LIGHT THERAPY

It is now 2009 and Seasonal Affective Disorder is widely recognized as a type of clinical depression that occurs primarily during the winter months. More than 36 million people suffer depressive symptoms brought on by the low light, short day length and cold temperatures. It is interesting to note, however, that some SAD sufferers have their symptoms occurring in the spring & summer instead of fall & winter.

SAD SYMPTOMS Symptoms of winter onset SAD are as follows: fatigue, depression, sadness, crying spells, irritability, body aches, loss of lobido, insomnia, decreased stamina for & interest in activity & exercise, overeating, especially of carbohydrates, weight gain, difficulty focusing or concentrating & social withdrawal. Symptoms of Summer SAD are as follow: insomnia, loss of appetite, weight loss, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and crying spells.

What causes Seasonal Affective Disorder? Research has shown that people living with very little sunlight for several months during the cold/short day season have lower levels of one of the brain's chemical neurotransmitters, serotonin. Low serotonin in our brains results in the symptoms of depression. The months of dark cold days also signal the brain to produce more melotonin. Melotonin is called the hibernation hormone. Melotonin makes us feel sleepy, disconnected and lacking any energy to move. As the days get longer, the brain responds by producing less melatonin and more seratonin, causing the syptoms of SAD to lessen and then gradually dissappear as summers long sunny days arrive. It appears that SAD is less common where there is snow covered ground even though the incidence of SAD increases as we get further from the equator, where there is generally lots of snow. Here on the west coast of BC, where it is mostly rain, fog, drizzle, slush, deluge, rain showers and then fog again, well, the incidence of SAD is one of the highest in North America. We Coast Dwellers often speak of cabin fever which is the feeling that you are just going to go NUTS if you don't get on a plane to the sunny beaches of St. Somewhere! Circadian Rhythms - Researchers hypothesize that SAD is associated with circadian rhythms (i.e. body clock) that have gone out of synch. Our body clock regulates our daily activity cycles into night (dark) and day (light). This cycle requires bright light as opposed to dim, dull light and then deep darkness to reset itself each day and night. If it doesn't receive these bright light and deep dark signals, it will begin to malfunction. Note that this process will be just as disrupted by exposure to bright light at night when the brain needs it to be dark. Those 24 hour long days in the far North and the far South must wreak havoc on a persons circadian rhythm.

Is SAD The Same As Winter Blues? Winter Blues is a much milder condition than SAD and is typified by the lack of energy and feeling sad or down for shorter periods of time (days not months). When you experience the winter blues, you do feel a little tired & down, but you can still function. Seasonal Affective Disorder sufferers find that their normal daily functions are difficult, if not impossible to perform. Although Seasonal Affective Disorder and Winter Blues differ in symptoms and in the degree of severity, the treatment is the same for both conditions. LET THERE BE LIGHT!

TREATMENT of SAD - LIGHT THERAPY or PHOTO-THERAPY The NIH has demonstrated that daily exposure to a certain spectrum of bright light (10,000 lux intensity) is a very effective means of balancing the effects of SAD depression. Photo-therapy stimulates the production of serotonin in the brain while at the same time reducing production of the hibernation hormone melatonin. The light therapy is clearly mimicking the sunlight exposure of summer that naturally changes our brain chemistry. Since discovering that exposure to bright light, especially fluorescent, is an effective treatment for Seasonal Affective Disorder, researchers and manufacturers have developed the SAD light box or SAD lamp that SAD sufferers can easily use at home every day. Generally light boxes have been the preferred devices because they can produce a diffuse field of full spectrum, 10,000-lux light. Light boxes produce a larger field of bright light than SAD lamps causing the photo receptors in the eye to receive more light.. This phenomenon, called spatial summation is an important factor in light therapy. When searching for SAD lights, one should consider whether the light box or SAD lamp can produce a large, diffuse field of 10,000 lux light at an effective distance of 15 inches or more. It is not an option to use a lower output light at a closer distance as this is thought to cause OVER exposure to UV rays present in fluorescent light. Light therapy is recommended for 30 minutes each day, once in the evening and once in the morning. Getting on that plane to a warm sunny island somewhere for a couple of weeks is also a recommended treatment for SAD. Just tell your accountant that "the doctor made you do it!"

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