Yes, folks, the holidays have passed and we are now in the SAD Season. Exposing your skin to the sun regularly is probably one of the healthiest and most confused health activities.

It is a surefire way to help beat the blues, but with temperatures dropping and days getting shorter, at least in the Northern Hemisphere, getting enough of it can be problematic.

Although technology allows us to live relatively comfortably in centrally heated homes and cars that mostly insulate us from the effect of the cold, they really do not address the health challenges related to many months of cloudy, snowy or rainy weather.

Like most people, I really don't enjoy the dark days of Chicago winters. So I choose 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 arrange my life to make this possible.

I have a job where a notebook, phone and high-speed Internet connection allows me to do virtually everything I can at the Chicago office. Unfortunately, most of you reading this will not be able to implement this type of strategy in the near future.

You may recall a story I ran about the various ways you can beat the "winter blues," a far milder version of SAD.

Scientists generally recommend full-spectrum light therapy over SSRIs like Prozac or Zoloft because it has virtually no side effects and is 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.

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 ultraviolet wavelengths.

Lack of sunlight affects your levels of both melatonin and vitamin D, so that is why it is important for you 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.

Trying these natural treatments to beat your case of SAD is not only a safer alternative to taking antidepressants but is also much less expensive in the long run.