What Is Crystal Therapy?

Crystal therapy is an alternative healing method that uses gemstones and crystals to induce healing. Critics of crystal therapy consider it to be a pseudoscience that uses unscientific methods. Healing, if any at all, is attributed to the placebo effect. Proponents of vibrational medicine, however, regard crystal therapy as a powerful, yet subtle, healing method that utilizes crystalline structures of various minerals to alter the energy patterns within the human body.

Crystal therapy takes a holistic approach to health and disease. Any disturbance of energy flow within the body results in disease and must be corrected. When balance is restored, healing occurs not only on the physical, but also on the emotional and spiritual planes.

Gemstones and crystals fascinated humans in most ancient cultures. Their beauty had a magical appeal. Their rarity elevated them to the symbols of wealth and status. In most ancient cultures they were used in magic rituals, in divination, for healing, and for protection of the living and the dead. They were offered to the gods, used as gifts or as currency, and worn as jewelry.

The first known written reference to the healing properties of crystals, however, comes form an ancient Egyptian papyrus that dates back to around 1550 BC. Lapis lazuli, malachite, and red jasper were to be placed around the neck of a sick person so that the disease could pass through the crystals and then dissipate.

Crystals were mentioned in the Old Testament. The High Priest Aaron wore a breastplate that was adorned with various jewels. They were the symbols of wisdom and were worn for protection.

Sumerians, ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and the Romans, learned how to use gemstones and crystals in magic formulas and for healing. Gems, especially the green jade, were used by the Chinese thousands of years ago. Around 400 BC, the Indians began using crystals in Ayurveda. Their healing properties were also known to the Hopi Indians, the Inuit, and to the Hawaiian Islanders. Australian Aborigines and New Zealand Maoris, Aztecs and the Maya, all used crystals for healing. Interestingly enough, all these cultures attributed similar properties to the same gemstones.

In Europe gemstone therapy was popular during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. A number of medical treatises extolled the healing properties of various gems and crystals. Hildegard of Bingen, Sir John Mandeville, and Arnoldus Saxo used gemstones together with herbs. This practice was forgotten with the onset of the Age of Reason, but revived in the 19th century with the ascent of Spiritualism and the revival of ancient esoteric traditions.

The efficacy of crystal therapy is based on the premise that every living organism constitutes a complex energy system which includes meridians, chakras, and the electromagnetic field known as aura.

Every crystal or gemstone has a different crystalline structure with atoms placed on the crystal lattice in a particular order. The atoms oscillate forming a specific energy pattern. These patterns resonate with the vibrational energies of somatic cells, thus tuning and re-balancing the energy flow in the entire body. A balanced energy flow is a sign of perfect health. Because energetic re-balancing takes place on cellular level, healing is gradual and may take longer periods of time depending on an individual condition.

During a healing session, gemstones and crystals are placed on a body in a special configuration. They work in synergy to enhance the energy flow and to open the energy blockages. More than one session is necessary, especially when energy imbalance manifests itself as a physical symptom or a disease.

The stones can also be placed in homes and other spaces, and carried in pockets or worn on the body during the day for a continuous exposure to the subtle energy of the healing stones. 

The practice of wearing gemstones or placing them on various parts of the body is only one form of therapeutic application of crystals. Preparation of gem elixirs is another.

Gemstone elixirs can prepared to heal wide range of ailments. Cleansed, mostly raw, unpolished gemstones and crystals are placed in a jar of purified water and left for a designated period of time. The water is then consumed for enhanced energetic balancing and detoxification. Elixirs not only use the energetic properties of crystals, but they also take advantage of their mineral content.

Traditionally, pulverized gemstones and crystals were also added to ointments and applied on areas that needed attention. To this day, the Chinese use pulverized pearls in their skincare products.The famous Pearl Cream is believed to have almost miraculous anti-aging properties.

The human body has an incredible potential to heal itself. Vibrational therapies such as chakra balancing or the crystal therapy may not yet be scientifically confirmed, healing effect is considerable when such methods are applied to correct energetic imbalances in the body. And although the possible placebo effect does not necessarily discredit these healing methods, a caution is advised. 

By Dominique Allmon

Dominique Allmon©2011
 

*This article was written for educational purpose only and is not meant to diagnose, treat or cure a disease.

Fear of Suffering

Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself.
And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams…

- Paulo Coelho

Nutrition for a Healthy Heart

The heart is the body's strongest muscle which is not bigger than its owner's clenched fist. It sits in the middle of the chest cavity, between two lungs, well protected behind the breast bone.

A healthy heart contracts and relaxes something between 70 and 80 times per minute. Each heartbeat delivers fresh blood through the four chambers of the heart.

This small organ works without respite, beating approximately 100,000 times a day or about 40 million times a year. It supplies the body with oxygen and nutrients, clearing away, at the same time, all harmful waste.

A strong and healthy heart is absolutely vital for our well being and longevity. Unfortunately, modern lifestyles often have detrimental effects on this organ. Stress, smoking, alcohol abuse, lack of physical activity, unhealthy diet, high blood pressure, and obesity are the major factors contributing to heart disease.

Statistics show that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the industrialized world. Heart disease is also on the rise in the third world countries.

Heart disease includes various conditions affecting the heart, such as the coronary heart disease, heart attack, congestive heart failure, rheumatic heart disease, and congenital heart disease.

People who were diagnosed with heart disease or who have multiple risk factors for developing it, should have their blood tested at least twice a year to monitor their condition. A comprehensive blood test should measure levels of blood lipids, C-reactive protein, homocysteine, fibrinogen, and other important blood markers. Regular blood pressure monitoring is also necessary.

Like many other diseases, heart disease is preventable. Interestingly enough, even the smallest changes in lifestyle reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. While it is not always easy to change long established eating habits, paying attention to what we eat may be life saving. It is a well established fact that foods high in saturated fat and sodium, contribute to heart disease. Replacing such foods with healthier options and adding fresh fruit and vegetable, whole grains, legumes, fish and poultry, will help reduce the risk of developing hart disease.

Among others, heart health protocol should address factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, blood clothing, high blood levels of homocysteine, and vascular inflammation.

Heart healthy diet should include:

• Salmon - excellent source of healthy Omega-3 fatty acids that reduce inflammation and the abnormal blood clotting
• Oats - good source of cholesterol lowering beta-glucans
• Olive oil - well known for its ability to reduce low density lipoprotein or the "bad cholesterol"
• Pomegranate - known to protect the arteries
• Dark leafy green vegetables - excellent source of vitamin K and folic acid. Vitamin K helps decrease calcification of the arteries, while folic acid helps reduce blood levels of the toxic amino acid homocysteine
• Tomatoes - rich in lycopene which is well known for its antioxidant properties
• Garlic - rich in allicin, a compound known for its blood thinning properties
• Whole grains - rich in dietary fiber known for its ability to lower the bad cholesterol
• Apples - rich in flavonoid quercetin which helps reduce inflammation and prevents blood from clotting
• Red wine - source of powerful antioxidant resveratrol
• Almonds - good source of magnesium which regulates the heart rhythm
• Green tea - helps lower the bad cholesterol and relaxes the arteries 

Cardiovascular protocol should also include nutritional supplements that are known for their heart protecting properties:

• Coenzyme Q10 - helps deliver fatty acids into the heart cells thus ensuring proper cell function
• L-carnitine - an amino acid which helps deliver energy sources into the heart cells for proper functioning of the heart muscle
• L-arginine - an amino acid which facilitates the production of nitric acid in the body. Nitric acid enables the muscles in the arterial walls to relax
• L-taurine - an amino acid which helps fortify the contraction of the heart thus enhancing the blood flow from the heart
• Lecithin - helps reduce arterial plaque and lower blood pressure
• Omega-3 essential fatty acids - necessary to reduce the inflammation in blood vessels
• Magnesium - helps relax heart muscle and regulate heart rhythm, prevents angina and controls blood pressure
• Vitamin B6 - necessary for the reduction of the toxic, heart- and blood vessels damaging amino acid homocysteine
• Hawthorn - a clinically tested herb that has the capacity to increase blood flow to the heart and calm the nervous system

Adding the above mentioned foods and supplements to one's diet and increasing overall physical activity are the first steps to a better cardiovascular health. Overweight people will notice some initial weight reduction and should consider further steps to bring their weight to an optimum. People who smoke should seriously consider quitting the heart damaging habit. Those who drink alcohol should reduce their alcohol consumption and consider drinking small amounts of red wine. The pinot noir variety is especially rich in life prolonging and heart saving compound resveratrol. In addition, stress reduction is absolutely necessary if one wants to avoid heart disease.

By Dominique Allmon

*This information is for educational purpose only. It is not meant to diagnose or cure a disease.

Nutrition for a Healthy Heart by Dominique Allmon is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.