Has anyone discussed Colour Therapy here before? How could it be tested?

[Generalist]

There are several different versions of colour therapy out there, the one I'm questioning specifically is what's known as the "liley method" There are a couple of Colour Therapy clinics in practice here in NZ and I'm a bit curious about the credibility of the whole thing, on the grounds that it sounds too good to be true, and that things which sound too good to be true, usually are.

Here are some links to the practitioners web page.

http://colour-therapy.co.nz/

http://colour-therapy.co.nz/html/colour_therapy.html

http://colour-therapy.co.nz/html/how.html

You're probably wondering what my motivation for bringing this here is at this point, well, I'll tell you.

For some months now, a dear member of my immediate family has believed themselves to be ill with a virus which attacks her heart, and that if not for this therapy she would be dead. Further, she believes that if she does not continue with this therapy, it could re-establish a strong hold over her, and despatch her quite rapidly. She strongly believes that this virus would have killed her but for the colour therapy having saved her life. Incidentally her partner believes this also. I'm a little bit skeptical about it.

But they are spending their money on it, and she has been hooked up to this machine for months now, with the belief that she will eventually be cured of what ails her and that when this happens she will no longer need to be connected to the machine, and will no longer need to send money to the people who run this show for monthly diagnosis. These people diagnose by dowsing using a urine sample sent to them by post on a paper tissue or similar.

Can I get a few opinion pieces on here? Does this kind of thing fit with Randi's Million Dollar Challenge?

For the record, right now I'm not someone who believes that this therapy works. However it should be noted that I do not have any seriously convincing arguments for or against it, I only have what I have been told about it, and I'm not sure that I have the resources available to me to really put it to the test. Neither am I sure of what a good method to test it would be, as I can't claim I understand what the process is.

Cheers folks!

[Xeriar]

Get her to purchase some full-spectrum lights instead... In the U.S. here they are marketed as 'daylights' and cost about $8 a piece. They're just flourescent (and thus energy-efficient) lights that put out a whiter light.

IMO they look better, and since it does provide a fuller spectrum, makes it a bit easier to be a person who sticks in one's room most of the time. I think I feel better with them anyway, but that's pretty anecdotal.

Now regarding the BS found here:
http://colour-therapy.co.nz/html/how.html

Some points.

First, living organisms decay pretty quickly. Organisms found in urine samples sent via post will not have the same properties upon arrival as they had when they were taken.

Second, the resonant frequency of an organism is not static. This works even less well when combined with the above.

Third, the resonant frequencies used to kill living tissue are ultraviolet rays, not radio or microwaves or infrared or visible light. This technique gets used to kill tumors via irradiation by focusing some 300+ lasers on a single point.

[ohms]

It seems to me that claims like these would be relatively easy to test:
This system of Colour Healing removes bacterial and virus infections provided you complete the treatments.

and
# Colour Therapy kills off disease organisims, so you can concentrate your efforts on healthy living and eating in order to help your body heal itself.

[Generalist]

How would they be tested?

Just providing arguments against it probably isn't really enough, because a persons belief is involved, they won't necessarily listen to reason, belief isn't always rational, and when someone needs something to believe in... Arguing over its validity with her would probably only upset her, and have a negative effect.

I'm not entirely sure how to deal with the situation, it's a little delicate.

[JR "BOB" Dobbs]

If she is at the point where she believes this is all that is saving her life, it'll take some serious convincing to get her to stop. That's a bit of a bummer, but, seriously, if it was my friend and his or her life was in question, I'd be giving them so much static about it, I'd practically be dragging them out of the office.

This is exactly the sort of rot that the JREF is out to stop, particularly because it can and does cause physical harm to humans. If your friend's color therapist thinks he or she can prove that the techniques used work, the million dollar challenge might be available. Click here (http://www.randi.org/research/index.html) to see about the challenge.

[Jyera]

Originally posted by Generalist
...snipe...
For some months now, a dear member of my immediate family has believed themselves to be ill with a virus which attacks her heart, and that if not for this therapy she would be dead. Further, she believes that if she does not continue with this therapy, it could re-establish a strong hold over her, and despatch her quite rapidly. She strongly believes that this virus would have killed her but for the colour therapy having saved her life. Incidentally her partner believes this also. I'm a little bit skeptical about it.
.. snipe...

Is the patient diagnosed to be carrying a virus by a qualified doctor?

What virus is it and what is the doctor's advise?

[Generalist]

The doctor hasn't diagnosed her with any virus, and has infact suggested that he believes the problem is psychosomatic.

[Gayle]

The strong belief that one has a serious, even life-threatening, illness that regular doctors can't or won't diagnose is often a symptom of severe depression.

[Generalist]

I'd considered the possibility of depression before, the family situation could easily allow for it. I wouldn't know how to aproach the subject though, it's kind of touchy...

[Jyera]

The Color theraphy people do initial diagnosis from sample sent to them by mail. I think they response by mail, is that right ?

I presume the "color theraphy" people tells you what virus or illness your are suffering from?

What is the name of virus, do they claim your dear one is suffering from?

I suggest you get a medical doctor to do relevant test to monitor the level of that specified virus. (Blood test/urine test)

If the level detected is nil, you have options:
(1) Claim they made a wrong diagnosis and require a refund.
(2) Allow your dear one a chance to make an informed decision by his/herself to free herself from the slavery to the machine.
(3) A chance to determine if the theraphy is effective in lowering the level of suggested virus/bacteria.

[Jyera]

After you sent in the urine sample on tissue paper.
Do they respond with a diagnosis by mail ?
If they do respond by mail, and provide sufficient info, it is a chance for you to do a simple test.

I would say subject the color theraphy people to a simple pre-test.

1. Get sample of urine in separate bottles from four family members. Including the one who was already diagnosed.

2. Tell family members that you'll be sending them to the "color theraphy" for initial diagnosis.

3. Create 4 envelopes, one for each of the family members.

4a. Insert a tissue with sample of the urine into each envelope.
However you use the urine from one single person for all the sample. Do this for 3 of the envelope.
For the last envelope, mix all the urine together in one tissue.

4b. Mix up the urine sample and the envelope. Purposely put the Father's urine in the mother's envelope etc.

4c. Put a dog's urine sample, instead of a human's ones. Or a Neighbour's sample.

4d. Use lemonade instead.

5. Wait for response which should be very interesting.
And perhaps shows how promising they will be for the JREF prize.

I don't think my suggestion is fool-proof.
If I'm the "color theraphy" people I could just send back identical report for all sample and I might be quite safe.
I suspect they might be more savvy and experience than us.

Any suggestion to improve this?

[RamblingOnwards]

Originally posted by Jyera
I would say subject the color theraphy people to a simple pre-test.

<snip>

I'd even suggest a pre-pre-test. Submit a completely blank piece of tissue paper as a new patient, and see if they 'diagnose' anything. They may well be that fake.

[Zep]

If you are serious, work it the other way round.

Make up a letter purporting to come from the Colour Therapy people in which you ask her to send in another sample. Post it to her from elsewhere. When she does make up the sample to return, make sure you offer to post it for her. Ditch it at the first opportunity. Write her a second letter a few days later, again purporting to come from the Colour Therapy people, in which they say that she is now completely disease free and resistant for as long as she likes, and she should dispose of all the coloured lights in the trash, and she can get on with her life and do whatever she pleases. And that there will be no further bills or contact necessary with the Colour Therapy people.

She's happy and free, they get shut off from her life. The End.

[Generalist]

Difficulty with submitting a blank peice of tissue paper, is that you'd probably be able to tell that it hadn't been urinated on. I'm pretty confident that wetting it with water prior to sending it wouldn't appear the same as a tissue that had actually been peed on.

I like some of the ideas in Jyeras post, but I don't think my family would be very co-operative in doing something like that. None the less, I might suggest it this evening and see what they say.

Thanks folks.

[RamblingOnwards]

Originally posted by Generalist
Difficulty with submitting a blank peice of tissue paper, is that you'd probably be able to tell that it hadn't been urinated on.

Ah, but you're assuming they ever actually unseal it to see what it looks like. If they *know* they're fakes, I doubt they'd bother - imagine the smell!