Apart from badly fitting shoes resulting in outward physical problems such as corns and bunions, well fitting shoes aren't particularly good for your health either, even if they have 'environment friendly' rubber soles.

We may not be able to go back to nature and run around barefoot, but it has been proved scientifically that walking barefoot helps us become 'grounded'.

The earth is full of negative electrons and the atmosphere full of positive ones. Being positively charged all the time can lead to oxidization and swellings in the body which in turn can cause many negative effects, such as allowing free radicals to roam free and unrestricted.

Grounding ourselves for a few minutes each day releases all those positively charged electrons and re-balances our natural biological state which, after all, should be perfect.

Grounding really means being in 'skin contact' with the earth. A stroll around the lawn barefoot, a quick dip in the sea or even a shower will bring you in contact with the earth, releasing all those positive electrons. One of the reasons all our best ideas come to us when we are in the shower is because the creative juices are released as soon as stress starts to leave the body.

Of course, you can ground yourself in other ways, as long as there is skin contact with the earth:

• pottering in the garden with your plants
• hugging a tree!
• holding on to a metal pole inserted into the ground

All these actions will bring you in contact with the earth and release positive electrons.

With food and diet information constantly in the news, we are nearly all aware of the importance of fresh vitamin and minerals packed food. However, scientific research has proved that by being in touch with the earth, the minerals we need are automatically absorbed by our bodies. When we aren't grounded, those minerals can easily be expelled leaving us with various ailments.

Minerals are needed for strong teeth and bones, healthy nervous and immune systems, as well as just about every important bodily function we can think of.

Luckily the scientists have done all the technical work, and all we really have to do is remember to ground ourselves on a daily basis. The longer you can be in touch with the earth the better. Only 40-50 minutes 'grounding' everyday  will reduce toxins and inflammations. It will improve skin condition and rebalance the acid/alkali content in our bodies.

So throw away the shoes for a few minutes every day and enjoy an upturn in your physical, mental and spiritual health.

This content was provided by one of our users, Lianda