What is Chromo Therapy?
Chromotherapy is a method of treatment of diseases by colour. 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 colour in the human system.
Colour therapy is a technique of restoring imbalance by means of
applying coloured light to the body. It was a popular method of cure
even in ancient times. Some 2,500 years ago, Pythagoras applied colour
light therapeutically and ‘colour halls’ were used for healing in
ancient Egypt, China and India.
The pioneer of modern colour 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
phototreatment 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 colours are considered at the two extremes with yellow
representing the midpoint. These are also the three principal colours in
a rainbow. A patient is first subjected to an examination to ascertain
which colour he lacks. The deficiency is determined by observing the
colour 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 colour, the eyes
and nails will be reddish and urine and excrement yellowish or red.
Every substance on earth contains colour. Even the rays cast on earth
by celestial bodies contain colour in the form of white light. The rays
of the sun contain seven different colours — violet, indigo, blue,
green, yellow, orange and red. These are natural colours 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 colours on the body and their healing qualities are as follows:
Red:
Symbolic of heat, fire and anger. It is a stimulating and energising
colour. 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,
anaemia and advanced cases of tuberculosis.
Orange:
Symbolic of prosperity and pride, orange is useful for stimulating
blood supply and energising the nerves. It is beneficial in the
treatment of kidney and gallstones, 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, syphilis 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 blue and yellow, green is regarded as a colour 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.