Newsletter #5: Coping with Winter Blues
November 28, 2011
For many people fall and winter can present both mental and physical challenges. If you seem to fall prey to the winter blues and find that you often let the exercise slide and crave many of the “comfort foods” that you know are not healthy, you may well be experiencing some degree of Seasonal Affective Disorder or “SAD” as it is often referred to. Let me offer a few suggestions for those of you that find the winter months especially challenging:
- I have researched the 10,000 lux full spectrum therapy lamps that are recommended for winter depression related to lack of sunlight. One of the least expensive (about $70) is the Sun Touch Plus by Nature Bright. This can be purchased online at Amazon. About thirty minutes a day soon after waking is often enough to make a significant difference in mood state and energy.
- Don’t forget to exercise! I gave you simple and inexpensive ideas for exercising indoors in Newsletter #3. For those of you who did not receive it please go to my website: drdennistucker.com. The website is still under construction but all the newsletters are available. In the case of the winter blues, full spectrum light therapy, exercise and a good diet is often enough to allow you to enjoy rather than dread those dark stormy days. Melatonin and natural mood elevators like Sam e can also be very helpful.
- Remember that our requirement for supplemental vitamin D often increases in the winter. Because of the importance of vitamin D in the prevention of many diseases it is important to make sure you are receiving an adequate amount. If you haven’t had your vitamin D level checked it is well worth having a blood test to determine if adjustments are necessary. You can have this done through our office or your primary care M.D.
- Vitamin D3 is critical for calcium uptake in our bones to prevent osteoporosis but, of equal importance, is the large number of studies that demonstrate its potential role in cancer prevention:
Top 10 facts about vitamin D and cancer
- Many studies have found solar ultraviolet-B (UVB) vitamin D associated with reduced risk of breast, colon, and rectal cancer.
- A randomized controlled trial with 1100 IU/day vitamin D3 plus 1450 mg/day calcium found a 77% reduction in all-cancer incidence.
- Geographical studies have found reduced risk in mortality rates for 15-20 types of cancer in regions of higher solar UVB doses.
- Observational studies found risk of breast, colon, and rectal cancer falls as vitamin D blood levels rise to over 40 ng/mL (100 nmol/L).
- Mechanisms have been proposed to explain how vitamin D acts to reduce the risk of cancer from starting, growing, and spreading.
- Those who develop nonmelanoma skin cancer may have produced enough vitamin D to reduce their risk of internal cancers.
- Those with higher vitamin D blood levels at time of cancer diagnosis had nearly twice the survival rate of those with the lowest levels.
- African-Americans have an increased risk of cancer in part due to lower vitamin D blood levels T because of darker skin.
- Higher UVB exposure early in life has been found associated with reduced risk of breast and prostate cancer.
- Those diagnosed with breast, colon and prostate cancer in summer in Norway had higher survival rates than those diagnosed in winter.
Theories linking vitamin D to certain cancers have been tested and confirmed in more than 200 epidemiological studies, and understanding of its physiological basis stems from more than 2,500 laboratory studies, according to epidemiologist Cedric Garland, DrPH, professor of family and preventive medicine at the UC San Diego School of Medicine.
Don’t forget that sunlight is the superior source for vitamin D. Midday exposure for even 15 or 20 minutes can significantly increase your own production of vitamin D. As long as you limit your exposure sufficiently to prevent reddening of the skin it is considered not only safe but healthy.
You may find a new documentary film “Forks Over Knives” an interesting and entertaining way to review the compelling scientific case for a more plant based diet. This readily available DVD has received enthusiastic feedback from many patients.
To your health and wellbeing,
Dennis R Tucker, Ph.D., L. Ac.
