Comments | dolorous_ett: Do you believe in the healing power of crystals?

dolorous_ett

Do you believe in the healing power of crystals?

Feb 20, 2009 15:41

Poll
I had a real rant prepared on a related subject, but I thought I'd better see how the land lay first!

o rly?, poll

Comments 38

nineveh_uk February 20 2009, 15:55:49 UTC

Were the crystals mined by elves?

the_reda February 20 2009, 15:59:16 UTC

You made me snort tea. On my laptop. You win.

dolorous_ett February 23 2009, 15:41:14 UTC

I don't see why not. Would it help?

(where do you get this stuff? It isn't even Norwegian!)

nineveh_uk February 23 2009, 17:04:48 UTC

I think that one was just in the paper. But the general answer is that I will read anything, and that I have a good memory!

ignipes February 20 2009, 16:08:21 UTC

It depends on what you mean by "basis in science," because what we think of as science changes all the time. Lots of times things work even before we understand the science behind them - in the middle ages nobody knew that willow bark tea contained anti-inflammatory chemicals, but that didn't stop them from using it to ease pain. And lots of things that supposedly have a strong basis in science - see all fad diets, for example - don't work for a variety of reasons.

Crystals, however, that's just silly. ;)

dolorous_ett February 23 2009, 15:42:43 UTC

And lots of things that supposedly have a strong basis in science - see all fad diets, for example - don't work for a variety of reasons.

But is that really a strong basis in science, or is it more like cherry-picking, or using scientific terminology for something that's basically made up?

Crystals, however, that's just silly. ;)

Well, you ought to know! Not that they aren't miraculous in their own, geological way, of course...

ignipes February 23 2009, 15:52:05 UTC

I hate to break it to you, but science and scientists very often get things very, very wrong even when they're doing everything properly, and it's not always because they're making things up. It's because the entire point of science is about working with things that aren't fully understood. It's true in every field, but it's especially true in medicine. There's a reason thousands of treatments are developed every year but only a handful of them make it past all the trials and tests, and of those that make it past all the trials, quite a lot of them are later discovered to be not quite what they're thought to be.

dolorous_ett February 23 2009, 15:55:34 UTC

Oh, I completely agree. If they understood it all already, there'd be precious little point in doing the reseach!

But at the same time, there are a lot of people about who pinch scientific terminology and use it for spurious justification for their quack remedies (such as "Dr" Gillian McKeith) - that's a completely different kettle of fish, and something far worse, in my view.

tree_and_leaf February 20 2009, 16:10:02 UTC

To clarify my response - I think it's quite possible that there are some 'alternative' remedies that work - I'm thinking of herbs, for instance - but they would work for 'scientific' reasons, even if no-one has yet understood the mechanism. That does not, however, mean that I'd be happy taking things which have not been properly tested and when it's not clear what strength the dose is. I'll believe in the healing power of crystals when I see the peer-reviewed evidence.

I do believe in the possibility of miracles of healing- but that's not the same thing as alternative medicine and could not be used as a regime of treatment... I also doubt that God is going to miraculously cure my headache when he gave me perfectly good aspirin/ paracetemol/ ibuprofen for the purpose....

I tried homeopathic pills for hay fever a couple of times. They didn't work.

dolorous_ett February 23 2009, 15:44:43 UTC

I do believe in the possibility of miracles of healing- but that's not the same thing as alternative medicine and could not be used as a regime of treatment... I also doubt that God is going to miraculously cure my headache when he gave me perfectly good aspirin/ paracetemol/ ibuprofen for the purpose....

If we ever meet face to face, I would like very much to talk to you some more about this way of thinking - but without being able to pick up on visual cues of when I'm causing offence (so easily done here) I don't dare.

themolesmother February 20 2009, 16:18:30 UTC

I have tried Chinese Herbal Medicine, which did help control the symptoms of uterine fibroids for a while. I've also had acupuncture, which was very relaxing but didn't really do anything else for me.

When it comes to my cancer I'll take all the most up to date pharmaceuticals my oncologist is prepared to throw at me. There's a word for people to who try and treat this disease with alternative therapy, and that's "dead".

MM

dolorous_ett February 23 2009, 15:48:08 UTC

There should be a special hell for people who try to get the sick to abandon conventional, up to date treatment that works in favour of something that is at best untested and based on superstition. Even if they genuinely believe in this stuff instead of being out to exploit the sick, it's still a scummy thing to do.

Nice of you to drop by, by the way - I hope things are well with you.

malinbe February 20 2009, 17:11:32 UTC

There's this thing with me and that sort of stuff: One half absolutely refuses to believe in anything- from crystals to religion. There's nothing beyond the physical word, and faeries are as unrreal as god. Then there's another half of me that thought seriously about converting to wiccan a couple of years ago (it was too much trouble ( ... )

dolorous_ett February 23 2009, 15:52:04 UTC

I don't think you're crazy - I think you're searching harder for answers than most people, which has to be a good thing, surely?

I've had someone do qigong on my stomach. I was very sick, and under a lot of strain, but I swear I could feel things moving around, and he didn't even touch me. And I'm about as sceptical about things like this as you can get. So I do know what you mean.