In a previous post "The Healing Energies, Metaphysical Properties and Lore of Gemstones - Introduction" I spoke about a class that I had taken which introduced me to the ways various stones can aid a body's healing. I tend to be a bit of a sceptic so I wanted to try an experiment on myself to see if it really works.
I have a chronic problem with my left ankle from an accident in my 20s where I sprained the joint so badly that my foot and leg were put in a cast. Even though I thought it healed well at the time, as I get older the joint locks up on occasion and pulls on the muscles in my foot causing them to cramp making it difficult to walk. If I don't get it treated by a massage therapist or chiropractor as soon as it starts, I can become immobile for a week or more while the muscles go through the process of recovery.
Regular stretching and wearing proper foot wear helps to prevent it but I'm not always good at doing the stretching and I prefer to be barefoot at home. Besides ... I like cute shoes :) We all know that cute shoes and shoes that support the foot properly don't usually go together.
I chose to use jade for the experiment because it's considered a powerful healing stone and it supports overall good health. I made an anklet from some beautiful translucent round nephrite jade beads. I didn't expect that I would notice any healing happening right away.
Starting on Sunday, I wore the anklet 24/7 even though my ankle was already feeling fine from the adjustment by my chiropractor a few days prior. At first I was aware of it draped low on my leg most of the time. I noticed that there was no pain or discomfort happening in my ankle. After a few days went by, I forgot that it was even there. After a week, I realized that I still had no pain, discomfort or locking up in my ankle even though I had not done any stretching and was barefoot at home. Still, I was not ready to claim that just wearing this anklet would have had such a profound effect on the well being of my ankle.
On Friday, I noticed that the ankle on my other side was feeling tight and the muscles in my foot were "grumpy", so I switched the anklet to my right leg. Sure enough, within five or ten minutes my right ankle and foot were feeling normal again. Following that I could hear and feel the bones falling back into place. When I went out a little later (with the jade still on my right foot) the muscles in my left foot became grumpy so I switched the anklet back to the left leg. Needless to say ... the left foot started feeling better.
I have done some research on why I had such great success with healing while wearing the jade anklet and learned that "Jade has a restorative property, allowing for both the cellular and skeletal systems to re-bind themselves, and assists in the removal of pain associated with the body's healing of itself.[Crystal Bible by Judy Hall, 152]
Jadeite acts as rather a "stitching" agent and assists both the cellular and skeletal structures to re-bind themselves. It also assists in the healing of pain [e.g., in the sides, hips, legs, etc.]associated with "stitching" and helps stitched to bind and heal properly. It has been used to diminish and to prevent recurrence of cramps and "charlie horses", promoting stabilization of the muscular arrangement and smoothing of the tissues. [Love is in the Earth: A Kaleidoscope of Crystals - The Reference Book Describing the Metaphysical Properties of the Mineral Kingdom by Melody, 343] There are other ailments that jade can heal. I will go into more of those at another time.
Ok. I'm sold, but I still have questions. Do I need to wear a jade anklet on both legs every day for the rest of my life? I have some joint issues with my hands that I worry may be early signs of arthritis. Will a jade bracelet help with that pain? Do I need to wear a gemstone on the point of pain/injury for it to have an effect? The experiment continues.