Color Therapy, Chromotherapy
Healing Power of Colors
Chromotherapy is a method of treatment of
diseases by color. It is best used as a supportive therapy along with other
natural methods of preserving health such as correct diet, adequate rest and
relaxation, exercise, yogic asanas and so on. According to practitioners of
chromotherapy, the cause of any disease can be traced to the lack of a
particular color in the human system. Color therapy is a technique of restoring
imbalance by means of applying colored light to the body. It was a popular
method of cure even in ancient times. Some 2,500 years ago, Pythagoras applied
color light therapeutically and ‘color halls’ were used for healing in ancient Egypt , China
and India .
The pioneer of modern color therapy was Niels Finsen of Denmark .
Following the discovery, in 1877, of the bactericidal action of solar
ultra-violet energy, Finsen studied the possibility of assisting the healing of wounds with
visible light. He subsequently used red light to inhibit the formation of
smallpox scars and, in 1896, founded a Light Institute (now the Finsen
Institute of Copenhagen) for the photo treatment of tuberculosis. In 1932,
Gerrard and Hessay, two Californian psychologists, scientifically established
that blue light had a calming effect and red a stimulating power on human
beings. Blue and red colors are considered at the two extremes with yellow
representing the midpoint. These are also the three principal colors in a
rainbow. A patient is first subjected to an examination to ascertain which color
he lacks. The deficiency is determined by observing the color of the eyeballs,
nails, urine and excrement. In cases of the lack of red the eyes and nails will
be bluish, and the urine and excrement white or bluish. If there is a
deficiency of the blue color, the eyes and nails will be reddish
and urine and excrement yellowish or red. Every substance on earth contains
color. Even the rays cast on earth by celestial bodies contain color in the
form of white light. The rays of the sun contain seven different colors - violet,
indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red. These are natural colors which are
highly beneficial to the maintenance of health and for healing diseases. According
to Dr. Babbit, a well-known authority on chromotherapy, "sunlight is the principal curative agent in nature’s laboratory
and where light cannot enter, disease does. Chlorosis, anaemia, leukaemia, emaciation,
muscular debility, degeneration of heart and liver, dropsical effusion,
softening of bones, nervous excitability, physical deformity, stunted growth
and consumption are the result of excluding oneself from the beneficial effects
of sunlight." Sunlight
plays an important role in the recovery from chronic diseases. Judicious use of
sunlight can be part of the curing process in almost every affliction. The rays
of the sun improve digestion and nutrition, quicken blood and lymph circulation
and increase the elimination of impurities through the skin. The action and
effect of various colors on the body and their healing qualities are as follows
:
Red
Symbol of heat, fire and anger. It is a
stimulating and energizing color. It stimulates arterial blood and brings
warmth to cool extremities. Used as a general tonic, it is very valuable in the
treatment of diseases like low blood pressure, rheumatism, paralysis, anemia
and advanced cases of tuber- culosis.
Symbolic of prosperity and pride, orange
is useful for stimulating blood supply and energizing the nerves. It is
beneficial in the treatment of kidney and gall stones, hernia and appendicitis.
It is also used to stimulate the milk producing action of breasts after
childbirth.
Violet
Violet is beneficial in the treatment of
nervous and emotional disturbances, arthritis, acute cases of consumption and
insomnia.
Yellow
Associated with joy and happiness, yellow
is laxative and diuretic. It is a stimulant to the brain, the liver and the
spleen. It is also effective in the treatment of diabetes, indigestion, kidney
and liver disorders, constipation, eye and throat infections, syphillis and
impotence.
Purple
Purple or indigo combines the
blood-warming red and the cooling antiseptic blue. It is an excellent stimulant
without being an irritant. It is beneficial in the treatment of advanced stages
of constipation, hydrocle, leucorrhoea, many disorders of the stomach and womb,
cataract, migraine and skin disorders. It exerts a soothing effect on the eyes,
ears and the nervous system.
Green
Made up of the blue and yellow, green is
regarded as a color of harmony. It is a mild sedative. It is useful in the
treatment of nervous conditions, hay fever, ulcers, influenza, malaria, colds, sexual
disorders and cancer. It preserves and strengthens eyesight. Being highly
medicinal and depressive, it is of great help in the treatment of inflammatory
conditions.
Blue
Cool, soothing and sedative, blue
alleviates pain, reducing bleeding and heals burns. It is beneficial in the
treatment of dysentery, colic, asthma, respiratory disorders, high blood
pressure and skin aberrations. IN a study at the New
England State Hospital in the United States , 25 members of staff
with normal blood pressure were bathed in blue light for half an hour. It resulted
in universal fall in blood pressure. The blood pressure rose when red light was
applied.
Methods of Treatment
There are two methods of treating
diseases by color:
1. By the application of light through different colored glasses; and
2. By external or internal use of color-charged
water. In the first method, sheets of glass, 30 cms. X 36 cms. of the required
colors are needed. These are placed at the window frames or any other
convenient place in such a way that the sun’s rays can pass through them and
fall directly on the patient’s body. The usual duration of the color treatment
is 30 minutes. In case of local application, a pane of glass can be placed in
front of the diseased part so that the light passing through the glass falls on
the afflicted area. At night lanterns can be used for the purpose. A single
lantern can have glass panes of four different colors and the required color
can be focussed on the patient or the affected parts. In the second method,
colored bottles are needed. These bottles should be cleaned and filled up to
three-fourths level with fresh well water, distilled water or rain water. The
bottles should be corked and then placed
in bright sunlight for three to four hours. After this exposure, the water is
said to acquire medicinal properties and this color-charged water can be used
both internally and for external applications. Wounds and ulcers can be washed
with this water and it can also be used to massage the affected parts or applied
as compress on them. For internal use, an adult can take 30 ml. of color-charged
water as a single dose. The dose can be repeated as required.
Diet
A correct and balanced diet is essential
during the treatment of diseases through
chromotherapy. The patients should take
food items with analogous coloring. The various colors contained in different
food items are:
Red : Beets, radish, red cabbage, tomatoes, watercress, most red-skinned
fruits,red berries and water melon.
Violet : Egg plant, berries, black carrot and purple grapes.
Yellow :
Lime and lemon, sweet
lime, grapes, pumpkin, melon, banana, mango, yellow apple and guava.
Purple : Foods having both blue and violet coloring.
Green : Most of the green vegetables and fruits such as gourds,
spinach, plantain, lettuce, pea, green mango, gooseberry, pears, beans , etc.
Blue : Blue plum, blue beans, blue grapes, etc.
Contraindications
There are some important
contraindications to color treatment which should be borne in mind while
adopting this mode of cure. For instance, the red color would be injurious in a
naturally inflammatory condition of the system, and in case of persons with
feverish and excitable temperament. If the red light is employed for too long
and frequently, it may produce dangerous fevers. The danger can be obviated by
using the red light for a few minutes at a time or by placing a wet bandage
over the head. Similarly, yellow should not be used when the nerves are very
active or irritable. Yellow or orange reddish tones may prove injurious in
fevers, acute inflammations, delirium, diarrhea, neuralgia, palpitation of the
heart and any condition of over- excitement. In cases of paralysis, chronic
rheumatism, gout, consumption and in all cold, pale and dormant conditions of
the system, blue, indigo and violet may prove too cooling and constricting and should
be avoided.
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