Turn on the LIGHT!
Blog 4/Week 4
Hello and Welcome! I am so glad you are here. To re-cap, last week's post pointed out how important education is when making decisions about how to treat your SAD symptoms. And, it's not just reading and acknowledging the different paths available, but how and what treatments address particular symptoms AND the best route to take. Remember, it is important to see a medical professional to confirm the diagnosis first before embarking of a plan that may not be appropriate for you. That said, there is so much to talk about on the subject of LIGHT THERAPY. This blog could get VERY long and I vowed that my intention was to offer a 2 minute blog each week that could be read in the check out line. So over the next 5 weeks I will address each of the following questions regarding Light Therapy: What is it? How does it work? Is this all I need to help me with my SAD? How long do I have to wait to feel better? What can I do if my medical professional doesn't recommend this treatment for me?
Question 1 - What is it?
Light Therapy is a form of treatment that can help with SAD symptoms through the use of a Light Therapy Box. The light boxes that arrived initially back in the 1980's were referred to as a box, and were quite large in size and cumbersome (in my opinion). Their appearance was industrial like, reminding me of the ceiling lights we have in our garage; not very attractive and BIG! Today, they are not only aesthetically pleasing in design, but small in size (like that of an iPad). They come with light setting options to give you a choice on the type of light that works for you. So, for example, the one I purchased recently has three distinct color temperature levels (not to be confused with light that gets hot and hotter), but rather the settings depict three levels of light luminance: Warm light, Natural light and White light. And there are four time settings: 15, 30, 45 and 60 minute intervals. There is a "none" setting for a light-on status. Plus, and on/off switch. The options available are portable and can be placed on nightstands, counters and desktops and take up little space. You could even tuck one in your suitcase for your travels. Today, my symptoms don't require light therapy. And, I so wish this was available when I was in the thick of SAD during the 80's when I was raising small children. BUT, it's here today! How wonderful for you!
Next week may be a great add-on to this post for you as I will explain how light therapy works with regard to serotonin etc. Until then, have a nice week...Jeanine
