Spring is just around the corner, or already here if you are reading this after the equinox on March 20th. After an especially long, cold winter, many of us are coming out of hibernation. But we are not alone; almost all living creatures on this planet are drawn to the warmth and light of the sun as the days get longer.
Science has confirmed that light, and especially sunshine, helps produce hormones. Instinctually, we seem to know that sunshine is a special kind of light that contributes to health and well-being. In fact, an essential vitamin that functions like a hormone in the body is called the “sunshine vitamin.” Activated by the sun’s rays, Vitamin D is produced in the body providing certain conditions are met. (Do you remember when I wrote about the need for essential fatty acids, referred to as Vitamin F?)
We can only obtain enough Vitamin D from the sun to stay our healthiest during approximately half the year in northern climates due to the sun’s angle. However, many other hormones are activated within the body as light, and sunshine travels through the eyes to a gland in the middle of the brain, called the pineal gland.
Evidence of using both color and light for healing goes back to approximately 2000 BC in Egypt, Greece, China and India. The ancient healers didn’t need studies to figure out that both light and color worked wonders. However, people in the modern world thrive on data, double blind studies, and the like. In my own world as a wellness doctor and chiropractor, seeing my patient’s health improve is the most important data for me.
Seeing patient’s health improve on a daily basis reinforces my appreciation for the various healing modalities available in my office. By having many different modalities available, we can determine which therapies may provide the most benefit. Although I like to think of myself as operating similarly to the ancient healers who just knew what worked, it’s reassuring to find studies and scientific explanations which confirm my beliefs. This is one of the reasons I decided to research color therapy.
I soon found that the world of color therapy termed chromotherapy in the scientific world is fascinating! Consulting one of my favorite websites, PubMed, the National Center for Biotechnology Information, I found my gold at the end of the rainbow.
The best way to learn about something is to start by defining or understanding the terms. I found the definitions I needed from PubMed in the article, “A Critical Analysis of Chromotherapy and Its Scientific Evolution.” Light is defined as energy, and color is the product of the interaction of energy and matter. Colors are different energy wavelengths, and the frequency and quantity of energy are fixed for each color. The colors of the rainbow are the wavelengths we can see with our eyes, the visible portion of the spectrum.
Now back to the technical stuff for those who require it before joining me in my magical world of healing. We know that all things in this world are either matter or energy. Think about Albert Einstein’s famous formula E = MC squared. In other words, energy equals matter multiplied by the speed of light squared. This means that matter and energy can neither be created nor destroyed, and their forms can only be changed back and forth. This is an important concept when it comes to energy healing.
The vibratory rate of a substance determines its density or its form as matter. A slowly vibrating substance is referred to as physical matter, whereas a subatomic substance vibrating at or above the speed of light is pure light energy. Physical matter vibrates slowly while pure light energy at the opposite end of the spectrum vibrates at or above the speed of light. Since all matter vibrates at different rates, the vibratory rate is what differentiates various substances down to their basic elements and their subatomic structures.
Since all matter has different rates of vibration, no one should be surprised to learn that each organ, each limb, and each component part of the physical body has specific patterns of vibration. When these patterns are altered or deviate from normal vibrations, these organs and body parts will not function normally. Health and balance may be restored by using wavelengths of color that have specific vibrations that correspond to the body’s healthy vibrations. While this sounds complex, remember that people had been doing this successfully since 2000 BC.
Scientists have written volumes about the healing effects of light and color. As I was, you may be amazed at the depth of the research. To give you an idea, here’s a few names and publication dates: Avicenna (AD 980) Pleasanton (1876), Edwin Babbitt (1878), Ghadiali (1927), Takkata (1951) Hassan (in 1999), and Oshman (2000).
In our clinic, we’ve used light therapy for many years. We use the Erchonia cold laser with programmable frequencies. The red light of the laser communicates with the body to help frequency ranges return to normal. This process decreases pain, raises oxygen levels and energy levels, thereby promoting faster healing. We also use a set of colored eye glasses which direct color energy into the body. These glasses target specific organ structures to help improve their function. When used in conjunction with the ion foot bath, it can help these organs release toxins.
It’s exciting to see how far the world of color therapy has come starting from 2000 BC to the present. It makes me smile to know that the people of the past had the wisdom and knowledge to help improve the human condition in very humane ways even though they were not blessed with the amazing instrumentation and computers of today.
Please join us for this month’s workshop on color and light therapy to learn more, and see demonstrations on how this may positively affect your life and your health!
Yours in health, life, and (of course) light!
Dr. William H. Karl D.C.
