On November 14, 2008, the Charlottesville, VA  newspaper, Daily Progress, reported on a recent study conducted by Iggy Provencio of the University of Virginia. That study suggests that some who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) may have a genetic predisposition to the malady.

In the study, 220 people were tested. Of the 220, 130 were diagnosed as having SAD. Also of the 220, 7 of them were found to have two mutated copies of a gene that directly affects the photopigment in the eye called melanopsin*. While a number of people were found to have only one mutated copy of the gene, all 7 of those with the double mutation were among the 130 diagnosed with SAD.

Exactly what this means, or how it will help, is yet to be determined.  Standard treatment for people with SAD is bright light treatment with full spectrum lights, but this treatment is purportedly only effective in about half of all cases, which leaves a large portion of those affected without an effective treament. Study into the genetic aspect may help bring about more information on how to more thoroughly treat this disorder.

http://www.dailyprogress.com/cdp/news/local/education/article/seasonal_sadness_possibly_genetic/31318/

*Melanopsin is a photopigment found in our eyes that is, by design, reactive to light, whether as part of or when removed from the body. This makes is a Photorecptor. For those of us who graduated from high school before 2002 (melanopsin was first discovered in 1998), we may remember the other two types of photoreceptors in the eye, the rods and cones. Melanopsin joines them as a newly discovered 3rd.

Unlike the cones and rods, however, melanopsin does not seem to be related to the processing of images or motion. Rather, it seems intrinsically linked to automatic and reflexive responses within our bodies. Among these processes, melanopsin seems to be linked to our body’s circadian rhythms. Our circadian rhythms are what tells us when its time to sleep and wake up. They dictate our daily ‘flow’, of which daylight is a major influence.

Melanopsin was originally discovered in the skin of frogs by Ignacio Provencio and his colleagues in 1998.  In 2000, Provencio showed that humans and other mammals also produce Melanopsin, and that for us, it is only found in our retinas.

Blue light is one of the best natural acne treatments available. It works by destroying acne bacteria on and just under the skin. But how can you prevent acne from ever developing in the first place? A recent Australian study shows your diet may have a lot to do with it.

In the study, as reported in the 2007 Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1/2 the young men were given a high protein, low GL diet. The others were instructed to eat a typical Western teenage diet, heavy on sugar and processed foods. After 12 weeks, those following the high protein, low GL diet had over a 50% reduction of acne lesions.

So a low GL diet gets right to a major cause of acne, hormone imbalance.  Meals and snacks with a low Glycemic Load keep insulin under control, which helps with general hormone balance, which naturally reduces oil production in the skin, which leads to less breakouts.  You will also likely lose weight and save money following a high protein, low GL diet.

“The research clearly shows that your daily diet can improve acne symptoms. This is highly significant and contrary to current recommendations that say that what you eat plays no role in acne. A healthy diet with low GI carbohydrates and higher levels of protein is now the first line of treatment for anyone suffering from acne, in addition to any cream or ointment your dermatologist recommends. When used for acne in its early stages or for mild to moderate cases, this may mean up to 100 per cent improvement in symptoms.”

Catherine Saxelby
Accredited Practising Dietitian

Click here for the full study, as published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Recommended Reading:

The Teenage Anti-Acne Diet Booklet. The doctors who did this study created this booklet to help parents implement a high protein, low GL diet for their teenagers.   It is an excellent publication, and it’s free.

The Schwarzbein Principle: The Truth About Losing Weight, Being Healthy, and Feeling Younger
by Diana Schwarzbein, M.D and Nancy Deville.  This book explains food in relation to your hormone balance and provides practical ways to make the necessary changes in diet and lifestyle.

The Easy GL Diet Handbook: Lose Weight with the Revolutionary Glycemic Load Program – A great little ‘quick-start’ guide to eating well.

More studies on acne and diet:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20361171

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21335995

“Vitamin D” is actually a pre-hormone, not a vitamin.  Given that a widely accepted cause of acne is hormone imbalance, it is very easy to see how adequate, steady levels of Vitamin D3 would lend itself to a “cure.”  In the October 2008 issue of the Vitamin D Council’s newsletter, there was a connection made between vitamin D3 and acne.  Although the mention in the newsletter was brief, they linked to a very thorough and detailed study done by AIERLIN T.-R. MAYNARD, M.D. in 1938.

Here is the segment from the Vitamin D Council’s October 2008 Newsletter:

Dear Dr. Cannell:

My teenage son has type 2 diabetes.  I started him on 5,000 IU of vitamin D a day about 6 months ago.  Three things have happened so far, he started losing weight, his blood sugars improved, and his acne went away.  I know you have written about diabetes and weight loss with vitamin D but I can’t remember anything about acne?

Mary, North Dakota

Dear Mary:

I have had some reports that vitamin D cured acne but frankly, I didn’t believe them.  Then I ran across this 1938 paper.  You can read the entire paper yourself and see what 5,000 to 14,000 IU per day did for these patients with severe acne.  When I was a kid, I always wondered why my pimples got better in the summer and worse in the winter.

Here’s the link to the 1938 study:

Maynard MT. Vitamin D in Acne: A Comparison with X-Ray Treatment. Cal West Med. 1938 Aug;49(2):127-32.

Of the 132 acne patients he studied, 28% were “much better” at three months.  47% were “healed at three months.”

Here is the doctor’s summary:

I believe I may say that at no time in my dermatological experience have I felt such complete satisfaction with a treatment as I have with the cases of this series. I know that vitamin D is an imperfect weapon to slay this disfiguring disease, but it undoubtedly gives one a feeling of being well defended. From the patients’ viewpoint, it has left little to be desired, as they find themselves improving, both in appearance and in general well-being. Many have expressed the sentiment, “Never felt better.”

I’d love to sell you a blue light for natural acne treatment, but I’d much rather if you did not need acne treatment at all.   Vitamin D3 is safe for all ages in the proper dosage, easy to get, and cheap.

Click here for Three Easy Ways to Test for Vitamin D Deficiency
Please visit the Vitamin D Council for recommended dosage.

hat was the headline on this MSNBC news article.

The rest of the article seemed to try to deflate the seriousness of the title, but it does discuss the links between vitamin D deficiency, heart disease and many types of cancer.

“The study’s lead author, Dr. Harald Dobnig of the Medical University of Graz in Austria, said the results don’t prove that low levels of vitamin D are harmful “but the evidence is just becoming overwhelming at this point.”

Scientists used to think that the only role of vitamin D was to prevent rickets and strengthen bones, Dobnig said.

“Now we are beginning to realize that there is much more into it,” he said.”

There IS much more to it. Vitamin D deficiency may also be linked to autism, osteoporosis, hypertension, autoimmune diseases, depression, diabetes, chronic fatigue, chronic pain, and mental illness.

Please visit the Vitamin D Council website to learn more about how vitamin D relates specifically to the above mentioned diseases/disorders, and how to get the vitamin D you and your family need for optimal health.

Sorry, but I moved this page to my other website at IntelligentAcneTreatment.com
Please click here to view it over there. Thanks!

Since a number of our initial clients have come over from Sci\ART Global, LLC, this seems like an appropriate first post.

If you’re wondering why this business exists and where it all started, you’ve got to know just a little about my wife, Louanna, the heart and soul of Light Therapy Options.  Since 2000, she has been working with her mother, Kathryn Kalisz, starting Sci\ART and helping it grow.  More than that, however, Louanna grew up Kathryn’s daughter, and from those early years, she’s learned her mother’s passions.

See, Kathryn is a world class color expert. She’s one of only a handful of people who can complete the Munsell color test by eye, with 100% accuracy. Much of the work that Kathryn and other members of the Munsell team did contributed directly to the color-matching systems and software used today.  Ever get your paint matched by computer at the local hardware store? Then you know what I’m talking about.  Anyway, Kathryn has spent the better part of her life exploring color and its physical and mental effects on the human being.  A natural outgrowth of color was light, and within the first year of Sci\ART’s infancy they began offering colored lighting for the purpose of light therapy.

During these first years of Sci\ART, they came across the news that 415 nanometer blue light kills acne.  After more research, they chose to include acne treatment as a benefit of the GE Dichromatic blue flood lamps.  Since the GE lamps were broad spectrum, they certainly included 415 nm blue light, and based on the rate of returns, it appeared that the GE bulbs experienced the same (or even a bit better) rate of success than the reported 85% that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved systems encountered.

While the BLUE LIGHT TREATMENT PROCESS is approved by the FDA, it should be noted that at the time of this writing, with the exception of the Clear Light, Blue-U and Omnilux solutions, currently sold only to medical professionals, only a select few home solutions that we are aware of are FDA approved.  For most of us, we’re simply offering an alternative that may or may not work for you, using the same types of tools that the FDA approved system uses, but in the comfort of your own home and for a fraction of the cost of paying for weekly doctor visits.  Please, DO NOT BE FOOLED by vendors who claim their system is FDA approved.  Thoroughly check it out first.

As we said, the GE lights were obviously not ideal.  At 150W, they were hot, they used a LOT of energy, and they required a light fixture rated for a 150W light bulb.  Worst of all,  many felt that a lot of the energy was wasted on producing light that wasn’t 415 nm.  While we don’t think it was wasted, that really is the subject of a future post.

Because the GE lamps just weren’t optimal, Louanna began looking for a way to get hold of 415 nm bulbs.  She specifically wanted LEDs if she should could get them, since they were cool, used far less energy, and the lights would be more durable and last a lot longer.  At first, she looked to see if there was anything they could buy off the shelf, but there just wasn’t anything.  Next, she began looking to have them manufactured specifically for us.  It was at this point that she came across enLux Lighting.  Of all the LED manufacturers she found, she felt most impressed by them and a relationship was started.  Our first 415nm enLux lamps shipped in March of 2007.

In the summer of 2007, Kathryn decided to return to Florida and the bulk of the day-to-day operations of Sci\ART went with her.  Kathryn also decided to refocus her business on color therapy and several light therapies took at back seat.  Included in these was the Acne 415 business.  However, Louanna felt that the acne light therapy business had grown to the point of needing it’s own website, sales & fulfillment, and so in the fall she struck a deal with her mom and bought the Blue Light acne business from Sci\ART. A month later, Light Therapy Options was born, and its first endeavor, IntelligentAcneTreatment.com launched.

Since then we’ve continued to move forward. We’ve talked to our customers freely and openly, and in return, they’ve talked to us.  We’re learning from each other as we move forward, listening to the successes of others, all of the various ways that they’ve used their lights, and are passing that information forward to you.  We welcome you to keep checking this site and this blog, whether you’ve purchased our lights or someone else’s, so that we can all continue learning together.

- Chris & Louanna