as a way to increase performance.
12-17-22, 06:06 PM
#93
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And then there is rock walking, “people that walked on the stones showed significant improvement in balance, measures of mobility and blood pressure. Walkingonrocks likely stimulates reflexology and acupressure points on the feet - where distant and seemingly unrelated areas of the body are linked”.
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12-17-22, 07:14 PM
#94
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...visualization, like the ones involved in this "earthing" business, have honestly been studied as a method for controlling chronic pain. I could post links, but that would just incite further "woo woo" talk among the science minded. I cannot explain how it works, or even why it works for some people, and not for others. But dismissing visualizations of body energy flow as "just the placebo effect", as a method for reducing your sensation of pain, is a luxury that is usually only afforded to people who do not suffer chronic pain. I first experienced this during and after a weekend spent with Al Huang, doing chi gong. Again, I don't claim any expertise in how or why it works. Thankfully, I didn't need that for it to work. But like I said, that has movement coupled with the visualization. Might be a form of self hypnosis, which also works remarkably well for pain.
I guess I'm kind of surprised, that on a forum with so many cyclists, more of you have not at least experimented with mind/body techniques as a way to increase performance.
...visualization, like the ones involved in this "earthing" business, have honestly been studied as a method for controlling chronic pain. I could post links, but that would just incite further "woo woo" talk among the science minded. I cannot explain how it works, or even why it works for some people, and not for others. But dismissing visualizations of body energy flow as "just the placebo effect", as a method for reducing your sensation of pain, is a luxury that is usually only afforded to people who do not suffer chronic pain. I first experienced this during and after a weekend spent with Al Huang, doing chi gong. Again, I don't claim any expertise in how or why it works. Thankfully, I didn't need that for it to work. But like I said, that has movement coupled with the visualization. Might be a form of self hypnosis, which also works remarkably well for pain.
I guess I'm kind of surprised, that on a forum with so many cyclists, more of you have not at least experimented with mind/body techniques as a way to increase performance.
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12-18-22, 10:45 AM
#97
What he is saying is unique is the tendency to falsely regard all opinions as equally meritorious, so that (to use a completely different example) the idea that Creationism/Intelligent Design, and Darwinian Evolution, are equally valid points of view (and therefore deserving equal coverage in high school science curricula), is a uniquely American phenomenon.
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12-18-22, 12:03 PM
#98
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I guess that is pretty “American’ these days.
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12-18-22, 01:54 PM
#99
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He isn't saying cranks and crackpots are uniquely American.
What he is saying is unique is the tendency to falsely regard all opinions as equally meritorious, so that (to use a completely different example) the idea that Creationism/Intelligent Design, and Darwinian Evolution, are equally valid points of view (and therefore deserving equal coverage in high school science curricula), is a uniquely American phenomenon.
What he is saying is unique is the tendency to falsely regard all opinions as equally meritorious, so that (to use a completely different example) the idea that Creationism/Intelligent Design, and Darwinian Evolution, are equally valid points of view (and therefore deserving equal coverage in high school science curricula), is a uniquely American phenomenon.
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