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Researchers at the University of California claim that yellow helps people lose weight, green helps convalescent patients, violet helps depression, while turquoise is good for spots. A psychologist from Boston University has even suggested that a patient who has difficulty in getting to sleep should try gazing at something blue for 20 minutes or so. Blue, it is said, is a calming colour which relieves tension and reduces blood pressure. On the other hand, red light lowers the pain threshold, say researchers at Cambridge University.
Drug companies have been using colours therapeutically for years. They believe that blue is the best colour for heart drugs, yellow is the best for anxiety, orange stimulates the appetite and red is good for pain. They do, however, have to be careful when selling pills around the world. The drug company which tried to promote a blue contraceptive pill in a blue package in India discovered that Indian women regarded blue as a colour for women with a rather less than immaculate moral character!
Hospital designers have had their problems too. The colour recommended for intensive care units is purple, but one hospital where the whole unit had to be repainted when it was found that the purple walls were making all the patients look cyanosed and close to death. So, despite colour therapy having its uses, there are plenty of teething problems to be overcome.Teacher: Michael
Many articles taken from 'A word with the doctor', by Dr. John Windsor.
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