Light therapy was the first treatment used to treat the first patient of SAD, and to this day a better one has yet to be found. Over the years, better kinds of light and better ways of getting the light absorbed by SAD patients have been developed, but the light box continues to be the greatest innovation in treating Seasonal Affective Disorder.

HenryWard Beecher once commented,“I think you might dispense with half your doctors if you would only consult Dr. Sun more.” Perhaps sunlight can’t replace so much as half the doctors, but certainly sunlight, and man-made light, have been shown to treat everything from skin disorders to depression. Several kinds of depression outside SAD have shown good responses to regular light exposure, including major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and postpartum depression.

Light therapy has also been used repeatedly to help with sleep disorders. It has also helped people who suffer insomnia and sleep troubles as a result of working late- night shifts, and even for jet lag!

As you can see, sunlight is a powerful tool in fighting both depression and sleep problems, and as the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder contain elements of both, it’s small wonder that light therapy has done so much for people who have seasonal problems.

Though light therapy is very simple to administer, there are some basic guidelines to follow in order to get the most out of it.There are also a few precautions to take. Some light sources, for example, can be harmful to your eyes or skin, so it’s best to go with a quality light box specifically designed for light therapy treatment.

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It’s possible to identify the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder in other people, and if you’re concerned for your spouse or a friend of yours, you’ll probably be pretty easily able to figure out if their problems are SAD-related. Kids and teens are another story. The trouble is that kids and teens often go through phases in development that mimic the symptoms of SAD. As teenagers go through rapid growth spurts, for example, they often feel far more tired than usual and can sleep many extra hours each day.This isn’t necessarily a symptom of SAD and it would be easy to dismiss any changes in sleep in your teen to simple developmental ups and downs.

Now, we don’t want you to go seeing SAD where it doesn’t actually exist. Don’t assume that your kid’s symptoms are the result of SAD. It’s entirely possible – it’s even most likely – that a teenager who is grumpy, antisocial, sleeps a lot, and consumes a lot of fatty, sugary carbohydrates is simply, as we say,“being a teenager.” That’s no cause for alarm.

So what’s the important distinguishing factor of SAD? The seasonal part. If you notice that your child or teenager has great grades in the spring and fall months but drops off sharply every winter, that pattern may have a basis in SAD. If you notice they’re usually very social with their friends all summer long but in winter have no inclination to spend time with other people, even their friends, that could be a problem. See if there are any patterns in your child’s behavior that correlate to the seasons. If so, that may be a good thing, since it can give an explanation for some of those ups and downs.

If you thought your child simply needed rigorous attention to get their homework done every night but find that they focus much better with light therapy, they may show the same adeptness at getting good grades in winter as they do in the warmer months. Identifying SAD can also help mood, social behavior, and learning problems. It can even change your child’s opinion of themselves. Struggling through the winter months can take a toll on a growing child’s opinion of his own intelligence, and if the winter symptoms last long enough, a child can decide that school isn’t worth the effort – even when it becomes easier in the spring.

Understanding that their troubles are seasonally related can reverse that negative opinion, and light therapy can eliminate the problem.

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Clean the healthier, environmentally friendly way with the power of UV light, and kill 99.9% of bacteria, molds, Dust Mites and Fleas without the use of harmful, corrosive chemicals.

The life cycle of the average male dust mite ranges between 10 and 19 days, while a mated female house dust mite can live up to 70 days, laying 60 to 100 eggs over the last 5 weeks of her life. In an average 10 week lifespan, a house dust mite will produce nearly 2000 fecal particles in addition to an even greater number of partially digested enzyme-covered dust particles. Does this seem like something you want living within your sofa or mattress? Likely not. The allergens produced by house dust mites are among the most common instigators of asthma. Good indicators that you are suffering from the presence of these pests are itchiness, sneezing, inflamed or infected eczema, watering/reddening eyes, runny nose and clogging in the lungs. The frequent washing and vacuuming of soft surfaces is an obvious step in the termination of house dust mites, but there is another way to catch them in their tracks.. and that is with sanitizing UV light. In addition to killing 99.9% of dust mites, UV light is extremely effective in the elimination of bacteria, including H1N1, as well as being an effective warrior against germs and mold. UV light also combats hard to kill Dust Mite eggs and Flea eggs, doing away with health risks safely and quickly.

Enabling you to cover a wide surface area and kill those pesky, disease causing pests, the Cleanwave Series from Verilux offers a safe, effective alternative to the eradication process. In addition to light wands and furniture/bed vacs for the sanitation of soft and hard surfaces in your home, the Cleanwave Line also has a Travel Pack, allowing you to trust the cleanliness of any soft surface you may encounter when away from home.

But there is another item in your home, that you may want to think about sanitizing, your toothbrush. Within the moist environment of your toothbrush, harmful germs and bacteria can live and flourish long after you’ve finished brushing your teeth and rinsing your toothbrush, but they can be effectively eliminated thanks to the CleanWave Portable ToothBrush Sanitizer‘s powerful UV-C light.

Incorporate Verilux’s Cleanwave products into your cleaning routine and eliminate the unwanted pests that may be lurking within your home.

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The Different Forms of Seasonal Affective Disorder

These are some of the symptoms you can expect to find in most aspects of your life. If you find that you’re out of sorts during the winter, pay particular attention to winter-onset SAD. If you find that summer is especially difficult for you, see if your symptoms match up with summer-onset SAD. Finally, if you feel great during the spring and summer but other people find you difficult to deal with, check the symptoms for reverse SAD.

Winter-Onset SAD

Winter-Onset depression occurs during the winter months but not during the rest of the year. This type of SAD evokes a lack of interest in activities you would otherwise enjoy through the warm, summer months. Fatigue and low energy are often symptoms of Winter-Onset SAD, commonly leading to disinterest in completing simple tasks at work and at home. Oversleeping is also a common symptom, causing the affected to sleep in excess of anywhere from 2-8 hours more than they generally sleep during the summer. Additional symptoms include overeating - particularly sweet, starchy foods, resulting in weight gain as well as thoughts of suicide and overall despair.

Summer-Onset SAD

Summer-Onset SAD depression occurs during the summer, manifesting as an irritability and anxiety toward manners that wouldn’t normally trouble you during the winter months. Aggression, as well as a lack of caution in potentially dangerous situations are additional effects of Summer-Onset SAD, as is insomnia, causing you to sleep far fewer hours than you normally would during the winter. Increased sex drive or a lack of rational regarding appropriate sexual behaviour also occurs in many people affected with Summer-Onset SAD, in additional to poor appetite and weight loss. Thoughts of suicide and self harm are also common symptoms of this type of depression.

Reverse SAD

Reverse SAD manifests itself with an unnatural euphoria, hyperactivity, increased social interaction, an over enthusiastic attitude in addition to an overdeveloped sex drive. In extreme cases, people may take on an aggressive aspect to their personality, displaying the illusion that they are invulnerable to harm.

If you fit any of the above statements you may suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder. It is suggested that you seek professional therapy. SAD Therapy Lamps are an effective treatment for Seasonal Affective Disorder which can eliminate your physical symptoms and alleviate your depression over a course of short, daily exposures. However, should your physical symptoms disappear, but reform internally into feelings of guilt, it may be an indicator of a much larger problem and you are urged to seek medical attention promptly.

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Well folks, Autumn is officially here… and you know what that means, the days are getting shorter and colder. As the rain falls and the season sets in with all its fury, many people begin to slump into a feeling of listlessness, lacking motivation and energy. These feelings can be tell tale signs of Seasonal Affective Disorder, or the Winter Blues, which set in during the darker months, when there is simply not enough sunshine to fuel our bodies natural mood enhancers. Nearly 20% of the worlds population is affected with SAD, with woman suffering from it nearly 3 times greater than men.

The key to pulling yourself out of this debilitating slump is actually quite simple, requiring no medication, or even a heavy time commitment. Light therapy can drastically reduce the effects of Seasonal Affective Disorder, buy providing your body with the full spectrum light it needs to function happily and healthily. The HappyLight® 6000 from Verilux shines bright with 6000 lux of full spectrum light, chasing away the Winter Blues, while assisting in the regulation of your natural Circadian Rhythms. In as little as 2.5 hours a day, you are able to bask in the recommended dose of light, without leaving your home! Simply sit in front of the illuminated lamp at a slight angle and feel its bright warmth as you craft, read, knit, watch television, work at your computer… anything you would normally do. Light therapy really fits into your lifestyle and is not difficult to become accustomed to.

Designed to be visually pleasing, the HappyLight® 6000 subtly enhances the design of any room, while its minimal size doesn’t take up an excess of space. Equipped with three settings: high, low and off, the HappyLight® 6000 is easy to use, providing the right amount of light, when you need it. The Verilux HappyLight® 6000 boasts the 2010 ADEX (Awards for Design Excellence) platinum award, which is the largest and most prestigious awards program for the product design of furniture, fixtures and finishes.

Start your day with a full dose of warming sun, even when it seems to be absent in the sky.

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In hopes of proving that the function of the Philips Wake Up Lamp works in helping to coax the body awake while regulating sleeping patterns with gradually fading light, these folks decided to wrangle a couple of participants, Simon the Rooster and a Philips Wake Up lamp, to participate in a little test.

The point of the study was simply this: Could a Wake Up Lamp make Simon crow before the sun’s actual rise? So, Simon’s coop was outfitted with some cameras, and a single Wake Up Lamp… he was then lulled off to sleep in preparation of his approaching earlier than normal morning rise. At 3am the lamp gradually faded in until it reached its maximum brightness, yielding one crowing rooster! Success! The enthusiasm toward the hitch-free experiment is felt as Simon continues to crow into the hours of the early morning.

Here’s hoping that Simon’s Circadian rhythms and sleeping patterns have since been restored!

What do you think? Leave your questions and comments below.

As we move toward the fall and winter months, the amount of natural light available for our bodies to absorb is drastically reduced which can have a significantly negative effect on nearly 20% of the worlds population. Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, occurs when our bodies are deprived of the full spectrum light they require to function properly. This happens largely in more Northern regions of the world where the seasonal change is much more notable. The symptoms associated with S.A.D. include disturbed sleep patterns, a lack of motivation, listlessness and overall depression. The will to perform simple tasks is depleted and even getting out of bed seems pointless for many. Seasonal Affective Disorder has an adverse effect on our bodies and psyche, disturbing Circadian rhythms and sending perfectly mentally healthy people into a lethargic and depressed state.

But there is something you can do to reverse the damaging effects of SAD, without having to resort to the use of medication. Since S.A.D. occurs upon the reduction of sunlight available for our bodies to absorb, doesn’t it just make sense to find a way to replace that source during the darker months? With the HappyLight Full Spectrum Light Therapy System you can effectively combat Seasonal Affective Disorder and reclaim your life, while restoring your natural Circadian rhythms and positive sleep patterns.

The HappyLight Full Spectrum Light Therapy System (HPLD) by Verilux effectively delivers 10,000 LUX of Full Spectrum Daylight, providing your body with the light it needs to activate your natural mood enhancers. This brightens your demeanour, increasing energy and raising overall spirits. The HappyLight system shines with the maximum light therapy brightness recommended by the National Institute of Health, which allows you to bask in a full days dose of sun in just 30 minutes.

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Wake up and drift off to sleep with the rising and setting of the sun, just the way nature intended. No matter where we live, the natural rhythms of the sun change throughout the year, affecting the way many people sleep - throwing their day to day functioning out of whack. This occurs with much greater frequency in more Northern countries, where the transition from the warm, bright summer weather to the cold, short days of the fall and winter is much more drastic. Irregular sleeping patterns can also affect people are prone to shift and night work - causing them to sleep at times of the day to which the human body is generally not accustomed. The Wake Up Lamp by Philips simulates the natural rhythms of the sun, enabling you to fall asleep to the gradually dimming light of the setting sun, either mixed to the gently fading, built in spa sounds or your favorite radio station. In the morning, the Wake Up Lamp begins to steadily increases the intensity of light over a half hour period until your preset wake up time is reached. Equipped with a range of relaxing spa like sounds and a quality FM radio, you can to wake up gently to chirping birds, wind chimes, tribal drums, ambient melodies or your favourite radio station.  Featuring dual alarms and a snooze setting ranging over 20 levels of brightness, the Wake Up Lamp provides customizable settings letting you find the brightness levels that are just right for your comfort. The Wake Up Lamp also sports a snooze button, set at 9 minute intervals which deactivates both sound and light.

The Philips Wake Up Lamp emits up to 300 LUX of natural sunlight, assisting in regulating the bodies natural circadian rhythms, promoting a healthier, restful nights sleep and a refreshed, alert rise. It has been clinically proven that waking up with light improves your well-being, and several studies have shown that the Philips Wake-up Light truly improves the quality of sleeping and waking patterns.

The Philips Wake Up Lamp features a compact size perfect for any bedside table and sports anti-slip rubber feet for enhanced stability. Constructed with easy to use controls and a simple user interface, the Wake Up Lamp is a perfect choice for anyone, from the technologically savvy to those who may be little more old fashioned.

Never wake up to the screeching jolt of a conventional alarm again and say goodbye to restless nights and exhausted mornings. The Philips Wake up Lamp will leave you feeling refreshed and ready to face a fresh new day!

3 Stages of light from the Rise & Shine. Click for larger view.

Click above for larger view.

What Causes Seasonal Affective Disorder?

How Can I Deal with SAD Without Relying on Medication?

How do I Know Which Therapy Lamp is Right for my Needs?

Key Points to Consider with the HappyLight Full Spectrum Light Therapy System (HPLD) by Verilux:

Key Points to Consider with the HappyLite Mini Ultra Full Spectrum
Light Therapy System by Verilux:

Key Points to Consider with the HappyLite 6000 Full Spectrum Light Therapy System

So, why should you choose a SAD Therapy lamp?

Will a SAD Therapy Lamp Cure my Depression?

There is so much power in light – literally.  And today various medical specialties are taking advantage of light and its power to help treat common problems.  According to research, utilizing light therapy as a treatment option can be extremely effective.  It works to help treat a variety of conditions.

SAD

Seasonal Affective Disorder is a mental condition that people struggle with each year.  As they struggle with this condition, treatment options are often difficult to find.  One of the best treatment options results from substituting the lack of sunlight with artificial light.  It seems to be the best way to cure the problems associated with this winter depression.

Depression And Anxiety

In addition to SAD, the regular forms of depression may also benefit from light therapy.  Light has a positive effect on a person’s mood.  It can help stimulate serotonin production.  Also, many people that suffer from anxiety have noticed that their symptoms are milder when they use light therapy.

Acne

Light therapy has also been known to help patients that suffer from acne.  Some people that can’t find cures for their skin issues comment on the miracle of light therapy.  It was the only solution that worked for them.

If you are suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder, you will benefit from goal setting.  Although goal setting is not a direct treatment method for SAD, there are many benefits to applying this practice to help you with your treatment.  Here are some ideas.

Set Daily Goals To Help You Accomplish Tasks

Often SAD sufferers experience a lack of motivation in their lives.  They experience fatigue and mood changes that make it difficult for them to function as they normally would.  If you are experiencing this, you will benefit from setting goals everyday.  It will help you as you seek to have a better outlook on life.

Set Goals To Utilize Light Therapy Everyday

One of the recommend treatment options for SAD is to utilize light therapy.  Sometimes it is easy to forget to use the treatment.  However, the more consistent you are with the treatment, the better results you will have.  Therefore, set goals to proactively use your light box to help you get bet.

Set A Goal To Keep Track Of Your Symptoms

In order to track your progress, you need to be able to evaluate your symptoms everyday.  If you can do this, you will understand where you were and what progress you have made.  However, writing down your symptoms everyday takes effort.  Make a goal to do this everyday.

Do you suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder?  If you do, you are not alone.  SAD is a common mental illness that affects many people during the winter months.  Most people use light therapy and medication to alleviate their SAD symptoms.  However, there are also activities that can help reduce your SAD symptoms.  Obviously, sitting at home inside all day does not count, nor does staring at the computer.  However, the following are great ideas.

Take A Walk

One of the most beneficial and easy activities that you can participate in during the winter is going on a walk.  Simply walking can make the biggest difference on how you are feeling.  Try it.  And make sure to take a walk outside.

Spend Time With Others

It is also important that SAD sufferers spend time with others.  They need to make sure to make time for their friends.  Often they will decide against social activities.  However, these activities will greatly benefit their moods and help them with their symptoms.

Start A Project

Lastly, start a project.  Do something fun that you enjoy.  This will be something that you look forward to and are passionate about.  Have fun with it.  Maybe try something new!

If you are a relatively happy person, suffering from the winter blues can be frustrating.  It can be confusing and difficult to understand why you suddenly feel down.  It is likely that you are suffering from a condition known as Seasonal Affective Disorder.  This condition is a type of depression.  And like they say on the commercials, depression is not your fault.  It is a medical problem.

SAD

SAD is a result of the lack of sunlight during the winter months.  Therefore, when the sun stopped shining, your body experienced a shock of some sort.  This shock put your body out of sync.  When there is a lack of sunlight, your body generates less serotonin than usual.  Serotonin production comes from the sun and it regulates your mood.  In addition, because of the lack of sunlight, your body begins to produce more melatonin.  This chemical regulates your sleeping pattern.  When you begin to produce more of it, you sleep more often than normal and feel more fatigued.

Fatigue

Fatigue is a common symptom of SAD sufferers.  In order to stop feeling tired and SAD, you might consider trying a SAD lamp to help you with your symptoms.  Many SAD sufferers find these lamps to be beneficial.