title: Effect of varying durations of pyramid exposure - an indication towards a possibility of overexposure.
abstract: Miniature replicas modeled after the Great Pyramid of Giza are believed to concentrate geoelectromagnetic energy within their cavities and hence act as antistressors in humans and animals. Although there are not many reports of adverse effects of 'overexposure' in the pyramid, subjects have claimed to feel uneasy after certain duration of staying in the pyramid. The present study was aimed to analyze the effects of prolonged pyramid exposure on plasma cortisol level, markers of oxidative damage and antioxidant defense in erythrocytes of adult female Wistar rats. Rats were divided into three groups, normal controls (NC, n=6) that were maintained under standard laboratory conditions in their home cages, pyramid exposed group-2 (PE-2, n=6) & pyramid exposed group-4 (PE-4, n=6) where the rats were housed under the pyramid for 6 hours/day for 2 weeks and 4 weeks respectively. Plasma cortisol and erythrocyte TBARS levels were significantly lower in both PE-2 and PE-4 rats and erythrocyte GSH levels and GSH-Px activity were significantly higher in them as compared to the NC rats. There was no significant difference in the results for these parameters between the PE-2 and PE-4 rats except for erythrocyte GSH-Px activity which was significantly more in the PE-2 rats than in the PE-4 rats. Although these results don't confirm any adverse effects of prolonged exposure in pyramids, they indicate a possibility of such adverse effects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Melaka Manipal Medical College, International Centre for Health Sciences, Manipal, 576 104 India  ; Department of Biochemistry, Melaka Manipal Medical College, Manipal, 576104 India.
authors.forename: Surekha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bhat
authors.forename: Guruprasad
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.forename: K Dilip
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Murthy
authors.forename: P Gopalakrishna
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Bhat
keywords: Cortisol; Giza pyramid; Glutathione; Glutathione peroxidase; Overexposure; TBARS