The C.A.M. Report
Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Fair, Balanced, and to the Point

Archive for the 'Light Therapy' Category

Using emollients to increase absorption of UV light in psoriasis

Monday, February 18th, 2013

ailmentPsoriasis-100x100Various 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…)

CAM for major depressive therapy

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…)

CAM (not St John’s wort) to treat depression

Tuesday, April 12th, 2011

Researchers at Goulds Naturopathica, in Hobart TAS, Australia, reviewed the evidence. (more…)

Light therapy improves sleep in soldiers with post-traumatic stress syndrome

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…)

Does exercise relieve the symptoms of depression?

Tuesday, March 1st, 2011

Researchers at the University of Washington Department of Family Medicine, in Tacoma, provide a pity review. (more…)

So, just how good is exercise to treat 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…)

Light therapy for depressed older people

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…)

Effects of exposure to room light before bedtime

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…)

Bright light, melatonin, and dementia

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…)

Treating SAD with blue light

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…)

Light therapy for seasonal affective disorder

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.
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CAM for perinatal depression

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…)

Using light to improve sleep in adults with dementia

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…)

British Association for Psychopharmacology rates CAM for dementia

Friday, April 20th, 2007

Actually, they reviewed more than CAM, but that’s what will be covered here.

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Light treatment for seasonal affective disorder

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…)

Complementary options to reduce jet lag

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.

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