With Weighted Exercise, It Could Bring “Bone Benefits Squared”
“Does grounding help build bone and stave off osteoporosis? I think so, and right now I’m putting it to the test… Unfortunately, I recently fractured my hand while sailing, and have also suffered from low bone density, or osteopenia. Reason being, I had very low hormone production for 15 years due to a mysterious illness, which grounding helped pull me out of. So my bones need building, and the best way for me to do that, I believe, is grounding barefoot.
What do I mean exactly? Well, whenever we walk barefoot, we put pressure on the bones from the heel. I know when pressure is applied to the bottom to the feet it actually helps stimulate the entire system to help build more osteoblasts. I actually learned this 20 years ago from Qigong practice…There’s a technique just for banging your heels, and they would say it builds the bone. And that always stuck with me.
So lately, I’ve been walking, in the Black Forest in Germany, barefoot while wearing ankle weights. Why? Well, I love forest bathing, but I also want to add more weight and more force into the ground when I’m walking barefoot because that’s what the research says will help build bone. I walk on a stone/gravel path, and although it can be a little uncomfortable at times I actually find it quite pleasing to my feet and my overall body experience. Yes, onlookers look at me funny, but I’m used to it after doing this for so many years.
So, I am putting grounding to the test, once again, to help heal up injury in my life. I have always found that grounding is the best thing to do when we’re dealing with something physical –even emotional- as it helps balance the brain and bring us more into an alpha brain state of coherence. I believe that the alpha state is where we access intuition and frequencies of self-healing. And I know I always heal better when in contact with the ground…it’s truly a good feeling in my bones!
- Step Sinatra @August 6, 2023
Over the years, we’ve heard anecdotally that grounding can help prevent or improve numerous ailments, especially chronic pain. We believe that this is largely due to the Earth’s electrons infusing the body with antioxidant-like energy, which helps prevent and assuage inflammation. But besides lessening arthritis pain, can grounding actually help prevent bone loss that leads to osteoporosis? Through this exploratory blog, we explain why we believe the answer is “likely so, when combined with weighted exercise.”
First, What Is Osteoporosis?
Unlike osteoarthritis -the wearing down of joints that results in pain from bones rubbing together, osteoporosis is a loss of living tissue inside our bones that results in porous bones and overall frailty. Normally, our bodies break down old bone tissues and build new tissues in their place, which keeps us in homeostatic balance. But when we produce new bone tissue production at a slower rate than we lose older tissue, we end up with a bone deficit. Thinner bones with less tissue are more prone to fractures, which is why simply bumping into things and even coughing can cause elderly bones to break.
Who’s at Risk for Osteoporosis?
The most common risk factor for both men and women is advancing age. At around 45 years, that abovementioned homeostatic balance through which our bodies maintain bone mass begins to decline. Having excess thyroid hormone, or not having enough estrogen or testosterone are additional risk factors, hence menopause is major osteoporosis risk factor for women. Being underweight, cigarette smoking, heavy drinking, physical inactivity and use of certain medications (like steroids, antidepressants, anti-seizure meds and chemotherapies, to name a few) also increase one’s risk of osteoporosis. Conditions like autoimmune, gastrointestinal, endocrine and neurological disorders can also contribute to bone loss.
Osteoporosis Symptoms
Like heart attacks are often the first symptoms of heart disease, bone breaks are frequently the first symptom of osteoporosis. Other telling signs include curving of the upper back and losing height. So if you’ve gotten a little shorter over the years, don’t start wearing heels! Ask your health care provider for a bone density test, and instead exercise outside barefoot (or while wearing grounding shoes). Here’s why…
Grounding Shows Promise Against Osteoporosis
According to Earthinginstitute.net, there have been “many reports of people putting bone back on after grounding for an extended period.” You can read the specific details which follow this statement here. Some of them relay remarkable improvements shown via bone scan.
But aside from anecdotal evidence of positive health impacts, are there any studies which specifically show that grounding could be an effective strategy against osteoporosis? Yes and no.
There is at least one experiment conducted by a cardiologist and neurosurgeon duo who demonstrated that sleeping grounded for just one night can significantly change levels of calcium and phosphorus in both the blood and urine. Through a subsequent study (performed with our dad), they determined, “the observed reductions in blood and urinary calcium and phosphorus directly relate to osteoporosis. The results suggest that Earthing for a single night reduces primary indicators of osteoporosis.”
Although more research is needed to clearly demonstrate grounding’s effectiveness against osteoporosis, this experiment is part of a greater body of research indicating that grounding “may be an essential element in the health equation along with sunshine, clean air and water, nutritious food, and physical activity.”
A Connection Between Grounding and PEMF for Osteoporosis Prevention and Treatment?
While specific research about grounding as an osteoporosis therapy is meager, there are several studies showing that Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields (PEMFs) may be a promising therapy for the prevention and treatment of bone loss (see references below).
You might now be asking, “what do PEMFs have to do with grounding?”
As electroceuticals, PEMF and Earthing both alter physiological processes in the body through the use of non-invasive healing frequencies. When we ground we absorb the Earth’s natural frequency which is fundamentally at 7.83 Hz (hertz), also known as the Shumann resonance and “the Earth’s heartbeat.” If the frequencies employed in PEMF studies on osteoporosis are the same or very similar, we can infer that Earthing may work like PEMF as a potential osteoporosis therapy.
Through a 2022 systematic review and meta analysis of PEMF for managing osteoporosis, researchers organized the data into a Table 1, which showed efficacy and/or effect of various PEMF doses in select studies. The studies which utilized 8 Hz or 8-12 Hz PEMF– which are close to the fundamental 7.83 Schumann Resonance, demonstrated PEMF’s “effective[ness] as alendronate.”
What is an alendronate, you might ask? An alendronate is a medication that prevents bone breakdown and increases bone density (thickness). So, based on the three studies (abovementioned Table 1) which collectively utilized 8 Hz and 8-12 Hz PEMF, one might conclude that there’s indirect evidence to demonstrate grounding may help prevent bone loss and increase bone thickness; that is, grounding might play a role in both osteoporosis prevention and treatment. Again, more research is necessary, but it’s a start to help substantiate Step’s inner knowing.
Get “Bone Benefits Squared” - Exercise Grounded to help Prevent and Treat Osteoporosis
Going back to Step’s walk in Germany’s Black Forest…He’s onto something with the weights.
As Harvard Health Publishing succinctly explains:
“Numerous studies have shown that weight-bearing exercise can help to slow bone loss, and several show it can even build bone. Activities that put stress on bones stimulate extra deposits of calcium and nudge bone-forming cells into action. The tugging and pushing on bone that occur during strength and power training provide the stress. The result is stronger, denser bones.”
Indeed, a quick search for “weighted exercise osteoporosis” in the medical literature yields countless results. One is a 2018 review of current literature through which researchers determined that there are two types of exercises that can increase bone density and help with osteoporosis: weight-bearing aerobic exercises and strength and resistance exercises.
The researchers noted that strength and resistance training which helps build bone density involves moving the joints against some kind of resistance. Hence, such activities might include swimming, lifting weights, cycling, moving with bands or weights, and doing pushups and sit-ups, etc.
The other type -weight bearing aerobic exercises- might include jogging, stair climbing, dancing, Tai Chi and volleyball - i.e. movements where the arms, legs or feet bear enough body weight to stimulate bone growth. As someone who’s practiced yoga for over 30 years, I can confidently say that yoga which stresses various muscles (feel the burn!) and flows from pose to pose should also fall within this category. Unfortunately, walking was not found to effectively build bone; however, the researchers determined that walking 30 minutes per day for at least 6 months can help limit bone loss. Now you can see why Step walks with ankle weights!
All said, those with fragile bones have a catch-22…while weight bearing exercise is needed to build bone, higher impact exercise also brings greater risk of fracture. So it you’re osteoporotic, be sure to work with your doctor on an appropriate exercise regimen, perhaps a very gradual one.
Whatever state your bones may be in now, it can’t hurt to add grounding to the mix and potentially boost your bone integrity. By going barefoot or wearing grounding shoes on a natural earth surface, you bring that powerful Schumann resonance to the table. And if you ground in the bright sunlight, you’ll also help your body make Vitamin D, which helps strengthen bones. For that perfect trifecta, add weighted exercise.
Given grounding’s overall potential to help regulate physiological processes and to positively impact levels of minerals that serve as osteoporosis indicators, we believe grounding exponentially increases bone benefits achieved through weighted exercises… it brings bone benefits squared! Not to mention, grounding offers numerous other health benefits, including improved sleep, mood, and blood flow, and reduced inflammation, stress and even DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness), which can be an exercise side effect. Given all of grounding’s benefits, grounding while exercising has to be better than exercising alone!
Get outside in the sun on a natural earth surface, and jog, walk (perhaps with weights), or even dance grounded - with or without a canine companion. If you’re a swimmer, do your bone-building laps in a pond or in the ocean so you’ll also soak up those natural, healing free electrons. If you can’t get out in nature to exercise, you could try working out indoors on a non-slip grounding mat or grounded yoga mat.
One other thing researchers have importantly noted is that being athletic in your youth is associated with more favorable bone outcomes (better bone mass and less bone loss) later in life. So if you need a reason to stay active, maintaining bone strength and durability as you age is another compelling one.
Whichever way you look at it, exercising and grounding daily are two crucial ways to stay healthy. Along with adequate sun exposure, both show promise to help keep your bones heathy and strong. When all three are performed together the results may be synergistic. Best yet, they all can be free – just commit to getting outside and doing them!
Page reviewed by Dr. Drew Sinatra, N.M.D., F.A.C.N, L.Ac.
Although all articles and content at Grounded.com containing health information are reviewed and fact checked by one or more members of our Medical Advisory Board, such information should not replace consultation or a visit with a qualified health professional. As such, we recommend that you consult with your doctor if you have any questions or concerns about how grounding may impact your health; view medical disclaimer.
References:
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Wendy Menigoz, Tracy T. Latz, Robin A. Ely, Cimone Kamei, Gregory Melvin, Drew Sinatra. Integrative and lifestyle medicine strategies should include Earthing (grounding): Review of research evidence and clinical observations, EXPLORE, Volume 16, Issue 3, 2020, Pages 152-160, ISSN 1550-8307, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2019.10.005.