In three articles published in the October 1988, issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, strong evidence indicated that exposure to very bright light in the morning is an effective treatment for seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Since this syndrome afflicts people in the autumn and winter, it is also called winter depression or winter blues. Each year, some 10 million Americans suffer seriously from this seasonal depression that is characterized by loss of interest in usual activities and social contacts, and excessive food cravings and sleep. Another estimated 25 million have milder, but still troubling, symptoms. At the time the disorder was first described, it was thought that the cause had to do with the decreased sunlight of the winter months and that shining extra light on SAD patients might help them. It has been hard to prove this, however, in a scientifically valid way.

The investigators who wrote these articles used special, very bright light boxes in their experiments. In order to avoid the effect of the expectations by the people in the experiment that any treatment would help them, the scientists used deactivated or low-dose negativeion generators as placebos. In one of the studies, the timing of the bright light therapy, morning or evening, was used as its control.

In all cases, patients who were exposed to the very bright lights for 30 minutes to 2 hours first thing in the morning showed more remission of symptoms than patients exposed to the placebo. It also seems that morning, rather than evening, exposure works better. All of these studies showed positive results in 4 to 5 weeks. Clearly, the effects of bright light are felt quickly.

The special lights used in these studies produced 6000 to 10000 lux. In comparison, the average lights in an office yield about 500 lux. These special lights can be purchased commercially but caution should be taken not to buy lights that also yield ultraviolet rays that can cause sunburn, skin cancer, cataracts, and immune suppression.

Quan Yin practitioners may smile upon reading the results of such research. Aren't we exposed to the best bright light therapy from God when we get up early to meditate every day? Master often emphasizes that morning is best time for meditation. No wonder our fellow initiates become lighter and happier after practicing meditation. And we do not need to spend any money to buy light boxes and do not need to worry about the side effects of ultraviolet light. Truly, God has bestowed the best equipment within us. Most other people don't know how to access it and, therefore, suffer from all sorts of problems.