Crystal healing
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Crystal healing is a
In one method, the practitioner places crystals on different parts of the body, often corresponding to chakras; or else the practitioner places crystals around the body in an attempt to construct an energy grid, which is purported to surround the client with healing energy. Scientific investigations have found no evidence that such "energy grids" actually exist, and there is no evidence that crystal healing has any greater effect upon the body than any other placebo.
Where the practice is popular, it fosters commercial demand for crystals, which can result in
History
Origins
In Plato's account of Atlantis, crystal healing is also mentioned. According to Plato, the Atlanteans used crystals to read minds and transmit thoughts.[6] The Sumerians purportedly used crystals in their magical formulas 6000 years ago.[7]
Ancient Egyptians mined for
The
Precious stones have been thought of as objects that can aid in healing—in a practice known as lapidary medicine—by a variety of cultures.[12] The Hopi Native Americans of Arizona use quartz crystals to assist in diagnosing illnesses.[13] Both Pliny the Elder and Galen claimed that certain crystals had medicinal properties. In Europe, the belief in the healing powers of crystals (and in particular crystal amulets) persisted into the Middle Ages.[14][15] The alleged medicinal properties of precious stones, as well as other powers they were believed to hold, were collected in texts known as lapidaries, which remained popular in Medieval and Early Modern Europe until the 17th century.
Across cultures, different stones can symbolize or provide aide for different things. An example of this is
Contemporary use
New Age
In the English speaking world, crystal healing is heavily associated with the
Sales and industry
Worldwide, retail sales of crystals were estimated to amount to more than US$1 billion per year in 2019.[5][19]
India, China, Brazil, and Madagascar are the main producers of crystals.[5] In Madagascar, one of the sources of crystals, most crystals are mined in unsafe, non-industrial or "homemade" mines, with parents and children working together to dig crystals from pits and tunnels they dig with shovels.[5] The miners are usually paid between 17 and 23 cents per kilogram for rose quartz (less than a penny per ounce).[5] The miner's income may be just 0.1% of the final retail price.[5] Some people in the industry say that the low pay for miners is because customers in developed countries want low retail prices; others say that it is due to shops in developed countries wanting to be more profitable.[5][19]
Scientific evaluation
There is no
In 1999, researchers French and Williams conducted a study to investigate the power of crystals compared with a placebo. Eighty volunteers were asked to meditate with either a
Crystal healing effects could also be attributed to confirmation bias (which occurs when the believers want the practice to be true and see only things that back up that desire).[22]
Crystal healing techniques are also practiced on animals, although some veterinary organizations, such as the
Crystal healing proponents and
See also
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0-313-35507-3
- ^ Carroll, Robert Todd. "Crystal Power". The Skeptic's Dictionary. Archived from the original on January 11, 2012. Retrieved January 14, 2012.
- ^ a b c "Live Science". Live Science. June 23, 2017. Archived from the original on May 14, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
- ^ "Crystal Therapy". Archived from the original on February 14, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
- ^ from the original on May 15, 2020. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
- ISBN 0-7472-5156-8.
- ^ Palermo, Elizabeth (June 23, 2017). "Crystal Healing: Stone-Cold Facts About Gemstone Treatments". livescience.com. Archived from the original on May 14, 2020. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
- ^ a b "Connecting with Ancient Egypt". Crystal Life. July 23, 2015. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "Ancient Egyptian Amulets". Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
- ^ "crystal | Origin and meaning of crystal by Online Etymology Dictionary". www.etymonline.com. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
- ^ Shashkevich, Alex (August 9, 2018). "Stanford scholar tackles the history of people's obsession with crystals". Stanford News. Stanford University. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
- ^ ISBN 9781845456726. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
- PMID 11614178.
- ^ "Early Medieval Crystal Amulets: Secular Instruments of Protection and Healing." Medievalists.net, June 29, 2011. http://www.medievalists.net/2011/06/early-medieval-crystal-amulets-secular-instruments-of-protection-and-healing/ Archived October 19, 2021, at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ "Symbolic Virtues of Gems." Dress, Jewels, Arms and Coat of Arms: Material Culture and Self-Representation in the Late Middle Ages. Central European University. Accessed September 13, 2019. http://web.ceu.hu/medstud/manual/SRM/symbol.htm Archived October 24, 2018, at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ "Rose Quartz History and Lore". Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
- PMID 16078904.
- ^ S2CID 37051800. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
- ^ a b Wiseman, Eva (June 16, 2019). "Are crystals the new blood diamonds?". The Guardian. Guardian News & Media Limited. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-60590-735-2"There is no scientific evidence that crystal healing has any effect. It has been called a pseudoscience. Pleasant feelings or the apparent successes of crystal healing can be attributed to the placebo effect or cognitive bias—a believer wanting it to be true."
- ^ Stenger, Victor J. (May 8, 2016). "The Energy Fields of Life". Archived from the original on May 8, 2016. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
- PMID 8418412.
- ^ "Warning about animal 'therapies'". BBC News. February 12, 2008.
- from the original on July 1, 2020. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
- Forbes.com. Archivedfrom the original on May 27, 2021. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
Other recommendations from Glastonbury? People should use Shungite, a mineral which is said to have healing powers that one "healing crystal" company says "span the board from purity to protection.
- ^ Bucci, Nino (October 30, 2020). "Conspiracy theorists forced to apologise for calling Victorian youth leader a Covid 'crisis actor'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on May 27, 2021. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
Fernandez claims Facebook warned him his account would be restricted for posting misinformation to his page, which he also uses to promote cryptocurrency opportunities and sell shungite, a crystal which he claims prevents the effects of 5G.
- ^ Song, Victoria (March 3, 2021). "5G Conspiracy Theories Are Fueling an Entire Economy of Scammy Gadgets". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on May 27, 2021. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
There isn't much scientific evidence backing these claims, and researching shungite primarily brings up New Age-y articles spewing quackery, with no citations to actual studies or research. The 5G stickers supposedly generate some kind of shield to protect you from 5G waves. Let us be clear: A sticker that claims to generate any type of radiation-blocking shield is pure science fiction.
- ^ McGowan, Michael (February 24, 2021). "How the wellness and influencer crowd serve conspiracies to the masses". The Guardian. Archived from the original on June 9, 2021. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
[Fernandez] flits between long screeds about vaccinations and claims that Covid-19 is a hoax to selling products that he claims protect users from electromagnetic fields that conspiracy theorists believe are emitted by 5G towers. A shungite pyramid crystal will protect a radius of "approximately 6–7 metres", his website claims, and costs $226, reduced from $256.
Further reading
- Lawrence E. Jerome. (1989). Crystal Power: The Ultimate Placebo Effect. ISBN 978-0-87975-514-0