SAD Light Therapies versus Medication – Which Is Better?

Many people suffer from SAD or seasonal affective disorder. There are two schools of thought on handling the depression and lethargy that comes with SAD. The first is the taking of anti depressants to combat the chemical imbalance in the brain. The second is by using SAD light therapies to combat this depression.

Not everyone wants to put chemicals in their bodies to combat a part time affliction. Medications can cause side effects that are not wanted. This was the previous way that many physicians dealt with seasonal affective disorder before other methods were known. Instead of using other therapies, anti depressants were taken by the patients.

In some cases, these medications were taken year round as it was not known that it was a seasonal affliction and not an all year issue. Once research was conducted and it became common knowledge that many people who were considered depressed were actually suffering from SAD, other therapies became more common. One of these methods is SAD light therapy.

This therapy is a non medical or medication free way of getting the chemicals in the brain to their normal levels. This therapy quickly became very popular for a great deal of people who did not like taking drugs. This alternative to medication works well to make the depression and other symptoms of the chemical imbalance to lessen for the sufferer. They become happier and they do not have to take any drugs.

When it comes to therapies for SAD, medication was used to combat the depression. After research was conducted, it was found that light was a great therapy to get rid of this depression. People who did not want to feel the side effects of the medication suddenly had an option that was not known before. Light therapy is one of the most popular therapies for seasonal depression.