Fact Check: Can grounding cure heart attack?

Does Grounding cure heart attack?

Claim: A reel on the social media site Instagram claims that that grounding can Cure Heart Attacks, Angina and Stroke. The reel suggests that grounding a person experiencing a heart attack will allow them to survive and prevent death. It states that "If you see someone having a heart attack or stroke, understand that in that moment a certain part of their heart or brain is not recieving enough oxygen which is damaging. Well, what does oxygen do? Oxygen accepts electrons! But so does the ground! ".

"If you ground them, they can survive without oxygen and won't die! This is the cure for heart attacks and stroke!," the reel goes on to claim

 It claims this method is a cure for heart attacks and strokes. The link to the video is here.

Fact Check:

The Claim is FALSE.

What is heart attack?

According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, "A heart attack, also called a myocardial infarction, happens when a part of the heart muscle doesn’t get enough blood. Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the main cause of heart attack. A less common cause is a severe spasm, or sudden contraction, of a coronary artery that can stop blood flow to the heart muscle."(1) Some risk factors for heart attack include smoking, consuming a high-fat diet, having diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure (hypertension), and being overweight or obese.

How prevalent is Heart attack?

Globally, around 110 million men and 80 million women have coronary heart disease. (2) Coronary heart disease prevalence rates in India have been estimated over the past several decades and have ranged from 1.6% to 7.4% in rural populations and from 1% to 13.2% in urban populations(3) An estimated 17.9 million people died from CVDs in 2019, representing 32% of all global deaths. Of these deaths, 85% were due to heart attack and stroke. (4)

Symptoms and first aid:

Responding to the question on how to identify a heart attack and what needs to be done as first aid, Dr Manav Agarwal, Interventional Cardiologist, Sanjeevan Hospital in Darya Ganj, Delhi, "Recognizing the signs of a heart attack is crucial for timely intervention. Symptoms typically include chest pain or discomfort, often radiating to the arms, back, neck, jaw, or stomach, along with shortness of breath, nausea, cold sweats, dizziness, and fatigue. If someone shows these symptoms, one needs to immedaitely rush to a nearest hospital and get an ECG done."

" Time is absolutely critical in the context of a heart attack because the heart muscle starts to die within minutes of blood supply disruption due to a blocked artery," explained Dr Manav.

"The 'golden hour'—the first hour after the onset of symptoms—is when interventions like clot-busting drugs or angioplasty are most effective. Acting swiftly can drastically reduce heart damage and prevent severe complications like heart failure or arrhythmias. Immediate treatment not only enhances survival rates but also preserves heart function, significantly improving the patient's quality of life post-attack. Remember, each minute counts because 'time is muscle' in cardiac care," he added 

What does grounding on earth mean?

Grounding (also known as earthing) refers to the discovery that bodily contact with the Earth's natural electric charge stabilises physiology at the deepest levels, reduces inflammation, pain, and stress, improves blood flow, energy, and sleep, and generates greater well-being. (5)

Does grounding on Earth stop heart attacks?

No grounding on Earth does not stop heart attacks. There is no such evidence to this claim

Having said that some studies have shown the benefits of grounding on cardiovascular health.

A study by Chevalier G reported, “ Grounding increases RBCs' surface charge, thereby reducing blood viscosity and clumping. It appears to be one of the simplest yet most profound interventions for reducing cardiovascular risk and cardiovascular events.” (6)

Similarly, a study by Oschman JL et al. reported, “Grounding reduces pain, alters the numbers of circulating neutrophils and lymphocytes, and affects various circulating chemical factors related to inflammation”. (7) Despite these studies, there is no evidence or consensus that grounding can prove beneficial while the onset of symptoms of heart attack or act as a cure. 

Speaking to the Medical Dialogues team, Dr Prem Agarwal, Cardiologist, founder, and Managing Director of Sanjeevan Hospital, New Delhi, clarified, " Grounding or earthing, which involves making physical contact with the Earth's surface, does not stop heart attacks. No scientific evidence supports the idea that it can prevent, treat, or stop a heart attack. A heart attack occurs when blood flow to a part of the heart muscle is blocked, typically by a clot in the coronary arteries. This blockage damages the heart muscle, and immediate medical intervention is crucial to restore blood flow and minimize heart damage. Grounding while heart attack can lead to waste of precious time and hence be fatal. The patient needs immediate medical attention; hence should be rushed to the hospital, and an ECG should be performed."

Medical Dialogues Final Take:

No grounding does not stop a heart attack. Relying on grounding as a treatment for heart attacks or strokes could result in significant harm due to the delay in effective, evidence-based medical interventions. Hence, the claim is FALSE.

References:

1. https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/heart_attack.htm

2. https://www.bhf.org.uk/-/media/files/for-professionals/research/heart-statistics/bhf-cvd-statistics-global-factsheet.pdf?rev=f323972183254ca0a1043683a9707a01&hash=5AA21565EEE5D85691D37157B31E4AAA#:~:text=It's%20estimated%20around%20200%20million%20people%20are%20living%20with%20coronary%20heart%20disease.&text=Globally%20around%20110%20million%20men,women%20have%20coronary%20heart%20disease.&text=Coronary%20heart%20disease%20kills%20an,the%20world's%20single%20biggest%20killerr.

3. Gupta R, Joshi P, Mohan V, Reddy KS, Yusuf S. Epidemiology and causation of coronary heart disease and stroke in India. Heart. 2008;94:16–26.

4. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cardiovascular-diseases-(cvds).

5. 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,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2019.10.005.

6. Chevalier G, Sinatra ST, Oschman JL, Delany RM. Earthing (grounding) the human body reduces blood viscosity-a major factor in cardiovascular disease. J Altern Complement Med. 2013 Feb;19(2):102-10. doi: 10.1089/acm.2011.0820. Epub 2012 Jul 3. PMID: 22757749; PMCID: PMC3576907.

7. Oschman JL, Chevalier G, Brown R. The effects of grounding (earthing) on inflammation, the immune response, wound healing, and prevention and treatment of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. J Inflamm Res. 2015 Mar 24;8:83-96. doi: 10.2147/JIR.S69656. PMID: 25848315; PMCID: PMC4378297.