LIGHT THERAPY

LIGHT THERAPY

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WHAT IS LIGHT THERAPY?

"Light is as effective as drugs, perhaps more so."

-- Archives of General Psychiatry

October 1998

From the beginning of time, people have recognized the healing power of light. Daylight rejuvenates living organisms, while darkness withers. In the early 1980's researchers discovered that bright light of up to 20 times brighter than indoor light was a powerful cure for "winter blues." And 15 years ago the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) conducted its seminal study that confirmed bright light to be an effective treatment for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Since that time it has been demonstrated that light therapy can be effective for both seasonal and nonseasonal depression. This includes chronic or major depression as well as situational depression that may be aggravated by short periods of daylight or cloudy, dreary weather.

The power of light on mood is more than just psychological. Light actually stimulates the production and level of hormones that are responsible for mood and a sense of well-being. One of these hormones is serotonin, a major factor in the regulation of mood. A recent study demonstrated that bright light had a significant effect on the stimulation of serotonin production and that dark or cloudy days resulted in a significant decrease in serotonin levels.

Many studies have demonstrated that bright light can be as effective or more effective than medication in the treatment of depression. People have shown response to light therapy in less than one week compared to several weeks for antidepressant medication. Various antidepressant medications, and different doses, may need to be used before an effective response is achieved. Whereas with light therapy there are no medication side-effects. Light therapy is also less expensive than medication, costing less than a few months of an antidepressant medication.

The reason for the effectiveness of light therapy is that it acts on the Suprachaismatic Nucleus, or body clock, in the brain's hypothalamus. Light therapy helps correct some of the root causes of depression: an imbalance in the function of the body clock in regulation of circadian rhythms: the wake/sleep and energy/mood cycles. The body clock can become dysregulated by lack of light as well as stress, trauma, surgery or age. Bright light helps regulate the body clock through the stimulation of serotonin and by the suppression of melatonin, a hormone which helps the body to withdraw and prepare for sleep. High daytime levels of melatonin contribute to withdrawal as well as mood problems such as irritability and sadness.

The awareness of light therapy is not as prominent amongst the general population as is the awareness of antidepressant and other psychotropic medications, and for obvious reasons. The pharmaceutical companies spend considerable advertising dollars promoting their products both to the general populace as well as to the professional community. The Archives of General Psychiatry notes that large scale studies promoting the benefits of light therapy may never occur as there is not the financial backing for promoting a form of treatment that is not lucrative.

Light therapy is recommended by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) as well as the American Academy of Sleep Medicine as an effective and cost effective treatment for seasonal and non-seasonal depression. This includes but is not limited to SAD, and other forms of depression as well as jet lag and shift-work related insomnia. Light therapy can be very beneficial for individuals with Bipolar Disorder who often experience sleep disturbance and unstable mood even with the use of medication. Light therapy can also be valuable in the treatment of depression in individuals recovering from substance abuse since there is no potential for the development of secondary dependence on prescription medication.

Light therapy may also be beneficial in the treatment of depression that attends anxiety, as most individuals with anxiety also experience depression. Why? Because anxiety robs an individual of self-confidence and self-worth. Depression contributes to a sense of hopelessness over the prospects of recovery ever occurring, and that sense of hopelessness aggravates the depression & anxiety and impedes progress. In other words, it can be a self-fulfilling prophecy. As a patient of mine who is in treatment for social anxiety recently put it: "The depression picks out the negative in what I'm trying to do; it finds the negative in success and pushes out the positive; there's always something negative to find". It appears that his depression has recently been aggravated by a number of factors, including recent cold and gloomy weather.

Light therapy has also been recently shown to be helpful in the treatment of OCD according to the Mayo Clinic (11/05). It can help reduce the obsessions and compulsions involved in such behaviors as the checking of electric lights and appliances, as well as checking to be certain water faucets have been turned off.

LIGHT BOXES :

The Society for Light Treatment and Biological Rhythms has established standards and guidelines for light boxes as defined in their consensus statement. They identify features in light boxes that are recommended and those that are unacceptable.

RECOMMENDED:

Clinically Tested
Ocular Safety Tested
10,000 Lux Brightness
Ultra Violet Protection
Parabolic Reflection
Specialized Lens for Diffuse Field of Light
Broad Spectrum, Non Ultra Violet
Full Spectrum, Non Ultra Violet
UL Approved

UNACCEPTABLE:

Full Spectrum, Ultra Violet
Kelvin Color Temperature (5,000 +K)
Color Rendering Index (CRI 100)

Following are links to some light boxes that meet the above criteria. The prices through Amazon are significantly reduced from full retail, for example the Apollo Go-Lite P1 is listed by the manufacturer for $249.00 but is available through Amazon at a significant discount.

Bibliography

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