Homeopathy, Winter Hibernation and SAD
28/10/2009

Submitted by http://www.phoenixhomeopathy.com

The shorter days that Autumn bring can mean misery for sufferers of seasonal affective disorder (SAD).  At its worst, SAD can be extremely difficult to live with, causing recurrent depression, stress, tiredness and lethargy, with symptoms typically being worst in December, January and February, although individual symptoms and patterns can vary.
 
Other symptoms reported to me often include: mood swings,  feelings of guilt and worthlessness, crying for no reason, wanting to retreat from the world, loss of sex drive, sleep problems, anxiety, concentration problems, appetite changes (including cravings for carbs and sweet foods), and a general loss of drive, or a feeling that nothing is enjoyable anymore.

Around 1 in 50 people in the UK suffer from SAD, with twice as many women as men reporting the problem.  It often affects younger people aged 18-30, and prevalence increases the further away you live from the equator.  Up to one in eight people in the UK report the milder symptoms associated with having the winter blues (often eased with regular exercise).  My experience at the Phoenix clinic suggests that these figures are about right.
 
The causes of SAD aren't yet fully known, but it seems that, in people with SAD, reduced daylight hours affect the hypothalamus and pineal glands in the brain, meaning that don't work as they should.  The psychological process called the circadian rhythm is also considered to play a part:  this process helps to regulate your internal body clock, telling you when to sleep and when to wake.  There may also be an inherited aspect to the condition.  A GP will be likely to diagnose SAD if the winter symptoms have been a problem for two or more consecutive years, with no other discernible cause, and have been interspersed by periods without depression at other times in the year. 

For those patients who prefer not to take antidepressants to mask the symptoms, light therapy or a talking therapy like homeopathy may be helpful.  Some patients report that taking the herb St John's Wort can help (best taken under professional advice from your therapist or GP:  may be contra-indicated if you taking artificial hormones like the Pill or HRT;  can cause light sensitivity;  I prefer good quality organic herbal tinctures rather than dried and dessicated herbal tablets).
 
I also ask patients to get as much exercise in the fresh air and sunlight as possible, even if it's only a brisk walk around the block in the lunch hour; to sit near windows and in the brightest room possible when indoors;  and to eat a healthy diet, eating smaller meals and a small healthy snack (like an apple and a few raw almonds, or an oatcake or two spread with hummus or turkey and tomato) mid-morning, mid-afternoon and before bed to keep blood sugar levels even.  I also encourage sufferers to talk to their friends, colleagues and family about the problem if they can, so that those around them can understand why they are acting out of character.
 
To a homeopath though, each case of SAD (or of winter blues) is different, and so we select different remedies for different patients, depending on the patient's symptoms, family history and character.  Remedies that Phoenix patients have found helpful include Psorinum, Arsenicum, Natrum muriaticum and Sol. 
 
So if the self-help suggestions above don't sort the problem out, a well-chosen homeopathic remedy may do.

Submitted by http://www.phoenixhomeopathy.com

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