Phototherapy Lights For SAD

Phototherapy is the treatment of various ailments using light. Phototherapy is not a new thing and there is documentary proof that ancient doctors used this method in association with other medicines for the treatment of various illnesses like social phobia.  Sunlight is the best form of phototherapy, but nowadays since artificial light is available phototherapy in the form of artificial light is generally given. With advancements in science the exact color spectrum that is best suited for various illnesses is also being studied.

SAD Medication

As a SAD medication phototherapy is one of the best ways of removing SAD symptoms. In fact even though other forms of SAD medication and what is social anxiety, like natural antidepressant supplements have been found to be equally useful, it is still the first form of treatment that is specified. SAD information does not give us the exact reason why people get SAD symptoms. The only thing that most people are in agreement on is that most cases of SAD come up only in winter, and that too only in geographic areas where the winters are harsh and the amount of sunlight available every day is highly limited.

SAD and Sunlight

Even though this association between SAD and sunlight has been known for generations, even now we do not know exactly why this is so. Looking into SAD information we find that it is not the lack of Vitamin D that causes SAD, supplements of this vitamin do not seem to help. In fact phototherapy is so effective in relieving SAD symptoms that you can see a marked difference in the person in just 20 minutes. Yet because phototherapy requires that a person needs to sit in front of light for between 40 min to an hour, many people do not prefer it.

SAD Medication

Nowadays people prefer newer SAD medication like natural antidepressant supplements or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors that are generally used in the treatment of other forms of depression. These natural antidepressant pills have been found to be very effective as a SAD medication, but the problem seems to lie in the fact that it does not have any long term effect. People who use this kind of SAD medication generally do not get cured and have recurring attacks.

One of the best things that can be done for people showing SAD symptoms is to ensure that they get at least an hour of sunlight a day. It is only when this is not possible that artificial phototherapy needs to be considered. Phototherapy has been found to be so good that in fact the use of light to treat SAD comes with a warning. Light is considered a mood altering substance, and it is possible to get from SAD to aggressive and irritable just through phototherapy. It is essential therefore that it is undertaken only by a trained practitioner.

Another thing to remember is that natural sunlight has both UV and Infra Red rays that can alter DNA. In phototherapy the lights used either do not emit these rays or they are blocked. In fact with the amount of SAD information we have nowadays, it is possible to use color LED’s because it is possible to use the exact wavelength of light that is best suited for the person.