SAD Light Box

How to Build a Light Box for SAD

Building your own light box for seasonal affective disorder (SAD) treatments can help you get through the cold and dreary winter months. Daily treatments with your homemade light box can improve your mood and sleep patterns, production of natural...

How to Use SAD Light Therapy

Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, is form of depression that is related to a particular time of year. Most people feel the effects of SAD beginning in the fall. For some, it may last throughout the winter until spring has arrived, according to...

A Light Box for Seasonal Affective Disorder

Dr. Norman E. Rosenthal, MD, the first scientist to describe seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and pioneer of the light box treatment for it, is among the twenty-eight million Americans that suffer from the illness. In his 2006 book "Winter...

Psychiatric Uses for Herbs & Natural Products

The number of diagnosed mental disorders has increased in the United States in recent years, but herbal and other natural therapies can be effective treatments for these mental health issues that induce only mild side effects. Optimizing a...

Seasonal Affective Disorder Treatments

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a mood disorder that commonly occurs during the winter months (although it may also develop during the summer). SAD often causes symptoms of depression, anxiety, hopelessness, loss of energy, and sleep and...

Holistic or Herbal Approach to Seasonal Affective Disorder

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a mood disorder characterized by depressive episodes during the winter months. This disorder is triggered by the reduction in the amount sunlight available between the end of October and the beginning of March....

How SAD Lights Work

Seasonal Affective Disorder (or SAD) is a mood disorder experienced by people living in areas where the changes in season are prominent. In the Northern United States, for instance, fall and winter are marked by shorter days and inclement weather...

Facts About Seasonal Diffective Disorder

Individuals who experience Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) develop a depressed state when the seasons change from summer to winter. Once the weather begins to warm back up and days get longer, the symptoms leave. A lack of exposure to daylight...

Ten Treatments for Depression

Depression is a debilitating, often misunderstood condition. Fortunately there are effective treatments available and, as more is understood about the condition, a cure may be forthcoming. Check with your health care provider before attempting to...

Practical Tips for Beating the Winter Blues

When winter falls the daylight hours shorten almost everywhere; at high latitudes, the difference can be extreme. Weather might keep you from doing your regular outdoor workouts, or the darkness might make it seem like you shouldn't be moving...

How to Use a Full Spectrum Light for SAD

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) occurs during winter when people are exposed to fewer hours of natural sunlight. Symptoms of this condition include anxiety, fatigue, depression, overeating, weight gain and oversleeping. About half a million...

What Are the Benefits of Light Therapy?

Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, is depression that sets in during winter and goes away during spring and summer. Symptoms include exhaustion, weight gain, and carbohydrate cravings. SAD is linked to lack of sunlight and may be caused by...

Psychobiology of Seasonal Affective Disorder

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) occurs at the same time each year. Most people experience this depression in the fall and into the winter months. They feel as if their energy is drained and become very moody. SAD also happens to people in the...

How to Overcome Seasonal Depression

Seasonal depression, also called seasonal affective disorder (SAD), occurs when the body reacts to changing seasons by triggering sad feelings and an overall decline in mood. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, up to 500,000...

Relief of Winter Depression

Winter depression is usually diagnosed as seasonal affective disorder (SAD). It usually begins during the fall, according to the Mayo Clinic, and can continue throughout the winter season, making life harder than it needs to be. Overcoming winter...

What Is Light Therapy & How Is it Used?

Light therapy or phototherapy is the use of artificial light to treat various kinds of ailments and is used in both conventional and alternative medicine. The Mayo Clinic lists several conditions that can benefit from light therapy such as...

Medications for Seasonal Depression

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a type of depression associated with seasonal variations in daylight, is a common experience for many Americans. In 2006, Norman Rosenthal, M.D. in his book "Winter Blues," revealed that seasonal affective...

Ways to Beat Winter Blues

If you tend to feel depressed as the cold or rainy weather rolls in, you're not alone. According to research from the American Academy of Family Physicians, Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, may affect up to six percent of people in the United...

What Are the Dangers of Overusing Tanning Beds?

Tanning beds have become an alternate way to get a tan. Although tanning beds may not look harmful, they can be even more dangerous than natural sunlight. People sometimes become addicted to tanning beds, and as a result, that once-natural,...