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Our own internal body clocks are set by nature to ensure that we slowly wake up in tune with the rising sun.
With the clocks going back, millions of British workers will be heading home this evening in the dark. Depressing? Yes, but there could be a good reason for why we get the winter blues. When Jenny Simmonds had her first bout of SAD 20 years ago, the doctors said it was postnatal depression.
But then her spirits slumped again the following winter. She was depressed two years after the birth, says husband Jon. I’m no doctor, but I thought, ’this isn’t postnatal’. It happened again the next year, and the next. For 10 years we were told it was a chemical imbalance.
Eventually, the couple heard about seasonal affective disorder. Jenny got a name for her condition, and began looking for ways to deal with it, that didn’t involve an annual sojourn at her local hospital. Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, is now a recognised psychiatric condition.
Miserable weather, a bunged up nose every two weeks, not forgetting a seasonal rise in household burglaries, well, it’s hardly a recipe for fun, is it? And what the dark days do is mess with the balance of chemicals that affect a person’s moods. At one stage, it may have been advantageous to have been energetic and to require little sleep in the summer and to be anergic and sleepy in winter Dr John Eagles.
The lack of decent daylight leads to a drop in the body’s levels of serotonin and a rise in melatonin. Put bluntly, serotonin makes us livelier, melatonin makes us sleepy. How do birds know when to leave the country? asks Jon Simmonds. In the autumn, trees change colour, animals hibernate, yet we’re expected to carry on as normal! It’s estimated that 3% of UK adults suffer SAD to a clinically significant degree. Some of those will be affected to such an extent that going to hospital is the only option. A further 10% will endure milder symptoms. It all adds up to millions of Brits spending dark, moody months suffering loss of libido, anxiety, irritability and social withdrawal.
But what must it be like for those who live even further north, where winter days are even shorter? Surprisingly, it’s not nearly so bad. Countries such as Iceland or Finland, which are endowed with snow and have little history of mass immigration, may not get many hours of sunlight, but chances are they’ll get clear skies and plenty of light reflecting off the snow. The rejuvenating effect of snow
It helps explain why British folk find rejuvenation not only in winter holidays to far-flung sun-drenched beaches, but also from visiting a frosty mountain top for a week’s skiing. And the immigration? One theory goes that it’s all about genetic build, natural resistance developed over the centuries. Once immigrants arrive from lands closer to the equator, not used to dealing with seasonal drops in sunlight, the resistance weakens, and the winter misery rises. Dr John Eagles, from Royal Cornhill Hospital Aberdeen believes evolution may also play its part. One indicator of this is that women of a child-bearing age are statistically at the highest risk of SAD.
In a recent paper on the condition, the consultant psychiatrist writes, At one stage, it may have been advantageous to have been energetic and to require little sleep in the summer and to be anergic and sleepy in winter. How to beat SAD This may have applied especially to women and their offspring, since it would be optimal to become pregnant in summer, resulting in childbirth in spring, when food is more plentiful and the weather is becoming warmer. At least she’ll be going home in the light
So if you’ve got the winter blues, and your boss will neither sanction, nor finance, your three-month break in the sun, what options are available? For mild symptoms, exercise is a key recommendation along with a decent diet. That means trying not to over indulge those chocolate urges. But if you must, go for dark chocolate. An increasingly popular option is to sit in front of a lightbox for an hour or so a day. I thought light therapy was the biggest load of cobblers, says a once sceptical Jon Sim
mons. My wife used it over one winter period and didn’t become ill. I thought that was psychosomatic. When it helped the next winter too, I thought, well, maybe it works! Cambridge-based company Outside In has been selling lightboxes since 1991. Treatment plan A is to move to the south of Spain, says founder and MD Steve Hayes. Plan B is to introduce artificial light, when nature isn’t providing.
That sends a signal to part of the brain saying it’s daytime now. The natural response is to stop producing melatonin and increase serotonin productions. Steve says demand for the lights is pretty consistent across the UK, the one possible exception being Aberdeen where sales are extraordinarily big. It’s north, it’s cloudy and it’s full of Texans who can’t believe what’s hit them!
Source: BBC News UK Edition - Monday, 1 November, 2004, 11:10 GMT, By Rebecca Sandles
To buy your Light Box visit http://www.livingiseasy.co.uk/search/?search=lumie alternatively to order over the phone please call our sales line on 02074831991.
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| EPCglobal US Supports FDA Initiative to Protect U.S. Drug Supply Chain from Counterfeit Drugs - Nov 17, 2004 12:28 IST |
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Addressing significant challenges facing the health and life sciences industries, such as counterfeiting, the EPCglobal Inc(TM) Healthcare and Life Sciences Business Action Group has made the tracking and tracing of pharmaceutical pedigree a top priority in the development of Electronic Product Code(TM) (EPC) technology.
Today’s announcement by EPCglobal US, an affiliate of EPCglobal serving subscribers in the United States to help foster the adoption of the EPCglobal Network(TM) and leverage radio frequency technology (RFID) in the supply chain, comes on the heels of the U.S. Federal Drug Administration’s (FDA) announcement of a new initiative designed to protect the U.S. drug supply chain from counterfeit products.
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| Enzon to Present at Credit Suisse First Boston Healthcare Conference - Nov 17, 2004 12:10 IST |
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Enzon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ENZN) announced today that the company will participate in the Credit Suisse First Boston Healthcare Conference, which is being held November 17-19, 2004 in Phoenix, Arizona. Ken Zuerblis, Enzon’s chief financial officer, will give a 25-minute presentation on Wednesday, November 17, 2004 at 3:30 p.m. MST or 5:30 p.m. EST.
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| Commercial Viability of Phosphatase Enzyme Class as Therapeutic Targets Analysed - Nov 17, 2004 11:53 IST |
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Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c9232) has announced the addition of Phosphatases: Emerging Role in Signal Transduction, Human Therapeutics, & As Drug Targets to their offering.
Recently, several members of the phosphatase drug target class have been identified and classes of compounds have been screened with hits identified.
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| ``Pass the Potatoes’’ This Holiday Season and Lose Weight - Nov 17, 2004 11:51 IST |
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This holiday season, passing the potatoes doesn’t have to mean calorie counting and extra hours at the gym. Lately, potatoes have been a casualty in the carb-free, protein-centric diet craze, but recent clinical data shows that harnessing the power inside the potato can actually be a key component in the struggle to lose and manage weight. Video Available
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| Current uses of Green-Fluorescent Protein in Biopharmaceutical Industry Examined - Nov 17, 2004 11:47 IST |
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Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c9202) has announced the addition of A Guide to Green-Fluorescent Protein to their offering.
This resource-oriented practical Guide provides an all encompassing overview of the most important features and technological applications of Green-Fluorescent Protein and its variant forms. It seeks to describe Green-Fluorescent Protein’s usefulness in biomedical programs and applications.
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| New findings may redirect strategies for treatment of prostate cancer - Nov 17, 2004 11:41 IST |
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A new research study published in the November issue of Cancer Cell may have important implications for treatment of prostate cancer, the most common malignancy afflicting males in the United States. The research provides significant and somewhat surprising new information about modulation of the androgen receptor (AR), a key determinant of prostate cancer progression and an attractive target for prostate cancer therapies.
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| Autism may be caused by brain swelling due to immune system reaction - Nov 17, 2004 11:40 IST |
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Autism could be caused by an immune system reaction which causes the brain to swell, say researchers at John Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA. If this is so, we may one day be able to create a test for autism, and perhaps even develop treatment to prevent it.
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| Egg donors could be paid £1,000, UK - Nov 17, 2004 11:39 IST |
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Women who donate their eggs to infertile couples could be paid up to £1,000 under new proposals from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA).
Although the sale of gametes is illegal, the EU Tissues and Cells Directive, which comes into force from next April, says donors may receive compensation for the inconvenience of the procedure.
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| Faith in God is down to your genes, says Researcher - Nov 17, 2004 11:38 IST |
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Whether or not you are religious and believe in God is down to your genes, says Dean Hamer, National Cancer Institute’s Gene Structure Regulation Unit, USA. He reckons Jesus, Mohammed (the prophet) and Buddha probably carried the ‘God Gene’ in them. Church representatives have criticised Dean Hamer’s findings.
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| Arthritis patients ’failed’ by NHS, UK - Nov 17, 2004 11:38 IST |
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The NHS is failing to provide adequate support for those suffering with musculoskeletal conditions (MSCs), according to new research.
A study conducted by the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA) found that many patients are being subjected to poor standards of care and provided with little support to help them deal with their condition.
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| Charities call for smoking ban - Nov 17, 2004 11:37 IST |
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The UK’s leading cancer charities are calling on the Government to introduce a full ban on public smoking.
Macmillan Cancer Relief, the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, the British Lung Foundation and Marie Curie Cancer Care are jointly requesting that England follow the example of Ireland and Scotland and impose an outright smoking ban in enclosed public places such as bars and restaurants.
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| Reid denies health plans will restrict freedom, UK - Nov 17, 2004 11:36 IST |
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The Government aims to protect public health but its plans will not restrict people’s freedom of choice, health secretary John Reid has said.
Tomorrow’s White Paper on public health is expected to suggest how to tackle the increasing problems of childhood obesity and smoking-related illnesses.
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| Inactive form of scatter factor protein found to suppress tumor growth and spread - Nov 17, 2004 11:35 IST |
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Scatter factor (SF) is a growth factor that controls the proliferation and survival of many tissues by promoting invasive growth in both normal and disease-related biological processes.
Produced in a precursor form, pro-SF must be cleaved in order to activate its receptor, Met tyrosine kinase.
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| Take the Dust Mite Quiz! - Nov 17, 2004 11:34 IST |
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To help people learn about and reduce dust mites from their homes, the American Lung Association and ProTeam, maker of high-performance vacuum cleaners, have launched a simple online quiz that will test consumers’ Dust Mite I Q.
With a time limit of 30 seconds per question, visitors quickly choose from multiple-choice answers to questions that test their knowledge about dust mite basics: where they live in your home, what they feed on, how they can affect your breathing, and how to control them. Click here to take the quiz!
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| MS Patients Benefit from Pumping Iron - Nov 17, 2004 11:34 IST |
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Researchers in Melbourne, Australia, have found that exercise can have significant benefits for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), challenging the conventional medical wisdom.
Doctors normally do not recommend that patients with MS do strenuous exercise.
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| UN Fails to Reach Compromise on Human Cloning Issue - Nov 17, 2004 11:32 IST |
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United Nations diplomats on Thursday said that talks aimed at reaching a compromise on a proposed human cloning ban have failed and, as a result, a General Assembly panel on Friday is expected to vote on the U.S.-supported total cloning ban, Reuters reports (Arieff, Reuters, 11/11).
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| Combination treatment helps thyroid cancer patients live longer - Nov 17, 2004 11:32 IST |
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Combining radiation therapy with surgery and chemotherapy helps patients with rare forms of thyroid cancer live longer, according to a study published in the November 15, 2004, issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, the official journal of ASTRO, the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology.
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| Good Intentions Versus Bad Habits: Why the Old Ways Win Out - Nov 17, 2004 11:31 IST |
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Why are old habits so hard to break? A new study suggests that over time, our bad habits (such as smoking cigarettes or over eating) become automatic, learned behaviors. Even if we consciously try to put new good intentions into place, those previously learned habits remain stronger in more automatic, unconscious forms of memory.
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| Ban on TV junk food ads - Nov 17, 2004 11:30 IST |
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Adverts for junk foods could be banned from being shown on television before the 9pm watershed as part of a Government strategy to tackle obesity.
Sunday newspaper reports suggest that the proposal will form part of the Government’s Public Health White Paper to be published tomorrow.
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| Radio tagging drug bottles to combat counterfeiting, USA - Nov 17, 2004 11:29 IST |
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Medicine bottles in the USA are going to have miniscule radio antennas (mini masts) as manufacturers try to combat growing counterfeiting of drugs. The antennas will emit radio signals so that the drug companies that make them can keep tags on where they are. The aim is to stop criminals getting hold of the bottles.
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