The Psychology of Color in Healthcare

Color therapy, also known as chromatherapy, is the principle that certain colors are infused with healing powers. The seven colors of the rainbow improve balance and healing in the mind and body. This form of therapy also works in conjunction with hydrotherapy and aromatherapy to enhance the healing effect.

 Implementation of color therapy:
 - Daily routine:
Wearing clothing or eating foods of specific colors, exposing the body to color lights, massaging the body with colorsaturated oils, or envisioning colors are methods of color therapy.
- Environment:
Painting walls and selecting particular colors for window treatments, furnishings, and trimmings are also forms of color therapy known to have positive health benefits.

In healthcare Buildings:
- Short Term patient room: pastel color scheme
- Long Term patient room : balance of color and a mixture of contrasting tones. Essentially, the idea is to keep the space fresh and interesting with clearly

When decorating a space the colors red, blue, yellow, and green can be used to restore people’s health. These colors relate correspondingly to the body, mind, and emotions—and the essential balance among them. According to colorconnections.com, the psychological properties of these colors are as follows:

• Red raises blood temperature and stimulates circulation. Red is used to care for people with anemia, fatigue, paralysis, and exhaustion.
• Blue is soothing. It is used for cases of inflammatory conditions, burns, and bruises. It also helps with eczema, psoriasis, rashes, and sores. In addition, blue helps alleviate tension, stress, and problems with the immune system. It is believed to relieve insomnia, anxiety, high blood pressure, migraines, and skin irritation.
• Yellow is used to aid digestion as well as the liver and intestine process. Yellow is thought to have decongestant and antibacterial properties to act as a cleanser for the body. It has been known to help relieve rheumatism and arthritis.
• Green creates balance and harmony within the body. It is especially good for heart and blood problems. It is known to influence the human cell structure and muscles.
• Orange gives vitality to the body and is associated with the kidneys, urinary tract, and reproductive organs.
• Purple is associated with the eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. It helps with head congestion and sinuses, and is known to calm the nervous system.

Source: http://www.pva.org/site/c.ajIRK9NJLcJ2E/b.6738073/k.9877/The_Psychology_of_Color_in_Healthcare.htm


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