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With all the new and different forms of therapy available today it comes as no surprise that light boxes are now being used to treat seasonal disorders such as depression and fatigue. As the long winter months drag on and the sun shines less and less many people start to become depressed, they tend to sleep longer, feel less energetic, and lack the desire to get up and go to work or spend time with their family. To over come the depression, people were prescribed pills and other forms of medicine, however the medicine would cause certain side effects for some people or cause long-term damage. That is when some doctors in the practice of alternative medicine started to look into the treatment of seasonal disorders using light boxes.
Light boxes are basically boxes of lights with a certain bulb that creates light, which has the same effect on people as the sun. These are used in a form of light therapy that uses the light boxes as a light source that is designed to affect the human body the same way the sun would. It gives off sufficient light that the body requires to remain stable and healthy. The treatment usually requires a person affected by seasonal disorders to sit in front of a light box for any desired amount of time, anywhere from fifteen minutes to three hours. The light boxes help by suppressing the secretion of melatonin, a chemical in our bodies that make us sleepy or depressed. With light therapy, the boxes help aid the body in increasing secretion of serotonin which will give us energy and help us to overcome any seasonal disorders that we may be suffering from. When using the light boxes in therapy it is no longer required that you go into a doctor daily to get your dose of light, you can easily purchase the light at a hardware store or on the internet and use the light in your home. It is not recommended to sit directly in front of the light box, staring into it, as it can cause redness or damage to the eye. It is recommended that you do an activity while sitting near the light, activities such as reading, writing, or simply relaxing. Light boxes have been a proven way to treat seasonal disorders such as lethargy, fatigue, and depression. It is also commonly used to treat jaundice in newborns or infants. Researches are not completely sure how these types of lights treat certain disorders, however they do know that it is working and helping in the aid of overcoming depression. So if you find that during the long winter season you become extremely tired and cranky, you may want to consider purchasing a light box for your home. |
Lighting Types and Bulbs