Today is definitely not a good day. Dark, cold, wet snow and the wind is just howling out there. I turned on my SADlite first thing this morning and it's still on. Even my cats are sitting in its glow, as if they instinctively know it's good for them.

I've been doing more reading about SAD, and learning an awful lot in the process. You're right, Rachel, there's not a heck of a lot out there that isn't geared toward selling light boxes. And a lot of outdated and downright incorrect information too. I did find a few good, up-to-date articles, though, here are some snips -

(1) from Dr. Robert Oxlade, Kingston ONT, March, 2000 - How does lack of light cause these symptoms? The mechanism is not completely understood. Past research focused on the day/night rhythm co-ordination centre in the brain ... which receives messages about light intensity and exposure from nerve fibres from the eye's retina .... Melatonin is involved in the regulation of the night/day sleep/activity rhythm, and SAD was thought to be an out-of-synch phase problem with the sleepiness and depression triggered by excess melatonin secretion during the morning, instead of at night. But new research indicates that only in rare cases do drugs that block melatonin cure the mood problem and further, that people don't get depressed when given melatonin. Also, exposure to light works no matter what time of day it is. So, most likely SAD is a complicated interaction between the body's long seasonal cycle controls, and reproductive hormone cycles, especially in women. Biologically, SAD probably functioned as a strategy to enhance fertility and infant survival by avoiding winter climates through seasonal migration. SAD is thus the result of unusual or extreme seasonal sensitivity combined with inability to migrate towards safer winter circumstances. In our modern civilization, SAD is perhaps a second best solution a strategy of eating more, staying warmer with more fat and feeling bad and withdrawn: in short, nature is saying "Go South or Hibernate"! ( sounds good to me)

(2) from Dr. N. Rosenthal, SAD research pioneer, and sufferer - "Winter after winter people experience lethargy and fatigue, sadness and despair." "The S.A.D. illness disrupts personal relationships, causes victims to overeat, gain weight and to become indifferent toward their jobs." "Women, by a margin of 3 or 4 to one, are often more affected by S.A.D. than men, and the disorder in women usually starts after puberty and diminishes after menopause," also, "it is speculated that female reproductive hormones somehow sensitize the brain to the effects of LIGHT deprivation."

(3) from the Lancet, British medical journal, on bright light therapy - Side-effects, including eye-strain and headache, are common (each in about 19% of patients) but are well-tolerated and seldom lead to cessation. A cumulative duration of exposure for up to 1250 h over 6 years has not led to ocular damage, and bright-light treatment otherwise seems fairly safe, although subthreshold photochemical damage cannot be ruled out when the lights are used for long periods. Patients at risk, such as those with progressive retinal disorders, need to consult an ophthalmologist for follow-up examinations.

(4) on the subject of St. John's Wort, one article suggested that it should NOT be used along with the light therapy because of the risk of photosensitivity to the eyes. http://www.sjwinfo.org/


Doreen