![]() "There's a theoretical basis as to why this knee band works, but we have to see if it actually does work. Marcus, MD, agrees, and tells WebMD he needs to see more evidence. How it works and if it works both remain a mystery." "But it remains to be proven whether this new device will help the patient or not. "I'm very interested to see the results of the knee light study at Yale," Michael Terman, MD, director of the winter depression program at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City, tells WebMD. Other experts are cautiously optimistic about the new device. Preliminary results of the Light Band study should be out in about 6 months, he says, and if the device proves successful, it may be available within a year. "It's just a matter of getting out on sunny days when possible and taking advantage of the natural light," he says. "Although it's difficult to do harm to yourself with a reputable device, it's very easy to use it improperly and not get a therapeutic effect," he says.Ī person with mild winter blues doesn't need a sophisticated device - or even a doctor, Oren tells WebMD. Light boxes are available commercially, but Oren suggests people first visit a health care provider who is experienced with light therapy. ![]() and should have no unacceptable side effects." "The light intensities that are used are well within the normal range of light exposure. "Our bodies have evolved with exposure to light since the beginning of humanity," he says. One theory, Oren says, is that light has an antidepressant effect on the system through the blood - the blood absorbs the light.Īs far as side effects go, light therapy is about the safest intervention possible, Oren says. Despite much research, however, the ways in which light affects the body remain unclear. Light box therapy has been approved to treat SAD since 1984. Most people choose to avoid treatment altogether and just stick it out until summer, when sunshine returns and symptoms subside. Although the light box is usually effective, the therapy requires the patient to remain in one position for a period of time. "If this device proves to be effective, it would mean the availability of a very convenient, portable treatment for people suffering from SAD," lead researcher Dan Oren, MD, associate professor of psychiatry at Yale, tells WebMD.Ĭurrently, many people with SAD sit in front of a special light box to ease their symptoms - such things as change in appetite, weight gain, low energy, fatigue, irritability, trouble sleeping, or difficulty concentrating. The heatless therapy has no known side effects. ![]() Fitting around the knee like a loose Ace bandage, the Apollo Light Systems Skin Light Band delivers light of various wavelengths directly to the skin while allowing the user to remain active during treatment. In an effort find a safe and comfortable treatment for seasonal depression, researchers at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn., are studying a new light therapy that is worn around the knee. ![]() Not to be confused with common wintertime blahs, SAD is a serious condition that strikes about 20 million Americans a year, and many more women than men. Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, is depression thought to be triggered by shorter hours of daylight in the late fall and winter. One such mystery is how it causes - and alleviates - a type of depression. 10, 2001 - Scientists continue to probe the mysteries of how light affects the human body and mind.
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