"They" say that autoimmune diseases are caused by our own immune system attacking us...and while we can understand the concept, we know that this is NOT "natural". In the Earthing book, it explains how free radicals (in many cases, the cause of 'inflammation') are actually "quenched" by the negative electrons we uptake from the earth when in contact with it. Earthing reduces and/or reverses inflammation! Since inflammation is a natural healing action of the immune system (but goes haywire in various autoimmune disorders), Earthing can/should actually stop (or lessen substantially) the unnatural actions of the immune system in autoimmune disorders.
The explanation in the Earthing book is outstanding (I typed the information below because I didn't have a scanner at the time, so any typos are probably mine).
From the book: Earthing The Most Important Health Discovery Ever? (pages 58-60)
Your immune system protects you against pathogens and facilitates the rebuilding of tissue at sites of injury or surgery. When a problem develops someplace, your body does the equivalent of calling 911. The alarm sounds. White blood cells and other specialized cells constantly cruise throughout the tissues of your body, like police patrol cars, ever on the alert for viruses, bacteria, or other alien microorganisms, as well as damaged cells created by trauma or internal irritants. As weapons, some of the cells release a shower of powerful free radicals (called an oxidative burst) that aid in the destruction of invading microorganisms and damaged tissue.
Free radicals have gotten a bad rap, and you will see why in a minute, but in reality they perform an essential service to the body. Simply put, they are positive-charged molecules (short of one or more electrons) that search for free electrons to become stable. You can call them electrophiles -- electron lovers. Normally, these free radicals obtains their missing electrons by stripping electrons away from pathogens and damaged tissue. The activity kills the bad bugs you want out of your body and breaks down damaged cells for removal. As the remedial work winds down, excess free radicals produced during the immune response are neutralized by anti-oxidants or free electrons in the body.
The response is triggered whenever you have a disease or an injury. It is called the "inflammatory response." As a result, you may feel the familiar signs and symptoms of inflammation: swelling, redness, heat and pain, and, depending where the site is, decreased range of motion.
CHRONIC INFLAMMATION = ELECTRON DEFICIENCY
Inflammation comes in two forms: acute or chronic. the acute type takes place as an initial response of the body to harmful stimuli. It involves the mobilization of plasma (the yellow-colored liquid component of blood) and white blood cells from the blood into the injured tissue, as just described. That's okay. You want that to happen.
Then there is chronic (prolonged) inflammation. That you don't want. Chronic inflammation means a progressive shift in the type of activity going on at the site of inflammation. You get simultaneous destruction and healing of the tissue, but a harmful free-radical encroachment into healthy, surrounding territory. the destruction derby continues, and it can seriously harm you.
Free radicals obviously have starring roles in the immune response, but problems arise when the process fails to wind down completely after the job is done. The good guys become bad guys on a rampage, ripping up innocent, healthy cells. Think of security dogs that snag the burglar and then go after their owner. They continue attacking and oxidize healthy tissue. The immune system gears switch into overdrive, sending in more while blood cells that produce more free radicals. This activity is why free radicals have a bad rap and why scientists unanimously agree that free radical activity is at the basis of chronic disease and the aging process, particularly accelerated aging and limited lifespan.
We believe that normal inflammation veers out of control because of lost contact with the Earth. Peeople are suffering from an electron deficiency--not enough free electrons on hand to satisfy the lust of rampaging free radicals. They continue to attack the adjacent neighborhood of healthy tissue in an ever-expanding vicious cycle. The nonstop attack mode generates an autoimmune response manifesting as chronic inflammation. The immune system has run amok, attacking its owner--you.
We've simplified the scenario, but this is basically how it works. A destructive process unflolds that can continue siliently and indefinitely even for dozens of years and lead to so many intractable modern diseases. Earlier we mentioned the new scientific term for this--inflamm-aging. Now you can see where it comes from.
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I strongly recommend that everyone sleep on an Earthing pad/sheet nightly 'forever' :) But if you're healing yourself from any type of disease or disorder, sleeping on an Earthing pad/sheet is imperative!!!
Blessings,
Uny