Within the past 20 years, scientists have discovered that many of our key mood hormones are regulated by light. Today, light therapy is prescribed by psychiatrists, psychologists and family doctors, and is considered the most effective non-pharmaceutical treatment for sad. Light therapy is a very effective treatment because it treats one of the primary causes of depression low serotonin levels in the brain. Most antidepressant drugs help boost serotonin levels by blocking reabsorption (reuptake) of free serotonin in the brain. Blocking absorption increases serotonin levels, and is directly related to improved mood, reduced anxiety and decreased depression. These drugs form a class of antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIS) and increase serotonin levels by reducing absorption - but they do nothing to create more serotonin. A great deal of research has been performed over the past two decades, focusing specifically on the chemical processes responsible for the production of serotonin. In 2002 the prestigious journal science announced that a breakthrough discovery had been made. A new set of light sensitive receptors in the eye were discovered, and surprisingly, these receptors are not used for vision. This intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (IPRGCS), found in all vertebrates, was eventually linked directly to the production of serotonin, and the regulation of melatonin and other hormones. These receptors tend to be concentrated in the lower portion of the eyeball, and are primarily sensitive to blue light. This location samples the amount of blue light above our normal field of view, suggesting a lot about how our human system regulates itself through daily and seasonal variation, and why we tend to struggle in the darkness of winter. The patented syrcadian blue light therapy device has been engineered to stimulate these IPRGCS in a safe, effective and non-distracting manner.
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