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February health news: Seasonal Affective Disorder treatments explored
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SAD is more than a case of the winter blues but treatment options shine a light on the darkness of this illness. Find out how light therapy and anti-depressants can help heal this type of depression.
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By Heather Camlot
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Light therapy vs. antidepressants
For eight weeks in 2005, Lam and colleagues across Canada treated 48 SAD sufferers with light therapy and another 48 with Prozac, a common antidepressant prescribed to treat the disorder. He found that both treatments worked equally well.
"The light treatment was a little faster. After one week it was a little better than Prozac, but Prozac caught up by two weeks and then, through the rest of the study, there was no difference between the two treatments," says Lam.
There were few side effects reported with either treatment. "It's really the first study to show that light treatment is an effective treatment for SAD and that it's as good as our standard treatment, which tends to be medication."
Choosing the right treatment for you
Treatment, then, comes down to individual choice. "Many people don't want to take a medication; they prefer to use a non-pharmacological treatment like light," explains Lam. "But then there are other people who don't want to take the bother of using light every day, even if it's only 30 minutes per day."
Though rare, side effects for light therapy can occur, according to the Mayo Clinic. They include:
-eyestrain
-headache
-agitation
-nausea
-insomnia
-irritability
-fatigue
-dry mouth
-sleep disruptions.
You should avoid light therapy if your skin is light sensitive, if you take light-sensitive medications or if you have certain eye conditions. Antidepressants can also produce side effects and come with health precautions. Speak to your doctor to determine if you suffer from SAD and to discover your best course of action.
For more information, visit these websites
Mood Disorders Society of Canada
UBC Hospital Mood Disorders Centre
Mayo Clinic
Learn more about light therapy or discover how coloured light therapy is used to treat a range of illnesses, from headaches to depression.
Do you have SAD? Get some empowering solutions for overcoming seasonal affective disorder.
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