Thank god the days are going to start getting longer!  The winter solstice marks both the shortest day of the year and the peak of winter depression, at which point all the vitamin D and full-spectrum lighting in the world could barely make a difference.

My depression this past week has been severe; and the resulting lethargy has made me think about that piece of unsolicited advice I always find particularly maddening (especially when it comes from a health care professional who should know better): “You need to get more exercise!”

Yeah.  I know exercise can help me cope with my depression; I know it can further benefit me in all aspects of my life; but it does me a fat lot of good when I am so depressed it literally takes all that I have just to do my laundry or take a shower.

In fact, I was managing my health really well this year, and until about a month ago I was exercising every day.  I was even losing weight, which, as anyone on psychiatric medications can tell you, is no easy feat.  (Being on psych meds is kind of like being infested with parasites: no matter how much you eat, some alien presence inside you keeps insisting you are never full.)  However, despite my best efforts, my depression eventually reached a critical mass and exploded.  Now I’m back to square one, so drained of my energy I have to muster every ounce of willpower just to brush my teeth at night.

Of course, the skeptic’s reaction to that statement would be: “How dare you!  There are people out there who really can’t brush their own teeth!” All I can say is that many illnesses have to be experienced in order to be believed, and bipolar disorder is definitely one of them.  As anyone with firsthand experience will tell you, the physical effects of depression are every bit as real as the emotional, whether or not they can be seen under a microscope.

Unfortunately words like “depression” and “anxiety” get tossed around so much they have all but lost their meaning, giving way to quasi-medical professionals hawking snake oil cures for mental illness and people devoid of all compassion making snide remarks like: “Hey, I’m depressed too!  Can I get paid to just sit at home and watch soap operas all day?”

Well, this is only my layman’s opinion, but if your depression was “cured” by flushing your colon or if you can be a flippant asshole about psychiatric disability, I can pretty well guarantee you have never really been depressed.  Not in the clinical sense.

Can lack of vitamin D can contribute to seasonal affective disorder (sad)?

Less sun light during winter months can dampen your mood and affect the vitamin D levels in your body. So one may think there is a link between the “sunshine” vitamin and seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Scientfic studies have addressed the issue, but the results have all been inconclusive. In 1993 study performed in Boston found no benefit for vitamin D supplements over a placebo. Yet a small study performed in 1999 on patients with seasonal affective disorder, found that large doses of vitamin D were more effective than the standard light therapy. Other multiple studies have also linked low vitamin D levels to mood disorders in the elderly.

Scientists have found that specialized cells in the retina respond to long-term light exposure and communicate directly with the brain, this may be the reason light affects our mood. Vitamin D is produced in the skin in response to ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Light boxes used in studies related to treatment of seasonal affective disorder do not produce the same UV rays as the sun. Patients must sit under a light for 45 minutes a day in order to consume the daily amunt of vitamin d needed. It is much more convenient to take a pill, but scientist also recommend getting outdoors during the winter as often as possible.

People should not underestimate the potential of vitamin D supplements. Studies have linked the vitamin to prevention of colon and breast cancers, osteoporosis, heart disease, and multiple sclerosis, taking 1000 or 2000 IU per day as a supplement could benefit your health on many levels.

I often hear both sides of the tale. Some people believe that this part of the year is the best because of the quality time they get to spend with their friends and family all the while others seem to inevitably sink themselves into a self-imposed diagnosis of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD, finally my Psychology degree is put to good use). I’m here to tell you; like many wise people have told me about every second that you live, regardless of whether it is the holiday season or not, time is always whatever you make of it.

Specifically relating the quote above to what you can do this week to make it more memorable for yourself and for the people you are giving gifts is not a tough task. You don’t necessarily have to live in or around Green Hills to get your hands on a priceless gift for the ones you love. In face, you might even find yourself making the best gifts that your imagination can think up.

For the people with initiative and inspiration, I cannot say it enough that you need to get on over to Art & Invention Gallery in order to make those ideas into reality. I can tell you here over and over how much fun you are sure to have whenever you step inside the workshop/gallery doors with warm welcomes and thoughtful smiles from Bret and Meg, but you truly don’t know what I am writing about unless you experience it for yourself. Having been open everyday since Dec. 6th, they plan to keep the doors open every day this week until Christmas Eve night. Besides a variety of surprise crafts and being able to create your own Christmas craft ideas with the supplies on hand, you can stop by anytime between 10am-6pm this week to make your own toys ($18), picture frames ($7), stockings ($8), ornament ($8) and cards ($4).

On a side note, if you’re looking for innovative gifts on the last minute that nobody else will have this season due to each one being one of a kind, I have two suggestions that will benefit your creative causes. First, take literally a few seconds to click on the word hatching and check out just what a little bird told me on my own windowsill. You, like I was and continue to be on a daily basis, will simply be amazed by the wide variety of economical jewelry fit for a queen, flowers that never die but haven’t ever looked as good and other whimsical gifts food for any time the entire year ‘round. Second, take another few seconds to revisit or introduce yourself with the art of the Twisted Sisters. With more eclectic jewelry, metal lighting pieces and dreamlike sculptures than Santa could shake a sleigh at, don’t let another minute go by without knowing about the Twisted Sisters, Linda Hobby and Debbie Graham.

So despite what Reading Rainbow might suggest, take my word for it and get while the getting is good. Remember this holiday season and for many days to follow that every second, every moment, is a gift in itself. Don’t let yourself get SAD, go out there and make the most of the time that you have while alive. Don’t just buy a present; make life your present and live in it so others will be inspired to do the same.

Happy holidays to you and yours!

My nerves are shot. 

Honestly, I’m getting to hate this time of year.  All these expectations to live up to—I’m supposed to be bubbling over with joy and acting nice to everybody for crying out loud.  Bringing down decorations from the attic…just something else to have to clean up and drag back up to the attic in a couple of weeks.  Everybody and their Aunt Sophie out in traffic—running around from one shopping complex to another, doing their best to keep our teetering economy afloat.

How the hell did I get in this state?  Every year it’s a little worse, it seems.  My wife loves the Christmas season—the music, the movies, the decorations, the food—it’s just flat-out unfortunate that she is married to Ebenezer Scrooge incarnate. 

Speaking of Incarnation, doesn’t the birth of Our Lord bring me gladness?  No, I’m too darn sad and nervous and lethargic to appreciate the profound theological importance of God becoming man.  Then again, I don’t feel the slightest obligation to pay homage to this bastardization of the Nativity that has gripped our culture.  Just the same, before I get tarred and feathered for being a killjoy I’d better get a grip.

I’ve been sleeping a lot more than normal, I’ve found it hard get in my workout, I’m jumpier than an over-caffeinated church mouse…in general I just feel like crap.  My wife and I have talked about my having Seasonal Affective Disorder—enough to convince me to give light therapy a try.  This isn’t the first winter I’ve struggled with this problem.  It used to be that the worst of it didn’t hit until after Christmas—that isn’t the case, anymore.

I take an anti-depressant, and I live in the South, but I’m still bothered by this.  (If I lived in Alaska…oh, my goodness.)  I hope the light that I ordered is worth the trouble and cost…we’ll see.

I’ll try to manage a smile when I reflect on the birth of Jesus.  In my right mind I would be shouting with joy.

In this case those letters stand for Seasonal Affective Disorder. Basically the easiest way to explain this condition is an onset of depressive episodes as the weather turns to winter. There is no known reason as to why this happens, although there are a few possible explanations: upset sleep cycles because of the changing times the sun sets and/or a lack of certain vitamins that are produced by the sun, which people get less exposure to as winter comes on, as well as lower serotonin levels during the winter. According to Wikipedia, it is more common in northern countries–as high as possibly 20% in Ireland and about 9% in Alaska. Subsyndromal S.A.D. rates are even higher–an estimated 14.3% of the U.S. population (6.1% are full-blown) and 24.9% in Alaska.

I count myself among that 14.3%–I have (officially undiagnosed) subsyndromal S.A.D. It hits me first about the time I start school in the fall, and has for a couple years now. This condition often first manifests itself when a person is between the ages of 18 and 23, which is true in my case–I figure I was probably 19. It means that this time of year is the worst, at least in this part of the world–rainy, cloudy weather that lasts for days. It knocks my mood down terribly and means that I’m not awfully productive. When I’m at school I try to go do light therapy when I have a feeling that the next few days are going to stink–basically means that I go sit under a full-spectrum light for about twenty to thirty minutes and catch up on my reading and save my mental health.

This condition manifests itself in some odd ways. For me this usually includes a weight gain of about five pounds at the beginning of the school year, even when I have not changed my eating habits at all. This year was the first my weight held steady. It also means that I sleep a lot and never feel quite rested, so I’m always tired–this is worst in fall, but it means that I get into horrible sleep patterns in winter. I also crave carbohydrates like nobody’s business during this time of year–for most people with S.A.D. this means weight gain, but because otherwise my calorie levels are holding steady I often don’t gain too much weight in the winter. Although this year has surprised me, because I have lost weight this winter–I attribute it to eating healthier because I’m not eating cafeteria food and not nearly as much cheese and other dairy as previous years, but it could be a weird hormonal thing.

This also affects my relationships with other people. I try to make sure to tell the people who I am close to that my moods will change as summer progresses into fall and then winter–because they are the ones who will often take the brunt of my moods, so I like to give them a little warning. I try to be as social as I can, so others don’t think anything is wrong, and sometimes I manage to convince myself of that as well. In the winter much of the time my emotions fall on the negative side of things–sadness, annoyance, anger–much more frequently and easily than any other time. The depressive side of things means that I have a tendency to push people away during this time of year because I don’t want them to see this side of me–instead of drawing them close and asking for comfort.

It is common among sufferers of S.A.D. to have an almost manic period in the spring when the clouds lift and the sun comes back. We can become almost unsufferably happy, busy, and eager to change things up. This often combines itself in me with the lingering sadness from the winter, so I can seem almost bi-polar at times. The last couple years, around February, I get the urge to change things up–so I invite new people into my life and try to redefine old relationships–which ends up disastrously because I’m still not quite out of the depressive winter period. By about May I am truly out of the winter period–any relationships I form from then onwards have a tendency to stick pretty well, especially if they make it through February of the next year (I suppose; I’ve not actually had enough years to test this theory out). This is not just dating-style relationships, but friendships as well.

What I need to know at this time of year, from those close to me, is that I am loved/cared about and that I am secure in my relationship with them. What I need to tell those people at this time of year is that I care about/love them and I need to ask them to please stick with me through the dark winter months, because in the spring they will see a happier side of me again.

Here’s something you might not know about Berlin, if you don’t live here: around the same time as Christmas, the sun does this nasty thing where it sets around 3 pm.

If you blink…or if it happens to be Saturday and you don’t even open your eyes at all until 2 pm….you’ve already missed the precious precarious window of sonnenschein. Might as well just go back to sleep without even getting out of bed. Somebody told me that that is actually how clinically depressed ppl act. Haha! What a kooky coincidence!

How to deal? Let’s brainstorm together for a minute…suicide, a tropical vacation, scrapbooking (?),

BLERGGG i’m too depressed & cold to think of any more ideas……..

Trudge trudge trudge. Shuffle. Are we out of cooking sherry again? Dammit.

Saayyyy! What’s this lil’ ol’ place all lit up like fireworks on the fourth of july?

OMG it’s the Christmas Market! The Germans call it a Weihnachtsmarkt and it is like their version of mall santa…or something. Berlin, being big and fancy, has something like 102 to choose from.

As long as you don’t accidentally stumble into the technicolor train wreck at Alexanderplatz, these concentrated epicenters of Holiday joy and goodwill are guaranteed to fill you with warm fuzzies.

Basically, the Weihnachtsmarkt is like a big fuck you to winter. It’s cold and wet and dark, but whatever we’re going to stand around and get drunk outside! It’s a Christmas tradition bitchez!

To be specific, they have other stuff too, but since all the tchotchkes they sell there are T-R-A-S-H trash, I’m pretty sure it’s all just a flimsy front to push as much Glühwein as possible on the frozen huddled populace. So my team and I did our best to help them out with that.

We moved in on each market with a mission: we got our Glühwein, we got our second Glühwein, we assessed the situation. Did we want a third? Based on this systematic and highly scientific testing of Berlin’s finest Weinachtsmärkte, finally the one at the Opernpalais on Unter den Linden came out as sort of a hands down winner. So cozy and bright!

(Plus it ended randomly in a cocktail lounge with an all-female jazz ensemble in matching white suits, which in retrospect may have been what tipped the scales…)

Gendarmenmarkt probably takes second place, because it was actually very pretty. But it scored some major minus points, unfortch: the Maronen were sort of crunchy, the people were a little bit snobby, we had to pay 1 EUR admission for the privilege of spending our money there, o yeah and the band sucked. yeah i said it.

The great thing about the Weihnachtsmarkt, though, is that the Glühwein, true to its name, Photoshops the whole scene with a warm & tingly glow.

Back at Alexanderplatz, it is raining big, wet, icy drops. The vendors are quietly contemplating suicide.  A soggy little boy is looking at you with big eyes and his hand out, but you reason that you’re too miserable and cold to take your hands out of your pockets. What’s that you say? Another Glühwein? Whyyy yes, I think I will! Whaaat a shot of rum in it? You so crazy! Ah, what the hell, it’s Christmas! Best drink it before it gets cold! O God I love this place let’s come here every day and be friends forever and ever!

Merry Christmas, Berlin! O, and Happy Hanukkah, even though I think you maybe don’t understand what that is! See you in 2010! I love you!

xo

Lis

BTW: All the lovely sparkly images in this post, besides the very first one, © Rachel Prince. Thanks RP for leaving both my hands free for Glühwein!

I had a spirited discussion about Finish and Ice Landish moods and the length of days with a friend. She’s lived in Russia for a significant length of time and has first hand knowledge of Finland and the general area. I was under the impression that the Finns are generally somewhat depressed. She’s been there. She is a very hyper, happy person, and she reports that it is not the case.

I had once watched a 60 minutes report on Finnish melancholy, which presented a picture of the Finns as sad, terminally melancholy, suicidal, alchohol dependent, shy,etc. He also talks about the unusual, to us, phenomenon of the Finnish tango in which times are set aside for a chronically shy and reserved society to let loose by dancing with a stranger.  

Morley does not talk about causes but I found this website of the Finnish Metereological Society which lists the length of days at various times of the year and in various regions.

Helsinki has quite the range of daylight. A good chunk of the year is about 6 hour-ish. And then other times of the year you get up to 18 hours. (I know, I know,  . . . what about Alaska? I have no answer). Now, Sodankyla, sometimes has sunlight for only 1 hour. That is not normal or healthy. My friend tells me that it is where Santa lives. Which, if that’s the case, that’s fine. However, they have a population of 12,500 humans, not counting elves and Santa staff. One hour of sunlight is not healthy for these 12,500 people. Although, they do appear to have fun there some times. There is the Midnight Sun Film Festival there.

Regarding Alaska, I’ve not been there and would love to visit. The fact that Alaska is a state and culturally linked to the lower 48 and has cable, etc, and the regular unreserved happy American culture, day length probably has a different effect.

But . . . my thoughts are anecdotal. There’s research on length of days and moods by a University of Chicago researcher. Here’s the news release. My understanding is that he is saying that Seasonal Affective Disorder is not common:

Although some people report feeling more depressed during short winter days, seasonal disorder in humans is rare, affecting probably 1 to 3 percent of the population. The invention of electric lights has reduced the impact of seasonal changes affected by light on people’s moods, Prendergast said.

This researcher does attribute seasonal issues to memory. So in the case of the Finns, the melancholy, etc may be more cultural memory than anything else. Still, though, it is just so hard to see how day length does not affect mood.

The week before Thanksgiving, every year, I begin experiencing a low-level sense of dread. If you’ve ever been robbed, you might remember the feeling: as if you’re being watched and you’re not safe. You can set up the light timers and keep a car parked in the driveway. It doesn’t matter. You imagine your house is under surveillance and no lock you can add to the door will put back what’s been taken.

Now imagine that you’re planning a vacation right around this time to celebrate some great milestone, like earning a degree or getting a promotion. But instead of white sand beaches and turquoise water all you can think about is what may be done to your house while you’re gone. Next you try to imagine what your days will look like like when you return. Rather than a feeling of accomplishment, all you can focus on is that you have no idea what you’re going to do with your life next and the way you’ve defined yourself for years no longer applies. Everyone around thinks you should be excited and happy. But you don’t feel festive at all. You want to stay in your house, in your bed, and protect what little territory you still can.

I’m realizing the holidays make me feel this way every year: out of control and insecure at a time the world is telling me to celebrate. Last night, I read Can This Scrooge Be Saved? on The Happiest Mom’s blog. I am also a scrooge that needs saving but it’s not just from Christmas.

The end of the year starts with my husband’s birthday in mid-October, then my son’s on November 14th, then Thanksgiving. By then I am physically ill, usually a cold or flu, something that will knock me into delirium and total inability to do anything but sleep for a few days.

Somewhere around that time, Austin’s weather generally turns cold, but not a good kind of winter cold with crisp air and snow falling. It’s rainy and gray and you can’t leave the house. This year, I was hit harder than usual. I got a sinus infection and kidney infection at the same time. The rains lasted longer than usual. I couldn’t go outside because of my health and the weather. Now that my immune system is recovering a bit, I’m checking in on my mental health and the prognosis is not so good.

Because after Thanksgiving  comes my birthday—three days before Christmas—then Christmas, then New Year’s. And you know what I want? To stay under my down comforter. I want to sleep even when I’m not tired. I don’t want to answer the phone or take care of my son. I don’t want to think about where my life is or how old I am or where I’m going from here. I don’t want to hope next year is better than this one. I just want to sleep.

Is it Post Traumatic Christmas syndrome, seasonal affective disorder, a horrible societal pressure to be happy for the holidays? Anyone else out there feeling less than festive?

Photo by XactoInTheBox

The details: 20 min warmup, 55 min combined toning/jump rope/sit-ups/cooldown. Total time: 75 min.

It’s a snow day! In fact, here in NY, it’s a current snowstorm weekend.

Good times, good times.

In my book, snow day = lazy. It means being cozy and all the things that go with that word- hanging in, curling up in blankets, maybe changing out my sweats (ha! maybe) and… heh, snacking. And more snacking. (And, it’s definitely NOT a time to worry about going to the cash machine. And it’s the only time I feel guilty about getting groceries delivered.)

Trust me, it was tempting to stay curled up in my armchair. Or to tuck into the box of all-natural organic cookies on my counter. But, I put on my sneakers, and figured I would just get to it.

Today felt tougher than expected. My energy level didn’t feel as motivated as it usually does, quite possibly because it took a full hour of talking myself into exercising. And I did not want to get out of my sweats. So toughing out all the jump rope reps certainly felt more like a chore, and so did adding extra sit-ups to my regimen (dammit abs, you’d better be hot by summer).

Plus, the snowstorm didn’t really help. While looking at a pretty snowfall is one thing, watching a snowstorm is another. The sky is this odd, murky combination of purple and brown and grey; if it wasn’t for the endorphins running around my head, I’d think that Edgar Allan Poe would be writing something new right about now.

(Quick digression: I wonder how the Norwegians, Finns, and Danes survive weather conditions like this routinely. And since I know Finns to have some lunatic humor, I wonder if it’s from these seasonal conditions. And lack of sunlight.)

Anyway, weirdly enough, now my energy is bouncing and cheerier (they don’t call ‘em endorphins for nuthin’). I feel glad that I stuck to my commitment, even on a day I usually write off as perfect for L-A-Z-Y (sing to tune of YMCA).

Phew. Day 4 down this week, day 5 tomorrow.

Height is an important characteristic of our personality. It spells confidence & attractive personality. So, we all wish to have to good height. Those who have it are lucky but those who do not, try hard for it. People invest a lot in order to get taller. Teenage is a stage where people are most conscious about their body & looks. What is the average height for teenagers? What are the ways to increase it at this stage? These are some issues that we’ll discuss here.We gain weight for a variety of reasons but stress, improper diet, irregular schedules and lack of exercise are some of the main culprits today.  These habits have caused us to gain weight over time, so it is not healthy or safe to attempt to lose weight very quickly, as tempting as it is. We have tried before and know that it does not work.  Tedious exercises and diets may give us some results in the short term but they are not permanent. And extreme weight loss can be dangerous.

Height is an important characteristic of our personality. It spells confidence & attractive personality. So, we all wish to have to good height. Those who have it are lucky but those who do not, try hard for it. People invest a lot in order to get taller. Teenage is a stage where people are most conscious about their body & looks. What is the average height for teenagers? What are the ways to increase it at this stage? These are some issues that we’ll discuss here.Yoga will help you maintain a very healthy body and mind. It helps in building up concentration which is extremely important in this very competitive world. Also, yoga is a great stress buster, helps one to take wise decisions in the most difficult of times. It helps you develop a positive attitude towards life without letting you think wrong about the people around. Even in the worst of times it builds your confidence and helps you to wear the smile constantly on your face. It is said that the confidence of a person is in his smile.

As we practice asanas with awareness, we not only feel better but we are also better able to feel–that is, we become more sensitive to everything in our lives. As our sensitivity deepens and widens, we begin to practice asanas in such a way that we are practicing the larger yoga: the discovery of our Self and our dharma (our true purpose) and the overcoming of the obstacles that impede this journey.The author is by no means an experienced or exemplary father, but he manages as well as he can. If in a tight spot, he is responsible enough but also may show a devil-may-care attitude. On the other hand, he says he read up on the subject a bit, with mixed success, mostly the notes his wife handed him before their second daughter was born. As a result, he handles a difficult situation well enough when their toddler expresses negative feelings toward the new baby. In illustrating this experience, Lewis writes: “She was no longer a happy, loving child. She was a personal injury lawyer taking a deposition.

The chest and heart openings provided by backbends also counteract the last three of the five kleshas: raga, dvesha, and abhinivesha. Raga, our attachment to pleasure, is a futile grasping of the ephemeral–we clutch what is only transient. In doing so, we close our chest and shut down the heart center. Dvesha, aversion to pain, also closes the door to our hearts. When we cover up pain, we cover up our shadows, the parts of ourselves that we repress because they do not please the ego. As with raga, our aversion is not expressed with open, wide arms but with a clutching, defensive posture. And abhinivesha, the fear of death, is the father of all fear, the primal cause for all shrinking of the chest, hunching of the spine, and withdrawing back into our small selves.

Visit for more useful information on padmasana andyoga Poses also yoga and health.

Phototherapy

Definition

Phototherapy, or light therapy, is the administration of doses of bright light in order to normalize the body’s internal clock and/or relieve depression.

DESCRIPTION

Phototherapy is generally administered at home. The most commonly used phototherapy equipment is a portable lighting device known as a light box. The box may be mounted upright to a wall, or slanted downwards towards a table. The patient sits in front of the box for a prescribed period of time (anywhere from 15 minutes to several hours).

Some patients with SAD undergo phototherapy sessions two or three times a day, others only once. The time of day and number of times treatment is administered depend on the physical needs and lifestyle of the individual patient.

If phototherapy has been prescribed for the treatment of SAD, it typically begins in the fall months as the days begin to shorten, and continues throughout the winter and possibly the early spring.

The light from a slanted light box is designed to focus on the table it sits upon, so patients may look down to read or do other sedentary activities during therapy. Patients using an upright light box must face the light source (although they need not look directly into the light).

The light sources in these light boxes typically range from 2,500–10,000 lux. (In contrast, average indoor lighting is 300–500 lux; a sunny summer day is about 100,000 lux).

Phototherapy prescribed for the treatment of SAD may be covered by insurance. Individuals requiring phototherapy should check with their insurance company to see if the cost of renting or purchasing a light box is covered.

If you begin feeling down when cold weather hits or in the winter months, you could be suffering from the ‘winter blues’ or seasonal affective disorder (S.A.D.), a type of depression that occurs the same time each year.

Symptoms of S.A.D. generally come during late fall or early winter and end during the warmer months; sometimes, it starts out mild and gets more severe as the season goes on.

S.A.D. symptoms include:

• Depression
• Hopelessness
• Anxiety
• Loss of energy
• Social withdrawal
• Oversleeping
• Loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed
• Appetite changes, especially a craving for foods high in carbohydrates
• Weight gain
• Difficulty concentrating and processing information

The exact cause of S.A.D. is unknown, but a few specific factors do come into play. These include:

Your biological clock (circadian rythm)- the lower level of sunlight in the fall and winter months might disturb your body’s internal clock, which can lead to feelings of depression.

Melatonin levels- the season change can disturb the balance of melatonin, a natural hormone that plays a role in sleeping patterns and mood.

Serotonin levels- a decrease in serotonin (a brain chemical [neurotransmitter] that affects mood might also play a role in S.A.D.

Risk factors include being female, living far from the equator and family history.

If you notice any of the signs and symptoms of S.A.D., take them seriously; if S.A.D. isn’t treated, the symptoms can get worse and lead to other issues like:

• Suicidal thoughts or behavior
• Social withdrawal
• School or work problems
• Substance abuse

Fortunately, there are ways to treat S.A.D. You can try light therapy, medications, psychotherapy, making your environment sunnier and brighter, going outside and exercising regularly.

For more info about S.A.D., check out my source, Mayo Clinic. Photo from tressugar.com.

Less sun light during winter months can dampen your mood and affect the vitamin D levels in your body. So one may think there is a link between the “sunshine” vitamin and seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Scientfic studies have addressed the issue, but the results have all been inconclusive. In 1993 study performed in Boston found no benefit for vitamin D supplements over a placebo. Yet a small study performed in 1999 on patients with seasonal affective disorder, found that large doses of vitamin D were more effective than the standard light therapy. Other multiple studies have also linked low vitamin D levels to mood disorders in the elderly.

Scientists have found that specialized cells in the retina respond to long-term light exposure and communicate directly with the brain, this may be the reason light affects our mood. Vitamin D is produced in the skin in response to ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Light boxes used in studies related to treatment of seasonal affective disorder do not produce the same UV rays as the sun. Patients must sit under a light for 45 minutes a day in order to consume the daily amunt of vitamin d needed. It is much more convenient to take a pill, but scientist also recommend getting outside during the winter as often as possible.

People should not underestimate the potential of vitamin D supplements. Studies have linked the vitamin to prevention of colon and breast cancers, osteoporosis, heart disease, and multiple sclerosis, taking 1000 or 2000 IU per day as a supplement could benefit your health on many levels.

Click here to BUY Vitamin D NOW!

Can lack of vitamin D can contribute to seasonal affective disorder (sad)?

Less sun light during winter months can dampen your mood and affect the vitamin D levels in your body. So one may think there is a link between the “sunshine” vitamin and seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Scientfic studies have addressed the issue, but the results have all been inconclusive. In 1993 study performed in Boston found no benefit for vitamin D supplements over a placebo. Yet a small study performed in 1999 on patients with seasonal affective disorder, found that large doses of vitamin D were more effective than the standard light therapy. Other multiple studies have also linked low vitamin D levels to mood disorders in the elderly.

Scientists have found that specialized cells in the retina respond to long-term light exposure and communicate directly with the brain, this may be the reason light affects our mood. Vitamin D is produced in the skin in response to ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Light boxes used in studies related to treatment of seasonal affective disorder do not produce the same UV rays as the sun. Patients must sit under a light for 45 minutes a day in order to consume the daily amunt of vitamin d needed. It is much more convenient to take a pill, but scientist also recommend getting outdoors during the winter as often as possible.

People should not underestimate the potential of vitamin D supplements. Studies have linked the vitamin to prevention of colon and breast cancers, osteoporosis, heart disease, and multiple sclerosis, taking 1000 or 2000 IU per day as a supplement could benefit your health on many levels.

Run, rabbit, run
to the home of the winter sun
hide, rabbit, hide
a wolf awaits inside
glide on dovetail wings
to the house of the winter king and
dance, child, dance
oh, dance until the spring

Coping with the Winter Blues: Understanding Seasonal Affective Disorder

It is easy to understand why, this time of year, many are struck with a case of the winter blues.  We leave for work before the sun comes up and head home in the dark barely glimpsing daylight.  As the days get shorter and colder many find themselves dealing with sadness, increased appetite and excessive sleeping.  What they may be experiencing is more than a case of the winter blues, but rather seasonal affective disorder, or SAD.  Many of my clients suffer from this disorder and often they just expect it is a part of the season that will pass, but there are treatments that can alleviate or lessen the symptoms.

SAD is a mood disorder associated with depression and related to seasonal variations of light. SAD has been linked to melatonin, a sleep-related hormone secreted by the brain’s pineal gland.  This hormone, which can cause symptoms of depression, is produced at increased levels in the dark.  So, as the days become shorter, these effects are felt by an estimated 6% of Americans.  Eighty percent of those who suffer from SAD are estimated to be women, though the reasons for increased depression in women are not yet understood.

According to the National Institute for Mental Health, SAD symptoms include: regularly occurring symptoms of depression (e.g., excessive eating and sleeping and weight gain) during the fall or winter months; full remission from depression occur in the spring and summer months as well as a craving for sugary and/or starchy foods.  Just as sunlight affects the seasonal activities of animals, such as reproductive cycles and hibernation, SAD may be an effect of seasonal light variations in humans.  As seasons change, there is a shift in our “internal clocks” or circadian rhythm, due partly to these changes in sunlight patterns.  This can cause our biological clocks to be out of “step” with our daily schedules. The most difficult months for SAD sufferers are January and February.

Phototherapy or bright light therapy has been shown to suppress the brain’s secretion of melatonin.  Although, there have been no research findings to definitively link this therapy with an antidepressant effect, many people respond to the treatment.  The device most often used today is a bank of white fluorescent lights on a metal reflector and a shield with a plastic screen.  For mild symptoms, spending time outdoors or arranging homes and workplaces during the day to receive more sunlight may be helpful.  One study found that an hour’s walk in winter sunlight was as effective as two and a half hours under bright light.  If phototherapy doesn’t work, an antidepressant medication may prove effective in reducing or eliminating SAD symptoms, but there may be unwanted side effects to consider with medication.

If you or someone you know struggles with depression this time of year, you should contact your physician or a mental health professional to accurately determine A diagnosis and treatment. Keeping an accurate log of your mood, energy, eating and sleeping habits over time will be helpful for determining whether any changes are in fact seasonal.  Although you may be tempted to boost your exposure to light around the home, consultation with a medical professional will be important because the intensity, frequency, and duration of light treatments may vary from individual to individual.  Additionally, a professional may recommend other forms of treatment in addition to light therapy, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy and/or medications.  Our psychologists and psychiatrists are available to answer your questions at www.ashburnpsych.com

Remember that small things like a walk on a sunny winter day can be a boost both physically and mentally. And spring is only a few months away!

Dr. Oberschneider

Founder and Director

Ashburn Psychological Services

Have a case of the holiday blues? Want to lift your holiday mood? Turn to exercise instead of food. Holidays can be a painful reminder for many of us what is missing from our lives. It’s not always easy to lift your mood, especially if you live in a place that doesn’t offer a lot of sun during this season. Instead of turning to food, turn to exercise for a lift.

Some studies suggest that exercise is equal to drugs or psychotherapy in alleviating depressive symptoms. With exercise, several biological changes take place in your brain, stimulating growth of the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for regulating mood and stimulating memories.

Interestingly, people who are depressed show a shrinkage in the hippocampus. One of the roles of an antidepressant is to cause growth or stimulation in this region of the brain. Exercise, it turns out, is a natural stimulant for this area.

Research shows it’s not the intensity of the workout that lifts your mood. Even a light, steady movement such as a walk, moving at a purposeful pace will help to elevate your frame of mind. If you don’t quite feel motivated to move off the couch, try some natural increases in your routine by parking farther away from the door at the office or the grocery store, and taking stairs instead of the elevator. Still not excited? Fill an I-Pod with your favorite tunes or audio book and listen while you walk.

Do you find yourself singing the winter blues this time of year?  Did you think it was just you or normal?  Perhaps you have SAD.

What is SAD (seasonal affective disorder), and what can you do to feel better fast?

Read complete article here.

Oxygen Therapy Can Help Cluster Headaches, Study Finds – ABC News.1

This is a great video and article that shows the benefit of oxygen therapy for cluster headaches.1  Checkout my recent post on oxygen therapy HERE.  We have been using this treatment for about 1 year now, and have seen amazing results with several types of pain and headaches. The research shows that the benefits of oxygen therapy are anti-inflammatory, decreases pain and inflammation, it’s immune boosting, helps with pain associated with fibromyalgia, reduces pain associated poor posture due to muscle fatigue and low oxygen levels, improves nasal air flow, slows the aging of human cells, and as this video and research shows, oxygen also helps with headaches.

I am constantly scouring the research for the latest techniques and technology to get my patients better faster.  We try to stay ahead of the curve, and I’m proud to offer oxygen therapy and many other cutting edge treatments to my patients.

If you have headaches, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, pain, or chronic pain, there is a good chance our treatment can help you.  Give us a call if you or some you know if suffering with any of these problems.  (828) 324-0800.

1. Cohen AS, Burns B, Goadsby PJ. 2009. High-flow oxygen for treatment of cluster headache: a randomized trial. JAMA. Dec 9;302(22):2451-7.

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Clinton wrote this …

When we produced the Grinch video our hopes were that 1.) it would be seen far and wide and 2.) people would, as Dr. Cindy Bulik says, learn from the Grinch that depression is manifest in many ways, and you might be prompted to help out a friend (including yourself) in need, whether or not they have termites in their teeth or garlic in their soul.

We’re still working on No. 1, but yesterday, we got confirmation that hope No. 2 is at least realistic.

I had a voice message from a counterpart at Colorado State about the video.  I called her back and discovered that the university’s community is experiencing a suicide crisis.

The concern is that people are starting to tune out the typical suicide-prevention messages, but they might watch the Grinch. The school wanted to know if we would mind if they used the concept.

Of course not! Use the concept, use the video,  strip UNC’s logo if you want, this goes beyond publicity.

The hard fact is that, for some people, the holidays make feelings of isolation, resentment, sadness, fear and anger even worse.

And a sad fact is that mental health is still a taboo topic.

From Dr. David Rubinow, chairman of Psychiatry:

The discordance between what we may feel and what we think we are supposed to feel can itself be a source of substantial distress and self criticism. The expectations surrounding Christmas and Thanksgiving are simply enormous. By contrast, people don’t seem to get depressed around the 4^th of July.

If left unevaluated and unattended, symptoms (of depression) may deepen and become more resistant to treatment. Additionally, depression is a potentially fatal illness, accounting for a large proportion of those individuals (nationally) who commit suicide.

Despite the availability of assistance and the steep downside risk of forgoing treatment, many people don’t ask for help when they’re feeling depressed.

People aren’t reluctant to ask for help if their stomach hurts, but they are if it’s their mind that’s hurting.

 Reluctance is a malignant consequence of our society’s puritanical indictment of anything related to feelings. People with any kind of mental disorder are stigmatized in this society, despite the fact that depression is currently the fourth-leading cause of morbidity and impairment, and is slated to become second only to heart disease by the year 2020. Depression is a serious illness, not a moral failing or an incapacity to appropriately manage one’s feelings.

So, while we hope you’ll find our videos creative and clever, if they’re also of practical help, all the better.

Aurora borealis or Northern Lights

We will. That’s the point: we’ll get there.

But there is something else. Somewhere deep in the collective unconscious (thank you Carl Jung) there is an unfounded fear that when the shortest day arrives, the sun will not only stand still but may never rise again. That may sound crazy to someone who doesn’t look up at the sky much; who sees ‘light’ as something akin to the strange offerings on Photobucket under that search item: a neon tube.

But there are others among us, myself included, who look to the skies in these fast diminishing days and wonder if the light will return. I miss it so. In the so-called temperate zone, we lose the light at a rate of roughly four minutes per day until December 21st, when the sun ‘appears’ to stand still. And then it turns round and light increases at the same rate until equinox. I blogged last week about how the light-deprived Scots celebrate solstice in Burghead at the latitude of Alaska. No Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) for them

The Norwegians, too, know all about that latitude: over half their huge country lies north of the 57º parallel. In Murmansk, on the White Sea, they keep the street lights on from October until April. They’re not just street lights either, they are specially formulated UV, designed to trigger serotonin in the SAD population and offer some hope to a city starved of sun for five months of the year.

Yes, serotonin is the hormone secreted by the human brain in the process of joy. It’s what we as a species need to keep going. Joy and light. And at this season when all the shops are declaring it is time to be ‘merry’, joy may be hard to find, unless we consciously engender it.

So it may be relevant to fostering a little joy that I give you a small ditty which appeared in today’s Daily Mail and one which the people of Norway are still pondering over.

I won’t add the comments from the unbelievers (failed Russian spacecraft, holographic searchlight); the positive view is that it is – in the middle of Arctic winter – a light in the sky. Not exactly aurora borealis, but something electromagnetic and atmospherically-unusual. A spiral of light in the sky. There’s hope.

Light over Tromsö, Norway

Aurora, now. That’s another delight we may witness at our latitude if we’re lucky, at this dark time of year. It might even be seen as a magical mechanism devised by solar wind and earth’s magnetosphere to whisper awe into our unresponsive consciousness.

But to stand on a hill on a starlit night, hot water bottle wrapped round kidney region, three scarves and wool hat in place, furry boots and six layers of woolly jumpers over frail human body, and watch as the firmament wheels for an hour in cathedrals of light, is something not to be missed.

For that I will go through another dark winter in this wild northern latitude.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5qvas_alaskaorg-aurora-borealis-northern_travel

On January 12 last year the population of Siguida, Latvia experienced the light equivalent of an ice storm: over the city’s streets hovered a cloud of light which then descended into pillars. Scientists attributed the columns of light which hung suspended in air for more than five minutes to frozen crystals of water or minute particles of ice. But to a child it must have looked like a winter fairy’s magic wand had waved.

Ice pillars of light over Latvia last January

There will always be the view of the jaded reporter, the overworked NASA scientist, the prosaic explanation of a failed Russian nuclear test to write off phenomena like these.

I fancy the childlike fairytale explanation myself.

In the dark days of what amounts to a period of hibernation for humankind in the northern hemisphere, isn’t it wonderful to know that the Cosmos is still bringing us its own version of Son et Lumière? Those unexplained shimmering beams of light bent by electromagnetic forces relatively few of us yet understand, spinnning constantly round our Blue Planet.

You thought Crop Circles were cool: in midwinter, Light is even Cooler.