subject: The Need For Sad Lamps Seems To Be Increasing [print this page] With winter fast approaching, our thoughts turn to comforting things such as soups, open fires and hot water bottles. For most people the approach of winter is just another normal part of life and we know that the sun will shine again in the spring. However for a lot of people who suffer from SAD, the thought of facing the winter fills them with dread and they need the help of SAD lamps to help them get through it.
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), also known as winter depression, winter blues, summer depression, summer blues, or seasonal depression, is mood disorders in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms in the winter or summer, spring or autumn year after year. SAD can often be a sign of depression.
This is now recognised as a proper medical condition, although many people were sceptical at first.There are many different treatments for classic (winter-based) seasonal affective disorder, including light therapy with sunlight or bright lights, antidepressant medication, cognitive-behavioural therapy, ionized-air administration, and carefully timed supplementation of the hormone melatonin.
It seems to be the case that there are more and more people suffering from this SAD condition and this seems to be shown by the number of people who now buy a SAD lamp. This may bring to mind fanciful images of electrical lamps which are droopy and crying, but the reality is far from funny. Light is measured in 'lux'. To work, a light box should emit light of at least 2,500 lux, although most light boxes are now 10,000 lux. The brighter the light, the shorter the time needed for exposure to it.
You sit about 0.5m away from a lamp with a brighter lux for about half an hour a day with your eyes open. You can read or work, while regularly looking at the light, and the best time for using it seems to be early morning.
Another type of lamp which is popular is the infrared heat lamp. A heat lamp is an incandescent light bulb that is used for the principal purpose of creating heat. The spectrum of black body radiation emitted by the lamp is shifted to produce more infrared light. Many heat lamps include a red filter to minimize the amount of visible light emitted. Heat lamps are commonly used in shower and bathrooms to warm bathers and in food-preparation areas of restaurants to keep food warm before serving. Lights used for poultry are often called brooding lamps. Aside from young birds, other types of animals which can benefit from heat lamps include reptiles, amphibians, insects, arachnids, and the young of some mammals.
Infrared heat lamps can be used as a medical treatment to provide dry heat for:
Reducing pain due to arthritis, rheumatism, muscle Injuries, and tennis elbow,
Relaxing muscles and decreasing spasms
Ideal for back, wrist, knee, shoulder, or neck pain
An infrared heat lamp can also be used for massage therapy on the face or body.
