When JodiAnn was diagnosed with stage three cervical cancer in 1988, she didn't take the traditional medical approach.

Instead of surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and immunotherapy, she sought out what she describes as a “natural treatment plan." She went to a naturopathic doctor who encouraged her to do three things: change her diet, envision her perfect health and realign the energy in her body.

JodiAnn says that this process transformed her life. She began meditating every day. She quit eating processed foods, red meat, alcohol and caffeine, and switched to a diet of mainly fruits and vegetables. But most importantly, she says, she began to carry carnelian crystals — which holistic healers believe to promote healing in the sacral chakra — everywhere with her. The sacral chakra, according to Tantric Buddhism and Hinduism, is based in the center of the lower stomach. Believers say it is connected to the lymphatic system and sexuality. JodiAnn carried the crystals in her pockets, placed them under her pillows and kept a few at her office, and in her car and home.

Just two months later, she asserts, her doctor tested her again and found no signs of cancer. “Totally clean pap, totally cancer-free, everything came back perfect,” she says.

JodiAnn credits her healing to her newfound concentration on health, and believes that the crystals helped to heal her from the inside out - from the spirit to the natural.

“I’ll choose which ones are resonating most with the issue I’m dealing with in my chakra,” she says. “If they’re not in my hands, they’re around me or next to me. I’ll meditate and do my visualizations, and I focus on the energy coming from the stones into my body.”

JodiAnn in her office in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo Courtesy: JodiAnn)

The crystal healing convinced her so completely that she dived into metaphysical health practices and learned more about spiritual healing, and became a reiki therapist to use energy to help people heal their mind, body and spirit.

JodiAnn is part of a larger movement. New Age beliefs that include reincarnation, astrology and other supernatural beliefs are popular in the United States with about 60% of adults buying into some aspect of them, according to a 2017 study by the Pew Research Center. Roughly four in 10 adults believe that spiritual energy can be found in physical objects like crystals.

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Crystal handlers are convinced that beyond the beauty of the stones, they give off vibrational frequencies that can sync with different organs. When the stone is placed over an afflicted body part and meditated upon, crystal healers claim it can unleash restoration from within the body.

“My attitude is not that they’re magic crystals,” JodiAnn said. “It’s not like a pill. It’s not that you have this stone next to you and you’ll be fixed. It’s a holistic thing.”

“It’s just another tool in the toolbox,” she said.

Ancient civilizations used crystals for healing and spiritual rituals. The word “crystal” derives from the Greek word "krystallos," which translates to “ice,” because the Ancient Greeks believed that clear quartz was water that had been frozen for eternity. Ancient Egyptians were among the many peoples around the world who made jewelry out of gems and ascribed links to health and protection to the gems. An age-old legend about crystals relates to the mythical city Atlantis, where people were said to use the stones to communicate telepathically.

But such stories aren’t the only thing that set crystals apart from other organic materials. “Their formation is incredibly unique,” said Doug Hammond, a professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Southern California. “If they make you feel some type of way, that’s neat. But that’s not the only reason why they’re special.”

Crystals form when the chemical structure (atoms, molecules or ions) of minerals form a structured, symmetrical and geometric pattern that repeats in all directions. Fluctuations of temperature, light and chemical composition as they grow result in structurally impure and aesthetically varied gems. Color variation and size are affected by the conditions in which crystals grow.

Professor Hammond says that such stones are formed in places, like mountains and caves, where there is plenty of heat and water. These conditions contribute to the size and quality of the newly formed gems.

Crystals are fairly common, and are found in household items like salt, plates and metallic utensils. But the often aesthetically beautiful stones that some people believe have healing powers are rare because of the breakdown of natural material. Wind, rain and water can undermine crystal formation and can lead to sand and clay forming instead of the gem.

Some crystals are rarer than others. Quartz minerals make up about 12% of the Earth’s crust while taaffeite is considered the rarest stone with only 50 known samples of that type of material.

Crystals continuously vibrate at a high frequency and can become electrically polarized, Pierre Curie discovered in 1880. Some enthusiasts believe that the power of the mind allows the body to synchronize with the frequencies of crystals. The idea is that the mind has the power to spread healing throughout the body and that physical objects, like crystals, can, when used right, aid in that process.

But the solidity of such arguments remains in question, as is the science around it.

For example, Christina L. Ross, who has a Ph.D. in Energy Medicine, asserted in a 2019 study that, “Quantum physics teaches us there is no difference between energy and matter…All systems in the human being, from the atomic to the molecular level, are constantly in motion-creating resonance. This resonance is important to understanding how subtle energy directs and maintains health and wellness in the human being.” She claimed that understanding one's frequency and raising it to a higher level would lead to better health.

Such arguments took a hit when her study was retracted in 2021 because her claims were not supported by peer-reviewed literature or credible sources.

Despite the lack of scientific evidence that crystals — or any other metaphysical health practices — produce scientifically verifiable results, there are plenty of believers.

Lily Vasquez, a student from the University of California, Merced, has been fascinated with crystals for years. She was drawn to the colorful stones because of their beauty, but then discovered that people were using them for higher purposes.

Vasquez's everyday necklace holds citrine and amethyst crystals. (Photo Courtesy: Lily Vasquez)

“I started to learn about their spiritual effect at the end of high school,” Vasquez said. “I had a lot of anxiety and stress, and I found out that clear quartz and amethyst helped with that. I’ve been building my collection since then.”

Vasquez now wears an amethyst crystal necklace everyday to help her handle college.

“It’s been liberating,” said Audrey Gilhooly, who has worked in metaphysical health stores in San Diego and Los Angeles. “I’ve learned so much about what my mind, body and spirit are capable of, and I feel much more connected with the earth around me.”

Gilhooly, an LA-based special effects artist, dedicated a year to learning about energy and crystal healing. Working in two metaphysical health stores helped her understand the power of the mind to change her reality.

Scientific skeptics of metaphysical practices credit any health benefit from crystals to a placebo effect. A 2017 Time Magazine article cited an old study of 80 randomly selected people who took part in a five-minute meditation while holding either a real or counterfeit quartz crystal.

“We found that lots of people claimed that they could feel odd sensations while holding crystals, such as tingling, heat and vibrations, if we’d told them in advance that this is what might happen,” Christopher French, a University of London psychology professor, told Time. “The effects reported were a result of the power of suggestion, not the power of crystals.”

“I’ve heard people say that it’s nothing but a placebo,” Vasquez said. “But if putting some positive thoughts and intentions into some pretty rocks helps me, then I don’t see a problem.”

“You get what you put into it,” Gilhooly said. “If you think it’s not going to work, then it’s not going to. You have to put in the effort to learn how to use them in your life. All the power is in your mind.”