THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, November 24, 1994 TAG: 9411250196
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAT DOOLEY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 276 lines
IN THESE PARTS, I'm known as something of a health nut.
For purposes of this article, let's define These Parts as my office, my apartment and the 20 or so miles in between, where I regularly:
A. Work out.
B. Bicycle, walk or run.
C. Dine on seafood, chicken, fruits, vegetables and grains.
D. Coerce friends and loved ones into joining me in the above.
Knowing this, you will understand how no one in These Parts blinked when I offered to write this article.
For the past 14 days, I have basked daily in the light of a 15 1/2-by-23-by-3 1/4-inch ``sun box.''
In the name of science - or a good story - I have carted this 13-pound piece of aluminum, fluorescent tubing and plastic just about everywhere.
Manufactured by the Sun Box Co. in Gaithersburg, Md., the box is used in ``light-therapy'' studies by about 200 health centers around the world and by individuals diagnosed with Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD. It's a kind of depression characterized by lethargy, fatigue, weight gain, cravings for sweets or carbohydrates and social withdrawal.
Symptoms typically appear as the days wane, in October and November, and diminish as the days grow longer, in March or April.
The malady was named in the early 1980s by researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Md.
A team led by Drs. Norman E. Rosenthal and Alfred J. Lewy speculated that the amount of light entering the hypothalamus, via the eye, regulates the production of melatonin, a hormone that signals darkness to the brain.
They showed that lights about five times brighter than those in our homes and offices could ease SAD symptoms.
Not a bit happy that Mr. Sun now sets around 5 p.m., a few co-workers and I wondered whether light also could ease the winter blahs.
Studies say yes. So does Neal Owens, president of the Sun Box Co. and a SAD sufferer.
Owens said about 10 million Americans experience full-blown SAD. Another 25 million suffer those pesky blahs. Women are affected four times as often as men.
We grudgingly accept the short winter days, gray skies and cold. We yearn for daylight to greet us at the end of a workday.
We fight the urge to feast on sweets and other carbohydrate-rich ``comfort foods.'' We long to curl up in a nice warm bed and take a very long nap. Say, until March.
``The change of seasons is a nuisance, but we can still handle our day-to-day responsibilities,'' said Owens, who sells a couple of thousand sun boxes a year.
He offered to send one to me for a two-week experiment. My study would not be scientific: I have not been diagnosed with SAD, nor do I suffer debilitating symptoms.
But I love the outdoors, and have long appreciated the sun's positive effects on my psyche.
I hail from more northern climes and well remember long, dark, bitter-cold winters, when my only inclination was to hibernate from November to March.
Since my move to Virginia 10 years ago, I'm a much happier bear - I can now be out in the sun all year. And though I slow a bit in winter, gaining 4 or 5 pounds despite exercise and a healthful diet, spring brings a natural weight loss and renewed energy.
Research by Rosenthal, director of light therapy studies at the National Institute, shows that the farther north we live, the more likely we are to experience SAD.
About 5.8 percent of people in Virginia and North Carolina, for example, suffer from SAD, while another 13.9 percent know the winter blahs.
In Maine, the figures climb to 10.2 percent and 20.2 percent, respectively. In Florida, they drop to 1.4 percent and 7.5 percent.
Not surprisingly, this is a busy season for sun-box manufacturer Owens. The day we talked, the nation had just turned back its clocks and Owens had four interviews with major radio stations.
``We lost an hour of daylight, so this week is gonna be the telltale sign. People walk out of work and it's dark,'' said Owens.
``This is the week SAD sufferers really take a nosedive.'' BIGGER THAN A BREAD BOX
A few days later, a large, flat box marked ``FRAGILE'' arrived with my name on it.
The return address of the Sunbox Co. - Orbit Drive - caught my eye. I wondered if it was a sign; nonetheless, I tugged on the black leather handle.
I skimmed the directions, attached the pair of metal supports and positioned the box atop my desk, its white plastic screen aimed downward toward my face.
The length of time I should use the box would be partly determined by how far I sat from it, the literature explained. I needn't look into the light but should face it.
For the first three days, I kept the box atop my desk, about 24 to 28 inches from my eyes. I used it for about three hours each day, beginning around 10 a.m.
Passersby seemed drawn to the light. Some poked a curious face inside my door; others simply grinned.
One co-worker admonished me for trying to get a tan. ``You'll get wrinkles.''
Another took to singing ``sun'' songs, a different tune each day.
Just direct your feet to the sunny side of the street . . .
Instead, I placed a drooping philodendron near the light. What could I lose?
I wondered, too, whether my hair would grow faster, my fingernails stronger? Would my skin glow as in summer?
No, Owens said. Although my plants would likely flourish, the box filters out ultraviolet rays that the human body synthesizes into vitamins.
Scientists don't fully understand why light therapy works, only that it does - for about 70 percent of SAD sufferers, according to a February report in the Toronto Star.
Researchers no longer believe that melatonin is the sole connection to SAD. Other theories include abnormalities in the body's circadian rhythms and a decreased sensitivity in the eye to light.
Some researchers, including Rosenthal, are looking at serotonin, a neurotransmitter that passes messages from one nerve cell in the brain to the next.
Serotonin is increased by some antidepressants, such as Prozac, which also has been helpful in treating some SAD patients, Rosenthal says in his book ``Winter Blues, Seasonal Affective Disorder: What It Is and How to Overcome It (Guilford, 1993).
Further, eating carbohydrates - as SAD patients often do - raises serotonin in the brain. So does light.
``When SAD patients are exposed to too little environmental light, such as during the winter, they produce too little serotonin, which is responsible for the symptoms of SAD,'' Rosenthal says.
Side effects of light therapy are minimal, Owens said. But some patients have experienced headaches, insomnia, irritability and eyestrain.
Moving the box farther away or using it for less time can help, Owens said.
People with a history of eye problems should consult a doctor before using the box. The same goes for anyone who's experienced severe depression or mania. DAY 2: `IT'S A MIRACLE!'
``Well, you're smiling,'' said a supervisor, passing my office on Day 2 of my experiment. (``Am I ever not smiling?'' I wondered.)
If this ``worked,'' I shouldn't tell, he joked, lest everyone in the building want a sun box.
Owens said the Commonwealth of Virginia has paid for at least one sun box - for an employee diagnosed with SAD after she was moved from a window seat to an interior office.
Some office workers experience SAD or winter blahs all year, he noted, because they work in poorly lighted, windowless rooms. A few insurance companies even cover the cost of sun boxes for patients diagnosed with SAD.
On Day 3, I arrived to work about an hour earlier than usual.
``It's a miracle!'' beamed one co-worker who routinely arrives with the dawn.
I felt energetic all day and enjoyed the glow of the light so much that I hardly wanted to turn it off.
``I love this light,'' I scribbled in my notebook.
I continued with three hours of light at midmorning, but by the afternoon of the fourth day, I was irritable and jumpy.
I remembered that Owens said too much light would produce caffeine-like effects, so I backed off.
The next two days, the weekend, I sat about 12 inches from the light for about a half-hour at midmorning.
I noticed my appetite seemed diminished; I had no desire for sweets.
Drs. Rachael and Richard Heller of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York are exploring the connection between light therapy and weight control. In 1993, the Hellers co-authored ``The Carbohydrate Addict's Diet'' (Penguin), a meal plan for people who can't get their fill of carbohydrates.
Was I onto something? Or was I experiencing a ``placebo'' effect? DIFFERENT DOSES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS
By Day 9, I had toyed with various doses - adjusting the time of day, length of exposure and distance - to see what changes might occur.
I carried the box to and from work, which became tiresome. The box was heavy, clumsy.
I was frustrated, too, by the trial-and-error process. If the light worked, what was the best time to use it and for how long? How did I know whether it really worked?
Dr. Howard S. Weiss, a Virginia Beach psychiatrist, has used light therapy to treat about 50 patients over the past 2 1/2 years.
He reports success prescribing an hourlong, early-morning regimen about 2 or 3 feet from the light. ``Almost everybody responds after the second day.''
Other doctors and researchers have reported success within two days to two weeks.
On Day 10, I tried 30 minutes of light around 7 a.m.
I arrived at work early - a schedule I've maintained - but irritable. Too much light? Again, I backed off.
Today is my 14th day of ``therapy.''
Has it changed my life?
As Owens acknowledged: ``Light therapy is not magic.''
But here's what I've noticed - real or imagined:
A kind of ``spring fever'' the first few days I used the light.
Diminished appetite, with less desire for sweets, breads, pastas.
Waking up earlier, without an alarm clock.
Feeling sleepy around 11 p.m. - an hour or two earlier than usual.
Sustained energy throughout the day. No afternoon slumps.
Increased endurance while exercising.
Now, it's time to send back the box. Perhaps my real test follows.
As Owens recalls of the first folks who used light therapy at the National Institute nearly a decade ago:
``After the studies, they took the boxes away from the people. I was getting calls all hours of the night - from people who `needed' their boxes.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
MARTIN SMITH-RODDEN/Staff
Staff writer Pat Dooley works while basking in the artificial
light.
Graphics
IN SEARCH OF LIGHT BOXES
Light boxes cost $300 to $400. You can make your own, though some
experts advise against it for safety reasons.
Some employers and insurance companies cover the cost of light
boxes for people diagnosed with Seasonal Affective Disorder, says
Neal Owens, owner of the Sun Box Co.
The following are among the companies marketing therapeutic light
products:
Apollo Light Systems Inc., 352 West 1060 South, Orem, Utah 84058.
(800) 545-9667.
Bio-Brite Inc., 7315 Wisconsin Ave., No. 1300 W, Bethesda, Md.
20814-3202. (800) 621-LITE.
Sun Box Co., 19217 Orbit Drive, Gaithersburg, Md. 20879. (800)
LITE-YOU.
Medic-Light Inc., Yacht Club Drive, Lake Hopatcong, N.J. 07849.
(800) LIGHT-25.
LIGHT UP YOUR LIFE
If you suspect you are depressed, seasonal or otherwise, consult
a physician. Also, tell your doctor if you think your depression
comes and goes with winter.
If you experience the winter blahs, you don't have to buy a sun
box to feel better. Here are some tips from the National Institute
of Mental Health and others:
Take a walk. Go in the morning or on your lunch break, every day
or several times a week.
Exercise, outdoors or in. It can have antidepressant effects.
Add lights to your home or office, or use higher-wattage bulbs.
Every little bit helps.
Brighten your decor. Use cheery colors, minimal window
treatments, bright or light-colored upholstery.
Plan a midwinter vacation in a warm, sunny climate.
Eat complex carbohydrates, such as cereal, bread, pasta,
vegetables and fruit. Some experts recommend that only one meal
daily be rich in complex carbohydrates; others recommend carbs
throughout the day.
Don't oversleep. Excessive sleep can intensify the blues.
MORE ABOUT SEASONAL MOODS
Seasonal Affective Disorder usually begins in October or November
and ends in March or April.
Here is a list of symptoms, from the National Institute of Mental
Health and Dr. Howard Weiss, a Virginia Beach psychiatrist. Unlike
other depressions, the symptoms generally are seasonal:
Cravings for sweets and carbohydrates such as bread, potatoes and
pasta.
Weight gain.
Fatigue, lethargy.
Feeling down or anxious.
Diminished sex drive.
Social withdrawal, isolation.
Premenstrual difficulties.
Irritability.
Difficulty concentrating or completing tasks.
For more information, Dr. Norman E. Rosenthal lists the following
in his book ``Winter Blues'':
National Organization for Seasonal Affective Disorder, P.O. Box
40133, Washington, D.C. 20016.
National Depressive and Manic Depressive Association, 730
Franklin, No. 501, Chicago, Ill. 60610. (800) 826-3632.
Depression and Related Affective Disorders Association, Johns
Hopkins University School of Medicine, Meyer 3-181, 600 N. Wolfe
St., Baltimore, Md. 21287-7381. (410) 955-4647.
Society for Light Research and Biological Rhythms, P.O. Box 478,
Wilsonville, Ore. 97070. Include a self-addressed, stamped
envelope.
Seasonal Studies Program, National Institute of Mental Health,
Building 10, Room 4S-239, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, Md. 20892.
Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. (301) 496-2141.
by CNB