Colorpuncture, cromopuncture, or color light acupuncture, is a
pseudoscientific[ alternative medicine practice based on "mystical or supernatural" beliefs][ which asserts that colored lights can be used to stimulate ]acupuncture point
Acupuncture is a form of alternative medicine and a component of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in which thin needles are inserted into the body. Acupuncture is a pseudoscience; the theories and practices of TCM are not based on scientif ...
s to promote healing and better health. It is a form of chromotherapy
Chromotherapy, sometimes called color therapy, colorology or cromatherapy, is an alternative medicine method that is considered pseudoscience and quackery. Chromotherapists claim to be able to use light in the form of color to balance "energy" l ...
or color therapy. There is no known anatomical or histological
Histology,
also known as microscopic anatomy or microanatomy, is the branch of biology which studies the microscopic anatomy of biological tissues. Histology is the microscopic counterpart to gross anatomy, which looks at larger structures vis ...
basis for the existence of acupuncture points or meridians, and there is no scientific support for the efficacy of colorpuncture.[
]
Background
Colorpuncture was developed in the 1980s by German naturopath and acupuncturist Peter Mandel, who named it ''esogetic colorpuncture''. "Esogetic" is a term coined by Mandel to refer to the "merger of esoteric wisdom of life with the energetic principles of life's processes".
Mandel cited Fritz-Albert Popp, who claimed that the body's cells communicate with each other through a steady stream of photon
A photon () is an elementary particle that is a quantum of the electromagnetic field, including electromagnetic radiation such as light and radio waves, and the force carrier for the electromagnetic force. Photons are massless, so they a ...
s. This is not a scientifically recognized method of cell communication
Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inqui ...
. Using Kirlian photography
Kirlian photography is a collection of photographic techniques used to capture the phenomenon of electrical coronal discharges. It is named after Semyon Kirlian, who, in 1939, accidentally discovered that if an object on a photographic plate is ...
, Mandel concluded that the acupuncture
Acupuncture is a form of alternative medicine and a component of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in which thin needles are inserted into the body. Acupuncture is a pseudoscience; the theories and practices of TCM are not based on scientif ...
meridians absorb and disseminate colored light within the body.
Colorpuncture is based on the idea that illness and pain occur when an individual has strayed off his or her "life path". For example, a treatment might be intended to release an emotional blockage to heal a nervous system condition, allowing patients to devote themselves to their individual spiritual purpose. Three of the six factors (called ''molecules'') represent the subtle energies: the '' chakras'', the ''formative field'', and the ''converter model''. The other three factors describe the physical reality: the ''body systems'', the ''coordination system'', and the ''transmitter relays''.
Treatment
Colorpuncture employs seven basic colors. In general, the warm colors - red, orange, and yellow - are believed to add energy, while the cool colors - green, blue, and violet - decrease energy. Mandel also claims that warm and cool colors, when used together, balance yin and yang
Yin and yang ( and ) is a Chinese philosophical concept that describes opposite but interconnected forces. In Chinese cosmology, the universe creates itself out of a primary chaos of material energy, organized into the cycles of yin and ya ...
energy flows.
A small handheld instrument resembling a torch ( flashlight) with a colored quartz rod is used. The tip is placed directly onto acupoints or held a short distance above. Unlike acupuncture, the skin is not broken. Colorpuncture sessions last 10 to 90 minutes. Colorpuncturists claim to diagnose through the use of Kirlian photography
Kirlian photography is a collection of photographic techniques used to capture the phenomenon of electrical coronal discharges. It is named after Semyon Kirlian, who, in 1939, accidentally discovered that if an object on a photographic plate is ...
.
Reception
Jack Raso writing in the ''Skeptical Inquirer
''Skeptical Inquirer'' is a bimonthly American general-audience magazine published by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI) with the subtitle: ''The Magazine for Science and Reason''.
Mission statement and goals
Daniel Loxton, writing in 2 ...
'' included colorpuncture in a list of "mystical or supernaturalistic" therapies. Harriet Hall
Harriet A. Hall (born July 2, 1945) is a U.S. retired family physician, former U.S. Air Force flight surgeon and skeptic who writes about alternative medicine and quackery for ''Skeptic'' and ''Skeptical Inquirer''. She writes under the name T ...
points out there is no supporting research for colorpuncture and explains how color can be used for diagnosis rather than treatment.
A review of research studies conducted in Europe to evaluate the efficacy of colorpuncture concluded that the approach lacked a research base to be considered anything but a pilot or preliminary research stage. Quackwatch
Quackwatch is a United States-based website, self-described as a "network of people" founded by Stephen Barrett, which aims to "combat health-related frauds, myths, fads, fallacies, and misconduct" and to focus on "quackery-related information th ...
lists it as a questionable treatment, and research on colorpuncture has failed to demonstrate a consistent effect.
The Spanish Government's health reference has ruled it a "pseudotherapy."
See also
* Chromotherapy
Chromotherapy, sometimes called color therapy, colorology or cromatherapy, is an alternative medicine method that is considered pseudoscience and quackery. Chromotherapists claim to be able to use light in the form of color to balance "energy" l ...
* Pseudoscience
Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices that claim to be both scientific and factual but are incompatible with the scientific method. Pseudoscience is often characterized by contradictory, exaggerated or unfalsifiable clai ...
* List of topics characterized as pseudoscience
This is a list of topics that have, either currently or in the past, been characterized as pseudoscience by academics or researchers. Detailed discussion of these topics may be found on their main pages. These characterizations were made in the ...
References
{{color topics
Acupuncture
Pseudoscience
Light therapy