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Shedding Light on the Winter Blues
Dr. Bradley Bongiovanni
Do you get depressed and tired during
the winter? It is quite normal to feel
more sluggish during winter. Just as
many animals go into hibernation in the winter, people in the temperate zone
need more rest. If you think you are a
bit too lazy, or you find yourself feeling depressed, maybe you have seasonal
affective disorder or SAD.
Big-time
Blues
Many people feel mildly depressed during the winter, but some have more severe
bouts of feeling down all the time: low energy, problems with sleep and
appetite, and reduced concentration to the point where they have difficulty
functioning at work or in the home.
These people have clinical depression.
SAD describes those who have clinical depression only during the autumn
and winter seasons. During the spring
and summer, they feel well. North
American settlers called it cabin fever, Inuit peoples call it Arctic hysteria,
while in
The common symptoms of SAD include extreme fatigue and lack of energy,
increased need for sleep, sleeping much more than usual, and carbohydrate
cravings with increased appetite and weight gain. How common is SAD? Experts say that SAD affects 40 million North
Americans. Seventy-five to 80 percent of
SAD sufferers are women, for whom the illness typically begins in the third
decade of life. SAD has also been
observed in children, who may be irritable, have difficulty getting out of bed,
and experience problems in school during the fall and winter.
Let Your
Little Light Shine
Many patients with SAD improve with exposure to bright artificial light, called
phototherapy (light therapy). As little
as 30 minutes per day sitting under a light box can give significant
improvement in 60 to 80 percent of SAD patients. The light has to hit the eyes to be
effective. The therapy is best used with
full spectrum lights at an intensity of 10,000 lux,
about 10 to 20 times as bright as ordinary indoor light. Light therapy in the early part of the day,
especially before going off to work, is the most effective. People with milder symptoms of the “winter
blahs” may be helped by simply spending more time outdoors and exercising
regularly in the winter.
How does this work? One theory is that
people with SAD have a disturbance in the “biological clock” in the part of the
brain that regulates hormones, sleep, and mood. In SAD individuals this clock
“runs slower” in the winter. Brighter
light may help to “reset the clock” and restore the normal function. Another theory is that changes in brain
chemicals, particularly serotonin and dopamine, may be disturbed in SAD; these
imbalances are very effectively corrected with light therapy and/or nutritional
and herbal medicines.
Sunny Days
are Here Again
Nutritional
supplements can help tremendously with this disorder. Melatonin is well known to help reset the
“biological clock.” The normal dosage is
three mg of melatonin before bed. There
has been much debate over how
Other tonic herbs used in the winter to increase energy and reduce the winter
blues are Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus
senticosus) and cordyceps
(Cordyceps sinensis). You can often find these herbs together in
the same formula, designed for high-performance athletes, but they can also
give a boost to most people if taken on a regular basis.
You know, the birds worked out a solution to this problem years ago. They just
flew south! If you can’t head to a
sunnier climate this winter, phytotherapy and
nutritional supplements may help you alleviate the symptoms of SAD. The good
news is–after December 21st- sunshine and longer days are on their
way!
What the Medical Doctors
are Finally Saying…
Why so much
interest? Experts say nutritional therapy
is catching on in part due to growing discomfort with antidepressants. Physicians are realizing they’re not as
effective long-term as was once hoped, and they often have nasty side effects,
such as loss of libido and nausea.
“We’re becoming more realistic about the limitations of drugs,” says
Susan Lord, director of nutrition programs for the Center for Mind-Body
Medicine in
Modern eating
habits are part of what makes many people susceptible to depression, says
Michael Lesser, a psychiatrist in Berkeley, California, who also bases his
treatment on an evaluation of a patient’s diet and lifestyle. “Ironically, though we live in a wealthy
society, our diets are deficient in crucial nutrients,” says Lesser,
author of The Brain Chemistry Plan. Nutritional deficiencies can contribute to
chemical imbalances, like anemia and hypothyroidism, which in turn can lead to
anxiety, insomnia—and depression. Lesser
has observed that people with depression are commonly diagnosed with low levels
of zinc, magnesium, B vitamins, essential fatty acids, and amino acids. In fact, Lesser
firmly believes that most cases of depression in this country are either caused
or exacerbated by poor nutrition.
“There have been huge advances over the past few years finding that nutritional
intervention can treat many behavioral and mental conditions we used to think
were untreatable,” says Lewis Mehl-Madrona, associate
professor of clinical psychiatry at the University of Arizona College of
Medicine. Both
Drs. Lesser and Mehl-Madrona arrived at the notion that nutrition can
influence brain chemistry early in their medical careers. Lesser, who was conventionally trained at
Cornell and Albert Einstein Medical Center in New York City in the 1960s,
started tinkering with nutrients after becoming frustrated by his field’s
emphasis on drugs.
But even small
changes—like cutting out processed foods, or adding daily fish oil pills—can
make a big difference, they say. And
once started, the process can develop its own momentum. “People start eating a little better or
taking a few supplements, and they often start feeling a little better,” says
Lesser. “That’s when they become open to
trying more changes.”
In fact,
professional guidance can make any program more effective by making it more
targeted, says Mark Hyman, editor-in-chief of Alternative Therapies in Health
and Medicine. Physicians can test
patients first to diagnose chemical imbalances, and then take it from there.
Working with a doctor also helps determine what does and doesn’t work. “We’re not the best judge of our own
condition when it comes to depression,” says Kenneth Pelletier, clinical
professor of medicine at the
Dr. Bradley Bongiovanni, is
the best-credentialed Naturopathic doctor in Georgia, and founder of Wholistic
Medicine Specialists of
The Highest Level is the monthly
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© Humber Parkerson Clinic 2006
November 2006 issue of The
Highest Level
