UPDATE: Congratulations to My Old Friend Anthony Calvillo…

Congrats to the Montreal Alouettes football organization and their quarterback Anthony Calvillo on back to back Grey Cup victories. Sorry Riders fans, better luck next year.

Dr. J

Bright Light Therapy because you don't have to be S.A.D

I thought I'd blog about something topical based on the season that quickly approaches... Winter!  

SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder is a mood disorder in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms in the winter.  It is more prevalent in regions farther away from the earths equator. 

The first line of treatment recommended by many doctors for seasonal affective disorder is bright light therapy. This involves the patient sitting in front of a "light box", an artificial source of bright light, for a certain period every day. This can range from 30 minutes to several hours, either in the morning or afternoon, or sometimes both. Bright light therapy with light boxes has been shown in many studies over the years to be a very effective treatment for most SAD sufferers, providing at least a modest improvement in symptoms in nearly everyone. As such, bright light therapy can be a very important treatment for the SAD patient, especially since it is not always possible to get outside in natural sunlight every day during the winter.

Light boxes have a "lux" rating, which is simply an indication of the intensity of the light they produce. Most studies into light therapy for the treatment of seasonal affective disorder have used light boxes with a rating of 10,000 lux and these are widely available to the public. Light boxes with lower lux ratings are also available but treatment periods will need to be longer to produce the same positive effects as a shorter period in front of a 10,000 lux unit. 

Possible but rare minor side effects include jumpiness/jitteriness (8.8%), headache (8.4%), and nausea (15.9%).  These symptoms are usually very mild and can often be eliminated by adjusting the period of light exposure.

So if you think you may suffer from SAD, talk to your health care professional about the benefits of Bright Light Therapy.

Other options for SAD treatment include the following supplements:

Vit D (deficiency is linked to many health issues including depression

Melatonin (at night to help induce better sleep)

St. Johns Wart (improves mood)

Omega Fatty Acids, 5-HTP and SAMe (natural antidepressants)

Do Skechers' Shape-Ups Really Work (updated)?

update:

Thought I'd add a little to this article as I have done some more probing into the product and it's claims.
For company propaganda from the website check here.

Improves posture (unlikely), improves circulation (exercise of any kind will do this), strengthens the back (how exactly?), firms buttocks and tones thighs and calves(more than regular walking, I think not) are some of the claims.  One that may have some merit is 'reducing knee joint stress'.  A certain group of the population have faulty gait mechanics which cause them to 'slap' their foot on the ground every step they take.  Now the design of this shoe, for those people would help reduce the shock impact of this slapping and as a result might reduce knee and ankle pain. 

Anyway, I'm not saying 'don't wear this shoe' just be cautious in what you expect the shoe to for you.  If you like the shoe and it feels good, go ahead and enjoy them.

Just wanted to throw out my two cents on a growing trend / fad in footwear.  Products like the Sketchers Shape Ups and other MBT (Swiss Masai Barefoot Technology) shoes make some pretty unbelievable claims of toning calves and thighs without increasing your  bodies energy output in any meaningful way.  Hard to believe  there is any truth to it, and I have been unable to find any scientific research to support these claims.  Generally if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.  

That being said, some anecdotal evidence seems to indicate that many people find them comfortable and enjoy wearing them for short durations / distances.  So, as long as you don’t plan on doing a lot of side to side movements and aren’t going to be walking long distances in them go ahead and enjoy them.  Just don’t expect to have ‘super model’ legs after a few laps around the block.  There is no replacement for hard work!