Fact Check: NO Evidence 'Earthing' Has Various Health Benefits

Unconfirmed

Did a New York-based health news outlet confirm the benefits of barefoot walking or "earthing"? No, that's not true: "Mercola," cited in a video circulating on social media, is not a credible news outlet, but a website promoting misinformation founded by Joseph Mercola, an osteopathic physician and alternative medicine advocate. Also, it is not based in New York but in Florida.

The claim originated from a video (archived here) published by @user7175631774662 on TikTok on October 27, 2023. It opened (translated from Korean to English by Lead Stories staff):

These are the benefits of barefoot walking, confirmed by New York-based health news <MERCOLA>.

This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:

(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Thu Nov 16 01:19:53 2023 UTC)

MERCOLA is not a reliable health news publication. The website's creator and owner is Dr. Joseph Mercola, known as an active spreader of anti-vaccine misinformation, profiting from misleading claims related to coronavirus vaccines. He promotes the concept of "natural health" instead of contemporary medicine. The headquarters of Mercola.com are in Cape Coral, Florida, not in New York City.

While there are several studies about barefoot walking's positive effects, results are not unanimously confirmed by researchers due to limited evidence. Advocates call barefoot walking "earthing" or "grounding," claiming it provides additional health benefits compared to walking or hiking with your shoes on. There are several research studies advocating for "earthing." However, most of them were conducted by Stephen T. Sinatra and J.L. Oschman, researchers who were linked to an earthing product-selling company. One of their studies in 2012 carried this disclaimer:

G. Chevalier, S. T. Sinatra, and J. L. Oschman are independent contractors for Earthx L. Inc., the company sponsoring earthing research, and own a small percentage of shares in the company.