“If I have seen further, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.”

Sir Isaac Newton

3.1 Magnetism in ancient times

The healing properties of magnets have been known since ancient times. Magnetic therapy treatments were already prescribed in China, Egypt, Greece or India since at least eight centuries before Christ. In the works of Homer, Plato, Aristotle or Galen we can find several references to the use of magnets to treat various diseases. It is also said that Cleopatra, to delay her aging, slept with a magnetic stone on her forehead.
The term magnetism comes from the city of Magnesia on the Meander, in ancient Anatolia where this phenomenon was first noticed by Thales of Miletus. Although Pliny the Elder (23-79 AD) in his work "Natural History" narrated that the name "Imam" derives from Magnes the shepherd , who lived a thousand years earlier in present-day Turkey. This character discovered that the pieces of iron inserted in his sandals were attracted by some types of stones.

Magnets were used by the Chinese to locate the Earth's magnetic north. The instrument they created was a kind of compass with a needle floating on water. Instead of having the cardinal points, it had the Pa-kua with the 8 elements of the Chinese cosmogony, this tool facilitated the application of Feng-shui to harmonize the spaces within a room.
By the year 1190 we already found compasses in Europe, in them the cardinal points were indicated and sometimes a map of the seas and continents known at the time. The first models, like the Chinese compasses, had the needle floating in water, so it is believed that they took the design of the Chinese. Until the year 1300 is when the water is removed and the needle rotates on an axis.

3.2 Paracelsus

In the 15th century the science of magnetism had a great advance thanks to the studies made by the great alchemist, astrologer and physician Paracelsus, who was actually called Theophrastus Phillippus Aureolus Bombastus von Hohenheim. In addition to being considered the father of toxicology, Paracelsus did extensive experiments checking the healing qualities of magnets, being the first to distinguish the different effects on the body when applying the negative or positive pole of a magnet. He was also the first to propose the idea that the entire Earth is a magnetic body. The Swiss doctor gave such importance to magnets that he coined the phrase "The magnet is the King of all secrets".

3.3 Samuel Hahnemann

He was born in Germany in 1755. He is known as the father of homeopathy, a type of therapy that cures under the principle of similars "similia similibus curentur" (treat likes by likes). This brilliant physician also experimented with the use of magnets to treat a large number of health disorders and widely recommended their use.

3.4 Louis Pasteur

French physician (1822-1895) known as the father of microbiology. Thanks to the use of the recently perfected microscope, he was able to discover the existence of microorganisms, such as bacteria, and he understood that they are the cause of a large number of diseases. This led him to invent vaccines and sterilization (pasteurization).

He experimented with placing magnets near a basket full of fruit (as used in the production of alcoholic beverages). With which he was able to verify that magnetic fields accelerate the fermentation process. Now we know, according to Dr. Goiz's principles, it is due to the proliferation of bacteria in alkaline pH.

3.5 Mesmer and animal magnetism

Mesmerism was developed by the Austrian-German physician Franz Mesmer (1734-1815). At first he used electricity, magnets and other elements to carry out healings. Later they were replaced by what he called "animal magnetism", that is, a force transmitted through the same therapist. He proposed the existence of an invisible ether or universal force. Something similar to the prana of the Hindus, or the chi of the Chinese. So in this case it is no longer properly an electro-magnetic force, but a more subtle type of force.

His therapy was a mixture of magnetic passes and hypnosis. Apparently he achieved quite outstanding results because he began to treat many patients. However, his techniques were strongly criticized by the academic community. He is also considered the father of hypnosis.

3.6 Johanes Carl F. Gauss

In 1828 another great scientist was born, Johannes Carl F Gauss , who ventured into various fields such as mathematical analysis, number theory, differential geometry, statistics, algebra, geodesy, optics and magnetism. He was called the "prince of mathematics" and was considered one of the greatest mathematical geniuses of all time. He developed a method to measure the intensity of magnetic fields; hence the unit of measurement of energy in the magnetic field lines are named after him: "Gauss". This great genius has been immortalized as his name has been used to name different things as: the first German expedition to Antarctica, a programming language, an observation tower in Germany, a lunar crater and the international prize for mathematics.

3.7 Otto Heinrich Warburg

Dr. Otto Heinrich Warburg was another celebrated physician, winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine, and director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute (now the Max Plank Institute). His studies focused on the study of cancer by observing that cancer cells succumb to the presence of oxygen. He also verified the relationship between acidosis and oxygen deficiency, which is why cancer is due to an acidosis of the organism, with excess hydrogen ions and oxygen deficiency. To survive in this environment, cells begin to produce energy from the fermentation of sugar (glucose).

3.8 Dr. Royal Raymond Rife

In 1920, Dr. Royal Raymond Rife, pioneer of bioelectrical medicine, was the first to decipher the frequency in which microbes oscillate and how an alteration in this frequency induced from the outside can destroy the microbe without damaging the tissues of the organism. He also described how acidic and alkaline media influence the proliferation of microorganisms. He studied the behavior of viruses in response to the application of opposite charges. That is to say that he, in some way, was the pioneer of biomagnetism, as we understand it today.

3.9 Dr. Demetrio Sodi Pallares

Dr. Demetrio Sodi Pallares (1913 - 2004) developed what he called the "Metabolic Treatment" whose principle is a diet reduced in sodium, in order to release the energy constantly used by the cells of the body in order to regulate osmotic balance through the sodium-potassium pump. Magnetotherapy was also a fundamental element in his treatment; to apply it he resorted to a device capable of producing pulsating magnetic fields. Dr. Demetrio Sodi Pallares had very good results when applying his treatments to patients with heart conditions, cancer and many other acute diseases. His studies show us the importance of maintaining a balance of ions (pH) in our body so that the cells have a greater capacity for regeneration and health, a balance that can be achieved through a proper diet, and currently also with the help of the biomagnetic pair.

3.10 Dr. Richard Broeringmeyer

In the 1970s, Dr. Richard Broeringmeyer, originally from Kentucky, USA, was called in by NASA to solve a problem. Astronauts returning from space missions had the "short leg syndrome"; which consisted that one of his legs had a shortening of between 1 to 3 centimeters - a phenomenon that Dr. Goiz later defined as the “Goiz” pair -. The problem was thought to be caused by exposure to different magnetic fields that astronauts might experience during space missions. Dr. Broeringmeyer focused his studies on the effects of negative or positive poles in the human organism, reaching important conclusions that he exposes in his book "Principles of Magnetic Therapy".

“Life is not possible without electromagnetic fields, and optimal health is not possible if electromagnetic fields are unbalanced for long periods of time. Magnetic energy is the energy of nature in balance ”.

Dr. Broeringmeyer was able to identify the relationship between magnetic fields and the body's pH, and the importance it has for maintaining health: "Only dysfunctions are generated in organs that suffer from pH distortions." The most important discoveries of him, as far as biomagnetism is concerned, we will explain them in more detail in the next lesson.