While 14 percent of Americans have reported experiencing mild cases of this condition, 6 percent to 7 percent stated they experience the most extreme symptoms of SAD, which could include:
Researchers found that premenopausal women were more inclined to develop SAD symptoms over men due to the female hormones estrogen and progesterone.
The Positive Effects of Light Treatment
A study of 140 women that took place over five successive winters compared two different kinds of treatments for SAD: 30 minutes a day of exposure to light-emitting boxes and using room ionizers, which are thought to help SAD symptoms by increasing levels of negatively charged particles circulating in the air. Although the air ionizers showed some positive effects, the light boxes produced the most promising results.
Studies have shown that during the winter months, serotonin levels in the brain are lower than they are in the summer months. For this reason many doctors resort to prescribing SSRI's, which work by adjusting serotonin levels.
However, experts say that using light boxes are not only the safer alternative to treating this condition but also are much cheaper than prescription drugs in the long term. As a matter of fact, using a standard light box for a period of five years costs around $60 per year compared to a prescription for Prozac or other SSRI, which costs about $300 to $500 per year.
Another form of light box called "dawn stimulator" is attached to a bright light in the bedroom and works by causing the light to slowly increase in intensity during the early morning hours, similar to how it would on a spring day.
SAD experts agree that light boxes are the safe and most effective form of treatment for seasonal depression.
Forbes January 9, 2005
Exposing your skin to the sun regularly is probably the healthiest way to beat the blues, but with temperatures dropping like a rock in most areas and days being so much shorter in the Northern Hemisphere right now anyway, getting enough of it at all can be problematic.
The cloudy days of Chicago winters have really been a problem for me in the last few years. So I chose to escape to a warm sunny climate for several months where I have access to regular sunshine and warm temperatures. It took me many years of planning before I was able to do this. Unfortunately most of you reading this will not be able to implement this ideal strategy in the near future.
You may recall a story I ran during the Christmas holidays about the various ways you can beat the "winter blues," a far milder version of seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
So much so that scientists recommended full-spectrum light therapy over SSRIs like Prozac or Zoloft because they have virtually no side effects and are much cheaper than prescription drugs over the long term, and I wholeheartedly agree with them. In my experience, patients tend to feel a profound increase in energy and improvement in mood and sense of well being within two to three days after exposure to full spectrum lighting. That's why we've begun to offer BioPure Full Spectrum Lights on your Recommended Products page.
You don't have to go through the research, time and energy of determining, which are the best light bulbs on the market. I personally spent serious time and effort researching this topic so you don't have to waste your time doing so.
BioPure light bulbs are one of the most accurate natural full spectrum light bulbs and are designed to help you obtain the balanced sunlight that is essential to your physical AND mental health. These light bulbs project full spectrum light that most closely matches natural daylight and contain the necessary full spectrum of color (imagine the colors of the rainbow), as well as infrared and the three ultra violet wavelengths
As the article points out, lack of sunlight has been shown to affect levels of vitamin D and melatonin, so that is why it is important to get a sufficient amount of vitamin D during the short days of the winter months. Since sunshine is not readily available for most of us in the winter, one of the best sources to attain your vitamin D in the winter is by taking cod liver oil.
Since not all brands of cod liver oil are of the same quality, I have spent many hours researching and trying many cod liver oil brands There are a number of good brands out there but my favorite is Carlson's brand cod liver oil. You can obtain it at your local health food store or ask them for other high quality brands. Please don't purchase the lowest priced version here as you get what you pay for. If you can't find Carlson's we do carry it in our store for your convenience.
Trying these natural treatments to beat your case of SAD are not only safer alternatives to taking antidepressants but are also much less expensive in the long run.
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