SADLIGHT

Ted_Hutchinson

Tchibo Well-Being Light £ 49.90 Posting this here as they don't always have these available on their website so you do need to Grab it while you can. They also offer a 14 day refund and you should know by 10 days, if you use it for an hour every morning, whether it is helping or not.

For anyone with seasonal affective disorder, (depression usually in the winter) using bright light for therapy has been found effective for some. At this price it might be worthwhile investigating. Don't know what instructions come with it but use early in the day advances the body clock while use later in the day delays it so the advice should be to use the light as early as possible in the day to make sure you do wake up properly.

Alongside light therapy I would suggest you also use Omega3's Research on Omega3's and mental health you can get this cheaply from ZIPVIT Omega Juice For Omega3's you need 1000mg of EPA daily for 2/3 months(large teaspoon of Omega Juice) so don't expect an instant cure. You can also get cheap St John's Wort from ZIPVIT (another proven remedy for SAD type mild depression)
Cognitive Behaviour therapy is also good for depressives but I don't know where you can get that cheap.

SnowyOwl_2

Ted, thanks for pointing this one out. Unfortunately no Tchibo where I am, but never mind...

It should be noted that if anyone is already taking any anti-depressant medication then it is strongly advised not to take St John's Wort at the same time. Both are used to affect a person's mood but there is little research into the results of taking both at the same time. There is also supposed to be a respectable gap between stopping St John's Wort and starting other anti-depressant mediciation to ensure the SJW is out of the system.

Anybody buying St John's Wort should also be aware that it can interfere with the effectiveness of other types of mediciation. If self-prescribing then read the label very carefully!

It is however excellent stuff if used properly.

The SAD lights work too on some people, but I think getting out of bed an hour earlier might be a bit much for some. You have to sit right in front of them and close up so that the light can get straight into your eyes. My friend has his beside his computer which seems to work well, otherwise he finds it difficult to sit in one place for an hour with it shining into his face.

GDB2222

Ted, thanks for pointing this one out.  Unfortunately no Tchibo where I am, but never mind...

It should be noted that if anyone is already taking any anti-depressant medication then it is strongly advised not to take St John's Wort at the same time.  Both are used to affect a person's mood but there is little research into the results of taking both at the same time.  There is also supposed to be a respectable gap between stopping St John's Wort and starting other anti-depressant mediciation to ensure the SJW is out of the system.

Anybody buying St John's Wort should also be aware that it can interfere with the effectiveness of other types of mediciation.  If self-prescribing then read the label very carefully!

It is however excellent stuff if used properly.

The SAD lights work too on some people, but I think getting out of bed an hour earlier might be a bit much for some.  You have to sit right in front of them and close up so that the light can get straight into your eyes.  My friend has his beside his computer which seems to work well, otherwise he finds it difficult to sit in one place for an hour with it shining into his face.

There have been some scares about SJW, which I think are well-founded. The fact it's 'natural' does NOT mean it's safe!

I have a SAD light. It's worth getting a powerful one, as it drastically cuts treatment time down. I have a Diamond 4, that is bright enough to do the biz in 20 minutes.

The whole family loves the SAD light. On dull days it provides a welcome 'lift'. Unlike SJW, I have heard absolutely no adverse comments on SAD lights.

naR8or

Id just like to reiterate what has been said about St Johns Wort.....its good stuff but needs to be used appropritaley and with care.....and it shouldnt be mixed with other psycoactive medication casualy.

metro_gnome

I have a SAD light. It's worth getting a powerful one, as it drastically cuts treatment time down. I have a Diamond 4, that is bright enough to do the biz in 20 minutes.

How powerful is the tchibo lamp I have no idea what 7,000 lux is in the context of sadlamps so is the Diamond 4 a lot more powerful?

Ted_Hutchinson

Ted, thanks for pointing this one out. Unfortunately no Tchibo where I am, but never mind...

For all new readers to the forum when text is in blue this generally means it's a hyperlink which if clicked will take you to the relevant website. In this case Tchibo's who arrange delivery to your home.

It should be noted that if anyone is already taking any anti-depressant medication then it is strongly advised not to take St John's Wort at the same time. Both are used to affect a person's mood but there is little research into the results of taking both at the same time. There is also supposed to be a respectable gap between stopping St John's Wort and starting other anti-depressant mediciation to ensure the SJW is out of the system.

Anybody buying St John's Wort should also be aware that it can interfere with the effectiveness of other types of mediciation. If self-prescribing then read the label very carefully!

It is however excellent stuff if used properly.

these warnings are given at ZIPVIT which is why I didn't feel the need to reiterate them here.

The SAD lights work too on some people, but I think getting out of bed an hour earlier might be a bit much for some. You have to sit right in front of them and close up so that the light can get straight into your eyes. My friend has his beside his computer which seems to work well, otherwise he finds it difficult to sit in one place for an hour with it shining into his face.

I agree and should have suggested that going outside and exercising (ie taking a brisk walk first thing in the morning) would probably be as effective and cheaper. Another point is that wearing tinted glasses at the same time as using your Sadlight will reduce their effect. If you are suffering from lack of light then bin the tinted glasses now. But using the sadlight at night while working on your PC may keep you awake later and will move your Body Clock so that you become worse not better in the morning.

While I agree there is the potential for a clash between St John's Wort and other prescribed medications, people should be aware that OMEGA 3's will improve the effectiveness of all anti-depressant medications. Will modify this post to provide the scientific paper showing this hereNot actually the paper I remember reading but similar. So using Omega 3's alongside St John's Wort shouldn't be a problem and everyone with a Mental Health problem should ensure they are eating at least 3 oily fish portions a week or supplementing with Omega3.

Vegetarians averse to eating fish should use Flax seed (the brown linseed ground will do, buy in bulk and grind a weeks supply at a time, add a tablespoon to cereal, if you look around you should be able to find it at just over a £1 a Kg) or flax seed oil capsules from Zipvit.

Ted_Hutchinson

There have been some scares about SJW, which I think are well-founded. The fact it's 'natural' does NOT mean it's safe!

But I think you will find that the number of problems relating to the use of SJW are relatively insignificant compared to the side effects of prescribed medications for depression.

I have a SAD light. It's worth getting a powerful one, as it drastically cuts treatment time down. I have a Diamond 4, that is bright enough to do the biz in 20 minutes.

Diamond 4 lightbox

While I agree a larger box will increase the distance from which you can benefit, using two Tchibo boxes would be as effective and still half the price. The maximum benefit is obtained from the intensity of the light received but if the light is too bright it will be uncomfortable and you will not benefit so much because you will move further away.

The whole family loves the SAD light. On dull days it provides a welcome 'lift'. Unlike SJW, I have heard absolutely no adverse comments on SAD lights.

You'd still be better off getting the whole family outside taking a brisk walk even on a dull day. You'd be surprised how poor the quality of light is indoors compared with outdoors even on a dull day.

Ted_Hutchinson

How powerful is the tchibo lamp I have no idea what 7,000 lux is in the context of sadlamps so is the Diamond 4 a lot more powerful?

The Diamond 4 is quoted as 10,000 but the important thing to remember is there is only so much bright light you can stand. If it's too bright you simply move away. The larger light will give a bigger spread of effective area but you could have a Tchibo light by your bed to use before you get up, another by the breakfast bar while you eat your breaky and another in your study while you work and still save on the cost of a Diamond4
Another advantage of having several small lights is that you will not be inflicting your therapy on others who may find it annoying or dazzling. Fine if others appreciate it not so convienient if they object. Another advantage of a small light is that it could be taken to many workplaces and be used at a workstation without causing undue discomfort/comment from other.

Should have suggested somewhere that Sadlight use is best started when the days start to shorten and continue until they start to lengthen. Ideally starting end Sept early Oct and continue till end March.

Riker71_2

I suffer with m.e which has similar symptoms but different causes to depression, unfortunately some GPS still think that its the same thing, a few people are helped by antidepressants though.  What symptoms do you find are the worst with depression?  

metro_gnome

I suffer with m.e  

Have you had glandular fever in the past? Have you come across the theory that m.e can caused by the body not absorbing nutrients from food properly - which can be an after effect of glandular fever? My daughter had Glandular fever so I have been doing a lot of research about all this (she also suffers from depression - had a bad bout before getting G.Fever) I try to get her to take mega supplements but she is a teenager.......

red

hi, just to say THANK-YOU for this post. I have been looking for one of these lights and hope it comes through...