“Throughout time, we humans have sat, stood, strolled and slept on the ground. The skin of our bodies touching the skin of the Earth.

“Such ordinary contact has always served as a conduit for transferring the Earth’s natural, gentle, negative charge underfoot into the body.”

These statements come from The Earth Institute, consisting of a dedicated group of people who claim that science is proving the remedy for pain and inflammation in the human body can be explained in three simple words.

Go barefoot outside.

Today or tomorrow might not be a great time to throw our toes on the frozen tundra, so we’ll have to wait a few months until we have green grass, loose soil and warm fresh or salt water, but let’s look at what scientists are saying.

According to the Journal of Inflammation Research, the grounding of a living organism, or the skin to skin contact with the Earth, produces measurable differences in the concentrations of white blood cells involved in the process of inflammation. Multiple scientific studies have shown that this “grounding” reduces pain in the body.

Most of us have very limited skin contact with the Earth. When I was a child, I would often walk barefoot on the grass or in the dirt despite my mother telling me to be careful not to step on something sharp and cut my foot.

The JIR points out that most kids today step outside wearing shoes with insulator soles of some sort, usually in the form of expensive sneakers on their feet and never walk barefoot anywhere. Many people with different levels of health problems seldom “earth” themselves during their entire lifetimes.

So it’s far too cold now, and unseen dangers could lie hidden in the ground, but there is another option to ground yourself without ever opening the door of your home.

Grounded sleep systems plug into an outlet and carry the same electrical conductivity as the earth. Tests have proved that after eight weeks of sleeping in these beds, not only is inflammation reduced, but the immune system is also strengthened.

Scientifically speaking, electrons in the Earth semiconduct through bare feet into the body to neutralize reactive oxygen levels that cause swelling and inflammation. In the event of an injury, contact with the ground may significantly alter the degree of inflammation. In addition, natural fresh or salt water has the same capacity of conducting these electrons to heal the body.

Anti-aging creams can cost over $100 for just a few ounces. Bare skin contact with the ground is free of charge and can break down the pollutants and poisons in our bodies that cause wrinkles and muscle loss.

As you might have guessed, none of what these reports are claiming guarantees that grounding will work for everyone due to the uniqueness of the immune systems in each of us. Yet, for no cost and no side effects (except for that rock or nail you could step on, and by the way, if you do, then keep walking to begin the healing process immediately), who wouldn’t want to try to absorb the earth’s antioxidants to help repair damaged tissue in their bodies? The Earth stores an unlimited supply of batteries to benefit our wellness.

So when the weather warms the grass and the earth, the next national craze just might be lawn parties of white hairs and their families dancing barefoot in conga lines across their backyards.

And I’m thinking how much fun I could have reading excerpts from “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” to a group of children while we kick our feet back and forth down by a riverside. They’ll get a good story and a dose of good health all at the same time.

I find it to be a bit odd that the only times we take off our shoes outdoors is when we are in or near water. At home, creepy crawly creatures keep us on our porches and off our grass. This summer, let’s take off our shoes, take our chairs along with our iced teas and sit in our yards.

Perhaps the prescription for good health is not in our medicine cabinets. It could be right under our feet.

Rich Strack can be reached at katehep11@gmail.com.