Prevention and/or recovery from corona virus infections

The sudden onset of a viral pandemic has led to an urgent situation in which health professionals are looking for something “out of the box” to remedy the crisis. This article describes a novel intervention that is extremely easy and science-based: Earthing or electrically grounding your body to the Earth. COVID-19 has ushered in a plethora of medical claims concerning the use of natural products to prevent and/ or treat the pathogen. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has been clamping down on bad actors, and those well-intentioned but under-informed about problems with extravagant claims. The sudden arrival of the pandemic has not given us time to set up a large-scale clinical trial of Earthing or have an evaluation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The critical reader will ask how we can recommend Earthing in the absence of the “gold standard” randomized clinical trials and FDA certifi cation. The reason is simple: extensive study and feedback from those who use this approach have revealed that Earthing makes a dramatic difference in situations of respiratory distress, including those caused by severe asthma, allergies, COPD and fl u. For example, feedback from a lawyer whose wife developed coronavirus symptoms: “A grounding patch on her chest has helped her immensely” (Figure 1). Dozens of research studies have revealed that Earthing brings virtually all measurable physiological and biochemical properties toward balance [1]. This is important because of observations of widespread systemic effects of the virus. Reduction in blood viscosity is an important effect, since virtually all cardiovascular disorders have been associated with elevated blood viscosity [2]. Endocrinologists will be interested in the fact that Earthing normalizes the day-night cortisol rhythm, thereby reducing stress. It is hard to sleep if your nighttime cortisol is higher than normal [3]. Several studies have shown improvements in vagal tone as well. The approach is so natural, simple, safe, and free of side effects that anyone can try it to see if it is effective for them. It is as easy as going outside, removing your shoes and socks, and sitting with your bare feet and/or bare hands Short Communication


Stating the problem
Covid is an infl ammatory respiratory virus, so if you have any of the so-called pre-disposing conditions (asthma, COPD, high blood pressure, heart or lung conditions, weakened immune system, diabetes, sleep apnea or hypertension) as reported by the Mayo Clinic [4] we suggest that you try Earthing. And the disease has several challenging lingering after-effects, including endocrine disruption [5]. On July 24, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that Covid-19 can be a prolonged illness, even among young adults without underlying chronic medical conditions. Note that the same pre-disposing conditions mentioned above are also frequent severe after-effects that can follow recovery from the virus. The only wellness "claim" for Earthing is that you are likely be pleasantly surprised when you try it. At the end of the article we explain how you can participate in our research.

Background
One of us (Ober) Figures 2 and 3) [6]. The latest sleep system is a leatherette-like material that is extremely rugged and conductive. Ober gave away hundreds of the fi rst Earthing systems to people who had diffi culty sleeping to see what kinds of experiences they would have. The feedback was astounding.
Many fell asleep faster, slept more soundly, and felt great the next day. The most common experience was reduction in aches and pains caused by infl ammation. Medical infrared imaging confi rmed very rapid reduction of "hot spots" caused by injuries and subsequent infl ammation [7]. Earthing allows hormonal systems in the body to be directly synchronized by the day/ night and seasonal rhythms in the Schumann resonance, the oscillating electrical fi eld of the Earth, which is thought to be the zeitgeber or time-setter for hormonal rhythms, mediated by melatonin/serotonin balance, which has widespread effects [8].
In the year 2000 Ober published his fi rst report on the effects of Earthing [9]. The same year, Ridker from Harvard Medical School published the fi rst of a series of large clinical trials documenting the use of an infl ammatory marker for determining the risk of heart attack and stroke [10]. He coined the term "residual infl ammatory risk" to describe the amount of smoldering or silent infl ammation present in a person. This is important because doctors are currently mystifi ed by the way the coronavirus strikes some people and not others.
Infl ammatory risk varies from person to person, as does their vulnerability to chronic diseases, including the risk factors for catching the coronavirus. These risk factors coincide exactly with the wellness effects that appear to be provided by Earthing, as has been discovered by dozens of studies summarized at the web page of the Earthing Institute [1]. A book on Earthing [11], which has been translated into many languages and an Award-winning fi lm [12], have helped spread the word about Earthing. Practicing Earthing has become a growing

Conclusions
Research and experience indicate that Earthing or grounding the human body may help in both prevention of signifi cant symptoms and help in recovery if utilized early enough in the Two main effects have been documented: electrons from the earth serve as potent and quick-acting antioxidants; and a connection with the Earth helps entrain or synchronize daily and seasonal hormonal rhythms with comparable rhythms of the Earth's electrical fi eld.