DEAR Dr. Fritz,
I hope you have a wonderful day. I am Greta. My friend is encouraging me to use crystals because she told me that they can heal. Although, I am really skeptical about these things and other stuff like salt lamps and magnetic bracelets which people have been touting that can help ease pains, I am really in the brink of giving in because I see some positive signs from my friend out of her using those crystals. But, doc, I wanted to know from your end whether this kind of therapies really work. Or do crystals really work?
I do hope you can help me separate the facts from fallacies regarding this matter. Thank you and may God Almighty continue to pour His blessings on you. I will be patiently waiting for your reply.
Greta, the Great
***
Dear Greta, the Great,
I can see your point here. Of course, these kinds of therapies have been flaunted almost with extreme exaggeration that sometimes, I feel that they can bring the dead back to life.
These therapies are what are often called alternative or complementary therapies. They are outside of the mainstream Western medicine.
Alternative and complementary may seem similar, but they are of two different approaches. Practices that are used together with conventional medicine are called complementary, and ones used instead of conventional medicine are the alternative kind. In my practice, I use complementary medicine to fuse and unite the Eastern and Western medicine. I do acupuncture and giving my patients anti-oxidants along with the usual conventional medicine. With this kind of practice, I see very good responses. Patients heal a lot faster and they get much better easier than if I would just give one side of the medical practice.
Crystal healing has been so famous these days that Google searches
about them have more than doubled in the past five years. This is of course, boosted by endorsements from celebrities both in Hollywood and the local ones. You have Katy Perry, Kate Hudson, and Adele. You can add there Gwyneth Paltrow, Victoria Beckham, Reese Witherspoon and a lot more.
Oh, oh, I would have wanted to start now for the in-depth discussion, but, since we are running of space for now, let me then continue this in my next issue. Until then!
Dr. Fritz
(Dr. Fritz Legarde Espedilla is an aesthetic dermatologist and surgeon and a clinical sexologist. She is also trained in hypnotherapy and medical acupuncture. She has been in the broadcast media for more than a decade and has written a book based on her 15-year stint with her radio program, “Healthy is Sexy Secrets ni Dr. Fritz.” She is also a faculty in a College of Pharmacy. For your questions, you may send them to Dear Dr. Fritz, c/o Sunstar-Davao Publishing Inc., Ebro-Pelayo Building, Jacinto St., Davao City, (former Department of Foreign Affairs office), across Ateneo de Davao University and beside Holy Child School of Davao, or you e-mail them to dokfritz@yahoo.com. If you don’t wish your letter to be published, we regret that we cannot answer them. Thank you for your understanding.)