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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by blueberry1 on January 6, 2007, at 0:25:16
Light therapy boxes are full spectrum fluorescents bulbs, right? Or are they something else? How many watts are they? Is there anything you could buy at the hardware store that would duplicate a light therapy box? It seems like light therapy might be an inexpensive no risk way of improving medications, but I don't know much about them.
I know that melatonin supplements make me depressed. Light boxes diminish melatonin production?
Posted by Emme on January 6, 2007, at 8:45:00
In reply to Light Therapy Box....Questions, posted by blueberry1 on January 6, 2007, at 0:25:16
> Light therapy boxes are full spectrum fluorescents bulbs, right? Or are they something else? How many watts are they? Is there anything you could buy at the hardware store that would duplicate a light therapy box? It seems like light therapy might be an inexpensive no risk way of improving medications, but I don't know much about them.
>
> I know that melatonin supplements make me depressed. Light boxes diminish melatonin production?Full spectrum light is nice but it is not necessary for light therapy. The brightness of the light is what matters. The standard for a light box is 10,000 lux at a specified distance. Do a google search on "light therapy boxes" or "SAD light therapy". The manufacturers will provide specs on their products.
You might check e-bay to see if you can get a good deal on one. I have not found instructions online for building one's own. If you wanted to build you own, you would need a way to make sure you are achieving adequate lux. A full-sized box I used once would knock your socks off if you looked at it directly.
emme
Posted by cgd092 on January 6, 2007, at 10:54:06
In reply to Re: Light Therapy Box....Questions » blueberry1, posted by Emme on January 6, 2007, at 8:45:00
I just asked my psychiatrist and she said she has a SAD therapy light in her office that she lends patients who want to try one. That way, she says, they can see if it helps before they invest in one. And then if it helps them, she can write a prescription for one! Ask your pdoc; you could save a lot of money!
Posted by Crazy Horse on January 6, 2007, at 12:07:36
In reply to Light Therapy Box....Questions, posted by blueberry1 on January 6, 2007, at 0:25:16
> I know that melatonin supplements make me depressed. Light boxes diminish melatonin production?Interesting. Yes, people with SAD produce too much Melatonin, and light therapy reduces the amount of melatonin produced.
To answer your other questions, google 'light box therapy' and you'll get all your questions answered. :)
-Monte
Posted by Phillipa on January 6, 2007, at 12:49:04
In reply to Re: Light Therapy Box....Questions, posted by Crazy Horse on January 6, 2007, at 12:07:36
Monte it reduces melatonin why is that? And why headaches out in the sun without sunglasses. Love Phillipa
Posted by laima on January 6, 2007, at 15:02:20
In reply to Re: Light Therapy Box....Questions » Crazy Horse, posted by Phillipa on January 6, 2007, at 12:49:04
Light makes the melatonin dissapate. It's secreted in the dark, and makes a person sleepy, even sluggish or worse. In "nature", the light of dawn would dissapate the night's melatonin. Some say that even a cloudy day has a lot more light than a room lit with an ordinary bulb. You can imagine that during the winter, especially when the weather is cloudy, a person doesn't get enought light to feel good. The light box mimics an early, bright dawn and in a sense tricks the brain into thinking it's a bright, long, summery day. Not sure about why you would get a headache in the sun- maybe it's got to do with your own chemistry? Now I'm curious, Phillippa. Do you experience a winter slump such as SAD?
> Monte it reduces melatonin why is that? And why headaches out in the sun without sunglasses. Love Phillipa
Posted by Crazy Horse on January 6, 2007, at 22:54:23
In reply to Re: Light Therapy Box....Questions, posted by laima on January 6, 2007, at 15:02:20
> Light makes the melatonin dissapate. It's secreted in the dark, and makes a person sleepy, even sluggish or worse. In "nature", the light of dawn would dissapate the night's melatonin. Some say that even a cloudy day has a lot more light than a room lit with an ordinary bulb. You can imagine that during the winter, especially when the weather is cloudy, a person doesn't get enought light to feel good. The light box mimics an early, bright dawn and in a sense tricks the brain into thinking it's a bright, long, summery day. Not sure about why you would get a headache in the sun- maybe it's got to do with your own chemistry? Now I'm curious, Phillippa. Do you experience a winter slump such as SAD?
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>
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> > Monte it reduces melatonin why is that? And why headaches out in the sun without sunglasses. Love Phillipa
>
>
I could not have explained it any better than that. Why headaches? Perhaps from squinting, or dehydration, just guesses.-Monte
This is the end of the thread.
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