Chromotherapy: light and colors as medicine

Human beings and animals eat plants that would not exist if they did not receive sunlight and carry out photosynthesis. If the sun suddenly stopped shining, providing light and heat, the planet would quickly become frozen and inert.

From the finding that light sustains life, We can ask ourselves, as did many peoples of antiquity, if in the same way the sun’s rays could be used to maintain health and cure diseases. In this sense, sun baths (heliotherapy) were part of both Greco-Roman, Chinese and Indian medicine (ayurveda).

What is chromotherapy?

Chromotherapy is a complementary therapy that uses colors to act on the body in different ways and improve the balance between body and mind.

Each color has a different therapeutic function and can be applied through a variety of instruments.

First, natural light

Currently, many people are exposed less to natural light than to that which comes from lamps and computer and mobile phone screens. This puts stress on the body and can endanger health. Sunlight is necessary to synthesize vitamin D and influences the production of hormones such as melatonin and serotonin, which regulate biological rhythms and mood.

Therefore, it is convenient take walks in the fresh air whenever possible, make the most of the light that comes from the windows and take breaks at work to go outside.

Each color, a vibration

In addition to sunlight, simple light can influence the body. Light is characterized by the energy of its photons (particles) and by the frequencies of its waves. It is part of the visible electromagnetic spectrum in which, depending on the number of vibrations, seven colors appear: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet, that are observed in the rainbow or by refracting light through a transparent prism. There are also, if you can say so, “invisible colors”: infrared and ultraviolet.

Psychological properties of colors

Each color presents a peculiar psychological influence:

• The blue it is refreshing and relaxing, it invites us to delve into it (centripetal). It is the dominant wavelength in early morning sunlight. For this reason it is not convenient at night, since it decreases the secretion of melatonin by the pineal gland.

• The Red it is energizing, it seems to go to meet us (centrifugal). A red light helps regulate the day/night (circadian) rhythm and prepare for sleep.

• Yellow and orange, colors of the sun, lift the spirits.

• The violet tones, for their part, they transmit stillness, calm. It is enough to pass a ray of violet light across the forehead so that in a few minutes an insomniac baby recovers his sleep.

• The green, The color of nature, it is located in the middle part of the spectrum and is balancing.

main indications of chromotherapy

What was known about light and colors, since ancient times, is being verified by current scientific research. Pioneers of chromotherapy such as Edwin Babbitt or Dinshah Ghadiali were limited to using weak light bulbs and colored glass. We now have sophisticated lamps and devices that enhance the effects of light on body and mind.

Sunshine

With its intensity and color, sunlight can be reproduced by lamps that help combat the so-called seasonal affective disorder with a tendency to depression, which usually occurs in countries with little presence of the sun during a good part of the year. Other indications are jet-lag and sleep disturbances.

Blue light

blue light It is mainly used to treat acne, psoriasis and scars. The wavelength of 450 to 490 nm can penetrate into the blood and is used to treat neonatal jaundice or the Crigler-Najjar syndrome for its ability to break down hepatic bilirubin. It is also useful for treating dark spots on the skin caused by aging. blue light too improves mood and sleep.

Red light

It is used by the United States Space Agency (NASA) for stimulate cell metabolism of astronauts, since red light increases energy (greater production of ATP by mitochondria), cell oxygenation and blood circulation. NASA also uses red light to speed wound healing. It also reduces stress hormones and inflammatory processes in general, which reduces the risk of diabetes, cancer and degenerative diseases, among other diseases.

Laser beam

Light modified so that photons are emitted in a polarized and coherent fashion, unlike ordinary light, can be used like a precise surgical knife.

the cold laser or low intensity is applied in photobiomodulation therapy in the successful treatment of morning joint pain, swelling and stiffness of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, according to a review of studies published in the Cochrane Library. This type of laser is not dangerous and does not produce side effects. It is also indicated in problems such as loss of quality of vision due to macular degeneration, dermatological and neurological alterations, anxiety and depression.

chromopuncture

In chromopuncture, lamps are used that emit light on the energy points, following the theory of the meridians of Chinese medicine. According to acupuncturist Peter Mandel, warm colors (red, orange, and yellow) stimulate the flow of energy, and cool colors (blue, green, and violet) reduce it, while the application of the two types of colors balance yin and yang.

put on colored glasses highly saturated is the brainchild of Dr. Alexander Wunsch, who has also designed a pocket torch with which colored light can be projected onto closed eyes or onto the skin in areas to be treated.

Green light

Exposing yourself to a green light can reduce chronic pain by up to 60%, according to research from the University of Arizona, published in the journal Pain.

Animal studies have shown that the beneficial effects can last up to nine days. “Looking at the green light seems to lead to a increased production of enkephalins, opioid-like chemicals that kill pain. And it reduces inflammation, which plays a role in many chronic pain conditions,” says Dr. Mohab Ibrahim.

Although more studies with people are needed, in principle, exposing yourself one to two hours every night in green light (525 nm), Either by using a lamp or glasses with polarized optical filters, you can reduce the pain caused by fibromyalgia or migraine, for example.

therapies that use light and color

There are different complementary therapies that use colored light as a means to promote the recovery of physical and mental health.

sensory

Created by physicist Anadi Martel, this therapy uses a curved screen where a flow of colors is projected, combined with music and vibration of the armchair. It is an immersive, holistic sensory experience that can be used to promote relaxation, improve mood, or increase energy levels and focus.

solarization

It is a light therapy that anyone can perform. Consists in expose for about two hours water to sunlight through a glass or a glass bottle, that it can be of different colors to endow the water with different properties, explains Karl Ryberg, an expert in photobiology, in his book Light up your life (Rock publisher).

Spectro-chrome

It is a therapeutic method developed by the engineer Dinshah Ghadiali in the 1920s. Through glass filters, the light of colors related to the chakra and the organ to be treated. Many current color therapies are based on this system.

Syntonic

The optometrist Harry Spitler was the first to project colored light into the eyes of his patients in the first third of the 20th century. He developed Syntonic phototherapy, which is currently popular in the United States. It is used to treat visual problems related to head injuries. In addition, it reduces visual discomfort and improves attention span.