Light Therapy is a way to treat depression, seasonal affective disorder and other conditions by exposure to bright, artificial light. To receive light therapy, you sit or work close to a device called a light therapy box. The light therapy box emits a bright light that mimics natural outdoor light. Exposure to this type of light from a light therapy box can alter your circadian rhythms and suppress your body’s natural release of melatonin. This can cause biochemical changes in your brain to reduce or control symptoms of depression and seasonal affective disorder.
A therapy light box emits a type and intensity of light that is not found in normal household lighting. Simply sitting in front of a lamp at home is unlikely to relieve your seasonal affective disorder symptoms or other problems. A light box delivers brighter, more focused light than you can find outdoors which makes it more effective than trying to get enough light exposure by being outside ‚ especially on gloomy days.
Like any medical treatment, light therapy should be used under the supervision of a doctor. Individuals who have another type of depressive disorder, skin that is sensitive to light, or medical conditions that may make the eyes vulnerable to light damage should use light therapy with caution. The lights that are used for seasonal depression light therapy treatment must filter out harmful UV rays. For this reason alone, we only use broad spectrum lights. Unlike full spectrum, broad lights are as close as you can get to sunlight without the harmful UV rays