Crystal healing still is questionable

On February 5, 2017 I blogged about Can turquoise and other crystals heal fear of public speaking? and concluded it is likely we are fooling ourselves. Recently there has been more on crystals and healing.

At The Guardian there was an article describing where crystals are mined by Tess McClure on September 17, 2019 titled Dark crystals: the brutal reality beyond a booming wellness craze. At Science-Based Medicine on September 18, 2019 there was a serious article by Steven Novella about Crystal Healing which said:

“….Crystal healing has many of the hallmarks of alternative medicine pseudoscience, and is just another manifestation of many common themes. It is a form of energy medicine. Proponents claim that different types of crystals either contain, amplify, attract, or repel different kinds of energy. Like energy medicine in general, we are not talking about any kind of real energy that can be identified or measured by physicists. This energy is not predicted by the standard model of particle physics, and don’t expect the Large Hadron Collider to find any force carrying particles related to crystal energy. There is no Higgs Boson of energy medicine.
The ‘energy’ referred to in energy medicine is purely metaphorical and mythical. Proponents generally claim that it is ‘spiritual’ energy, which is just a way of saying that the energy has no physical properties that can be detected, and is therefore outside the realm of scientific discovery. But at the same time they claim that this mysterious ‘energy’ can affect living things, which is the inherent contradiction at the core of this belief.
Invoking undetectable ‘energy’, without defining it in any testable way, as an explanation is a common tactic of pseudoscience. Types of energy medicine include straight chiropractic, Reiki, acupuncture, therapeutic touch, healing touch, and is a good fallback position for any other treatment lacking a plausible mechanism….”

Also this year there was an episode of The Simpsons about crystal healing titled Crystal Blue-Haired Persuasion. Marge sold crystals at a store called Murmur (whose competitor was a mall kiosk called Plop) before realizing they don’t work. You can read a transcript here and watch video in pieces at YouTube: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5.

My cartoon was Photoshopped from this one of a man and an image of blue lace agate at Wikimedia Commons.   

Can turquoise and other crystals heal fear of public speaking?

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Crystals look pretty and colorful. But can they heal fear? Back on October 4, 2009 I blogged about Crystal Therapy for stage fright? In that post I mentioned a suggestion that you hold a crystal (like Golden Topaz) in your hand, wear it as a pendant, or drink water it had soaked in (gem water or gem essence). Of course there also is crystal massage (the art of rubbing people with pebbles).  

On January 15, 2017 a blog post by Edzard Ernst titled Crystal healing “empowers us to lead a more meaningful life “ quoted a web site called Beliefnet which mentioned that turquoise could calm public speaking nerves. A web page there by Wesley Baines titled 9 Powerful Healing Stones and What They Can Do For You had said:  

“As a healer, turquoise is powerful, giving peace to the spirit and well-being to the body. This stone induces a sense of serenity, keeping physically harmful stress and inflammation at bay. Holding turquoise can bring back focus and restore vitality.

Turquoise is also a stabilizer, and can calm the nerves when working on a difficult problem, or when performing or speaking in public. It is known for its effectiveness in alleviating the fear of flying.”

I searched Google to find where this claim first appeared. A tourist attraction called The Turquoise Museum in Albuquerque, New Mexico had a web page about The Healing Powers of Turquoise that said:

“In the world of crystal healing, Turquoise is supposed to be a stone of communication. New Age healers recommend it for people who have a fear of public speaking. They believe it has the ability to make a speaker more eloquent, loving, creative and honest. But it is also improves the mental state overall by increasing all of the following positive mental characteristics: serenity, creativity, empathy, positive thinking, sensitivity, intuition, happiness wisdom all of which result in a calmer state that leads to greater self-realization. It is also considered a stone of friendship. As a communication stone, the New Age believers say that it opens up the connections between friends and allowing love to flow in those communications, which strengthens the friendship bond. Further, they believe it has the power to strengthen convictions, courage and personal power.”

What other crystals have been claimed to help?

Blue lace agate is one. New Moon Beginnings sells an Anger and Stress Relief Gemstone Set where it is described:

“As a support crystal, Blue Lace Agate assists those who fear speaking in public or sharing thoughts and ideas with strangers. It is a great stone for those who communicate for a living, such as workshop directors, lecturers, teachers, or anyone who must connect in a clear, intelligent manner. Blue Lace Agate also tranquilizes and relaxes the mind of executives, and calms stress in postal workers.”

The Natural Healing Shop web page on The properties of Crystals discusses Celestite Blue and Tiger Eye Blue: 

“Celestite is a powerful healing crystal. Bringing mental calm and clarity in the midst of any chaotic circumstance. Celestite can relieve stress, anxiety and obsessive behaviours. Its energy will alleviate any type of stage fright or nervousness. Celestite gives courage to those who suffer from agoraphobia (fear of crowds) or public speaking.” 

“If you are nervous about giving a presentation or speaking in public, keeping a piece of Tumbled Blue Tiger Eye in your pocket can help relax your Throat Chakra, clear any blockages, and form a strong connection with the Brow Chakra, allowing for easier access to the intuition. It enables one to expand their horizons, often leading to better opportunities.”

Hibiscus Moon has a web page on 4 Totally Rockin’ Ways to use Crystals for Fear and Anxiety which mentions Chrysocolla:

“Chrysocolla – this stone has a very feminine & soothing vibration. It gently calms your heart chakra when its beating with fear. It will also give you more confidence when you’re gripped with fear when having to communicate to others your needs or when you simply need some security in social situations of any sort. It’s a great one to keep in your pocket when doing any public speaking.”

Goop has a web page on The 8 Essential Crystals which mentions lapis lazuli:

“Have a fear of public speaking? Use lapis lazuli as your worry stone: Hold the stone in your left hand when practicing your speech, the day of your speech, and when it’s your turn to get up to the mic. Let your anxieties release into the stone.”

How about arranging several types of crystals to form a grid?

Crystal Vaults sells a Conquer Fear Grid Kit  - a set that has three types of crystals to be arranged in a hexagonal pattern as shown above:

“THE FOCUS STONE: Before you can conquer your fear, you must accept it. By owning your thoughts and feelings, you have taken the first step in gaining control. Your Focus Stone will be a Blue Chalcedony Crystal. Its soothing light blue rays will surround you with energies of acceptance, faith, and belief.

THE WAY STONES: You must take the action to defeat your fear, but also have confidence and strength in doing so. Your Way Stones will be Crystal Ruby. Their deep red colors will motivate you to take action and have dedication.

THE DESIRE STONES: Your Desire Stones will be Aventurine. Green Aventurine is a Seeker Transformer. Seeker Transformers are talismans used when the desire is to find a way to transform a part of ones life to a more desirable state.  Its dark green rays will aid you in conquering your fear, and will bring the energies of healing, and growth. “

But they don’t take that concept to the next level, which would be arranging those hexagons in an array to tile a surface (as shown above), an idea you can find discussed on Wikipedia under tessellation. (Squares or equilateral triangles also would work).

Does healing with crystals work, or are we just fooling ourselves?

Unfortunately it is likely that we are fooling ourselves.  On May 28, 2006 Jeffrey Shallit posted about Debunking Crystal Healing at his Recursivity blog. He discussed some experiments done by a psychologist, Christopher French reported in 2001.

Kyle Hill also blogged about those experiment on September 11, 2011 in a post at Science-Based Life titled Crystal Healing: Magical Cure or Just a Rock?

More recently on January 20, 2015 Elizabeth Palermo wrote about Crystal Healing: Stone-Cold Facts About Gemstone Treatments at LiveScience. She described how:

“In 2001, French and his colleagues at Goldsmiths College at the University of London presented a paper at the British Psychological Society Centenary Annual Conference in Glasgow, in which they outlined their study of the efficacy of crystal healing.

For the study, 80 participants were asked to meditate for five minutes while holding either a real quartz crystal or a fake crystal that they believed was real. Before meditating, half of the participants were primed to notice any effects that the crystals might have on them, like tingling in the body or warmth in the hand holding the crystal. 

After meditating, participants answered questions about whether they felt any effects from the crystal healing session. The researchers found that the effects reported by those who held fake crystals while meditating were no different than the effects reported by those who held real crystals during the study. 

Many participants in both groups reported feeling a warm sensation in the hand holding the crystal or fake crystal, as well as an increased feeling of overall well being. Those who had been primed to feel these effects reported stronger effects than those who had not been primed. However, the strength of these effects did not correlate with whether the person in question was holding a real crystal or a fake one. Those who believed in the power of crystals (as measured by a questionnaire) were twice as likely as non-believers to report feeling effects from the crystal.

‘There is no evidence that crystal healing works over and above a placebo effect,’ French told Live Science. ‘That is the appropriate standard to judge any form of treatment. But whether or not you judge crystal healing, or any other form of [complementary and alternative medicine], to be totally worthless depends upon your attitude to placebo effects.’ "

Wikipedia and the Rational Wiki have articles on Crystal Healing that mention some other references.

An image of gem pebbles came from Wikimedia Commons.  

The joy of how stuff works

I’ve been enjoying reading Professor Mark Miodownik’s new book Stuff Matters, which is subtitled Exploring the Marvelous Materials that Shape Our Man-Made World. He does an excellent job of telling personal stories about ten very different materials, and then ties them together with a synthesis. His chapters are titled:

Indomitable (steel)
Trusted (paper)
Fundamental (concrete)
Delicious (chocolate)
Marvelous (aerogel)
Imaginative (cellulose nitrate and plastics)
Invisible (glass)
Unbreakable (diamond and carbon)
Refined (china and ceramics)
Immortal (biomedical materials)
Synthesis

On page 6 of the first chapter about steel and other metals he says that:

“It may be odd to think that metals are made of crystals, because our typical image of a crystal is of a transparent and highly faceted gemstone such as a diamond or emerald. The crystalline nature of metals is hidden from us because metal crystals are opaque, and in most cases microscopically small. Viewed through a electron microscope, the crystals in a piece of metal look like crazy paving, and inside those crystals are squiggly lines - these are dislocations. They are defects in the metal crystals, and represent deviations in the otherwise perfect crystalline arrangement of the atoms - they are atomic disruptions that shouldn’t be there. They sound bad, but turn out to be very useful. Dislocations are what make metals so special as materials for tools, cutting edges, and ultimately the razor blade, because they allow the metal crystals to change shape.

You don’t need to use a hammer to experience the power of dislocations. When you bend a paper clip, it is in fact the metal crystals that are bending. If they didn’t bend, the paper clip would be brittle and snap like a stick. This plastic behavior is achieved by the dislocations moving within the crystal. As they move they transfer small bits of material from one side of the crystal to the other. They do this at the speed of sound. As you bend a paper clip, you are causing approximately 100,000.000,000,000 dislocations to move at a speed of thousands of hundreds of meters per second. Although each one only moves a tiny piece of the crystal (one atomic plane in fact) there are enough of them to allow the crystal to behave like a super-strong plastic rather than a brittle rock.”

Professor Miodownik illustrates those two paragraphs with a simple sketch. (There are obviously severe economic limits on how you can illustrate a book). Some readers may be surprised to find that metals are crystals.

One place where you can see large metal crystals is on a hot-dip galvanized (zinc coated) steel product, like the corrugated beam guard rail shown above by the north side of Crescent Rim Drive in Boise.

To understand how dislocations move a little bit of a crystal at a time, think about moving a rug on your living room floor a few feet to the left. As shown above, one way is to grab the left end and pull all of it at once. Another is to kick the right end to create a bump, and then push the bump along.

The bump on a rug is a local disturbance or defect, like a dislocation. Gliding a dislocation from right to left as shown above (by the downward pointing red arrow), eventually moves one atomic plane across a crystal.  

In the last chapter Miodownik has a drawing that describes six scales ranging down from human to atomic. I’ve summarized it above in a table. When I described how stainless steels work, I used a similar set of scales with explicit powers of ten.

The schematic dislocation image came from Wikimedia Commons.

Crystal therapy for stage fright?

There is lots of curious advice in books and on the web on ways to treat stage fright. Some of it even involves the use of crystals or gemstones.

In his book, The Healing Crystal First Aid Manual, Michael Gienger says on page 195 that:

“Golden Topaz is the best crystal for last minute nerves such as stage fright or before an important interview, examination, etc. It helps one feel secure and self-confident, strengthens the ability to express oneself and helps facing up to public appearances in a relaxed way.

Hold a crystal (Chrysoberyl or Golden Topaz) or a raw or tumbled stone (Amber or Magnesite) in the hand for immediate effect; or wear as a bracelet, necklace or pendant for a longer period.

Alternatively, take gem essence (3-7 drops, 3 times daily), or gem water (100 to 200 ml taken in small sips during the course of the day).”

If this doesn’t work, then it must be your fault, because you just have not properly cleansed or recharged the crystals.

What is the difference between gem essences and gem waters? On page 25 Gienger says that:

“Gem water is made by placing crystals in water for a period of time ranging from a few hours to a number of days. Gem essences, on the other hand, are made by placing crystals in water or alcohol for a longer period, or by means of special procedures that differ from one producer to the other.”

How does crystal therapy work? On page 26 Gienger says that:

“The effects of the crystals described in this book are not chemical, but come about through a transmission of the crystal’s own internal “information”. Crystal healing is therefore an information-therapy, rather like homeopathy, Bach flower remedies, or aromatherapy. The outer, practical applications of the crystals and the consumption of gem water, gem essences or preparations that do not contain the actual substances, or only in extremely diluted form, are sufficient in themselves to obtain the necessary healing effects.”

Of course, just after the title page is a Publisher’s note (a very broad disclaimer) which says that:

“The information in this volume has been compiled according to the best of our knowledge and belief, and the healing properties of the crystals have been tested many times over. Bearing in mind that different people react in different ways, neither the publisher nor the author can give a guarantee for the effectiveness or safety of use in individual cases. In the case of serious health problems please consult your doctor or naturopath.”

If they don’t really believe it, then why should you or I?