For many of us, the cold and dreary winter days take a toll on our positive outlook and energy levels. I have struggled with the “Winter Blues” for as long as I can remember. For many years, I began to sadden as the leaves started to turn, unable to appreciate their beauty, for I knew that then they would fall and the weather would be cold and dreary. When the trees began to bloom in spring, I would perk up again. This created a scenario where I was sad for half of every year. At some point, I realized that it didn’t have to be this way.
I learned about Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and the ways to alleviate the condition. There are light boxes to sit in front of, broad spectrum lights bulbs to replace the soft white bulbs, sun alarm clocks (which I love), the Biomat, which produces a far infrared light and heat to warm the tissue deeply and liquid sunshine!
A light box is a box full of high kelvin temperature light bulbs, which are more like sunshine, including all of the colors and therefore appearing white to blue. These are used frequently to treat SAD in the places where the sun rarely shines. My issue with these, is that I would have to sit in front of them, which is not conducive to my more active nature. These boxes of light can be found on Amazon and www.fullspectrumsolutions.com.
Broad spectrum light bulbs have a high Kelvin temperature. Our normal soft white bulb is usually at 2300K to 2700K (sickly yellow as Dr. Mercola calls it). The broad sprectrum bulb, also called natural daylight, will have a much higher Kelvin temperature (5000K to 6500K). Natural sunlight ranges from 5000K to 6000K. I found some of these bulbs at Lowes but they can also be found on Amazon or Full Spectrum Solutions.
Of course, in the winter, it gets light later, usually later than your alarm needs to go off. Who wants to wake in the dark, the chickens don’t even do that? I found a sun alarm clock, made by Soleil www.soleilsunalarm.com, years ago and have been using it since. I set the time I want to wake up and the light comes on very dimly 30 minutes prior and slowly brightens. It reaches full brightness at the time the alarm is set. This is all that I need to wake and I wake in a much more pleasant mood than I would, if rudely awakened by beeping or a buzzer. For those of you who have an even harder time waking, the alarm does have the beeping feature or radio.
The Biomat is a mat filled with amethyst and tourmaline. It produces far infrared light/heat and an ionic detox. I offer this feature in my massage and Healing Touch sessions. The far infrared light penetrates six inches into the body, deeply heating and relaxing the body. I have used the Biomat for over a year and am still in love with it. I crawl into bed at night and say “I love my Biomat”, almost every night. I became a distributor because I loved it so much. Contact me if you are interested in more Biomat information.
Liquid sunshine, different than liquid moonshine, is Vitamin D or Vitamin D containing Cod Liver Oil. Our bodies make Vitamin D, cholecalciferol, as the suns rays strike our skin, but on cold, dreary days our skin doesn’t have a chance to see the sun. In the winter, I supplement with a good source, high quality Vitamin D3 or take Carlson’s brand Cod Liver Oil, lemon flavor, which includes Omega 3’s, is great for the brain, skin and an anti-inflammatory. Here is a link that talks about the Vitamin D, including how we get it from the sun and how we can supplement when there is no sunshine, along with dosage recommendations from several organizations. http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/about-vitamin-d/how-do-i-get-the-vitamin-d-my-body-needs/
I am including a smoothie recipe, that I made this morning, which includes liquid sunshine.
Blackberry Banana Smoothie
• 1 ripe organic banana
• 1/2 cup organic, plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup frozen blackberries
• 1/2 cup filtered water
• 1 scoop Kal brand stevia
• 2tbsp. Carlson’s brand, Lemon Flavored, Cod Liver Oil
Add banana, yogurt, blueberries, stevia and water to a Magic Bullet, Nutri Bullet or blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a pint glass (glass is important), thoroughly stir in the cod liver oil. Make sure the cod liver is lemon flavored, otherwise it will taste fishy. Make sure to stir into a glass jar rather than plastic, as the cod liver oil can permeate the plastic, which might be unpleasant later.
This will make for a quick, enjoyable breakfast, great for your brain, mood and skin. Makes one serving.