5 ms·

I have a http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00M3SGD4Y/ http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00M3SGD4Y/ blue light in my office to use around noon in wintertime it has a p

by jchrisa 11y ago

I have a http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00M3SGD4Y/ http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00M3SGD4Y/ blue light in my office to use around noon in wintertime it has a powerful effect. Using it too early in the morning can throw your circadian rhythm so maybe lunch is the best time.

_asdf_asdf 11y ago
If all this were generally true of blue light, then a television monitor tuned to an all-blue channel would be just as effective.
- Jtsummers 11y ago
  > If all this were generally true of blue light, then a television monitor tuned to an all-blue channel would be just as effective. If it hits the same frequencies. The frequency of the light is important here, because our body/eyes pick up on and react differently to, well, different frequencies. Just because we perceive two lights as producing the same color does not mean that we will get the same reaction, physiologically, from both of them.
- db48x 11y ago
  An "all-blue" channel is an artifact of your television. Modern televisions put up a solid color rather than snow when they fail to detect a carrier wave on the chosen channel.
  - recursive 11y ago
    The mechanics don't really matter. It's still just as effective.
    - db48x 11y ago
      Ok, but the "all-blue channel" is just the TV turning all the lights blue when it can't find a signal. Why bring a TV into it if you can just put up blue lights?
leereeves 11y ago
I was thinking something similar. Light therapy is a common treatment for seasonal affective disorder and depression. Just speculating, but this sounds like a public health version of that, something like adding iodine to salt or fluoride to drinking water.
- DanBC 11y ago
  Watch out: light therapy for SAD is very well known, but the quality of the evidence is very low. http://www.cochrane.org/CD011269/DEPRESSN_light-therapy-prevention-winter-depression http://www.cochrane.org/CD011269/DEPRESSN_light-therapy-prev... > Which studies were included in the review? > We searched databases up to August 2015 for studies on light therapy to prevent winter depression. Among 2986 records, we found one randomised controlled study including 46 people who received light therapy or no treatment. All individuals in these studies had a history of winter depression. > What does the evidence from the review reveal? > The quality of evidence for all outcomes was very low, so we can draw no conclusions about whether light therapy is effective in preventing winter depression. The included study provided no information on side effects of light therapy. [...] > Authors' conclusions: > Evidence on light therapy as preventive treatment for patients with a history of SAD is limited. Methodological limitations and the small sample size of the only available study have precluded review author conclusions on effects of light therapy for SAD. Given that comparative evidence for light therapy versus other preventive options is limited, the decision for or against initiating preventive treatment of SAD and the treatment selected should be strongly based on patient preferences. It has a plausible mechanism of action, and (so long as other treatment approaches aren't ignored) it's unlikely to do any harm.
  - leereeves 11y ago
    > we found one randomised controlled study > the small sample size of the only available study The only study? https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=light+therapy+depression+trial https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=light+therapy+depressio... There are numerous studies showing a benefit from light therapy. It is true that the the quality of the evidence could be improved. That's a political/financial issue, not a reflection of the efficacy (or lack thereof) of light therapy. The available evidence supports the treatment.
symkat 11y ago
From Amazon: "84 percent of users were satisfied with the way Philips goLITE BLU helped them to fight winter blues." From Article: "84 percent decrease in suicides at stations with the blue lights."
- henpa 11y ago
  Wow, nice catch!

by jchrisa 11y ago

_asdf_asdf 11y ago

If all this were generally true of blue light, then a television monitor tuned to an all-blue channel would be just as effective.

Jtsummers 11y ago
> If all this were generally true of blue light, then a television monitor tuned to an all-blue channel would be just as effective. If it hits the same frequencies. The frequency of the light is important here, because our body/eyes pick up on and react differently to, well, different frequencies. Just because we perceive two lights as producing the same color does not mean that we will get the same reaction, physiologically, from both of them.
db48x 11y ago
An "all-blue" channel is an artifact of your television. Modern televisions put up a solid color rather than snow when they fail to detect a carrier wave on the chosen channel.
- recursive 11y ago
  The mechanics don't really matter. It's still just as effective.
  - db48x 11y ago
    Ok, but the "all-blue channel" is just the TV turning all the lights blue when it can't find a signal. Why bring a TV into it if you can just put up blue lights?

leereeves 11y ago

I was thinking something similar. Light therapy is a common treatment for seasonal affective disorder and depression. Just speculating, but this sounds like a public health version of that, something like adding iodine to salt or fluoride to drinking water.

DanBC 11y ago
Watch out: light therapy for SAD is very well known, but the quality of the evidence is very low. http://www.cochrane.org/CD011269/DEPRESSN_light-therapy-prevention-winter-depression http://www.cochrane.org/CD011269/DEPRESSN_light-therapy-prev... > Which studies were included in the review? > We searched databases up to August 2015 for studies on light therapy to prevent winter depression. Among 2986 records, we found one randomised controlled study including 46 people who received light therapy or no treatment. All individuals in these studies had a history of winter depression. > What does the evidence from the review reveal? > The quality of evidence for all outcomes was very low, so we can draw no conclusions about whether light therapy is effective in preventing winter depression. The included study provided no information on side effects of light therapy. [...] > Authors' conclusions: > Evidence on light therapy as preventive treatment for patients with a history of SAD is limited. Methodological limitations and the small sample size of the only available study have precluded review author conclusions on effects of light therapy for SAD. Given that comparative evidence for light therapy versus other preventive options is limited, the decision for or against initiating preventive treatment of SAD and the treatment selected should be strongly based on patient preferences. It has a plausible mechanism of action, and (so long as other treatment approaches aren't ignored) it's unlikely to do any harm.
- leereeves 11y ago
  > we found one randomised controlled study > the small sample size of the only available study The only study? https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=light+therapy+depression+trial https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=light+therapy+depressio... There are numerous studies showing a benefit from light therapy. It is true that the the quality of the evidence could be improved. That's a political/financial issue, not a reflection of the efficacy (or lack thereof) of light therapy. The available evidence supports the treatment.

symkat 11y ago

From Amazon: "84 percent of users were satisfied with the way Philips goLITE BLU helped them to fight winter blues." From Article: "84 percent decrease in suicides at stations with the blue lights."

henpa 11y ago
Wow, nice catch!