Crystal vibrations ... what's the deal?

Question

This one really bugs me. I get accused of being a spiritual materialist because my questioning if crystals have an effect on the body from a physics point of view.
The nervous system communicates in frequencies and there are frequencies in crystals. So wouldn't it make sense that they have an effect on the nervous system somewhere along the line? Or at least in a proportion of people.
My mineral dealer told me once that the vibrations are on a quantum level and the machinery needed to measure it is just not freely available to the enthusiast. So what's the deal?
Myself i hold amethyst over fresh bruises (my nan thought me that) and it seems to contain the bruise and reduces the size of the area that is sore. It also prevents the bruise from eventually turning all colours of the rainbow as it fades. This is tried and tested since i am very good at walking into the kitchen gate at home.
Any enlightened physicists like to share some thoughts with me on the subject?

With crystals i mean minerals with a crystal lattice structure btw.

What about the amethyst and its obvious physical beneficial effect on a fresh bruise? (on my thigh anyway, i swear that kitchen gate knob is lethal)

asimovll: Did you realize 1 in 4 Brits suffers from a mental condition? The American figure is pretty similar. Some go cuckoo and others crack up. Same difference to me ...

Answer 1

Actually your mineral dealer is right. In any crystalline structure there are vibrations that physicists refer to as phonons. It is a quantum effect. If you are generally interested, look into solid state physics. But this is not unique to mineral crystals, metals which also have a crystalline structure do the same thing, in fact anything with a crystalline structure.

These phonons are responsible for transferring of thermal energy and are also responsible for metals expanding when heated. You can even have groups of atoms vibrate together at acoustic frequencies and these are called acoustic phonons. Phonons exhibit the same wave/particle duality of other quantum effects, like photons.

Can these phonons communicate with you body. I doubt it. Phonons are generally reflected when they hit the surface of a crystal. Even if they did manage to make their way to your body, you would need something to match the frequency or the energy would be lost as heat. There are also phonons on the surface called...you guessed it, surface phonons.

No matter what type of phonon, you would need something that could vibrate at that specific frequency or the energy would be dispersed as heat. In addition I find it hard to believe that the energy from these phonons is large enough to really do anything physiologically.

Answer 2

Well seems like this has been answered well. So, we have heard that crystals have vibrations. We found out that the nervous system communicates with polerized electro-chemical reactions (and not really in frequecies).

So, want can I add? Well, the level of energy. The level of energy is not that big in the human system. So you might think that these crystals could effect us. But the cystals only have thermal energy and they are in thermal equalibrium. So, they can gave off frequencies but they absorb then at the same rate. so, theirs no net effect. That's true of any materal that's not hotter or colder then it's environment.

An other comment are the frequencies these would vibrate at. The crystal in most watches run in the millions of cycles a second. So a crystal around your neck is maybe 100, 000. Your nervous system is at least 1000 times slower. So, it seems that things are way different and would have a hard time interaction, even if the crystal was giving off excessive energy.

Now if you believe that it has an effect then the belief is affecting you and that may be real. But the crystal causing a direct effect should be found only by a double blind experiment on a large sample of people. That's assuming the effect is small.

Like others have pointed out, we are bathed in waves. The most powerful are most likely from your computer or from your cell phone, and radio and TV stations. These are much more powerful than a crystal sitting around would give off.

It has been reported that some of hte old silver tooth fillings sometime would come loose and a powerful AM radio station could be heard from the filling. Now their's a wave that directly affected a person.

Answer 3

1)The nervous system doesn’t communicate in frequencies. The nervous system communicates via depolarisation events. While such events have a refractory period the only frequency they have is the occurrence of the stimulus.

2)Even if the nervous system did communicate in frequencies why would that mean that crystals would have any effects? My DVD player communicate sin frequencies too, that doesn’t mean that holding a salt shaker over it makes it work any differently.

3)Do you realise just how common ctryctals are in nature? Your body is already chock full of crystals in your bones and coated with salt crystals on the skin. Why don’t these crystals have any effect? And yes, salt and apatite are both is mineral with a crystal lattice.

4)Your ‘experiments’ at home are useless without some sort of figures and a double blind. Get someone to wrap your crystal in a sock, and also to wrap an equal weight of plaster in a rock. Select one at random to tryo one ach of 10 bruises. Then measure the initial size and the rate of fading. You will find there is absolutely no effect when you don’t know whether the crystal is in use or not.
5)Why is it that mineral dealers always sell amythest and other stones they can use to con suckers out of there money. Why don’t they ever recommend table salt or gypsum that can be bought for 95cents/pound at the local grocery store? Seriously, why isn’t anyone’s inner frequency every attuned to table salt or urea or sea sand or rust or any of the millions of inexpensive “minerals with a crystal lattice structure”?



The deal I that crystal vibrations are a con, a scam, a way to take money from the gullible. They have no basis in fact and the whole thing was made up by beatniks in the late 60s. If it makes you feel good to buy into this psuedo-religion then more power to you, just don’t be fooled into thinking it has any basis in reality.

Answer 4

In all my years of physics classes (ok, 4 years...) I have never heard or read of any special vibrations for crystal structures... all matter vibrates technically (as long at it's above absolute 0) but other than that crystals do NOT have vibrations specific to them. All of the effect is the same as a placebo effect, if you believe in it, then it can work for you. The reason your dealer says the machinery needed is not freely availible is because it's some BS machine that has no scientific basis... crystals heal people, I understand that... I don't believe it's the crystal doing the healing though... it's your mind.

Answer 5

Crystals vibrate.Quartz vibration is proved.Quartz clock itself based on vibrationof quartz due to electical impulse.It is then convereted into movement.Human body has very low level electomagnetic field which may make crystal vibrate.It may be at very small level.The effects of crystals on human being(good or bad)is not proved beyond doubt.It is a matter of belief.
The fact is that if you purchase a crystal and donot get any benefit you will throw away.The money back guarantee is seldom utilised.Sellers take advantage of this mass psychology of throwing away such things and make money.

Answer 6

I am not qualified to give a scientific answer to your question. You are on the right train of thought though. Crystals do vibrate and emit waves. Every thing on and in this planer does interact. Many things are not understood so if someone does not ask questions the answers will never be found. Keep asking and eventually you will get some intelligent replies.

Answer 7

"The piezoelectric effect... does not give crystals healing or protective power, despite the claims of those who use and sell crystals in New Age and neo-pagan occultist shops. However, wearing crystals seems to give some people a feeling of protection. This, and their aesthetic qualities, seem to be the only virtues of crystal jewelry."

Answer 8

I don't know about all the scientific stuff, but I do keep crystals around my home, and they seem to help heal, and bring good luck to my home, and they will also help to keep evil out of the home.. and this is not an old wives tale !!

Answer 9

Many people don't see the difference between Science and Pseudo Science.

I feel sorry for them.

We are surrounded by all kinds of vibrations. If they affect our body or nervous system, We will go cuckoo. ;=)

Answer 10

I myself do not believe in the effects of crystals, with that said if it works for for then continue uses them. I will drink teas in order to cure this or that. And people will tell me that it doesn't work.