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Hey, welcome back to another episode of
Hey Alexia, What's Trending?
Over the past year, people have been trying to come up with ways
to cope with the state of our world,
like if you watched my last video,
chess has become a really popular way to cope
with the lack of social interaction.
And as I've been scrolling through my
I couldn't help but notice another very aesthetically
pleasing way of coping, and that would be... crystals.
Crystal healing has become so popular
that there's even a side of
that's specifically dedicated to this trend.
There's tons of videos
talking about crystals for beginners,
spotting real and fake crystals,
or people just showing off their collection.
This trend is so aesthetically pleasing,
so you know I have to jump on it.
This is quartz.
Promotes forgiveness and self acceptance,
brings peacefulness and love to relationships,
and a very good stone for family and friendship.
I think that this is a very good one to get during the pandemic
because you're stuck with your family and you need
all the love they can get so you don't get annoyed by them.
I've seen before that, like, you can like
transmit energy through like two of these.
You put one facing into you like this and I'm facing out.
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This is amethyst. This one is really cool.
Look how pretty that is.
Apparently, it's supposed to, like,
increase the vivi --
the, like,
the vividity. I don't know,
it's supposed to make your dreams more vivid.
Even if it doesn't work, it's still cool.
Like, look how -- they're so pretty.
I decided to investigate further into this trend
to see if there's any scientific evidence behind
crystal healing or if it's just a placebo effect.
And if we can draw any parallels between
modern science and crystal healing.
Do you know kind of where crystal healing
or the idea of crystal healing originated from?
Well, the earliest mention that we have
of people using crystals for their magical abilities
is from ancient times.
And we're talking as far back as 4,500 B.C.
with ancient Sumerians using them in their magical formulas.
And in terms of crystal healing,
we have stories about this from ancient Egypt,
around 3,000 B.C.,
where Egyptians would use them for both
the living and the dead for protection and health.
So, for example, they would decorate themselves
and their mummies with amulets, which are these
small pieces of jewelry, like rings or necklaces,
that people think protect them from danger or disease.
So when we think about
the modern philosophy of crystal healing,
we think it comes from the Buddhist or Hindu ideas
of chakras and the Chinese concept of chi,
which have to do with channelling and changing
your body centres of life energy.
And so today, people across the world,
from the UK to India to Native Americans in the US,
use crystals as part of their spiritual
and traditional practices.
You mentioned chakras and I know that there's
like all kinds of different chakras,
like the crown chakra, heart chakra.
How does that kind of tie in with now
modern medicine and modern science?
You know, we understand that
different people have different ideas,
but the concept of chakras doesn't really
fit well in that model.
And so in terms of actual science behind crystals
and how they might influence these chakras,
I wish there was evidence.
But unfortunately, there isn't really any
verified science that proves that crystals themselves
help with pain or illness.
So, I mean, I'm a doctor
and I have a degree in human biology.
In order to recommend something to my patients,
it has to have a certain amount of evidence
and research behind it.
And as far as I know, there aren't really any
well-designed scientific studies
showing that crystals have these special healing properties.
You know, you or other people who are
watching this might be thinking,
"But when I do hold or when I do wear
"or focus on my crystals, I feel better
and I feel like it does help".
And a lot of scientists actually think that this
feeling comes down to the placebo effect,
which is the positive effect
that you get from a drug or a treatment
that have nothing to do with the thing itself.
And it's really based on our expectations.
So if you believe that something will happen,
that influences what you notice or feel as a result of
exposing yourself to it.
And in some cases this placebo effect
can be just or almost as strong as the effect
of a real medication.
The only study I know about crystals,
in terms of a scientific study,
that was presented by Dr Christopher French
in the UK in 2001.
Basically they gave 80 volunteers either
a quartz crystal or a fake crystal,
and they asked them to sit and meditate
for five minutes with it.
And it didn't matter if they had a real one or a fake one.
74 out of the 80 people reported that they did feel the buzz
and the tingle that they were told to expect.
And not only that, but people who already believed
in the power of crystals
were twice as likely to say that they felt an effect
even though they were holding a fake crystal.
So because they believed it, they felt it.
And I mean, you know, this is the current
basis of scientific evidence.
If some well-designed studies get published in the future,
I would be totally happy to change my mind about this.
You said that there aren't any scientifically proven
physical effects, but what about
the mental effects that crystals can have on people?
Well, the short answer is there aren't --
there isn't really much evidence showing that
crystals can improve mental health either.
But I have to say that the rituals and practices that
often surround crystal healing, like meditation
or mindfulness or positive thinking,
have been shown to improve your mental health
and even physical health.
And also because crystal healing has become so trendy,
there's this pretty big community of people out there
who believe in the healing powers of crystal and the Earth.
And feeling connected to other people,
which is especially important right now,
can create this sense of belonging and well-being.
And also crystals are beautiful.
Like I have these really cool crystals here,
you know, that my son smashed open
with a hammer from a geode
and it makes me smile whenever I look at it.
And so just like other beautiful things like art or flowers,
crystals can make us happier just by looking at them.
If holding or wearing a crystal makes you feel better,
there's no harm in it. You can keep doing it.
I just don't want people to avoid other forms of healing
and medicine with proven evidence
if they do have a serious medical condition.
What are some other natural like things or natural remedies
that are like scientifically proven to work?
I'm so glad you asked that question,
because there is a more natural kind of medicine
that helps with all kinds of medical conditions
and that medicine is nature.
I'm actually the director of
which is Canada's first national science based
nature prescription program,
where doctors, nurses and other health care professionals
across Canada are actually prescribing doses of nature
to their patients to improve their health.
A lot of people have this intuitive sense that when
they head outside, they feel better,
but there's a huge amount of science
to actually back that up.
So, for example, nature is so powerful that just looking at
pictures of nature on your walls
or having plants inside your home
can improve your mental health.
There was a study that showed that patients who had
surgery at the same hospital who looked out at nature
out their window instead of a brick wall,
actually used less pain medication
and bothered their nurses less often.
And research also shows in terms of kids that kids who
spend time outside in nature develop better eyesight,
they sleep better, they focus better,
and they have less anxiety and depression.
If you're looking for something natural to boost your health
with a ton of evidence behind it,
spend time in nature.
I hope that you have found a healthy way of coping
that you like, and that brings you wellness,
whether that's collecting crystals,
playing chess, baking, or even binge watching
every Harry Potter movie over and over again.
For
I'll see you next time.
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