In the 1930s an occultist, writer and hardware store owner published a theory that pyramids might have special powers, such as preserving food, sharpening blades and focusing the mind. The theory was picked up by Karel Drbal, a Czech businessman who created a pyramid shaped box for sharpening knives.

The idea of pyramid power might have ended here, if paranormal authors Sheila Ostrander and Lynn Schroeder had not met with Drbal while traveling and written an entire chapter about the theory of pyramid power in their new-age hit “Psychic Discoveries Behind the Iron Curtain.” Pyramid power was now an established part of new-age belief.

Picking up the torch was Ukrainian defense contractor Alexander Golod. Golod’s research on pyramids is bizarre, innovative, and entirely unscientific. Nonetheless he is committed to his work and Golod created a 150-foot-high fiberglass pyramid in Russia to begin his strange experiments. Although he created multiple pyramids, his most notable is an hour outside of Moscow and stands at 150-feet high.

After a number of longitudinal studies, Golod’s research found that the pyramid presence had some serious effects, including increasing the immune system, increasing agricultural yield 30-100%, and decreasing the effects of pathogens and radioactive material. Other organizations such as the International Partnership for Pyramid Research and Pyramid of Life are major proponents of pyramid therapy.

Despite a website claiming scientific support from the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences there is no published scientific evidence to support any of these claims.