SAD Light Therapy

Light therapy asked:


A slow increase in light that helps you to wake up without any stress : that is the dawn simulator also known as the sunrise alarm clock or even light alarm from SOLVITAL.

Imitating the sunrise in the morning and dusk at night so that you can wake up and fall asleep naturally and without stress.

Finished stressful wakeup calls with ringing alarms, which make you jump, with the sunrise alarm clock you can wake up naturally to light, just like in the summer and, the same at night to the gradual decrease in light.  An original idea for a present, for those who have trouble sleeping and, for those who have trouble waking up.  The dawn simulator is used for children aswell as adults who will sleep naturally and wake up with no problems.

 6 reasons for using the dawn simulator :

- The dawn simulator has been clinically tested,

- The dawn simulator allows you to wake up naturally,

- Being woken up by dawn simulation ensures the natural secretion of Cortisol,

- The dawn simulator ensures biorhythm regulation,

- The dawn simulator helps fight insomnia,

- The dawn simulator helps you to fall asleep at night.

Solvital site is also a specialist in bright light therapy, which is very different from dawn simulation.  This treatment helps to fight against all problems linked to a lack of natural sunlight.  When light intensity is inferior to 2000 lux (light intensity) the body naturally secrets melatonin (sleeping hormone) which in turn brings on moodiness, tiredness, seasonal affective disorder (SAD) etc… Simply being exposed to an intensive bright light designes specially for therapy use, the production of melatonin is blocked and normal activity and energy is regained.

 For more information Solvital light therapy and sunrise alarm clocks

Danna Schneider asked:


You will probably be hearing a lot more about various forms of light therapy over the next few years as it steps more into mainstream medical use and becomes less known as sort of a “fringe” science as some look at it. 

You see, light can be incredibly healing, and also damaging, but the right types of light at the right concentrations can be therapeutic alternative ways to treat several disorders, including as a cosmetic skin treatment, and use as a defense against mood disorders and depression.

Let’s talk first about the medical uses for light therapy, as they apply to a patient’s mental health.  There is a well known documentation of a mood disorder called SAD, or Seasonal Affective Disorder, which coincides with the winter months where there is not much sunlight available and the days are shorter while the night time darkness is longer. 

This results, for many, in a sort of cyclical depression in which they can’t seem to get out of a depressed and melancholy mood for those months, but once the spring and summer daylight hours change, their symptoms seem to get better.

Well, to simulate the daylight of spring and summer time, doctors created a treatment program for those affected with SAD where an LED light (Light Emitting Diode) box is used daily by the patient to simulate the lightness of day time, which is supposed to create a domino effect of dopamine and other chemical reactions in the body which help to elevate the mood. 

And the best part is it’s natural, there are no drugs with all those side effects and there are no chemical dependencies set up for a person to need drugs for the rest of their life with this method of treatment.  You’re essentially mimicking nature’s own natural mood booster, which is much more preferable than using chemicals to interfere with brain function to cause a similar effect.

This sort of light therapy has been known to help boost the mood, enhance your body’s circadian rhythm of sleeping and wakefulness at the proper times of day, and also to increase energy levels since mood and energy are closely related.  A lot of patients see success with this type of light therapy to treat their seasonal mood differences.  In fact, you don’t even have to be under a doctor’s care to get light therapy, as there are many different light therapy boxes that you can purchase for use in your own home.

Now, let’s talk about light therapy as it relates to cosmetic enhancement.  That’s right, light therapy in different forms than it comes for mood enhancement can be incredibly healing, correcting and soothing to the skin and it is used for skin problems ranging from acne and rosacea to aging and wrinkles.  As you can see, light therapy has quite a broad spectrum of uses, no pun intended.

Acne is one of the skin disorders that can be successfully treated using light therapy.  There is somewhat of an argument over what spectrum of light therapy is best, red or blue, for acne, but the general consensus is that blue light is better for acne healing and bacteria targeting while red light is better used for aging skin and can target wrinkles, fine lines, and age spots more effectively. 

There is even some argument that you should not mix the two (red and blue) because together they negate each other’s positive effects on the skin.  The idea with these therapies is that the time spent under the red of blue concentrated light helps to heal the skin, and generally helps to increase collagen production, which makes the skin heal faster and look younger, firmer and more toned, while also helping to fade away acne and wrinkles by plumping up the skin.

IPL is a form of concentrated light therapy that is popular in the treatment against aging and wrinkling that is gaining momentum now in dermatologist’s offices and spas around the US. 

It’s called Intense Pulsed Light therapy, and it uses intense, pulsated blasts of light that penetrate the skin’s epidermis and help increase collagen in a more dramatic fashion.  This sort of therapy can be used in combination with others such as chemical peels and microdermabrasion since light therapy is noninvasive and actually should help speed the recovery of the skin after skin treatments. 

Pulsed light therapies for the skin are becoming more and more popular as women and men opt for more natural skin care treatments that help them maintain their youthful looks without altering their faces, expressions, or symmetry as other procedures can do.

Light therapy asked:


, for a number of people, they have a low morale.  The light in the summer is a long way off with the days that are getting shorter seasonal depression aswell as winter blues can affect us.  One person out of five will be affected by the arrival of autumn.  Light therapy is an ideal way to recharge the batteries so that we can find the energy linked with the light. 

The winter season which depresses us

The loss of light affects directly our morale.  One summers day brings a light intensity of 100 000 lux (light intensity) and in the bright office, we recieve only 400 lux.  This contrast affects directly our matabolisme by the changes of our hormones with an over production of melatonin (sleeping hormone) during the day.

Light therapy, a treatment against winter blues and seasonal depression

Light therapy can be used in the home or in a number of hospitals.

The use at home of this light therapy can be used for comfort.

How to use it

All you have to do is be exposed to a light therapy lamp, at a respectable distance and a duration of time. The results of this treatment are quite quick as it consists of sending a light message via the retina and the nurotransmitters so as to inhabit the secretion of the melatonin.

You will find all the information you need on light therapy and Seasonal Affective Disorder on the Solvital light therapy website

Light therapy asked:


Doing sport regularly and having a good diet is essential for our well being. Research by Leppämaki S, Partonen T, Lönnqvist J have shown that associating light therapy and sport improve the results sensibly.

In principle : Physical exercise lessens the depressive symptoms, aswell as being exposed to light (paricularly in the winter seasons).

The object of the test : to compair the effect of just exercise or to combine it with light therapy and to verify the effects on our humour and the quality of life.  The test lasts 8 weeks and the results of the questionnaire on humour and quality of life are relative to our health and are linked.

Results : Physical exercise were effective to diminue the depressive symptoms if the person was exposed to light therapy.

So, if you exercise at home install a light therapy lamp infront of your apparatus, the result can only be better.

Professional athletes have understood the interest :

Certain football clubs have been equiped in the changing rooms with light therapy lamps (Baseball football team from Switzerland).

The british rowing team, gold medalists in the Olympic games in Athens in August 2004, were equiped with dawn simulators (also known as sunrise alarm clocks or even light alarms) : 4 members of the team used the dawn simulator to awake them during the games.

One of the members ED Cooke said, “when the final starting getting closer we had to get up earlier and earlier, because it is not light in Athens till 6h30 in the morning, it was great to wake up with sunlight at 4h45 in the morning.  The simulators woke us up full of energy for the final”.

In conclusion Ed Cooke is without ambiguity :

“The simulators have certainly made a difference.  It was alot more useful than we thought it would be!”.

You will find any additional information needed on the dawn simulator or on light therapy at Solvital light therapy.

Light therapy asked:


Light therapy has been used for a number of years to get round the loss of light in winter.1 man out of 10 and 1 woman out of 5 suffer from winter blues and in certain cases seasonal depression called SAD Seasonal Affective Disorder.

We are coming up to the shortest days of the year, a period where there are the most cases of seasonal depression, winter blues, which is tiredness in the morning, lack of dynamism, becoming irritable, gloomy humour, sleeping trouble, a lack of libido.  These symptoms are due to a loss of sleep, which can easily be beaten thanks to the use of light therapy lamps.  All you have to do is be exposed infront of a lamp that reproduces natural sun light (about 2500 and 10000 lux), preferably in the morning, for about half an hour.  You will find all your energy as if you were in August.

To find out more on light therapy, its medical basics and to find a light therapy lamp or light therapy glasses LUMINETTE which have been agreed by the EU medical board go to :

Solvital light therapy

Think of them for birthdays or anniversary and offer your friends a bit of well being.

Douglas Adams asked:


Light therapy—controlled exposure to bright light-continues to play a role in conventional medical practice as well as its alternative cousins. Its most typical applications operate by abortion through the skin: Doctors expose newborns to blue light to cure jaundice. And dermatologists frequently prescribe sunlight or ultraviolet light to heal psoriasis and certain kinds of dermatitis.

Lasers offer a form of light therapy on the cutting edge of medicine, so to speak. Their highly concentrated light beams are now used to perform surgical procedures and dentistry without damaging surrounding tissues and so are less invasive than the most finely honed scalpel.

But the core of phototherapy, as light therapy is also called, capitalizes on light’s effects on the central nervous system, especially the body’s clock. The form of light therapy, which focuses mainly on circadian (daily) and seasonal biorhythms, is under active investigation by researchers around the world. Mainly used to treat seasonal affective disorder (SAD), it may one day become part of standard treatment for nonseasonal depression, insomnia, jet lag, problems adjusting to working different shifts, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), menstrual irregularity, and other conditions.

Most of this newer form of light therapy involves short periods of exposure to an intense form of artificial light that simulates daylight. Its effectiveness results more from the light absorbed through the skin. The artificial lights used to regulate body rhythms need to be intense, because typical indoor lighting is far too weak to affect the hormones involved.

Brenda Skidmore asked:


SAD, otherwise known as ’seasonal affective disorder’, is systemic in nature, and this condition can affect anywhere from 5 to 25 percent of the American population.

The symptoms can range from a relatively mild subtype form, of which affects a larger number of people and is commonly known as the ‘winter blues’, to more of a ‘I can’t get out of bed’ type of clinical depression that affects a smaller portion of the population. Both though, disappear just as soon as daylight hours begin to increase in the spring. SAD seems to affect more females, 70 to 80 % of all sufferers, for unknown reasons, than males or children. Symptoms in males, however, can be more severe.

The whole seasonal affective disorder phenomenon has not always been recognized as a medical condition. The term was first acknowledged, and appeared in 1985. The onset of the condition typically can begin as soon as late summer or early fall arrives, and can last until mid to late spring. Roughly 6 to 7 percent of the population, over 10 million, reports experiencing the extreme symptoms of SAD like, clinical depression, cravings for and overeating of refined carbohydrates, sleeping excessively, a heightened sensitivity to pain, social withdrawal, significant weight gain (as much as 40 pounds a season), lack of motivation, loss of interest in things or people normally enjoyed, or a perverse sadness.

Regardless of your gender or age, however, the first step to getting to the root cause of the problem that may be causing your winter woes, is recognizing any variations of symptoms you may be experiencing. Milder symptoms are, largely, scaled down a bit from some of those mentioned above, even possibly a few others that are not mentioned here. The bottom line is, you simply do not have to dread going into the shorter days, and long nights every fall and winter season. You can become pro-active in reversing your symptoms, once you begin to understand how.

The main cause of SAD, of which you may or may not be aware of, has a relatively natural and simple treatment. Direct skin contact and eye exposure to brilliant sunlight is the curative answer. Unfiltered sunlight is the only way to benefit directly, as sunlight filtered through glass will give very little, if any, noticeable benefits.

Symptoms of depression coinciding with shorter daylight hours can definitely be a problem for many people living in the Northern Hemisphere. And, the further away you live from the equator, the less sunlight exposure time is available for your body to produce ample amounts of vitamin D through your skin. In extreme northern areas the amount of sun basking time is cut rather short, to only about 3 to 4 months out of a year.

For those of you who do live further north, and are feeling lethargic, you are most likely experiencing your body’s inability to properly regulate the hormone melatonin. The hormone melatonin is produced by the pineal gland. Basically, this hormone is produced during darkness to help induce drowsiness, enabling you to sleep.

On the flip side, exposing yourself to more unfiltered sunlight, during daylight hours, helps with the regulation of an alertness hormone, called serotonin. When there is an adequate amount of this naturally occurring body neurotransmitter chemical being produced, it promotes a sense of alertness and optimal emotional well being.

A useful tip worth mentioning here, this light needs to come in through your eyes as well as your skin. When you are outside on a sunny day, take out the contacts, lay your eyeglasses aside, and for heavens sake, take off those stylish sunglasses for just a little while. Even if you can’t see very well without your prescription eye ware, give yourself at least 30 minutes, or longer if you can, to help your body regulate its serotonin production levels.

Vitamin D, which is more accurately described as a hormone, is made through your skin with bare skin contact to ultra violet sun rays. This has also been found to significantly boost serotonin levels in the brain.

So, what if exposing yourself to more sunlight is next to impossible because of where you make your home or what you do to earn a living?

There are several different strategies you can use to get a better grip on the symptoms of this negative, and temporary, seasonal affliction the natural way. These helpful tips can really make antidepressants unnecessary.

By and large, the main technique has already been mentioned. Even on a mild and sunny winter day, shed some clothing when you get a chance, and expose what skin you comfortably can. Tanning beds are another option, however, be careful not to over do this one. Investing in a bright light box, which you can build yourself if you are a good handyman, works for many. Turn one room in your home to a bright light room, by installing the right light fixtures and obtaining the special light bulbs that are required.

In combination with light therapy, you can also use daily dietary nutritional measures, and lifestyle changes, to help insure you are getting enough physical exertion, and maintaining optimal vitamin D levels. Here is a helpful list of dietary and lifestyle tips to try.

1.Avoid consuming to many refined carbohydrates (eating to many can actually make you feel worse).

2.You might try having your vitamin D levels monitored occasionally. Talk to your doctor about this.

3.Take a high quality omega-3 fish oil supplement

4.Try supplementing with a vitamin D-3 (as cholecalciferol) tablet.

5.Get plenty of adequate physical exercise. Walking for 30 minutes a day or longer is very beneficial in fighting depression.

Above all of these measures, please consider the implications of being chronically dehydrated. Are you guilty of not providing your body with enough pure water consumption? Would you rather drink anything else but water? When you are not providing yourself with enough of your body’s preferred beverage, it is going to rob you of real energy.

In Dr. Batmanghelidj M.D.’s self-help medical manual titled, “Your Body’s Many Cries For Water”, page 56, has this to say about stress and depression. “Pathology that is seen to be associated with “stresses”– fear, anxiety, insecurity, persistent emotional and matrimonial problems– and the establishment of depression are the results of water deficiency to the point that the water requirement of the brain tissue is affected. The brain uses electrical energy that is generated by the water drive of the energy generating pumps. With dehydration, the level of energy generation in the brain is decreased”.

You can look at increasing your water intakes as energizing in itself. Simple water is the perfect fluid solvent to transport all of your nutritional supplements with, in receiving their potential, and maximum, benefits to the fullest. After all, was that not the reason why you invested your time, knowledge, and money to begin with?

May this helpful information support you well until the warmth of spring and summer arrives in your neighborhood. At which time, get out there and expose your skin and eyes to that wonderfully healthy bright, white sunlight for vitality, all season long!

Light therapy asked:


“Light therapy” target=”_self” href=”http://solvital-lighttherapy.co.uk/index.asp?ID=881″>Light therapy consists of exposing a strong light (of 10 000 lux) for about half an hour.

This treatement is done with the help of special light therapy lamps.

In autumn or winter a large number of people feel tired, have no energy, their morale is low and they eat more than usual.  For certain people, this state could send them into depression.

These symptoms are due to our metabolisms difficult adaptation to the autumn winter season, with shorter darker and depressive days.

At its peak this phenomenon is called SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder).  It can also show itself in a lighter form called “Winter Blues”.

These phenomenons are between the months of September and March.

Almost 20% of the population suffers from winter blues.  5% of the population becomes victims of deep depression: Loss of sense of humour, a desire to be alone, weight gain and a loss of interest for usual activities.

Light therapy is a simple, effective and medically recognised way to beat these symptoms.

Find all the information you need on light therapy at Solvital. 

Light therapy asked:


When the sky is grey and the days grow short our morale is unharmed.  Everyone can be affected by the loss of light in the dead season.  It is now or never to chase away the passing blues or the seasonal depression with the help of light therapy.

A quarter of the population sees their life turned upside down by the season’s rhythm, where as 2 or 3% of people suffer a severe depression due to this time of year.  It is only since the middle of the 80’s that researchers started looking for the reasons of this depressive state.  Someone suffering from seasonal depressions have a tendancy to see their appetite increase, have a taste for sugar and have an excessive need for sleep.  As the symptoms are different to a regular depression, Dr Marc Hébert researcher and professor at Laval Robert Giffard University, thinks it is necessary to treat patients differently. Instead of giving them a percription for antidepressants he praises a healthier solution : exposure to light.

The eye : window to the brain

“Contrary to what many people think the eye is not an external organ, but an extention of the brain” explains Dr Hébert.  All the plays between the two ears, but as it is extremely difficult to study the organ in vivo, the study of the eye is composed of an interesting window.

If the brain seems to be affected by the lack of light, we do not know what makes certain people more vulnerable than others.  It is by analysis of the retina that multidisciplinary directed by Dr Hébert, composed of researchers in neuroscience in opthalmologyof psychologists and psychiatrists resulting in knowing a little more about the role of light on the brain.  “Alot of sick neuropsychiatrists think that the eye is the vision of the person not affected, he says (…) we are capable of studyin neurotransmitters presents the eye and we can see the effects after four weeks of light therapy sessions.”

 Seratonine and dopamine are the two most common neurotransmitters that are directly linked to the humour.  If there is a chemical inbalance of the neurotransmitters it can start a depression.

Light therapy

Light therapy, lux therapy or photo therapy consists of exposure to an intense light at eye level of 5000 to 10 000 lux (light unities), in controled conditions.  A headline comparison, of regular lighting that we can have at the house or at the office of only 100 to 150 lux.

The advantage of this treatement is that it can be done at home.  A light therapy lamp costs about 250 $.  Certain pharmacies also offer a months trial.  The cost of renting deducted if the person decides to buy the lamp.  It is better to buy a lamp specially made for this effect rather than fabricate your own, says the specialist (it is a danger for the eyes and your skin).

The use of a light therapy lamp can be diversified, because the user can stay active during sessions. Dr Hébert personnaly uses all the time a lamp at work at his desk.  He suggests also to people to put it on the table while they are having breakfast or when they are reading a news paper.  The person should keep their eyes open, but not to keep looking at the light.  The person can then carry on about their business, while being exposed to the light. You can equalise the sessions of exposur and the intensity of the light by your own energy and needs, which can change each month each year.  After an hour a day, the benefits generally show about a week later.  Sure it is firstly recommended to consult a doctor so as to decide if the problem which is affecting the person is actually seasonal depression.

Sceptics

Despite its benefits, light therapy still has scepitcs in the medical community.  “There are psychologists and psychiatrists who do not believe in it, underlines Dr Marc Hébert.  They were surprised to find that a number of patients replied in the same way to light therapy sessions”.  In fact, it would seem that the treatment works for about 70% of people suffering from seasonal depression.  One of the advantages of this treatment is the possibility which it offers to everyone, the power to anticipate the blues before the arrival of autumn.

“We know that the treatment of light therapy works for people affected by winter depression, but we do not know yet the mecanical theraputic action, indicates Dr Marc Hébert, who specialises in the subject since 1992.  We notice that the biological response to the light therapy, which lets us conclude that it, is not a placebo effect, but a real effect”.

According to Kino Québec, a person has “more chance of being in a good mood and have the spirit if his level of melotonin (sleeping hormone) is not too high during the day” the exposure to the light helps to increase the level of mealtonin. The govermental organisations suggest the practise of sports outside even when it is dull, seeing as the light of day will always be superior to the light we find in doors.  Although, the Russian acadamy of medical science showed that physical exercise also had positive results, as light therapy for people suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder.

If the idea of being exposed to artificail light puts you off, nothing stops you from changing your habits and going to enjoy the sun summer or winter.  It must be known that the sun produces 100 000 lux during the summer, but the intensity of the light is lower in winter, so only 20 000 lux on average.  The statistiques show that during summer the daily exposure during the day is about 2 hours so during winter it is just 30 minutes.  Never forget that the intensity of the sun is about 25 times more powerful than a light therapy lamp.

You will find all the information you need on light therapy on the specialist site : Solvital

Light therapy asked:


Although English people are only just starting to discover light therapy lamps, there is a new product on the market : the light therapy glasses called LUMINETTE.

This products’ clarification was done by researchers of Liège University and its’ industriel partners who wanted to creat an original model giving maximum theraputic effectiveness bringing the source of light to the eye without any complications.

The advantage of this high-tech product is that you can wear it while going about your business and still benefit from the light therapy at work or while doing your daily activities without any discomfort you can even wear the luminette with perscription glasses.

A reminder for those who do not know about light therapy yet.  It is just as the name suggests therapy from lights.  Light therapy started in the United States thanks to a famous professor Rosenthal who first discovered the link between winter depression also called seasonal depression and the lack of light.

The treatment consists of a daily exposure to a light therapy medical lamp due to a loss of sunlight in winter.  It helps to beat seasonal depression, tiredness, gloomy humour and to find energy and vitality in the middle of winter.

The use of these lamps is also recommended to night workers to people who do alot of travelling, to compensate for the effects of jet lag.  In these 2 cases, the straightforwardness and the easiness of the use of the luminette can be particularly appreciated.