In America, the practice of wearing copper bracelets for arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis has been popular since the 1970s. Wearing magnetic bracelets or amulets has been a centuries-old tradition. It is estimated that worldwide, sales of magnetic devices generates $1 billion a year. But most medical researchers and practitioners say to use your money for treatments that are known to work.

“What these findings do tell us is that people who suffer with rheumatoid arthritis may be better off saving their money or spending it on other complementary interventions, such as dietary fish oils, for example, which have far better evidence for effectiveness,” writes Stewart Richmond, a research fellow in the Department of Health Sciences at University of York in the U.K.

Most Western-trained physicians consider crystal and mineral healing as “pseudoscience.” There is no medical evidence that crystal healing works, they say. To its credit, science has never been able to corroborate bad energy as a disease source. Not that they have tried very hard, as evinced by the dearth of studies on this issue. Furthermore, no scientific study has shown that crystals and stones can be differentiated by composition or color to treat a specific illness.

But there are some medical doctors who recognize the use of crystals as a therapy to induce relaxation, which is therapeutic for stress-related illnesses.

Another effect of crystal healing is considered by the vast majority of physicians as the “placebo effect.” This is defined as a treatment that affects the illness though the treatment is not directly impacting the disease itself. This happens when the patient believes that some process will work to alleviate symptoms of an illness. Because of the patient’s belief, the medical procedure may work and help to relieve signs of the illness.

Other researchers are beginning to investigate the medicinal possibilities of various aspects of Eastern medicine. One example using transdermal patches as a delivery system for drugs or vitamins is similar, some say, to wearing copper/iron or magnetic bracelets for rheumatoid arthritis.