When the seasons change, we notice changes in our environment.
The weather gets warmer or colder, the leaves on the trees
turn colors and fall off or they start to bud with new vibrant
colors, days get longer or shorter, more rain or more sunshine
and all these factors depend on where you live. Our bodies
also need to change with the seasons and this should be a
normal cycle of life. If we are living with imbalances in
our health then this may not be so comfortable or stress free.
When we are out of balance our bodies do not adapt to change
as well.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a condition that happens
when our bodies can’t adapt to the changes of the weather,
temperature and light. These changes cause stress in your
body and in healthy people there may be no problem at these
times of year because they can adapt. On the other hand, if
your body is already coping with various other stresses the
change of seasons may be the last straw. This may bring on
emotional stress, depression, insomnia, immune dysfunction,
hormonal imbalances, digestive problems and many other symptoms.
There are many factors that may cause SAD and as with any
health challenge my personal philosophy is not to use a cookbook
remedy to fix it. The way I work with patients is to observe
through a health history, lab reports, functional testing
and examination of what the person’s health imbalances
are and start there. I am a “people” doctor. I
fix people and the best way to do that is to look at what
is not working and to fix it, even if these problems do not
appear to be related to the person’s health challenges.
What I want to do here is to go through some of the similarities
that I have observed in patients with SAD type problems from
a holistic point of view.
We see many more women than men with SAD type symptoms and
there is good reason for that. In the changing seasons women
need more Iodine than men. Iodine is needed by many parts
of the body and one gland that uses a lot of it in women and
men is the thyroid. Women have to share large amounts of their
Iodine that is used by the thyroid with their ovaries and
if supplies are low then there will not be enough to go around.
This can deplete the thyroid gland in a functional sense.
What do I mean by functional? Functional means that it may
not show up on conventional medical testing. Some authorities
say that a thyroid problem may not show up on a blood test
until it is 60% dysfunctional. Why is this? This is because
the thyroid dumps most of its hormones into the lymphatic
system, so it is difficult to see these imbalances with blood
lab work.
Functional Thyroid testing
There are several functional tests to check the thyroid.
Many times women or even men can show thyroid dysfunction
type symptoms and yet no pathology can be detected by doctors.
Below are some tests that can be done to evaluate functional
thyroid problems (dysfunction that not yet considered pathological
because it cannot yet be found on standard medical testing).
Axillary temperature charts
One way of checking how the thyroid is functioning is by
monitoring temperature in the axilla (armpit). It is more
accurate to monitor temperature in the axilla because if there
is an infection in the mouth or ear it can change the temperature.
Men would be required to do this for a week and women need
to do a monthly chart so that the reproductive hormone cycle
can also be evaluated. On these charts the overall temperature
is observed as well as the peaks and valleys on the charts
of the women. When the peaks and valleys are analyzed with
the timing of the patient’s monthly cycle, we gain insight
into what part of the hormonal system is in need of adjustments.
Saliva testing
Salivary testing has is another way of testing for hormones
that may not be easily seen in the blood before pathology
is present. Samples of saliva are taken and sent to a lab
and analyzed. A good advantage of this is that the testing
can be done at home or at work and sent to the lab through
the mail. Better testing can be done in the patient’s
natural environment, where they may be under less stress as
compared to going into a lab and having a needle stuck into
veins by someone they do not know.
Iodine patch test
The Iodine concentration in the body can be tested by painting
an Iodine patch (using a special type of iodine) on the skin
of the abdomen or inside the thigh. The time in which the
Iodine patch disappears tells you how much Iodine the patient
has. If it disappears quickly the patient is iodine deficient
if the patch stays for an extended amount of time there is
no need for additional iodine because the body is not trying
to absorb it through the skin.
Applied Kinesiology
In our opinion Applied
Kinesiology muscle testing is the gold standard in diagnosis
but it should be done as an adjunct with a good medical history
and other functional/medical testing. A good Applied Kinesiologist
will be able to test muscles related to the thyroid or any
other functions or parts of the body they are assessing and
know what is needed to make a change. Treatment required to
make a change may be structural, biochemical, emotional and/or
electromagnetic in nature.
The Thyroid can be a major element for some of the symptoms
listed above but it is not always the root of the problem.
There are other factors that may cause SAD and they can be
Adrenal Stress Syndrome, Blood sugar imbalances, Food allergies,
and Decreased Sunlight. There are also functional tests similar
to those seen above for these other factors.
Adrenal Stress Syndrome
If there is a functional Thyroid imbalance the Adrenal
glands should also be evaluated so that one part of the
body doesn’t “rob from Peter to pay Paul”.
The Adrenal glands and Thyroid work closely together and if
one is not able to do their job it may affect the other. Blood
sugar balance is also helped in part by the Adrenal glands
and we must be eating right and avoiding food allergies/sensitivities
in order to help them. If there is a functional blood sugar
imbalance then we will never be able to get the adrenal glands
well because they will constantly be under stress.
Decreased Sun Light
Decreased sunlight can also be a major problem. Vitamin D
synthesis partially takes place in our skin and it requires
sunlight. Synthetic vitamin D does not do the same job as
the vitamin D that is produced in our body; it may even make
things worse. In a January 28, 2003 New York Times article,
“Shining a Light on the Health Benefits of Vitamin D”
(by Claudia Dreifus), Dr. Michael F. Holick of the Boston
University Medical Center talks about Vitamin D. He talks
about how important it is for maintaining normal calcium levels,
metabolic functions, muscle and cardiac functions, neurological
functions, regulating cell growth in our cardiovascular and
immune systems. He also says that there is a strong association
of sunlight exposure and increased levels of vitamin D in
decreasing the risk of many common cancers like: colon, breast,
prostate and ovarian. Additionally, vitamin D deficiency has
been associated with increased risk for Type 1 diabetes.
According to Dr. Holick, “It’s been estimated
that about 80 to 100 percent of an individual’s requirement
[of vitamin D] comes from exposure to sunlight.” He
also points out that, “The skin absorbs the ultraviolet
energy from the sun and then converts it to vitamin D. Now,
there are a few foods that contain vitamin D naturally —
salmon and mackerel. Also, the oils from some fish like cod,
shark and tuna have it. But, to get enough, you'd have to
eat these fish and/or their oils three times a week.”
So Dr. Holick recommends eating fish and I would recommend
getting wild fish from a source that would have low levels
of toxins. But what about absorbing all of that sunlight for
vitamin D synthesis? Your dermatologist would tell you that
it is not good for you; they might tell you that it will lead
to melanoma, a dangerous skin cancer. And what about artificial
tanning in the winter months when we wear more clothes, have
less sunlight and spend more time indoors? It seems that a
doctor could be committing blastmeophy for recommending that!
In a July 20, 2004 article in the New York Times, “I
Beg to Differ-A Dermatologist Who’s Not Afraid to Sit
on the Beach”, by Gina Kolata, We see a different angle
on skin cancer. Dr. A. Bernard Ackerman, a dermatologist,
spends much of his time diagnosing the potentially deadly
cancer melanoma and other skin diseases, tells us his beliefs
and observations. Dr. Ackerman is a renowned expert in the
field and the emeritus director of the Ackerman Academy of
Dermatopathology in New York, and states that the link between
melanoma and sun exposure is "not proven." Wow,
this sounds as avant-garde as cholesterol not causing heart
disease. Dr. Ackerman has reviewed the research over the years
and has said, "The field is just replete with nonsense."
He also said that there is no evidence to support the idea
that sunscreens protect against melanoma.
Dr. Ackerman advises to avoid premature aging of the skin
by avoiding too much sun exposure and if you have very fair
skin to avoid sunlight to prevent squamous cell carcinoma,
a less dangerous cancer. But he says it is a mistake to avoid
sunlight or using sunscreens to protect from melanoma.
We need sunlight to function properly and we should try to
get it naturally when it is available. Experts say that the
darker your skin is the more sunlight you require for proper
vitamin D metabolism. If you live somewhere where there is
decreased sunlight in the fall and winter months you should
look to getting some artificial UV light as support if you
are suffering from SAD type symptoms. There are “light
boxes” that can purchased that are small enough to be
put on the breakfast table or your desk at work to get a few
minutes of UV light during the day. For some, tanning salons
can be a better solution, but make sure they have certified
technicians. They should be trained to evaluate your skin
and health history for safe tanning exposure time. I recommend
not using any tanning lotions or accelerators on your skin
(in general don’t put anything on your skin what you
wouldn’t eat, because whatever you put on your skin
is absorbed into your body), as well, use tanning beds that
are mostly UVB or a UVB/UVA mix as it is UVB that converts
to Vitamin D. Avoid “high speed beds” as these
are usually mostly UVA. I also recommend to only using artificial
UV light during daytime hours when the sun should be up. If
it is used at night you will stress your normal day &
night hormonal patterns or Circadian Rhythm, this is not a
good thing!
An excellent book about the Circadian Rhythm, sleep, sugar,
emotional and physical well being related to the seasons of
the year is Lights Out by T.S. Wiley. Wiley shows us over
and over again why we need to eat right-the way we are designed
to, why we need to get adequate sleep in a dark room and change
our lifestyle to avoid problems like S.A.D. and other serious
health issues.
According to Wiley, a diet low in processed carbohydrates
is of extra importance in the fall and winter months in order
to keep in step with the seasonal cycles of nature and our
body’s response to them. Eating low carbs will let the
endocrine system go into Winter Mode. This is the time of
year when we are supposed to burn fat just as if we were in
hibernation or just because there is less food available naturally
in the winter. The infamous Ketones that are supposed to cause
kidney damage when you are eating a low carb diet (you would
have to go about seven months according to Wiley for this
to happen-very unlikely) actually help lower Serotonin which
decreases anxiety and depression. Wow, that is like a natural
antidepressant that our body makes itself if you eat right
(I bet the pharmaceutical companies wouldn’t like it
if we all ate this way, they would loose too much business).Serotonin
is on the opposite end of the sea-saw from dopamine-the feel
good and reward neurotransmitter and when there is high serotonin
production there is also increased insulin production which
causes fat storage and carbohydrate cravings. We also need
more sleep in the winter so that your body can acclimate to
these cycles. But if we are exposed to light in the night
time or while we are sleeping, this will increase the Sympathetic
(fight or flight) Nervous System. This, in turn, decreases
important body functions, increases blood pressure, Heart
Disease, Fat Storage, and increases Carbohydrate and Sugar
cravings and there go the emotional roller coasters again.
As you can see, to overcome the symptoms of Seasonal Affective
Disorder and to correct the reason it is there, you must change
your lifestyle. Sometimes we can correct these problems with
changes in the way we eat, sleep, implementing low intensity
aerobic exercise and sun or artificial UV rays from a tanning
salon can be very beneficial. Treatment by an Applied Kinesiologist
can accelerate this process by removing any blocks that your
body may have with these natural functions so that you can
achieve balance in your health.
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