Light Therapy - A Cure For Skin Problems And Other Disorders



Get Fitness Equipment Information on mps-fitness-equipment.com. Light Therapy - A Cure For Skin Problems And Other Disorders topic will increase your understanding on Fitness Equipment Information. We at mps-fitness-equipment.com only provide news, articles, information in Fitness Equipment Information. Fitness Equipment Information at mps-fitness-equipment.com provides the most up to date news and articles. If you have questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

Light therapy or phototherapy is an alternative treatment based on light exposure for various disorders. This procedure, which is also called light box therapy, involves the use of light brighter than regular indoor lighting, but significantly less bright than sunlight.

1. What Can Light Therapy Cure?

- Psoriasis - Hyperbilirubinemia - Atopic dermatitis - Other skin disorders - Sleep disturbance - Premenstrual syndrome - Mental disorders - Schizoaffective - Bipolar disorders

2. Treatment

Under the treatment, patients are exposed directly to full-spectrum bright light. The patient either sits down, if a light box is used as the source, or has some degree of mobility if a light visor is used. The duration of the exposure depends on the seriousness of the condition, reduction or elimination of the symptoms and light strength. Depression is one condition that is eliminated through the therapy. The affected individual's biological clock, or the natural course of one's waking and sleeping hours, is gradually normalized following light therapy. The process involves gradually increasing the time exposed to a high-intensity fluorescent lamp from about 30 minutes up to about 2 hours every morning - the time when the therapy is said to be most effective. Seasonal affective disorder is a type of depression caused by the absence of or limited exposure to sunlight during fall and winter. The use of light therapy has been cited by up to 90% of individuals with SAD as helpful in making them feel better, possibly because the treatment takes the place of sunlight exposure. SAD symptoms could take as long as three weeks before they are relieved through the therapy.

3. Not A Replacement For Traditional Care

Although the treatment is safe, most experts do not see light therapy as a replacement to traditional medical care. However, the approach is considered a good complement to other therapies. Patients should visit their health practitioner if treatment fails to eliminate symptoms of depression, or specially if they worsen, following an extended period of time. As with regular therapy, some side effects have also been observed with light therapy. These include headache, sweating, eyestrain, nausea, and agitation. More extreme and adverse effects include skin damage, eye cancer and skin and genital cancer. Some patients have also reported difficulty in falling asleep, although these are mostly individuals having the treatment towards the end of the day. Relief from insomnia is achieved mainly by reducing light exposure time and having the therapy earlier in the day, or by applying dawn simulation. The therapy is not advisable for individuals with sensitive skin and eyes.

4. Light Booth Studies - Does This Actually Work?

Light boxes, ultra violet booths, commercial tanning beds and related equipment also pose the question of cost. If the doctor being consulted has these equipment in the clinic, the problem would be more of a time issue, or ensuring daily or regular visits. Some companies have light therapy equipment for rent, although insurance coverage may not include these as part of the treatment. Psychiatric research from the Chapel Hill School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina has found comparable results between phototherapy, or light therapy, and antidepressant drug therapy in the treatment of SAD and other mood disorders. The 2005 study applied systematic statistical analysis to earlier clinical literature covering 20 randomized studies. These studies focused on 18- to 65-year-old adults who exhibited mood disorder and were grouped into four treatment classes: bright light for non-seasonal depression, bright light for SAD, integrated bright light-regular antidepressant use for non=seasonal sufferers and dawn simulation.

Scientists found that the elimination of methodologically flawed studies from the controlled set and meta-analysis of the remaining organized material established the efficacy of light therapy for SAD and depression. UNC psychiatry chairman Dr. Robert Golden, who is also vice dean of the UNC medical school, noted that light therapy intervention delivered results comparable to traditional depression treatments as detailed in medical literature. Although the scientists concluded that light therapy is an effective treatment for SAD and non-seasonal disorders, they emphasized that the research did not establish the treatment's safety and/or negative side effects because of limited related data. Researchers also did not look at the effects of light therapy on the aged, children and adolescents.


Golf Options: Hit Fairways Your Way. - New Golf System that Explains How Setup and Swing Factors Affect Ball Flight and Solutions to Common Golf Problems.
Part-Time Trading For Full-Time Profits. - Learn how to trade Nasdaq, Nyse or any other volatile stock market.


Article Index: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63



More Articles:


1. Why Can't I Lose Weight?
That's the question many people ask when their weight loss plan isn't working. Asking yourself 'Why can't I lose weight?' is actually one of the best things you can do for yourself. It says you know that what you're currently doing isn't working for you. You're at the place where you're ready to look at alternatives - try something different to get a result you want. So why can't you lose weight? Here are 3 possible reasons you may not be losing weight - and some suggestions on what you can do …

2. Home Exercise Equipment – Start Planning Now for Winter By Robb Ksiazek
Most of us have a tendency to gain a few pounds in the winter due to inactivity. Losing the added weight gets tougher and tougher every spring because our bodies don’t bounce back like they used to. There are some simple solutions to keeping the weight off in the winter that will aid you in your quest of a healthier body, by reducing the stress of seasonal weight gain.Walking is still considered to be one of the best activities for health. It is the most natural form of exercise, and anyone…

3. Exercise Bikes - Recumbent or Stationary? By Andre Best
Exercise bikes are a wonderful way to get a low-impact exercise workout. Of course today's bikes like those from Sportsart, Tunturi, Nordictrack, Schwinn, and Pro Form are a far cry from the bikes offered many years ago.You know the ones - the lightweight plastic flywheel, the tiny seat, and no statistical monitoring whatsoever.Well, as you probably know today's exercise bike offers a stationary bike rider so much more. Now a person has to decide between getting the lower profile comfortable r…

4. How Does Knee Surgery Work?
The most common reasons for knee surgery are arthritis and injury. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease that slowly wears away cartilage. Rheumatoid arthritis is inflammation of the knee, causing damage to the cartilage. Arthritis can develop in people of all ages but is more commonly found in the older segment of the population. Injury can occur following a blow to the knee and is commonly a result of sports related injuries. This type of injury is often found in younger people who are invo…