Introduction:

Crystal healing is an alternative medical technique in which crystals and other stones are used to cure ailments and protect against disease. Practitioners of this technique believe that crystals act as conduits for healing allowing positive healing energy to flow into the body as negative, disease-causing energy flows out. 

Despite the fact that crystal healing has seen an upsurge in popularity in recent years, this alternative treatment is not popular with most medical doctors and scientists, many of whom refer to crystal healing as a pseudoscience.

How does it work?

The philosophy of modern crystal healing is based on traditional concepts borrowed from Asian cultures, most notably the Chinese concept of life-energy (chi or qi) and the Hindu or Buddhist concept of chakras, which are vortices of this life-energy, said to connect the physical and supernatural elements of the body.  During a treatment session, a crystal healer may place various stones or crystals on your body aligned with these chakra points, roughly in the regions above the head, on the forehead, on the throat, on the chest, on the stomach, on the gut, and on the genital area. 

Crystal healing also involves the use of crystals and stones worn on the body or placed under pillows to ward off sickness. Crystals are supposed to shed negative energy or absorb positive energy.

Mode of action of crystals:

The conviction behind crystal therapy is that individual stones such as amethyst, rose quartz and jade have the ability to communicate with the energy flow of the human body and help to realign the energy channels that are interrupting the natural flow of the body and help it heal itself. Crystals with specific stones are said to help to relieve specific ailments such as anxiety, depression and insomnia, or more physical ailments such as digestive problems.

Conclusion:

Crystal therapy probably works by a Placebo effect.  Some medical doctors put up with crystal healing to a limited degree, seeing it as a therapy that can induce relaxation, which ultimately is therapeutic for stress management. Those seeking a crystal healer, however, should be careful not to neglect a legitimate treatment for life-threatening disease.

Introduction:

Hydrotherapy of the colon, also known as colonic cleansing or irrigation, involves using water to flush waste out of the large intestine.

Uses and supposed benefits:

Weight loss

Some practitioners of hydrotherapy suggest that it can help people lose weight, but there is no evidence of this.  After undergoing the procedure, a person may find that they have lost a few pounds, but these results from losing water and fecal matter — a temporary condition.

Treatment of irritable bowel syndrome

Some practitioners claim that colonic irrigation helps treat symptoms of Irritable Bowel syndrome (IBS). Patients report an improvement in abdominal pain, constipation and diarrhea.

It is important to highlight, however, that this study was very small and included no control group. The researchers acknowledge the need for further studies including placebos and larger studies that investigate the long-term effects, including those on the quality of life.

Detoxification

In the early 1900s, a theory that bacteria in the colon cause toxins to leak into the rest of the body gained popularity, but this theory has largely been debunked.   However, it remains a basis for the belief that colonic irrigation can help detoxify the body. In fact, the body has organs to serve this specific purpose — the liver and kidneys.

Cleansing before surgery

Adequate cleaning is important to ensure that diagnostic and surgical procedures involving the large intestine are reliable. The accuracy and safety of such procedures — such as colonoscopy — often depend on thorough cleansing of the colon. Hydrotherapy can serve this purpose.

However, there are other, safer ways to cleanse the colon, including dietary changes and the ingestion of prescribed solutions.

Procedure:

Colonic irrigation involves inserting the nozzle of a device into the rectum to send water into the colon.  A person can control the pressure and temperature of the water, and the entire procedure usually takes around 45 minutes.

Approximately 16 gallons of water pass through the bowel, and the fluid may contain herbal infusions or coffee. These supposedly offer additional benefits, though there is little, if any, evidence of this.

Risks and complications

Meanwhile, people who have undergone it have reported numerous negative effects.

Mild unwanted effects may include:

• stomach pain and cramping
• fullness and bloating
• diarrhea
• dizziness, nausea, and vomiting
• anal irritation and soreness

More severe complications of hydrotherapy of the colon can include:

• pancreatitis
• kidney failure
• heart failure

Some other adverse effects of colonic irrigation:

Dehydration

The procedure causes the body to lose water, which can be dangerous, as it may cause dehydration.

Infection

One risk is infection, either due to unsterile equipment or equipment that allows fecal matter to flow backward into the colon. Infection can also stem from the removal of healthful bacteria. Scientists have yet to fully explore the ways in which colonic irrigation may cause an imbalance in the microbial flora.

Perforated bowel

Forcing water into the colon can injure it — the pressure can damage the wall of the colon, causing it to tear. This issue, called a perforated bowel, is a medical emergency.

Symptoms may begin with fever, pain, chills, and nausea. The body may then develop sepsis, an extreme response to an infection that can be fatal.

Conclusion:

There are many claims about the possible benefits of colonic irrigation, but these are not validated by clinical trials or by other scientific evidence.

Due to the risks, some of which are very severe, and the lack of benefits, most health professionals do not recommend hydrotherapy of the colon.

Introduction:

Aversion therapy is a type of behavioral therapy that involves repeat pairing an unwanted behavior with pain or distress. For example, a person undergoing aversion therapy to stop smoking might receive an electrical shock every time they view an image of a cigarette. The goal of the conditioning process is to make the individual correlate the stimulus with unpleasant or uncomfortable sensations.

During aversion therapy, the client may be asked to think of or engage in the behavior they enjoy while at the same time being exposed to something unpleasant such as a bad taste, a foul smell, or even mild electric shocks. Once the unpleasant feelings become associated with the behavior, the hope is that unwanted behaviors or actions will begin to decrease in frequency or stop entirely.

Uses:

Aversion therapy can be used to treat a number of problematic behaviors including the following:

• Bad habits
• Addictions
• Alcoholism
• Smoking
• Gambling
• Violence or anger issues.

Methods used in Aversion therapy:

The exact way aversion therapy is performed depends on the undesirable behavior or habit that’s being treated. One commonly used aversive therapy is chemical aversion for alcohol use disorder. The goal is to reduce a person’s craving for alcohol with chemically-induced nausea.

In chemical aversion, a doctor administers a drug that causes nausea or vomiting if the person being treated drinks alcohol. They then give them alcohol so that the person gets sick. This is repeated until the person begins to associate drinking alcohol with feeling ill and thus no longer craves alcohol.

Other methods that have been used for aversion therapy include:

• electrical shock
• another type of physical shock, like from a rubber band snapping
• an unpleasant smell or taste
• negative imagery (sometimes through visualization)
• shame

Efficacy of Aversion therapy:

The overall effectiveness of aversion therapy depends upon a number of factors including:

• The treatment methods and aversive conditions that are used.
• Whether or not the client continues to practice relapse prevention after treatment is concluded.
• In some instances, the client may return to previous patterns of behavior once they are out of treatment and no longer exposed to the deterrent.

Generally, aversion therapy tends to be successful while it is still under the direction of a therapist, but relapse rates are high.  Once the individual is out in the real world and exposed to the stimulus without the presence of the aversive sensation, it is highly likely that they will return to the earlier behavior pattern.

Conclusion:

Aversion therapy has also been criticized for the use of unpleasant stimuli in the course of aversion treatment. Some argue that this practice isn’t just unethical, but downright cruel and can be traumatic as well.

There is also a lack of thorough research material that supports the effectiveness of aversion therapy. A lot of the research that has been done over the years shows mixed results compared to other types of therapy, and it’s simply not enough to deter valid criticism about how successful it is.

Despite the valid points made by aversion therapy critics, it is still widely used to correct several types of unwanted habits, and is used especially for addiction treatment.

Introduction:

Craniosacral therapy (CST) is a gentle technique that uses a light touch to observe membranes and movement of the fluids in and around the central nervous system. Relieving tension in the central nervous system promotes a sensation of well-being by eliminating pain and boosting health and immunity.

Craniosacral Therapy, or CST as it is generally called, has its roots back in the nineteenth century. It originated in Andrew Taylor Still’s system of osteopathic medicine; it owes much to successive pioneers of technique, such as William G. Sutherland who extended Stills system into cranial osteopathy.

The focus of CST is a gentle placement of hands to assist release of the body’s connective tissue, or “fascia.” Fascia (Latin word for “band”) is a covering found throughout the body including organs, glands, nerves, muscles, blood vessels, brain and spinal cord. This covering forms a body-wide connective network. CST is based on the idea that the body is interrelated at all levels.

Craniosacral therapy (CST) helps in:

• Chronic pain.
• Fibromyalgia.
• Migraine headache.
• Complex regional pain syndrome.
• Fascial adhesions.
• Multiple sclerosis.
• Neuralgia.
• Neurodegenerative diseases.
• Temporo-mandibular joint syndrome.
• Stroke.
• Post-concussion syndrome.
• Speech impairment.
• Epilepsy.

Can craniosacral therapy be useful for everybody?

CST can benefit almost everyone. With a few conditions, however, craniosacral therapy may not be appropriate and you’ll need to talk with your CST practitioner and physician.

Care has to be exercised and CST has to be differed in patients with:

• Recent concussion.
• Cerebral swelling.
• Structural defects in the cerebellum such as Arnold-Chiari malformation.
• Brain aneurysm.
• Traumatic brain injury.
• Blood clots.
• Any disorder that causes instability of cerebral fluid pressure, flow or build-up.

Conclusion:

There’s plenty of sketchy evidence that CST is an effective treatment, but more research is needed to scientifically determine this. There’s evidence that it can relieve stress and tension, though some research suggests that it may only be effective for infants, toddlers, and children.