Archive for the 'Light Therapy' Category
Monday, February 18th, 2013
Various topical emollients can affect the penetration of ultraviolet (UV) radiation during phototherapy of psoriasis.
Researchers at the University of Arizona, in Tucson, reviewed the evidence. (more…)
Light Therapy, Psoriasis | Comments Off on Using emollients to increase absorption of UV light in psoriasis
Friday, April 15th, 2011
The American Psychiatric Association’s Task Force on Complementary and Alternative Medicine reviewed the evidence and report their findings.
Here are their findings. (more…)
Acupuncture/ pressure, Anxiety (Panic)/Depression, Exercise, Folic Acid, Light Therapy, Mindfulness, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, SAMe, St. John's Wort | Comments Off on CAM for major depressive therapy
Tuesday, April 12th, 2011
Researchers at Goulds Naturopathica, in Hobart TAS, Australia, reviewed the evidence. (more…)
Acupuncture/ pressure, Anxiety (Panic)/Depression, Exercise, Folic Acid, Lavender, Light Therapy, Mindfulness, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Rhodiola Rosea, Saffron, SAMe, St. John's Wort | Comments Off on CAM (not St John’s wort) to treat depression
Friday, March 25th, 2011
Researchers at the University of South Carolina in Columbia report; “bright light therapy produced a significantly greater improvement than placebo in sleep disturbances specific to post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD).”
The study (see abstract 0706) will be presented during the 24th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC. (more…)
Light Therapy, Stress Management, Trauma | Comments Off on Light therapy improves sleep in soldiers with post-traumatic stress syndrome
Tuesday, March 1st, 2011
Researchers at the University of Washington Department of Family Medicine, in Tacoma, provide a pity review. (more…)
Anxiety (Panic)/Depression, Exercise, Light Therapy, Tai Chi, Yoga | Comments Off on Does exercise relieve the symptoms of depression?
Saturday, February 26th, 2011
It’s very good, according to researchers at the University of Washington Department of Family Medicine, in Tacoma.
Here’s what we know. (more…)
Anxiety (Panic)/Depression, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Exercise, Light Therapy, Tai Chi, Yoga | Comments Off on So, just how good is exercise to treat depression?
Sunday, January 23rd, 2011
Major depressive disorder in elderly individuals is prevalent and debilitating.
Researchers from the Netherlands measured the response to bright light therapy (BLT) in elderly patients with major depressive disorder. (more…)
Elderly, Light Therapy, Sleep (Insomnia) | Comments Off on Light therapy for depressed older people
Sunday, January 16th, 2011
Millions of people habitually expose themselves to room light between dusk and bedtime, yet the effects of this behavior on melatonin are not well recognized.
Researchers at Harvard Medical School in Boston, measured the effects of room light in the late evening. (more…)
Diabetes Mellitus, High Blood Pressure, Light Therapy, Sleep (Insomnia) | Comments Off on Effects of exposure to room light before bedtime
Wednesday, April 8th, 2009
Researchers from the Netherlands set about to determine whether the progressive changes in symptoms seen in dementia might be affected by the 2 major synchronizers of the circadian timing system: bright light and melatonin. (more…)
Alzheimer's Dementia, Elderly, Light Therapy, Melatonin | Comments Off on Bright light, melatonin, and dementia
Thursday, December 4th, 2008
Bright visible-spectrum light therapy is effective treatment for seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Basic research suggests that blue wavelengths approximately 470 nm account for that effectiveness.
To confirm these findings, researchers from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, tested blue light in people with SAD. (more…)
Anxiety (Panic)/Depression, Light Therapy, SAD | Comments Off on Treating SAD with blue light
Thursday, October 9th, 2008
Sarah Pullman writes about her experience with The LiteBook Elite. She suffers from seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and had success with the older model.
I thought it might be useful to read her anecdotal experience in light (Oops! Couldn’t help myself) of what we know from the literature. Also, Shoi, who has the credentials, comments on the post.
(more…)
Light Therapy, SAD | Comments Off on Light therapy for seasonal affective disorder
Wednesday, August 13th, 2008
Further research is needed, but Dr. Marlene Freeman from The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas brings us up to date. (more…)
Anxiety (Panic)/Depression, Exercise, Folic Acid, Light Therapy, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Pregnancy, SAMe, St. John's Wort | Comments Off on CAM for perinatal depression
Tuesday, November 27th, 2007
Before we start, let’s define “lux.” Even though it won’t help you understand the results of the study. (more…)
Alzheimer's Dementia, Elderly, Light Therapy | Comments Off on Using light to improve sleep in adults with dementia
Friday, April 20th, 2007
Actually, they reviewed more than CAM, but that’s what will be covered here.
(more…)
Alzheimer's Dementia, Aromatherapy, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Folic Acid, Ginkgo, Light Therapy, Vitamins | Comments Off on British Association for Psychopharmacology rates CAM for dementia
Thursday, April 12th, 2007
In an earlier post on the topic of seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a reader emphasized the importance of recognizing the influence of the circadian pacemaker on depression, and its importance when scheduling light treatment.
So, let’s update the record. (more…)
Light Therapy, SAD | Comments Off on Light treatment for seasonal affective disorder
Sunday, March 11th, 2007
Fatigue and impaired daytime functioning, confusion, altered timing of bowel movements, and sleep disturbance are all signs of jet lag. An article on Medscape lists options to manage jet lag.
The article covers many treatment options. CAM options are listed here.
(more…)
Caffeine, Diet-Nutrition, Jet Lag, Light Therapy | Comments Off on Complementary options to reduce jet lag