[april99]

Good morning

Leenie....good for you about going to the doctor...to see about light therapy & meds.

I tried to get my extended benifits to pay for my light box....but they wouldn't....in Canada...we can put it on our income tax....my DS1 has suffered from depression ever since he moved to the Vacouver area 15 years ago....I suggested the light therapy to him last winter....he got one in March....it has made a world of difference for him also....before that....we were quite worried about him.

Thank you Leenie....if my experience can help one person to avoid what I had to go through for all those years .... that made the world of difference for me.......it just makes me happy.....& to think that it was so simple as sitting in front of this light box for 1/2 an hour in the morning when you first wake up.... in the fall & winter.

See you later....on the way out the door.

April

[Kempyd]

I just searched on ebay for a light bow and they have a few of them. If your insurance won't cover them than maybe you could find on there. I think I am going to see if my massage therapy lady knows of anyone who might have one and that is not using it right now so that I can see if it will help me.

[lcastle]

Good afternoon everyone.

It is amazing to see so many of you with pretty much the same symptoms at the same time. Living out here in Arizona, there isn't much chance of NOT getting sunshine since we are in such a drought. But I have heard wonderful things from friends of mine that live in other parts of the country that have needed to use them.

Well, Lynnie, don't feel bad, you are not the only one feeling bloated and cramping. I started TOM yesterday and my lower back (where all my cramping was thanks to total back labor with all my kids) was just killing me. Today isn't quite so bad, but that is because I am already almost finished. (Usually TOM only lasts about 3 to 4 days for me)

Oh yeah, and I LOVE that chart that Ruth posted yesterday. I bookmarked it for future reference. It says that I should be around 155 or something to that effect. I like that so much better than being told that 140 was the highest weight I should be. 155 is so much more realistic.

Well, I am better get off here and TRY to find something to do. I am pretty bored here at the moment, but I know that there are going to be customer issues here shortly. I can just feel it.

Talk to you all later.

Lynette

[april99]

Hi again

Lynnie....hope this helps you understand how the light box works.


How the light box works:
The light box provides a measured amount of balanced spectrum light equivalent to standing outdoors on a clear spring day. This has been shown to help regulate the body clock. Photobiologists point out that the light is registered by the eyes through the retina, which then transfers impulses to the hypothalamus in the brain to normalize the body clock function. The light from the box will help synchronize sleep/wake patterns with ones work and life style.

What causes S.A.D.
Change in sunlight exposure is the key. The amount of day light exposure one receives and the changes in sunrise/sunset reducing the daylight hours in the fall and winter can affect suffers of S.A.D. The most commonly believed hypothesis follows: although the body has natural daily rhythms, they are not fully precise and rely on the intensity of sunlight to provide adjusting cues. These cues originate in the retina at the back of the eye, creating signals which pass through the optic nerve to the mid brain, setting in motion a number of chemical changes. These changes include:
1) Increase in the neurotransmitter serotonin, necessary for a sense of well being.

2) Regulation and suppression of the hormone melatonin, which is a factor in normal sleep patterns and may influence sleeps recuperative benefits.

Leenie....I read the article about S.A.D......it is very good.
You can't wear sunglasses when you sit in front of the light box....lol.

Cathy......I did check the weight chart you talked about....I am 5' 0"....it said I should weigh 149 lbs.....I would be satisfied if I weighed that.

Leenie....in that article...one thing it said was.....
Light is as effective as antiedpressant medications are....maybe more so.....I think they were talking about the light box.

Have a great weekend everyone.

April

[Leenie]

Thanks April, and I've always said that we are a small group here but we help each other more then we know.

I am going to look into the light box b/c I know, even though I'm saying to myself now, it might go away...yeah right, who am I kidding... I need to do this.

Lynette with the time change this weekend, it will soon be dark here at 4:30 in the afternoon, thats to early for me. Like I said, going to and from work in the dark is very depressing to me, I'm surprised more people don't feel this way OR is it that they just don't recognize the symptoms, like I haven't all these years, until now... OY! Whats even worse is when it snows, so I'm hoping it doesnt snow alot this year GROWL !!! ROFL !! lololol.

Hugs everyone, we'll get thru this together