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| | | From: Rene (Original Message) | Sent: 4/4/2006 5:30 PM |
For many people, feeling down and out during [the winter months] is quite common. The shorter days and long, dark nights have a profound effect on many of us, and, for some, this “light deficiency�?triggers a serious case of winter blues.
Get a Natural Mood Lift If you are looking for a natural way to lift your mood during the winter months, make a conscious effort to bathe yourself in light. Try your best to spend at least an hour outdoors in the sun every day. While indoors, remember to look out the window every so often. And if you aren’t blessed with sunny weather during the winter months, consider investing in full-spectrum lighting, which contains all the wavelengths of natural light (all the colors of the rainbow). In one of the earliest studies on the therapeutic use of full-spectrum light, researchers treated patients who needed a mood boost by lengthening their “days.�?For an hour before dawn and an hour after dusk, the subjects sat in front of a full-spectrum light box. For most, the response was miraculous: The winter blues evaporated in a matter of days and were held at bay as long as subjects received the extra light. If they were away from their light boxes for a few days, lo and behold, those bummed-out feelings returned. Try It in Your Home An easy way to get the benefits of light therapy is to purchase a two- or four-tube light fixture fitted with full-spectrum fluorescent bulbs. Mount it on the wall or prop it up at eye level and simply sit near it a couple of times a day. Another option is to replace some of the bulbs in the light fixtures in your home and office with full-spectrum bulbs, creating a full-spectrum room of your own. You don’t have to replace every fixture, but the majority of lighting in the rooms where you spend the most time should be full-spectrum in order to get the proper effect. A light box is another alternative that combines full-spectrum bulbs in a smaller, more portable package. Two good sources are Science of Light (800-234-3724) and Ott-Lite (800-842-8848). These companies also sell full-spectrum lamps, bulbs, and tubes. Click on the links in this article for more Sunlight & .........
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| | | From: Rene | Sent: 7/13/2006 9:47 PM |
Soothing Solution to Depression I had dinner with some friends last night whom I had not seen in quite a while. As we caught up on our careers and kids, the subject came up about the importance of getting a break from the constant stresses of our go-go lives. I have learned to build what I call "moments of rejuvenation" into my day that refresh me and enable me to do all that I do. My friend uses a very different strategy and one that the Japanese have used for centuries -- green tea and its component theanine. Theanine, an amino acid, has a reputation for counteracting the anxious jitters associated with caffeine without interfering with its ability to fight fatigue or sharpen mental focus. In fact, that's why drinking tea has always been a mellower experience than drinking coffee. You might get a comparable dose of caffeine from drinking either one, but with the theanine present in the tea, you're much less likely to notice a caffeine buzz. "Theanine is used in Japan to modulate mood and induce relaxation," said Nadine Taylor, MS, RD, a registered dietitian and author of Green Tea: The Natural Secret for a Healthier Life (Kensington). She told me that it induces the release of a brain neurotransmitter called GABA (Gamma-aminobutyric acid) that tends to calm down the brain. "Depression, anxiety and irritability all come from high levels of tension and low levels of energy," Taylor told me. "So if you can increase the energy and lower the tension, you're going to get a great result on mood." The theanine in green tea seems to do exactly that. Theanine also triggers the release of dopamine in the brain, one of the main brain chemicals associated with well-being. The release of dopamine probably contributes to the sense of well-being associated with tea drinking. "Theanine definitely creates dopamine release," said Taylor, "and that would improve mood." Besides the many studies that show green tea to be incredibly beneficial for our health, many studies have also supported green tea's value in mood modulating, including one in Japan in which women taking 200 mg of theanine had reduced symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. How can you use green tea, too? "Theanine works best at doses of 50 mg to 200 mg, and the effects are felt within 30 minutes," Taylor told me. The amount of theanine in one cup of green tea is 50 mg. While you can take green tea capsules, it is best to drink your theanine in tea for the fastest and best effect. Drink it on an empty stomach or with an accompanying fruit snack. Be well, 
Carole Jackson, Bottom Line's Daily Health News, July 3, 2006
Sources: Soothing Solution to Depression Other articles here : Green Tea |
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