Featuring the skills and perspective of Simon Cribb
About Spectrochrome
Spectrochrome is a one-hundred year old modality, developed by Dinshah Ghadiali from 1897 onwards.
There are few methods of light therapy have attracted the level of censure that has been directed at Spectro-Chrome therapy, and if you research the mainstream web you will soon be convinced it is sheer quackery.
This stands in stark contrast to the simple and rapid results I have seen by using this approach in the clinic.
As an example:
A short time after I put together a lamp and had tested the use of Spectrochrome filters with a modern light source, a woman in her 50s presented with a 10-week history of continuous uterine bleeding.
She has a history of some uterine trauma, and polyps have been sighted on scans.
She reports feeling under severe stress, especially since nursing her dying parent.
She was also on long-term Methotrexate to supress symptoms of "reactive arthritis" that developed after an episode of food poisoning. (This is relevant because of its side effects).
She was booked for surgical cauterization, but keen to explore alternatives whilst she was awaiting a date.
She also informed me that she is a sceptic, but desperate.
On examination I observed a hot and swollen area of the left lower abdominal region (corresponding to the uterus/left ovary).
The first treatment consisted of 15 minutes of turquoise light to the abdomen, and some colorpuncture to related acupuncture meridians and mental stress zones.
She returned a week later reporting a 50% improvement, and the swelling is visibly diminished.
For the second session I use green light (and related colorpuncture).
On review a week later, she was 100% symptom free.
She subsequently consulted her doctor who cancelled the surgery.
This was several months ago, and she has remained symptom-free.
My reaction to this case was "Wow, I didn't know that could be done so easily. How can it be so simple?"
Obviously, the stock explanation of "placebo effect" does not cover this, as she didn't "think" that she was getting better, she physically recovered.
Needless to say my curiosity was fired up.
The clinical results have continued to accumulate, and you can read a few more case histories here if you are curious.
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A BRIEF HISTORY OF SPECTROCHROME
The above picture, from "Let There Be Light", shows a child with severe burns exhibiting almost perfect skin regeneration (eighteen months later). This was in an era where she was not expected to survive. Not only did she survive but it appears the results may be better to anything that we can do with current burns technologies (Not to diminish from the incredible medical advances that have been made in this area, but rather to point to what might be possible with unbiased research).
In 1897, Dinshah Ghadiali was a young medical doctor. Whilst desperately seeking a solution for a young woman dying of colitis, he trialled indigo light exposure. This was inspired by
The writings of Dr. Edwin D. Babbitt in his 1878 treatise, Principles of Light and Color.
The treatment showed remarkable results, sparking his interest in the field. His extensive experiments were distilled into the Spectro-chrome system.
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Despite his enthusiasm and the support of some medical followers, Ghadiali faced considerable opposition from the medical community. Many doctors and scientists were sceptical of his methods and viewed them as unscientific. Bearing in mind that at this stage scientific models of photobiology were in their infancy, and not mainstream.
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Continued scepticism led to legal battles and public criticism. Ghadiali was even arrested and charged with practicing medicine without a license. Ultimately his equipment was confiscated and banned, his writings were destroyed, and his laboratory was burned down. (Such was America under the watch of J. Edgar Hoover, who appears to have had a personal dislike of Ghadiali and his work).
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Undeterred, Ghadiali continued to promote Spectro-Chrome therapy and educate others about its potential benefits. He established the Spectro-Chrome Institute in New York City and taught numerous classes on the subject. Over time, his work gained a dedicated following, and his son formed the Dinshah Health Society was founded to continue his legacy. They provide resources that can be found here https://www.dinshahhealth.org
At Back in Harmony, I frequently use this modality in combination with other techniques, especially colorpuncture.
It provides reliable results with all manner of pain, stress and inflammation.
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The challenge for its wider acceptance may be that it there is no available means of calculating what area to treat and what colours to use; this requires extensive experience, astute observation skills and strongly developed clinical intuition.
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Also, there is an imbedded tendency to consider phototherapies (such as LASER and Bright Light Therapy) as legitimate and evidence-based, whilst if we call them "colour therapies" instead of "light therapies" it attracts the reactive label of "Wu wu" or similar, even though we are talking about a variation of the same thing.
So, at this stage the therapeutic properties of red light are well researched, whilst turquoise light has no published studies. Hence, light remains a "future medicine" even after a hundred years.