pluggz Mens Suede Grounding Drivers

The bottom line is that I held my hand under a lamp near the switch and my voltage was about 2 volts. I stood on a grounding sheet while wearing the shoes and the voltage dropped from approximately 2.0 to 0.054 volts then I kicked off the shoe and stood barefoot on the grounding sheet and it only dropped to 0.039 - not that much difference considering. They are comfortable, look great, and I can wear them knowing they actually work.

Good shoes. I wear them all the time as slippers

Great shoes, they just run small. My dad typically wears a 10.5. He needed an 11 eleven for these to fit. Even the 11 is snug, but with the suede he felt that they would conform to his foot after some wear and felt that the 11 would work.

For some reason the manufacturer decided that size 10 was not worth making and skipped from size 9 to size 11 in the product line. This makes no sense. I wear a size 10.5 in Nike, so I can't own these shoes. The 11's were way too big for me.

It is a nice, good looking shoe. It is somewhat comfortable too. I am confident that I am grounding properly to the earth.

The size is larger than expected

Ever since I began "earthing" almost five years ago, I have been waiting for the day when a shoe manufacturer would suitably incorporate the concept in a reasonably normal pair of walking shoes that can be worn just about anywhere, but have minimalist soles and heels to approach the apparent structural benefits of walking barefoot as well. I first learned about the latter in reading Christopher McDougall's book "Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen", and had been hoping that one of the makers of minimalist footwear might incorporate the concept of "earthing" as well. Finally, the makers of Pluggz have done it in men's as well as women's shoes.I have been walking outside in my "drivers" almost every day for over a month now, and am quite happy with them, especially since electrically conducting concrete sidewalks or earthen paths are almost everywhere that I walk. I had some concern about getting the size right initially but found the US size 10 about right for my normally size 10 feet, since it is obvious from wearing them that either a smaller or larger half size would not work as well. I can feel the minimalist design exercising leg muscles that no doubt need it from lack of walking barefoot. It is the electrical properties of the shoes, however, that most attracted me, and I feel that these demand the kind of thorough review that I have made for other "earthing" products, including the book "Earthing", and the DVD documentary "The Grounded". I do this below in the context of a general review of all the "earthing" products, with some new observations on the "drivers".I learned about "earthing" initially from a woman with multiple sclerosis who had posted a link to the talk on it by Dr. Stephen Sinatra, MD at David Wolfe's "Longevity Now Conference". Because of my background in electromagnetics, radio physics, and climatology, initially through a PhD in electrical engineering, and my more recent background doing full-time epidemiological research, the segment of Dr. Sinatra's talk about live blood before and after "earthing" made a particular impression. I read the book "Earthing" and couldn't wait to start trying the "earthing" sheet and other products, which I ordered immediately. Furthermore, I decided to try a small experiment on myself even before receiving the products. I hooked myself up to the ground on the electrical system by attaching a lamp cord to the grounded center screw on the faceplate of an electrical outlet, with the other bare ends in my sock. I noticed within five minutes that my body was relaxing, and that this did not "turn off" as to some extent meditation or Reiki do after completion. Of course the latter can't be continued indefinitely as can "earthing".I used the lamp-cord approach in bed the first night, and had the best sleep that I had probably had in 20 years. Besides feeling very rested on fully awakening, I noticed that I could dose, something that I had not been able to do except perhaps two or three times in that 20 years. I have found this technique so powerful for my own sleep that I typically fall asleep within a few minutes after "hitting the earthing sheet". I always notice the sense of my body relaxing immediately, and the sense of "tingling" in the feet and hands that I feel is stronger the more I have felt stressed beforehand or not grounded myself for a few hours. On the few occasions when my body is so "worked up" from stress of some kind or another that "earthing" is slow to work, I find that Reiki helps further, and therefore at such times also use it before sleep. Note that the normal earthing products have a 100 kilohm resistor in series for safety, unlike my lamp cord. Note also my review of the "earthing starter kit" where I comment on the design of the "earthing" sheet. Finally, note my review of the "earthing recovery bag" where I comment on the apparent enhanced benefit of its design innovation.What followed had even more powerful benefits for my health:(i) I have lost the apparent chronic adrenal fatigue that I had for 18 years, the worst of my symptoms since the 1990's. Of the 40+ symptoms I had in the late 1990's and had gradually been getting rid of since then through attention to nutrition and hydration, apparent detoxification (e.g., replacement of mercury-amalgam dental fillings, use of a near-infrared far-visible "electric-light" sauna, application of some apparent liver-detoxification techniques, and use of "dry-skin brushing", the latter reputed to cleanse the lymphatic system), and sunlight sufficiency, this was one of the few holdout problems besides sleep, all difficult to bear, that didn't respond well to any of the other techniques that I tried. It disappeared within days of starting "earthing".(ii) I also lost my "cold extremities" (feet and hands) within days of starting "earthing". This was especially noticeable because I started "earthing" on 11 Nov 2010, and it was already getting quite cold at my home in Eastern Ontario by then. Pretty clearly, this seems because the circulation to my feet and hands improved. Apparently the extra electrons (beyond those from food) charge up the red blood cells more negatively so that they repel each other and flow more freely. This "freely flowing" action can be observed on the video of Dr. Stephen Sinatra noted above. My guess is that improvement in thyroid function may also have been a factor in losing the cold extremities. One other way in which I noticed the improvement in circulation was through my cross country skiing. I used to be able to easily ski to work at -27°C or so in the morning and keep my feet warm in the ski boots that I had. At a certain point, I couldn't do this beyond -10°C. I know that I can now do it again at least to -18°C, and haven't yet tried it at lower temperatures.(iii) Before "earthing", I had got to the point where I usually had some morning muscle stiffness on arising from sleep. This also disappeared within days.(iv) Over the three years time that I have been "earthing", I have generally become more relaxed overall. I was feeling so stressed by some aspects of my research by 2010 that I had the very real sense of my stress being a little out of control. I quickly lost this sense soon after I began "earthing", and the overall effect has gradually improved further with time. I had been diagnosed with a "sympathetic dominant" nervous system in 2005, and "earthing" has apparently rebalanced my autonomic nervous system as the research references copied onto the website of the "Earthing Institute" suggest. Note that the dozen or so research studies done on "earthing" and the associated increasingly-supported hypotheses for its basis that are included in these references should be fairly understandable by those without a scientific background because they are mostly based on experimental results.Since "earthing" had such a quick and significant benefit for me, I decided that I would not take the risk, given my past health issues, and only use the "earthing" sheet at night, even though this is the time when most bodily regeneration seems to be done. I have therefore also been using the "earthing" footpad while seated, and much of the time the torso band while working in the kitchen or elsewhere, the telescopic cord being hardly noticeable. Unfortunately, except during my half-hour sun break in bare feet and bathing suit on most warm sunny days, I don't find much barefoot contact with the earth suitable for my lifestyle now. I had bought a pair of "earthing" flip flops, but they are not suitable for much of the year in my climate and for normal use.After some experimentation, I quickly had the sense that the "earthing" half-sheet worked best for me when used full length and rapped around my pillow. My sister found the same thing when trying this some months later after initially using the sheet across the bottom of her bed. I have some small concern that using the sheet full length too soon might be problematic for those with environmental chemical poisoning issues if "earthing" increases levels of the energy coenzyme ATP as suggested by Dr. Sinatra and his colleagues and if the number and location of the grounding points while sleeping matters, too rapid an increase in cellular energy possibly allowing for greater detoxification too quickly. I think the increase in ATP levels may be evidenced by my rapid recovery from apparent chronic adrenal fatigue and the observations of others of increased energy.There are observations in the scientific literature that both sufficient electrons and sufficient energy in the red to near-infrared range (e.g., see ANNEX and papers of Dr. T.I. Karu) may be necessary in generating adequate levels of ATP. In order to supply the extra electrons to help generate ATP, act as antioxidants within the body, and accomplish other "inflammation-reducing" tasks as suggested in the references copied onto the "Earthing Institute" website, it seems to me that a tiny flow of electrons through the body must be established. My guess is that the flow of electrons potentially needed throughout the body is accomplished by circuits established through a combination of (a) the electrical grounding of the person, and (b) the "plating" of positive air ions on the surface of the skin, both as suggested by John F. Wetling as part of his explanation for how acupuncture best works in his 2006 article, "About 'Acupuncture Qi', and what's it all about?", available on the internet. Do the location and number of grounding points on the surface of the skin make a difference to the directions of flow of such currents through the body? Is the apparently helpful use of "earthing" patches placed in different locations on the body noted in the book "Earthing" evidence for this?Obviously not everyone benefits as much, as the authors of the book "Earthing" make clear. It seems to depend on the degree of "electron deficiency" that the person has, and perhaps the extent of their fundamental health problems since it seems that the persons with the largest health problems sometimes benefit most. My mother didn't think she observed any effect from "earthing" initially, but I noticed that she no longer took any painkiller for her knee, which is something that she occasionally did before. My aunt didn't notice anything either, but I observed that her doctor reduced her thyroid medication downwards after about a year.I definitely notice the tingling in my feet while walking in the Pluggz shoes if I pay close attention to it, and have a sense of improved circulation in my feet for an hour or so after my walks, although I know that my circulation had already improved significantly from use of the other "earthing" products. What surprised me a little initially was to find that the tingling sensation from using the "earthing" universal footpad immediately after my walks seemed to be greater than normal as well. It has had me wondering if the continuous electrical disconnection of one foot from the ground with each step has some beneficial effect, but I don’t yet see an obvious reason for this. Clearly while walking, one foot is always on the ground, so the electrical connection to the upper part of the body is continuous through one leg or the other. I have been using copper-soled socks in the shoes as well, and this no doubt helps electrical conductivity also, although the sweat permeating normal socks may provide sufficient conductivity in most cases.Since I indicate the lamp-cord approach in my observations above, I emphasize the cautionary admonitions on the "Earthing Institute" website that: (a) if the person being earthed/grounded is taking thyroid medication, it is important to have their doctor check if it needs to be reduced at some point, (b) if the person is on the drug Coumadin/warfarin or another "blood thinner", likewise more quickly, since "earthing" also apparently thins the blood as demonstrated in Dr. Stephen Sinatra's video.With respect to the Pluggz shoes, I would urge a gradual introduction initially, especially for those whose foot and leg muscles have not been exercised through walking barefoot or with other minimalist shoes. I occasionally have had the heel turn over on uneven paths, and don’t know whether this is an imperfection in the loafer style design with foot-sized narrow heel, an indication that my ankle and leg muscles haven’t fully adapted, or that my heel itself is a bit too narrow for the design. Although I have not yet twisted an ankle, in the future, I would like to see Pluggz introduce a laced style similar to some of the minimalist, but "non-earthing" footwear, out there. In any case, I have given this product a full five stars because of the degree of innovation involved and the high importance of "earthing". I hope that Amazon will soon see fit to include the black suede shoe that is also available from Pluggz. At some point I would like to add a pair of black ones to the brown ones that I have now.ANNEX: After reading Dr. Gerald Pollack's books, "Cells, Gells, and the Engines of Life" (2001), "The Fourth Phase of Water: Beyond Solid, Liquid, and Vapor" (2013; see my separate reviews of both books), and seeing his illuminating interviews and lectures on the internet, I think that application of "earthing" must help provide adequate hydration of the cells with "structured water", help generate the associated exclusion of many solutes from such structured-water zones, help move unwanted solutes out through the lymphatic system, and help with other forms of specialized work such as activating the muscles (itself also helping to produce lymphatic flow). etc. My guess is that electrons from the earth work together with those from the metabolic breakdown of food to generate the negatively-charged ATP in the cell mitochondria, which appear to attach to already negatively-charged protein surfaces in the cell (perhaps already the sites of electrons from the earth as suggested by Pollack in an interview, the whole process referred to as "charge-induced protein extension"), allowing larger negatively-charged zones of structured water and perhaps therefore more discrimination against unwanted solutes than might otherwise be the case. According to Pollack (2001), there is apparently a translocation of ATP from the mitochondria to the cell protein surfaces during a period of partially de-structured water, then a structuring of the water in the vicinity because of the concentration of negative charge on the cell surfaces, then a hydrolization of ATP to ADP and Pi, a partial de-structuring of the water during recycling of ADP and Pi back to the mitochondria and new ATP in the opposite direction, and return to the next cycle. It seems plausible that the "earthing" source of electrons is an older evolutionary source than that of food, one that is available continuously.As described in the more recent book, Pollack and his colleagues have demonstrated experimentally that electromagnetic wave energy, mainly in the near infrared and visible-red range of the spectrum in that order of importance, helps generate and maintain such negatively-charged zones and adjacent positively-charged zones of hydronium ions (H3O)+ in bulk liquid water in non-cellular containers, a seemingly general result that should apply to cellular and extracellular regions of the body with hydrophilic/"water-loving" surfaces also. (The highest energy outputs of an "electric light" sauna occur in the same order, just as in natural sunlight. Is it significant that I couldn't get rid of my major symptoms without "earthing", despite the fact that I was frequently exposed to sunlight from 2005, and usually in the "electric-light" sauna twice a day for 40 minutes for over two years from 2005? Those techniques helped but they didn't eliminate my major symptoms, which I take as evidence for the high importance of "earthing".) This seems most likely to be the oldest evolutionary source of energy. A continuous supply of electrons from the earth, and from metabolism, could work together with the continuous supply of largely near-infrared light energy to maintain the apparently structured-water molecules of H3O2 within and possibly exterior to the cells, along with adjacent zones of positively-charged bulk water and hydronium ions, such zone pairs essentially constituting a series of "batteries" as noted by Pollack.Pollack and his colleagues have also demonstrated that the creation of such structured-water zones in narrow tubes can cause the water to flow continuously in one direction through such tubes with exposure to infrared light. This three-energy-source process, or an even more general four-energy source process (including a pulsed magnetic energy source noted below), including that from "earthing", and the resulting phase transitions in water may also at least partially help explain the process of blood movement through the smallest capillaries and the connected parallel lymph flow partially upwards in the body against gravity, both important for good circulation. It has been noted by Pollack, for example, that there is some blood flow for up to an hour after the heart stops beating. Moreover, I have noticed that my dry-skin brushing is always followed by a need to urinate, and Pollack notes that the volume of water held by diapers is many more times that of urine, a demonstration of the larger molecules contained in urine. I know that practitioners of "lymphatic drainage massage" also find that urination follows from this, and the scientific literature apparently confirms the elimination of some unwanted waste products from such application. It is known that lymphatic pumping is increased by ATP among other things, and that it is decreased by unwanted reactive oxygen metabolites.I have so far only alluded to possible constant direct currents (DC) flowing through the body to meet positive air ions of mostly nitrogen on the surface of the skin. There is some evidence that the zones of structured water facilitate electrical conduction in the body. The "earthing" documentary "The Grounded" alludes to a potential role for Schumann resonance fields in "earthing", which are solar- and lightning-generated ELF waves in the atmospheric "waveguide" between the earth and the ionosphere. Because of the known similarity in the frequencies of brain waves to those of Schumann resonance, it does not seem unlikely that electromagnetic induction from these waves, or simply a modulation of the positive ion charge and associated electric field on the skin at a point distant from the grounding point, or both, could provide the equivalent of a "pulsed" DC signal on top of an average DC component. Besides potentially helping to explain why "earthing" might reduce "jetlag" by at least helping to control a kind of "body clock" based on the known different day-night character of the phenomenon, and that of brain waves (suggested by some as associated with the variations of melatonin), this may constitute a natural form of pulsed EMF corresponding to the artificial PEMF accepted by the US FDA as suitable treatment for certain heath conditions. Indeed, both electric field and magnetic field variations of Schumann resonance waves have been measured, and there is other evidence that Schumann resonance fields may affect health. Since the body is known to contain some magnetite, energy medicine techniques such as Reiki may be another natural application of PEMF, and indeed, magnetometer measurements during Reiki seem to have confirmed this.The documentary "The Grounded" also appeared to attach some scientific significance to ancient humans dancing around such sites as Stonehenge on Salisbury plane in southern England, and our ancestors may have felt wonder for at least one reason. Just as "earthing" appears to enhance ATP production in animals and plants, both enhanced magnetic fields at the earth's surface that are associated with natural magnetic anomalies, telluric currents near some such sites, or flowing water near the same or other sites, and enhanced electric fields associated with the same sites or others (e.g., at the top of stone pyramids or earthen mounds), could also help to increase total negative charge, and therefore ATP levels, in seeds deposited there. The building of such structures because of their effect on seeds deposited there is the fundamental hypothesis of Burke and Halberg in their book "Seed of Knowledge Stone of Plenty" (see my separate review), although they seem to associate the effect with a kind of "stress hardening" on the seeds, rather than to the effect noted above. "Stress hardening", or its sub-technique of "cold hardening", could be separate effects allowing increased net energy generation through overall reduction of free radicals, possible examples being that of exercise noted by the authors, and the effect of an alternating hot and cold shower on the feeling of increased energy and well being in human subjects. In any case, it does not seem far fetched to imagine a similar effect on the plants subsequently grown from such seeds (demonstrated by Burke and Halberg) and possibly also on their human planters dancing there.Increased ATP production in seeds could be explained through the application of either or both enhanced electric and magnetic fields. With the latter, it could arise through a speeding up of the orbital velocity of valence electrons around their nuclei, a principle discussed by Dr. Dean Bonlie in application to magnetic mattress pads used to enhance the earth's magnetic field below humans lying there. As evidenced through the work of Bonlie and others, the presence of the earth's magnetic field may itself be an essential requirement, along with "earthing", for the generation of sufficient ATP in seeds, plants, and animals. This could occur through an increase in total negative charge applied to the phase-transition processes in cellular water discussed by Dr. Pollack. Indeed, there is other evidence for such an additional magnetic mechanism referred to as "magneto-protonics", explained as the "cyclotron resonance application of proton transport in water under the action of the earth's magnetic field". Is this effect associated with a potential role for magnetic field variations from Schumann resonance also?Because of the apparent importance of water structuring in the body and "earthing" as a partial driver of this, I think that there should be an altitude factor associated with "earthing", the benefit increasing with increasing altitude. As noted, I believe that "earthing" functions in part because of a difference of electric potential across essentially two points on the body. One is the point(s) at ground potential touching the earth. The other is the point, or more strictly the points, where the positive air ions are "plating" on the skin elsewhere. Since the number of positive air ions plating on the skin should increase with increasing altitude, following the normal increase of positive air ion density with increasing altitude, the magnitude of the electric field across the body should also increase. Through a simple application of Ohm's law, this should increase the magnitude of the tiny current flowing through the body, and therefore the amount of negative charge available for the structuring of water in the cellular and extracellular body matrix. I think this may be one reason for the apparent increase of life expectancy at higher altitudes. I discuss this issue in a little more depth in my review of "Seed of Knowledge Stone of Plenty", since this should also affect seeds and plants. Moreover, I think that evidence for this effect may already be provided through the known tendency of the builders of some of the ancient mounds and pyramids to erect as high structures as within their means.It seems clear to me now that since the resistance of human skin is known to be high, at least at those points other than the acupuncture points, only those points on the skin touching the earth (or the "earthing" product) are at ground potential. Other points are at the potential associated with the positive air ions plating on the skin. I believe this is the reason why "earthing" patches placed near pain points, or "zones of inflammation", have been found to be effective. This would help direct current flow through such zones, increasing the number of electrons available for the structuring of water in them, and for the consequent elimination of unwanted solutes. I think that this may be also the reason why the larger the area of skin contact with the "earthing" sheet, apparently the better. Acupuncture should also function in much the same way, but with the needle directing the current through the "zone of inflammation", rather than the "earthing" patch doing this. The difference is that since the needle increases the positive air ion density on it and in its vicinity, the effect should be amplified. My guess is that if the body is not grounded during acupuncture, its operation may depend on both negative and positive air ions plating on the skin in different locations, the location of the negative ions functioning as a very inefficient ground point in effect.The possible geophysical sources of energy input to the body discussed here, including that of Schumann resonance, were addressed (along with magnetic pulse energy from Reiki and other energy medicine techniques) by one of the current "earthing" pioneers, Dr. James Oschmann, in his books, "Energy Medicine: The Scientific Basis" (2000) and/or "Energy Medicine in Therapeutics and Human Performance" (2003). He recognized even in the earlier book the potentially important role of water in the cellular and extracellular matrix, and discussed in his second book the initial important work of Pollack (2001) and his predecessors on phase-transition processes. In view of the apparent importance of "earthing" as a simple and inexpensive fundamental preventative and curative health modality, and the apparent fundamental role of cellular and extracellular water therein, I find the historical article of physiologist Dr. Ray Peat, "Pathological Science and General Electric: Threatening the Paradigm", rather telling. What a fitting finale to the beautiful and important documentary "The Grounded" to have the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra performing the score to it grounded!

Great, but not too comfortable walking in it. Then again it is an earthing shoe so it is designed for earthers.