New Treatments Offer Ray of Hope for SAD Sufferers

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New Treatments Offer Ray of Hope for SAD Sufferers

(December 6, 2006) - For about 20 minutes early each morning, while sipping tea, paying bills and reading, Louise Schneberger sits next to a small blue light to boost her mood and synchronize her sleep cycle.

Louise Schneberger (cq), 42, of Commerce Township, has Seasonal Affective Disorder; she sits in her dining room in front of what she calls her "happy light" Sunday, Oct. 22, 2006. On weekends she gives herself longer than her usual 15 minutes before work. On this morning Schneberger sits in front of the light and listens to Garth Brooks play softly on her stereo as she drinks vanilla caramel tea and reads a book. (Heather Rousseau/Detroit Free Press/MCT)MCT

"Without it, I'm crabby, depressed and horrible to be around," says Schneberger, 42, a Detroit middle school teacher. "My daughter calls it my happy light. I tell everyone I know about it."

As sunny days decline, particularly in northern climates, Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, a type of seasonal depression, presents itself again as an issue for 14 million Americans like Schneberger.

The estimate comes from Dr. Norman Rosenthal, a leading SAD specialist and author of "Winter Blues, Everything You Need to Know to Beat Seasonal Affective Disorder" (Guilford Press; $15.95).

Symptoms include increased sleep, food cravings, weight gains, boredom, apathy, irritability and disinterest in activities and people.

Finally, there is more help:

Better research on what works
The nation's first approved prescription drug for SAD, Wellbutrin XL
Different drugs used by psychiatrists that appear to help
Cheaper prices for light boxes, growing in use as a treatment for the problem

The lights help regulate the body's internal circadian clock and control the production of the sleep hormone, melatonin, and the production of serotonin, a brain chemical, both of which contribute to improving mood, sleep and energy, research suggests.

Apollo Health's goLite, as the company's best-selling light is called, is a small, lightweight, portable unit that now sells for $159.99 at Costco. The same unit is $172 on www.amazon.com, and $249 on Apollo Health's site, www.-apollolight.com; 800-545-9667. Therapist Aldona Valivonis recommends the goLite, uses one herself and encourages people to fill out a mood tracker on Apollo Health's Web site to check on their symptoms and adjust the amount of light they get.

She started using the light box a few weeks earlier than usual when she tracked her mood and confirmed she was not feeling as positive and energetic as she likes. Her morning ritual, she says, is "coffee, contacts, get dressed and out the door," for an outdoor walk with her greyhound rescue dog.

She also watches her diet to be sure it includes the right mix of nutrients and complex carbohydrates to keep her mood balanced. Her patients, including Nancy VanDeGrift, 54, say the strategies all help.

VanDeGrift says the advice and blue light she uses offset feeling downright grumpy in the fall, among other symptoms. "I have a hard time getting up in the morning and I tend to put on weight in the fall," says VanDeGrift, an adjunct math teacher.

She yearns some days to curl up on the couch in her pajamas. "All I want to do is read and

sleep," says VanDeGrift. This winter will be a particular challenge because VanDeGrift was laid off in January from the Ford Motor Co.

Using light units is just one of many ways of coping with seasonal affective disorder. Medical advances about the effects of light, exercise, food and drugs on mood offer strategies for dealing with SAD.

There are many types of phototherapy lamps, from a bedside light attached to an alarm clock, to table, desk and floor models. They tilt forward to allow more light to enter the eyes. Sit 2-3 feet in front of the light, or beside it, but don't stare into it.

The lights help regulate the body's internal circadian clock and control the production of the sleep hormone melatonin and the brain chemical serotonin, improving mood, sleep and energy, research suggests.

Try to use light therapy at sunrise or early morning for at least 20-30 minutes. The best time to begin is in the fall.

You should feel positive benefits, including more energy, fewer food cravings and a more rested feeling, in a few days, but it may take as much as two weeks, says Dr. Norman Rosenthal, a former National Institutes of Health researcher and author of "Winter Blues: Everything You Need to Know to Beat Seasonal Affective Disorder" (Guilford Press, $15.95).

You have a choice between blue or white lights.

White full-spectrum light units should be 10,000 lux, the amount of light on a cloudless day at sunrise. By comparison, typical office overhead lighting is 500-700 lux. The best white-light boxes have a plastic diffusing screen that filters out ultraviolet rays that can cause eye damage. White has been favored for years and has the most research to support its effectiveness, say many doctors, including Rosenthal.

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A growing body of research has found blue light is more effective in elevating mood, says Dan Adams, director of research at Apollo Health, a 20-year-old company leader in the blue light field. You want a unit that delivers 447-484 nanometers (nm) of blue light.

For more on phototherapy lights: SunBox Co. at www.sunbox.com or 800-548-3968. Prices begin at $200. Enviro-Med at www.bio-light.com or 800-222-3296. Prices begin at $299.

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Last updated: 12/06

New Treatments Offer Ray of Hope for SAD Sufferers

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