Not feeling so sunny this February?
Local company caters to those with seasonal affective disorder
by Kelly Jo McDonnell
Contributing Writer
Published: St Croix Valley Press
Thursday, February 26, 2009 12:40 PM CST
STILLWATER — For many Minnesotans, the months between November and March can seem endless. For some 20 percent of the American population, those months can be downright depressing. But there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Literally. Stillwater-based Light Therapy Products specializes in helping folks deal with seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a kind of depression triggered by the different seasons and changes in sunlight exposure. According to www.FamilyDoctor.org, as many as half a million people in the United States may be subject to winter-onset depression. SAD is more common in northern regions of the U.S. Light Therapy products such as the light box, the dawn stimulator and the sunrise light are created to help people suffering from the disorder. The Mayo Clinic reports that such products are thought to work by “altering your circadian rhythms and suppressing your body’s natural release of melatonin. Together, these cause biochemical changes in your brain that help reduce or control symptoms of seasonal affective disorder and other conditions.” Three quarters of SAD sufferers are women, according to company owner Sarah Hamel, but the disorder can also affect men and children. Hamel said she’s seen all walks of life come into her showroom, many of whom are simply curious. About 90 percent of walk-ins are women, and many discover via a simple test that they have symptoms of SAD, she said. Some are looking for a non-pharmaceutical option to treating their depression. “We get a certain percentage who come to us with prescriptions and diagnosis,” she noted. “But the majority are people who are into self-directed health and wellness.”
A little history.
Hamel was a stay-at-home mom seeking to get back into the work force when she and husband Paul began researching the possibility of buying a business. The Stillwater residents wanted to work for themselves if possible. The previous owner of Light Therapy Products had been running the business out of her home in Plymouth since 1994. And while it was successful, it was getting too large for her to operate. Since the health and wellness subject interested both Sarah and Paul — and the wintry state of Minnesota presents a good market for such products — they bought the company in August of 2006 and later moved it to Stillwater, where they opened a showroom. The company is still 99 percent Internet-based.
About SAD.
Season affective disorder is a type of depression that can occur at specific times of the year. Also called the “Winter Blues” or “Winter Depression,” SAD can become severe in some cases, and can be treated in many ways. Symptoms include: Sleep problems, Changes in appetite and weight, Body aches, Energy level drop, Anxiety and irritability, Memory loss, Problems concentrating, Lack of interest in/or enjoyment of activities. Source:www.lighttherapyproducts.com
The market for light therapy
The company does the majority of its domestic business from fall through winter, with the central Midwest remaining its largest sales territory, closely followed by Montana and Colorado. “During the November and December time frame, we do a lot of business in the Midwest and tons on the east coast and northeast,” Hamel said. She said she’s been surprised, though, by the number of orders from warm-weather states like Florida, Texas and California. “They have the reverse problem,” she said, noting that it’s often too hot in the summer for residents to get the direct sunlight they need. Light Therapy Products sees international sales from countries like Greenland and Iceland during June and July.
Light boxes remain one of the company’s best-selling lines. According to the company Website, the boxes provide a measured amount of balanced- spectrum light that’s equivalent to standing outdoors on a clear spring day. The light helps regulate the body’s time clock, helping synchronize sleep/wake patterns with work and life style. And it doesn’t create potentially dangerous UV-B emissions.
Neither are the products just for home use. The firm once sold a set of lights to an office that had no natural light, she said, and within 24 hours workers there reported an improvement in their energy levels and ability to concentrate. “The cubicle world knows there are options now,” she said. In some cases, light therapy has also helped with more physical ailments. Hamel pointed to one teenage customer with acne who was able to go off Accutane as a result. In other cases, it has been effective in pain management for problems as diverse as TMJ (temporomandi-bular joint syndrome), back pain and skin healing and repair.
Other therapy products include dawn/dusk simulators that help people wake up at appropriate times. Hamel said teenagers and nursing home residents who have trouble getting up in the morning have been helped by light boxes that help them produce the chemical seratonin when they first wake up. The products are gentler than alarm clocks and “retrain the body clock to make the proper chemicals at the proper time,” she said.
The future
Hamel said the company is able to compete with big-box retailers through service and greater in-depth knowledge about the products. Its products are all assembled in the U.S. As the days of February tick slowly away and Minnesotans patiently wait for spring to arrive, the Stillwater company is looking ahead to a successful and busy 2009. “There are a lot of exciting things happening with light,” Hamel said. “It could help a lot of different issues.”
For more information on Light Therapy Products, go to www.lighttherapyproducts.com or call 800-486-6723 or
651-351-9800.
