rectal or colon tumors, or ulcerative colitis. Also,
undiagnosed intestinal disorders that require con-
ventional treatment may be aggravated by irriga-
tion procedures. More information is available by
contacting the International Association for Colon
Hydrotherapy, P.O. Box 461285, San Antonio, TX
78246-1286, or (210) 366-2888.
See also Appendix I.
color therapy A therapeutic method that origi-
nated in ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, Babylonia,
and China after the recognition that sunlight ther-
apy relieved skin disorders. Therapy evolved into
the use of colored light (red and infrared) for
lesions caused by smallpox and German measles.
Dr. Peter Mandel, a German naturopathic physi-
cian, developed Colorpuncture, which combines
the use of acupoints and meridians of acupuncture
with wavelengths of colored light, according to an
individual’s needs. For example, he believes reds,
oranges, and yellows strengthen or stimulate acu-
points, and greens, blues, and violets subdue them.
Mandel also theorizes that the flow of qi (ch’i)
throughout the body along the meridians, or chan-
nels, works with color and light in the same way a
fiberoptic network operates.
In Ayurvedic medicine, each chakra, or energy
circle, of the body along the vertical midline has
attributed to it a specific color, a concept that
embraces the link between the body’s electromag-
netic vibrations and wavelengths of color. In the
practice of feng shui, or the Chinese art of place-
ment, color plays a major role in the way an envi-
ronment and the people in it are affected by colors.
There are various techniques involving the use of
color as therapy for both physical and emotional
problems.
Because color emanates from daylight, a combi-
nation of the eight colors of the spectrum (red,
orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, turquoise, and
magenta) and the radiation inherent in sunlight,
many color therapists believe that certain colors
correspond with mental, emotional, and physical
problems, such as insomnia, depression, behavioral
problems, pain, anxiety, asthma, and stress-related
ailments. Each color also has its own vibrational fre-
quency and therefore can affect the body’s sense of
well-being and balance. A therapist may administer
light treatments, during which a patient is given a
white robe to wear under a light machine with
stained-glass filters for about 20 minutes. This may
also include the therapist’s use of draping colored
materials around the patient or using a quartz crys-
tal torch through which light filters. The colors of
one’s clothing, foods, and personal environments
play important roles in color therapy, and the ther-
apist may suggest variations from current choices.
Excessive use of one color is said to affect one’s
health adversely. Red, for example, is reported to
lower resistance to pain, raise blood pressure, and
affect embryonic cell structure during pregnancy.
When blue light, on the other hand, was focused on
the hands of 60 middle-aged women at the San
Diego State University School of Nursing in 1982,
the women experienced a certain amount of pain
relief from their rheumatoid arthritis. Other studies,
such as one concerning sufferers of migraines, have
also been conducted using colored light.
See also AURA; CHAKRAS; FENG SHUI; LIGHT THERAPY.combination remedies In homeopathy, a mixture
of remedies, often at low potency levels, for the
treatment of an ailment, akin to the concept of
broad-spectrum antibiotics when a particular micro-
organism is not identified or readily identifiable.
See also HOMEOPATHY.complementary medicine Any method or modal-
ity intended to enhance or supplement other treat-
ments, including traditional Western medicine.
Complementary forms of treatment may also be
categorized as alternative or integrative medicine.compress In various branches of medicine,
including home remedies and folk medicine prac-
tices, a cloth or pad saturated with either hot or cold
agents and applied directly to the skin over an area
of the body that is swollen or painful. Compresses
may also be used in the form of dry, soft folded cloth
that is applied firmly over a wound to promote
healing through slight pressure and closure.constitutional remedies In homeopathy, reme-
dies that correspond to an individual’s overall phys-
ical and mental state and family medical history.30 color therapy