For 50 years now the Seyferts, a married couple in Bad Schlema, have been making their coffee with "atomic water", as they name it jokingly. The spring water, that contains slight traces of radon, bubbles directly out of the hill and allegedly promotes the growth of indoor plants. Although the use of radon is still controversial, extensive research has proved that radio-active gas can stabilise th..

From the depths of the earth come substances that are used as medicine. Minerals such as salt, sulphur and chalk can have a healing effect on the human organism.In Wielicza, Poland, asthma patients go underground to enjoy the curative effects of the salt. They stay in the former salt mine, now a sanatorium, for up to eight hours. Germany's oldest saline spa, Bad Salzelmen, was opened as early as 1..