Geopathology

Key takeaways

Geopathology belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Geopathology to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Geopathology from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Geopathology (also Geopathy) is a pseudoscientific theory that links the Earth's inherent radiation with the health of humans, animals and plants. The term is derived from Greek γεω- (geō-), combining form of γῆ (gê, “earth”) and πάθος (páthos, “suffering”) - ie pathology, widely used to describe infirmities. The term is more widely used in the adjectival form ie 'geopathic' (sometimes 'geopathological') and often linked to 'stress', creating the terms 'geopathic stress' and 'geostress'. Gustav Freiherr von Pohl has been described as the modern 'father' of geopathic stress. von Pohl conducted a study in the Bavarian town of Vilsbiburg in 1929 which purported to link focus points of 'earth-radiation' (ger. Erdstrahlen) with incidence of cancer. Ley lines (a supposition introduced by Alfred Watkins in 1925) have also been suggested to create geopathic stress.

Geopathic stress (GS) It is suggested that the Earth has a natural vibration, but features like underground watercourses, drainage pipes, underground tunnels and even simple geological faults distort this vibration. Such distorted vibrations are held to rise upwards through the Earth's surface and create a pernicious effect on the health and/or behaviour of all biological life. The distortions are amplified during night hours and consequently the impact is greater if the focal point of the adverse radiation is a bedroom, also noting that the subject, during the time of sleep, will be continually located in the path of such radiation.

Published academic papers and research Gerhard W. HACKER; Annabell EDER; Christoph AUGNER; Gernot PAUSER. "Geopathic Stress Zones and Their Influence on the Human Organism" (PDF). www.med-grenzfragen.at. Hacker, Gerhard W.; Pawlak, Elisabeth; Pauser, Gernot; Tichy, Gottfried; Jell, Hermann; Posch, Gabriele; Kraibacher, Günther; Aigner, Alfred; Hutter, Jörg (2005). "Biomedical Evidence of Influence of Geopathic Zones on the Human Body: Scientifically Traceable Effects and Ways of Harmonization". Complementary Medicine Research. 12 (6): 315–327. doi:10.1159/000088624. PMID 16391480. S2CID 10301463. Augner, Christoph; Hacker, Gerhard W.; Jekel, Ilse (June 2010). "Geopathic Stress Zones: Short-Term Effects on Work Performance and Well-Being?". The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 16 (6): 657–661. doi:10.1089/acm.2009.0499. PMID 20569033. S. D. AGHAV, P. S. TAMBADE (2015). "Investigating effects of Geopathic Stress on Health Parameters in Young Healthy Volunteers" (PDF). International Journal of Chemical and Physical Sciences (2319–6602).

External links Geopathic stress: just for the gullible? www.irishexaminer.com Bad vibrations: whats the evidence for geopathic stress? www.theguardian.com

Further reading Rolf Gordon Are You Sleeping In A Safe Place?, 1989 ISBN 9780951401705 Paul Craddock, Geopathic Stress & Electropolution: How to Protect Your Health & Home, 2016 ISBN 9781523937363 Ulrike Banis, Geopathic Stress - and what you can do about it, 2003 ISBN 9783934672062 Robert Egby, The Silent Killer Below: Hunting and Healing Geopathic Stress, 2018 ISBN 9780984866489 Judy Hall, Crystal Prescriptions volume 3: Crystal solutions to electromagnetic pollution and geopathic stress. An A-Z guide, 2014 ISBN 9781782797913 Louise Weidel GEOPATHIC ZONES : Earth Energy Lines & Electosmog Force Fields & Trees, 2002 ISBN 9780007123018 Barry Smith, NOWHERE TO HIDE: Electromagnetic radiation, 2020 ISBN 9798604245989 David Cowan and Rodney Girdlestone, Safe as Houses?: Ill Health and Electro-stress in the Home, 1996 ISBN 9781858600376 Glen Swartwout, Electromagnetic Pollution Solutions, 2012 ISBN 978-1494270285 Freiherr von Pohl, Gustav (1988). Earth Currents: Causative Factor of Cancer and Other Diseases. Frech Verlag. ISBN 978-3772494024. Gregory A Storozuk, Geopathic zones and the iron stake method, 1992 Kaethe Bachler, John M. Living (2007). Earth Radiation. Holistic Intuition Society. ISBN 9780968632352. Thurnell-Read, Jane (2006). Geopathic Stress & Subtle Energy. Life-Work Potential. ISBN 9780954243944. Blanche Merz Die Seele des Ortes. Deren Wirkkraft auf unsere vier Körper (eng. The soul of the place. Effect on our four bodies). Herold, München 1988, ISBN 3-921485-05-3 Later edition: Die Seele des Ortes. Metaphysische Energien und ihre Wirkkraft (eng. The soul of the place. Metaphysical Energy and its Effect). AT, Aarau 2000, ISBN 3-85502-668-8 Ernst Hartmann, Geopathie (eng. Geopathy), Haug Verlag, Ulm/Donau, 1954. Ernst Hartmann, Krankheit als Standortproblem (eng. Illness as a Location Problem), Volume 1, Haug Verlag, Heidelberg, (1. Auflage 1964), 5. Auflage 1986, ISBN 9783776006537 Ernst Hartmann, Krankheit als Standortproblem (eng. Illness as a Location Problem), Volume 2, Haug Verlag, Heidelberg, 1986, ISBN 9783776009118 Gustav Freiherr von Pohl, Erdstrahlen als Krankheits - und Krebserreger, (eng. Earth Currents as Pathogens of Illness and Development of Cancer), 1932; modern edition ISBN 978377244416-6 Hubert Palm, Das gesunde Haus: Unser naher Umweltschutz, (eng. The healthy house; our closest environmental protection) 1975; 1992 edition ISBN 9783876670317

See also Dowsing Electromagnetic radiation and health Geobiology (pseudoscience) Radiesthesia List of topics characterised as pseudoscience

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Geopathology

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Geopathology claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Geopathology before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Geopathology ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Geopathology

In research: Geopathology appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Geopathology in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Geopathology is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Pseudoscience, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Geopathology outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Geopathology in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Geopathology means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Geopathology out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Geopathology in simple terms?

Geopathology (also Geopathy) is a pseudoscientific theory that links the Earth's inherent radiation with the health of humans, animals and plants. The term is derived from Greek γεω- (geō-), combining form of γῆ (gê, “earth”) and πάθος (páthos, “suffering”) - ie pathology, widely used to describe i…

Why does Geopathology matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Geopathology?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Geopathology.