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Light therapy, also called phototherapy or bright light therapy is the exposure to direct sunlight or artificial light at controlled wavelengths in order to treat a variety of medical disorders, including seasonal affective disorder (SAD), circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders, cancers, neonatal jaundice, and skin wound infections.
These findings suggest that bright light therapy was an effective add-on treatment for non-seasonal depressive disorders, and the response time of antidepressants may be improved with the addition ...
Light therapy uses a lightbox, which emits far more lumens than a customary incandescent lamp. Bright white "full spectrum" light at 10,000 lux, blue light at a wavelength of 480 nm at 2,500 lux or green (actually cyan or blue-green [35]) light at a wavelength of 500 nm at 350 lux are used, with the first-mentioned historically preferred. [36] [37]
Light therapy has been shown in studies to have mixed results; in some studies, 20% to 50% of those diagnosed with SAD did not gain adequate relief from the use of light therapy. [22] Individuals may also explore alternative treatments if they are unable to commit to the time required and the recurrence of the treatment that is necessary. [23]
What is light therapy? Whether you’re dealing with depression or skin disorders, migraines or other chronic pain, sometimes you just need to turn to the light. Depending on the condition, there ...
Bright light therapy, widely understood to be an effective treatment for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), can also be helpful in treating other types of depression, finds a new meta-analysis ...
The history of light therapy can be traced back to ancient Egypt and India, where therapy with natural sunlight was first used to treat leucoderma. [3] In the 1850s, Florence Nightingale's advocacy of exposure to clean air and sunlight for health restoration also contributed to the initial development of light therapy for treatments. [4]
In the treatment of psychiatric conditions including bipolar depression, [5] [6] a form of chronotherapy combining intermittent sleep deprivation and morning bright light has shown efficacy and relative tolerability in a number of controlled studies. [7] [8] [9]