Have just read this article in today's Observer magazine and thought it might be an idea to post it here, in case it can help anyone who suffers from SAD.



Dark materials

Seasonal Affective Disorder plunges many into depression at this time of year. But, as Dr John Briffa reveals, prawns and oily fish provide light relief

Sunday October 3, 2004
The Observer

The dwindling daylight hours that inevitably come at this time of year are usually viewed with some dread by sufferers of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) - a condition in which a shortage of sun can provoke anything from dark moods to full-blown depression. In addition to the light relief offered by increased exposure to the sun or sunlight-simulating devices, those afflicted may also be advised to take conventional antidepressants. Now that Prozac has been found in the mains water supply, I'm wondering whether some sufferers of SAD may be happy to be getting Britain's favourite antidepressant on tap.

If you're looking to lighten your mood more naturally during the darker months, you might be interested in research indicating that SAD may respond to a nutritional approach. One effect of the sun's rays is to stimulate the production of vitamin D in the skin; recent research suggests that it has important roles to play in the brain, leading scientists to test whether supplementing with vitamin D might help lift the symptoms of SAD. Just five days of treatment with vitamin D (at a dose of 400 or 800 international units - IU - per day) was found to improve winter mood.

In another piece of research, the mood of SAD sufferers improved more in individuals treated with a single dose of 100,000 IU of vitamin D than in those treated with light therapy. Further evidence for vitamin D's potential came from research published earlier this year. In this study, individuals were treated with 600 or 4,000 IU of vitamin D each day for at least six months. Both dosages led to improvements in the participants' mood and well-being, with those on the higher dose benefiting the most.

This research may have particular relevance to Britons, as a quarter of us suffer from vitamin D deficiency in the winter. Useful quantities are found in prawns and oily fish such as sardines, mackerel and salmon. Those with a tendency to winter depression may do well to have their vitamin D levels assessed.

SAD sufferers with low levels of vitamin D may benefit from supplementing with cod liver oil, as each teaspoon contains about 400 IU of vitamin D. I recommend taking 1 or 2 tsp throughout the winter. Larger doses should be taken under medical supervision. Those preferring to supplement with vitamin D itself should be aware that it comes in two main forms: cholecalciferol (also known as vitamin D3) and ergocalciferol (vitamin D2). Cholecalciferol is the more potent and preferred form of vitamin D. Ensuring a good intake of this nutrient may help keep those prone to SAD from suffering a winter of discontent.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/maga...1316738,00.html



Would be interested to know if anyone already takes Vit D supplements for this reason.

Interesting article...thanks Demi...something to think about for us SAD sufferers.

I've posted a lot of research on this in my journal and in the SAD forum. I'm now on 2400-4000 IU/per day depending on the day's weather. It seems to be helping tremendously. I used to take Effexor ER and I'm off that now. I've found that 3-4 doses a day are good and I can actually feel when I need more.

I am really lucky that I live in Phoenix. The sun shines almost constantly. If we have a day of rain, I enjoy it but it cannot last for more than that. I am going to cut and paste this info for my daughter whom right now is in Philadelphia. She has not been diagnosed but I am sure it affects her very much. Thanks for the info. Marianne

Cod liver oil shouldn't be taken for the vitamin D/SAD treatment. Cod liver oil has too much vitamin A for the dosage needed to treat SAD.

Hi all,

I suspect that I may have SAD. I've lived in South Africa all my life, where the sun always shines even in winter. I moved to the Netherlands a year ago and that's when all my problems started. I never had weight problems before but I have gained between 15-20 pounds in the past year alone. It seems I can never get away from carbs, i crave them, think and even dream about them all the time. I was told that carb cravings is one of the symptoms of SAD. I have been trying to live a LC lifestyle for about 3 months now but I fell because I got really sick (not related to LC I think) and i'm planning to come back.

I'm going to discuss this with my doctor but I had to ask here first. does LC really help with SAD? Are there any other treatments except for the light treatment and antidepressants? I'm desperate...anyone with SAD, what do you do to get through the day?

There is a miracle cure for SAD and it's all natural. It's vitamin D. You don't need antidepressants or chemicals you just need vitamin D and accompanying supplements. There's "The Great Vitamin Experiment" going on in the Challenge forum, you're welcome to join us.

Here's some information on D:

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocent...amins/vitaminD/

http://www1.umn.edu/umnnews/Feature...deficiency.html

http://www.psu.edu/ur/2000/vitamind.html

http://www.mercola.com/2004/jun/12/vitamin_d.htm

http://www.mercola.com/2004/jul/14/vitamin_d_book.htm

http://www.mercola.com/2003/jan/11/vitamin_d.htm

http://www.mercola.com/2002/jun/19/sun.htm

http://www.mercola.com/2003/nov/22/vitamin_d.htm

http://www.mercola.com/2002/feb/23/..._deficiency.htm

http://content.health.msn.com/conte...m?printing=true

http://www.icmedicine.co.uk/journal/oct03/002.htm

http://www.immunesupport.com/librar...e/1/T/CFIDS_FM/

http://www.mercola.com/2002/jul/24/women_vitamin_d.htm

http://web.mit.edu/london/www/magnesium.html

http://www.mayo.edu/proceedings/2003/dec/7812e1.pdf

http://www.mercola.com/2002/may/18/vitamin_d.htm

http://www.westonaprice.org/nutriti...n_vitaminD.html

http://www.endocrine-abstracts.org/.../ea0005p211.htm

http://www.immunesupport.com/librar...e/1/T/CFIDS_FM/

Thanks a lot Zuleikaa..
I will check it out

sorry you're here; but welcome anyway.

I have been taking the D and so far I don't see a difference. I may be taking it wrong though. What do you think, Zule?

I am taking my "advanced calcium" which has 200 iu with breakfast. I am taking 400 iu with my lunch and another 200 iu with dinner. Making 800 iu a day. Maybe that isn't enough?????

Anyway, SAD is a life long problem unless you get back down to South Africa or somewhere equally sunny during the winter months. It's not really how much sun, but the angle of the sun that makes the problems with SAD.

I really don't know why D would work exactly, because supposedly SAD results from not enough light making your body produce serotonin. But perhaps that is just part of the story.

I never had problems with it until I started having hormonal problems. I started having hormonal problems after a tubal ligation. My current gyn says doctors should not be saying that it doesn't affect the hormones because it does. She doesn't know why it does, she has just seen too many patients with symptoms of hormone problems who have had ligations. I can directly trace my extreme problems with SAD back to that time. That is also when I started with symptoms of fibro. I have always theorized that part of the problem with SAD is that it affects hormones also. But I digress...

I haven't found any ONE thing that totally removes it. And no matter what I do, PMS is worse and makes the SAD worse. Hand in hand. My daughters both also suffer with it. My youngest produces so little serotonin that she also produces little melatonin. Total opposite of me. I produce too much melatonin and usually want to go to bed as soon as it gets dark and having trouble staying awake, especially on rainy days. She has had a problem since being about 7. I didn't understand what it was until about 5 years ago. She gained an extreme amount of weight that winter even though she ate like a bird. And she wasn't excited about the holildays, etc. etc. She started having the sleep problems somewhere in her teens.

The low carb diet helps because of this one thing: the simple carbs you crave and eat can make your mood swings even worse. The more you eat, the more you want, the more you eat, etc. etc. I find I can't eat any carbs if I want to stay on it. Even an apple will send me over the edge. It truly is like an addiction. And the only way I can not gain weight in the winter is to stay low carb. Before I started low carb, I was eating vegetarian and still didn't lose weight because it was winter.

I had severe symptoms of SAD a few years before I had symptoms of fibro. I believe they have to be caused by the same thing. The worse my SAD gets, the worse my fibro symptoms get. I say I have physical symptoms of SAD, but what I really have is fibro flare ups at the same time.

Some people can not handle the light. My daughter and my husband are both of these types. But then again, they never like light. I love light. The more the better. Perhaps that is why the vitamin D is helping him more than me. Perhaps for those who respond to the light, it is more of a matter of serotonin and those that don't, it is more a matter of vitamin D. I don't know. I have my big sun light and I use it, but I don't see as much improvement as I would like, but it seems to make me a little bit better.

Ok, I'm rambling. Sorry. Hope some of this helps and would be glad to hear any comments.

Quietone
You are using too little vitamin D, especially with fibro symptoms. I would try 2400 IU divided into three doses and see if that helps. Remember that you should be getting 1200 mg of calcium too. Vitamin D, calcium, and accompanying supplements are more effective taken in divided doses.

Vitamin D dose needs to be individually adjusted for season, age, sex, severity of symptoms, other deficiency indications, ethnic heritage, sun exposure and vitamin D available in food. During fall-spring, D from sun exposure can be negated unless you live in tropical areas.

Vitamin D has alleviated SAD symptoms better than the lights, in fact vitamin D supplementation in the appropriate amounts has cured SAD symptoms and affects.

Thanks a lot Zule. I will up it then. Didn't I read somewhere that you can get side effects if you take too much too quickly?! Unfortunately, one of my problems this time of year is not being able to concentrate on what I am reading. 'ho-hum'

My SAD is more severe this year already. I am sure it is because I have had a really tough year (four deaths in family, separation, broken shoulder).

Will let you know how it goes.

I don't think there ARE any side effects other than nausea if taken without food and a warm feeling. The important thing is to take it with the appropriate amount of calcium and other supplements as D taken without calcium can cause the D to pull calcium out of your body into your blood.

that if you were born between November 1 and March 31 there is a much better chance that you would have SAD, fibro, MS or parkinson's.

The reason is not because of something you are doing, but because depending on the circumstances, your mother was probably vit D deficient while carrying you.

This really adds up for me: not just because I was born between those times, but when looking at my daughters. Both were born in November. Both have SAD, but the younger one is much, much worse and she even has symptoms of CFS. I was living in Vermont while I was carrying her, but still in Virginia when carrying the older one. There were days when I couldn't even go outside up there. My son, who was born in April, so far has exhibited no signs of SAD.

Hi There,
Its 7.30 am and I still cant sleep and when I do I will probs sleep till about 4.00pm. Its driving me mad. I know I have sad through my own research as my doctors look at me like I am trying to tell them I think I am Jesus, (im joking here!) when I talk about the SAD condition and what can be done. (They just dont believe in SAD)!!!

I live in England, was born in november and always been a big sleepy person, however these last few years life has gone so bad in winter time with my sleep problem and lack of drive for life.

I have read stuff new on hear about vit d, but also calcuim etc... can anyone help me with advice. To then end of last winter I hired a very strong SAD lamp and it took some of it away, that is when I did get up, I stayed awake, if I dont use lamps I can easily sleep about 20 hours a day.

In late April / may it ends like a switch has been pushed. I usually have a night where I just dont sleep but can function the next day. Then sleep goes quickly back to about 2.00am I go to bed and get to sleep, and eventually back to 12.00 which is about normal for me.

I have a course to go on next week, I have to be up at 7.00am and function all day, drive there and back and the same the next day. The plan was to try and stay up all night to fix my body clock, but I feel like hell and I am going to have to go to sleep after this. Despite I went last night to bed at 11.pm, slept till 2.00am then was awake till about 9.00am and slept on and off till 10pm, and now its 7.30am. I am sure you can see my life is pants!

I am sort of lucky as I have my own business and ppl work for me, so I can do my part of the work anytime of day. I have also just come off anti depressants, (which was for a bad time I had in my life, not for sad, and I dont want to go back on them).

Anyways without going on and on, I have a cheaper SAD lamp but I think I need to have the mega dose of light and get a stronger one... so heres a few questions....

Someone on here wrote something about 'the angle of the sunlight? Not how much?: please explain?

How do I fix my body clock with lights and vitaimins...?

Does anyone reading this live in the UK where Doctors understand and treat SAD without suggesting going to the mental health department? If so please advise on who I can see, I dont care where in the UK it is as long as they believe me and dont thing I am mad or lazy.

There are a couple of ppl on here that seem to understand and know alot about SAD.... please all the advice you can give and links will be so so so much appricated. This is the only forum I can find with anything about SAD on it!

I get all the symptoms, I dont like to see ppl, dont like going out, have super cravings, get migrains.... etc.... In the summer I am a different person as I travel all over as I also am a photographer, run my other business, and I turn into the life and soul of the party!

Thanks so much! Please help!
Regards,
Gail UK

First, that is very interesting that you were born in November and have the delayed sleep pattern. Both my husband and daughters were born in November and that is their sleep problem also.

The first thing that I think needs to be fixed is the sleep problem. Ambien is great for that. It is non addictive and works great. But if you don't want to go that route, I would suggest using something like Benadryl and Melatonin at night and taking St. John's Wort during the day.

Yes, we have had some luck with the Vit D. Use dry and increase slowly. It helps a lot with the mood swings and lack of energy etc. But it does not help my DH's sleep problems. My sleep problem is early morning awakening, so that is caused by something different.

Unfortunately, the angle of the sun is the component here. Living in England, there is no way to get enough light to your pineal gland this time of year from natural sunlight. I have two sunlights. I started with the smaller one and it did fine, but I went up to the larger one so I would have a little bit more freedom when I am in front of it. You may need as much as two hours in front of it daily by this time of year. If possible, do one hour in the am and one hour around 4:00 or so. This may also help your sleep problems.

The bottom line about this light thing, is that this time of year, you don't get enough light to make your body produce adequate amounts of serotonin. Therefore, at night, you don't produce adequate amounts of melatonin (the sleep chemical). So you are constantly in this state of semi-melatonin production. Can't sleep well, but sleepy all the time. Serotonin production in the morning, when it gets light, is part of what makes up wake up. Without enough of it, its hard to get going. There should be some links on this forum.

At least you recognize what is wrong; that is the first step. When I look back over my life, I can so see things in my life that were a direct result of having SAD and not knowing it. I am constantly harping on my daughter's to figure what works for them while they are still young.