Drawing on Color for Health
By Wendy Sferndole
You’ve probably read this sentence In dress-for-success articles and books: “When you look good, you feel good.” If anyone has ever said to you, “Don’t wear that color; it makes you look ill” or “You look radiant in that outfit’ they may have been commenting on the vibratory interaction of color, light and your body. You are beautiful when wearing colors that support your health.
When the body’s functions are in balance with each other and the environment, we feel grounded, and have a sense of wellbeing and perhaps a spiritual connection to Nature. We are considered attractive, and people gravitate to us. Studies using brain scans hove shown that when we see something attractive,we are triggered to move toward It Watch what babies reach for to see this In action. Colors add to our beauty, support our cellular health. and magnetize people to us. The cosmetics industry and advertising capitalize on that. Unfortunately, the light associated with cosmetics is most often the light coming through our skin, and not from the cosmetics.
Ancient civilizations used color and light to treat ailments. And there is a wealth of current anecdotal research that validates the effectiveness of color and light therapy. There is some controversy over how, exactly, it works. Physics associates each element on the periodic table with color. An element, when heated, emits color, and when cooled, blocks color.
Recall relaxing under a pure blue sky. Did you fall asleep? Light gets in, even with your eyes closed. Particles of light travel quickly through the body’s nerves and wet pathways to the brain and organs. Even the smallest particle Ignites the entire brain, Including the hypothalamus In the center. The hypothalamus then sends light to the pineal gland, which sends melatonin to deliver information about that light to each cell in the body. In this way, the cells adapt and harmonize with the Earth.
Diagnosis Using Color
When we get sick, we want to get better as quickly and easily as possible. Some healthcare practitioners use color and temperature as part of their diagnosis and treatment. Overheated skin may look very red. Skin may look grey. bluish or greenish when cold and when on element in the body is low, weakened or missing.
We may move closer to someone who needs the colors glowing from our healthy body. Alternatively, when our bodies need something, we may be attracted to someone who emits a certain color range. What we see as beauty might be our desire to bask in their emanation.
It Is Important to note that color. like beauty, is subjective. The existence of color is interpreted in our brains through our biology. Color does not exist outside us. It is only in our interpretation. Each person will see the same representation of a color slightly differently.
Some color therapy practitioners will diagnose an organ’s health by measuring its temperature, Immediately above and outside the body. A healthy temperature will be within a certain range for that organ. The practitioner is likely to consider the body’s composition. the strength and pace of each body system, the person’s environment, and their lifestyle. The practitioner may shine a color onto that area of the body to help restore the organ’s balance. Practitioners are likely to say this is more art than science.
Treating With Color
In color therapy, the red side of the color spectrum is considered stimulating; the blue side calming, and green in the center Is neutral. A paper published in 1927 by a former senior surgeon at Women’s Hospital in Philadelphia lists observations made over years of treating with color. For instance, the paper describes using blue light to cool and soften burns, and also states that shining full-spectrum light — and especially the shade of green associated with plants — assisted recovery after surgery. A different practitioner stated around the same time that the initial swelling of a bruise might be slowed with blue light. After swelling has subsided, shining orange or yellow light could help to heal the bruise.
One researcher stated that when we eat raw fruits and vegetables, and especially green vegetables, we are eating sunlight. Full-spectrum light bulbs closely resemble sunlight.
Specific Color Therapy
Bright white light therapy helped reduce binging and purging in a study of women suffering from bulimia nervosa. The women also expressed healthier attitudes related to eating. Another study showed that two hours of daily exposure to bright white light improved Alzheimer’s patients’ sleep duration and quality.
Red light has been shown to help athletes who need a burst of energy. Studies have also shown that it relieves constipation, supports the body in healing wounds, and helps to treat some cancers.
Yellow has been shown to stimulate nerves and mental activity. Some researchers suggest that yellow in a study environment can improve alertness and focus. They suggest adding some orange and green to increase creativity and problem solving.
Green light shining in the environment can increase happiness during the winter, as it contributes to self-esteem and love for others. Green light is considered an effective treatment for seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Green can also help increase creativity and problem solving.
Blue is one of the most common colors to paint bedrooms because it is considered to be so relaxing and soothing. Blue fight might ease depression, addictions and eating disorders. And. studies have shown that a gentle blue light shined on newborns eases jaundice, removing the need for dangerous blood transfusions.
Rose-colored glasses were used in one color therapy study. Both the severity and number of visually provoked seizures were reduced in more than half the subjects two and a half years after the study. They were given a choice of any tinted lenses, and most preferred rose or blue-purple lenses.
Western Medicine
Photodynamic therapy is considered by some to treat certain cancers, as well as skin conditions such as acne and psoriasis. Photosensitive chemicals get injected or applied topically. Ultraviolet or other specific wavelengths are shined on the target area to guide the chemicals to the specific cancer, acne, psoriasis or other ill cells. After a short incubation period that can lost anywhere from minutes to days, a red light is shined on the target area. The chemicals that were injected or applied transform into destroyers of targeted cells.
Naturopathy
Esogetic Colopuncture, developed by German naturopath Peter Mandel, is a treatment that blends color therapy with esoteric wisdom. Color and light are aimed at acupuncture meridians in unique combinations to help each person return to their life path and reengage with their spiritual life purpose.
Bodhi Meditation
When you are engaged in The Meditation of Greater illumination, the color of the lotus flower you visualize may be your body’s way of drawing healing into Itself. In your meditation, the lotus may be blue-green, the color of physical healing. Or, you may see white for peace, blessing, purity and cleanliness. A purple lotus in your meditation may help you with spiritual healing. The colors you are guided to visualize during the meditation are intended to support each of us in physical, mental and spiritual healing.
Colors in Everyday Life
Try eating foods that are naturally brightly colored, and then assess your energy level. Eat orange yarns and butternut squash before doing something creative. Wear green on your next date, and tune into how you feel about the other person.
Notice the intentional colors in your surroundings. What colors do you commonly see in fast-food restaurants as compared to more elegant restaurants? What colors do you see in office buildings or medical treatment centers? When you gaze at colors, notice how you feel within minutes of exposure. Lastly, lock at the colors around your home, and notice how you feel.
Interest in the heath benefits of color and light is widespread and growing. Color therapy is a simple yet effective form of ancient wisdom that, like so many other age-old paths to wellness, is finding a place in the modern world.
