Give Winter Blahs The Boot

As the too-short days and loooooong cold nights roll by, I find myself forgetting that there was ever a time I sat outside… in the sunshine... in a t-shirt… feeling happy! How do I battle the winter blues?

Djehuty Ma’at-Ra, Herbalist

For happy hormones, burn essential oils. Pine is an uplifting scent. So is orange and cloves. Read positive material. And listen to music that lifts your spirits — new age works for me. Enya, Deva Premal, Steven Halpern, and Snatam Kaur.

Kim Sullivan, Acupuncturist

I see a lot of people for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) in my practice. Acupuncture is beneficial to improve mood and increase energy. The key is to start treatments early — come once a week beginning in the fall. Acupuncture stimulates endorphins, which give us happy feelings. One reason we suffer from SAD is that the pineal glands respond to light. When light is low, the pineal glands secrete less serotonin, so you get drowsy in the winter. Acupuncture helps regulate that.

Jenefer Huntoon, Naturopathic Physician

If a person can structure his or her life to take a vacation in the winter months, and stay home in the summers, that makes sense. If not, a lot of people buy full spectrum lights. They’re easily available now at places like Costco. You can even buy full spectrum light bulbs and put them in lamps where you sit and read or where you spend a lot of time. And you can buy full spectrum fluorescent tubes. Some people get permission to put them in their office — they pay for the bulbs themselves. Or they bring in their own lamp. If you can, sit close to a window to be exposed to daylight.