By playing, you agree to uListen's Terms and Privacy Policy and YouTube's Terms of Service.
Lewis HowesTry This ANCIENT HEALING METHOD To Reduce Inflammation & LIVE LONGER! | Clint Ober
Summaries, chapters, transcripts, and FAQs on this page are made by uListen, not YouTube.
Great conversations run long. Their best ideas don't have to.
uListen is free on iPhone, iPad, Android, Chrome, and Claude.
See howCHAPTERS
Chapter summaries
What Grounding Is and How Clint Discovered It
Clint Ober explains grounding as an electrical concept: standing barefoot on the earth equalizes your body with the earth's negative charge. He links this to his cable-industry background installing ground rods, and describes the first night he grounded his bed and slept without Advil.
- •The earth carries a negative charge, and the body is electrical first and chemical second
- •Barefoot on the earth, you equalize with it; otherwise you deplete free electrons
- •His cable industry work installing ground rods led him to wonder about humans no longer being grounded
- •He wired metal duct tape on his bed to a ground rod and slept without pain medication
- •Friends who tried it reported less arthritis pain
Early Studies and the Discovery That Grounding Itself Matters
With no existing literature and skepticism from a UCLA sleep lab, Ober worked with students to design a blinded 60-person study recruited through hair salons. Two home installations showed the same results despite very different electrical environments, leading him to conclude that grounding itself was the cause.
- •No information existed and UCLA researchers dismissed the idea
- •A 60-subject blind study had about 80% improvement in the grounded group versus 10–20% in the placebo group
- •Benefits included better sleep, less pain, and fewer PMS and TMJ issues
- •Two participants with very different EMF exposure got the same results
- •The 'magic pain patch' reports pointed to grounding as the cause
Cortisol Study and Pain as a Sign of Inflammation
Ober describes a cortisol study with an anesthesiologist in which grounding synchronized participants' cortisol profiles. He then explains how Stephen Sinatra pointed him toward inflammation and how he connected reactive oxygen species to electrons.
- •Before grounding, cortisol profiles looked like spaghetti; afterward they synchronized
- •Sleep, pain and energy improved
- •A cardiologist told him pain is a byproduct of chronic low-grade inflammation
- •Reactive oxygen species are electrically charged, which gave him the clue to the mechanism
- •Grounding floods the body with electrons and stops inflammation
How We Lost Our Ground Since 1960
Lewis asks what science says about barefoot walking, and Ober recounts how people used to be barefoot or in leather-soled shoes. After 1960, plastics, rubber soles, carpets and television insulated people from the earth.
- •Leather soles are semiconductive, so people were effectively grounded before 1960
- •Plastics and synthetic soles arrived and 95% of shoes sold are now synthetic
- •Carpeting and more time indoors reduced contact with the earth
- •The Earthing Institute has 25–30 peer-reviewed studies, a movie and a book
- •Similar discoveries were made a century earlier by Adolf Just
Grounding and MS, Lupus, and Chronic Pain
Ober describes working with women with MS, lupus and fibromyalgia referred by rheumatologists. He recounts one woman whose symptoms calmed within an hour of grounding, and explains the difference between burning inflammatory pain and healing pain.
- •Grounded electrons reduce reactive oxygen species and stop inflammation
- •The MS participant's color, demeanor and bladder urgency improved
- •Ober says grounded people no longer have MS, only damage from it
- •Burning pain signals inflammation; leave-me-alone pain is healing pain
- •Healing begins once the inflammation stops
How Long Grounding Takes and Where to Do It
Ober explains that grounding is cumulative, thins blood by making red blood cells repel, and gives noticeable results within about 30 minutes. He says wild animals are grounded and free of these diseases, and that grass, sand or dirt all work.
- •Red blood cells become negatively charged, repel each other and blood viscosity normalizes
- •About 30 minutes gives enough to notice an effect
- •Wild animals are grounded 24/7, while indoor pets develop their owners' disorders
- •Palms and soles are the most conductive
- •The surface doesn't matter much since the earth is a universal ground; stay grounded until pain stops
Grounding, Longevity, and Energy at 78
Asked about lifespan, Ober describes a rat study in which grounded rats were healthier and weighed less, with less alopecia. He describes his own energy at 78 and explains how grounded flip-flops use carbon to conduct the earth's charge.
- •The Alberta rat study showed less inflammation-related disorder in grounded rats and 14–20% lower weight
- •Ober frames the benefit as quality of life rather than just lifespan
- •At 78 he says he can dance for hours and walk five miles in grounded shoes
- •Grounded flip-flops use a carbon piece that touches the ground
- •Grounding brings greater range of motion, energy and oxygen saturation
Diabetes, Diet, and the Immune System
Lewis asks about the rise of conditions like MS and diabetes and whether food is to blame. Ober says inflammation is the cause, with processed food and sugar exacerbating it, and that grounding helps the immune system escape a vicious loop.
- •In 1960 most doctor visits were for infection, injury and childbirth
- •Diabetes, autism and other conditions are called inflammation-related disorders
- •Sugar and processed foods exacerbate inflammation, but inflammation is the root cause
- •A busy immune system fights inflammation it is itself feeding
- •Barefoot indoors on insulating floors doesn't ground you
Grounding Tools: Mats, Patches, and Sleeping Grounded
Ober explains how research ground planes became consumer products such as sleep mats, desk mats, pillow covers and patches. He chose sleep products because people struggle to change routines, and Lewis says he passed out quickly after using the bed pad.
- •Research tools included electrode patches and conductive fabric mats connected to a ground
- •Compliance in studies was poor, so a bed mat requiring no behavior change was developed
- •The products were accidental and grew by word of mouth
- •Mats, pillow covers, desk mats and patches for acute flare-ups are available
- •Lewis reports falling asleep quickly after adding the mat
Coyote Juice: Stress, Cortisol and an Evening Routine
Using a story about jackrabbits escaping coyotes, Ober explains how chronic stress floods the body with cortisol and inflammation. His main recommendation is to sit with bare feet on the earth for 30 minutes at the end of the day, especially for stressed women.
- •The jackrabbit shakes off the chase and returns to grazing, grounding out the stress
- •Ober calls cortisol 'coyote juice' and says everyday stressors act as coyotes
- •MS patients often described a prolonged fight-or-flight period before illness
- •He suggests sitting barefoot on the earth for 30 minutes in the evening
- •If you wake with aches, consider sleeping grounded
Ober's Own Daily Routine and Diet
Ober describes how he stays grounded about 90% of the time using mats, a grounded bed and pillow, tile floors and flip-flops. He says he has no inflammatory pain, and he describes his low-carb eating habits.
- •He has been grounded for most of 20 years, after chronic pain in his early 50s
- •Sleeps grounded and uses mats under his desk and chair
- •Wears grounded flip-flops outdoors
- •Breakfast is eggs and avocado with keto bread and nut butter, soup at lunch, fish and vegetables at dinner
- •Snacks on frozen blueberries and admits liking sweets
Raising Kids Indoors: Grounding for Children and Parents
Lewis contrasts his outdoor childhood with today's screen-bound kids and asks for advice for parents. Ober says health is the natural state, suggests sleeping grounded and using mats for gamers, and says lost sunlight, fresh air and ground all compromise immunity.
- •Ober says kids now have high rates of diabetes, allergies and attention and anxiety problems
- •Sleeping grounded is easy since children don't notice a mat under the sheet
- •Mats are described as identical in effect to the earth, though outdoors adds fresh air and sun
- •Vitamin D, indoor air and ground loss all affect the immune system
- •Anger and mood can lift after 30 minutes outside barefoot
Lessons from Native American Friends and the Three Truths
Ober shares what he learned from Native American friends growing up in Montana, including a sense of being part of nature. He then gives his three truths: family and caring for each other, not living for money, and taking care of yourself.
- •Native Americans he knew did not understand ownership and lived in tune with nature
- •He says they take only what they need and are peaceful
- •First truth: family and taking care of each other
- •Second truth: a life about money is not a life
- •Third truth: take care of yourself and be grateful
Resources and Defining Greatness
Lewis acknowledges Ober's journey and asks where to learn more. Ober points to the Earthing Institute, earthing.com, the book and movie, and says the no-cost solution is to go outside, then defines greatness as contributing and being grateful.
- •earthinginstitute.net hosts the studies, movies and book links
- •earthing.com offers products at a range of prices
- •The no-cost solution is going outside, and products are described as extension cords to the earth
- •The Earthing movie went viral with a short version reaching 60 million views
- •Ober defines greatness as touching lives and leaving with a smile
