Light Box Therapy--A Favorite Light Therapy Product

There are several types of light therapy products, with the Light Box Therapy fast becoming one of the favorites, especially in the treatment of depression.  Not acceptable in the past 25 years, antidepressant medication and psychotherapy have taken the front seat for acceptable depression treatments until the last ten years, when light therapy has quickly approaching a substantial position of respectability for the treatment of depression.

In 2005, the American Psychiatric Association in Washington, D.C., had come to the conclusion that in trial experiments, a daily exposure to bright light which utilizes natural sunlight or Light Box Therapy. It is considered just as effective as any of the antidepressant drugs in the treatment of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) which is also called "winter depression", along with other forms of depression.

Over the past years, treatments such as the Light Box Therapy had been scoffed at by mainstream psychiatrists in the claims of "diminishing signs of depression" when exposed to daily bright-light exposures. These Light Box Therapy exposures ranged in early morning treatments from 30 minutes to one hour, with the trial results. When the tests were completed, they demonstrated pronounced and remarkable easing of the SAD symptoms upon awakening in the morning and apply dawn simulations of the Light Box Therapy or natural sunlight.

The latest research does not show yet results for severe depression, or whether certain colors can cause any eye problems or issues, even though there is a major agreement that it will not. And new treatments such as the Light Box Therapy combined with one night of sleep deprivation followed by a week's normal sleeping patterns, are increasing recovery for those who are presently receiving antidepressants for bipolar or major depressions. But the maximum of long-term benefits are achieved with Light Box Therapy or natural sunlight in addition to sleeping with a regular schedule in order to balance the biological clock.

Shorter days with less sunlight began around October 30, 2007, in certain areas--Alaska, Maine, Vermont, and some other northern U.S. states--right after daylight saving ended. Approximately 14.5 million Americans are diagnosed with SAD, with feelings of suicide, lack of interest in anything around them, extreme fatigue, or feelings of worthlessness. To many of them, the Light Box Therapy with either white light or a full spectrum light to simulate the sunlight, will offer them a better feeling--depending on where or not they can stick to it or not.

Some of the more recent treatments of SAD include the Light Box Therapy combined with cognital-behavioral therapy, or CBT, which has results in the high 80% range bracket. They also have been proven to show less depression after a one-year follow up than either treatment alone.