Earthing helps us to rid ourselves of any accumulated charge in our bodies and achieve a more neutral and natural state. There are quite a few studies out there that look at the science of earthing, and why it could be an essential tool for our well-being. To date, a key discovery is earthing’s link to a notable reduction in inflammation, known to play a key role in the development of many diseases.

The Earth Connect shoe is for everyone who spends a lot of time insulated from the earth beneath their feet. It is an especially important tool for those of you who also spend a lot of time indoors with your gadgets, be that laptops, tablets, mobile phones and televisions - they’re all indirectly increasing the level of charge within your body throughout the day. If you don’t get outdoors and directly connect with the earth your body continues in this unnatural state. Think about the electric shocks you keep giving your family and friends! There’s a better and more effective way to get rid of this excess charge.

It’s not your everyday rubber shoe sole. We’ve added conductive materials in just the right places and designed the insole, midsole and outer sole in a manner that allows for earth connection.

Yes and no! You won’t be able to wear any special orthotics or insoles from your podiatrist as this does prevent the connection between your foot and the conductive part of the shoe. We’ve used a silver thread woven into the insoles of the IM Earth Connect shoe. The good news is that your socks won’t cause a significant barrier, once a bit of moisture starts to build on your cotton socks they will quickly become conductive. To eliminate the sock ‘barrier’ we also recommend wearing silver socks. You can purchase SilverSole socks from our online store.

You will be able to see the effectiveness of the shoes through the use of a voltmeter.

The best way for you to know whether or not your shoes are working is to test your level of charge with your normal trainers vs when you’re wearing the Earth Connect shoes and also when you’re barefoot. The Earth Connect shoes should show a level of charge that is more or less neutral and similar to that of your barefoot reading. Your other trainers will be significantly higher. It is important to take note that the surface you’re standing on is very important. You can achieve an earth connection if the surface you’re standing on is conductive. Conductive surfaces include grass, dirt, sand, stone and cement. Non-conductive surfaces you may find around you are wooden or carpeted floors, black asphalt or tarmac from the roads and the synthetic rubber running track.

Research suggests numerous health benefits from earthing, a key one being reduced inflammation. High levels of inflammation are known to cause a wide range of health complications and conditions. Earthing can be described as an element required in the overall health equation rather than just one specific benefit for all people. Precise benefits that have been seen in recent studies include: reduced muscle damage, reduced blood viscosity, better sleep, increased energy, lower levels of stress.

The effect that wearing earthing footwear will have on any one person is highly dependent on how much time they have previously dedicated to earth connection as well as the general level of charge they are subject to on a daily basis. The full extent of the implications involved with holding excess charge in the body is a complex area and more study on the topic is urgently needed.

Participants in the earthing footwear study will be required to wear the earthing shoes on a conductive surface for a specified period of time and report results on a predefined variable. The amount of time the study will last depends on the type of variable being tested. For example those participating in a study looking at joint pain may need to collect data for up to 3 months, but a muscle O-ring test can be done in less than an hour.

We will provide all tools for results collection or cover fees if you’re required to visit a professional.

We’re looking for a range of profiles to take part in our very first earthing footwear research study. The first requirement is that you’re in the health, wellness or fitness industries. We’ll be running a few specific studies simultaneously and will need to ask qualifying questions to interested candidates. Questions will be related to age, health conditions, access to conductive surfaces and estimated time spent earthing and walking each week. People who already spend sufficient time in contact with the earth unfortunately won’t be able to participate as it will cause bias in the results.

Inner Mettle products ship worldwide, import duties and taxes are included for the USA, UK and EU. Shipping is $10 to the USA, UK and EU. $25 shipping cost applies for the rest of the world.

Wearing the Earth Connect Shoes is just like being barefoot, designed for electrons to flow freely from and to the ground. Please do not work on open circuits and follow health and safety standards for insulating footwear when working or at risk of exposure to electrical hazard.

Yes of course, we understand that it’s not always easy to get sizing right when you’ve not tried on the apparel in person. If you’ve made a mistake with the sizing, you can exchange your item within 30 days free of charge.