Search

The reaction shown by the 515 test-subjects (318 female, 197 male) to the so-called "Nordenau-Phenomenon" (meaning an old slate tunnel with an underground source of spring-water, which are said to have a healing effect) was verified. Chronically ill and incurable people have been pilgrimaging there for 6 years (a few hundred daily). The average age of the test-subjects was 66, the length of stay was 6 days (taking 2 tunnelwalks at 30 min. each and consuming 2 litres of water daily). The spring water was seen as a possible active substance, as it possesses the quality of "reduced water" (triple analysis in the Laboratory of Cellular Regulation Technology Kyushu University, Japan). In order to record a picture of the symptoms, a list of complaints based on a complaint questionnaire (Hock. K. and Hess, H., Berlin 1975) was modified and presented in form of a rating-scale in 10 steps. The test-subjects had a choice of 47 different statements to describe the current experienced extent of their respective symptom at the beginning of their stay (Measure Point MP1), at the end of their stay MP2 and after three months MP3, divided into steps of intensity. The most important point concerning the evaluation of this survey is the following: at no time were the examinees asked if they had felt any improvement or deterioration in their condition. Furthermore, it was technically impossible for the testees to draw comparisons between the three test results as they had no access to previous pathological findings. Consequently the examinees had no point of orientation to set the placebo mechanism in motion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]