It seems that we all feel some pangs of the winter blues. But SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) is an even more profound psychological condition that can really wreak havoc for some in the winter months. While this condition is not fully understood by doctors, it’s thought to be related to the amounts of melatonin and serotonin in your body.

If you feel like you’re feeling SAD or just seem to be in a bit of a cold weather funk, here are few practical steps you can take:

Phototherapy:

Research shows that more than 80 percent of those treated with bright light exposure experience relief from their SAD-related symptoms. People who were exposed to bright (10,000 lux) fluorescent light for at least 30 minutes per day showed improvement in two days to four weeks.

Recent studies suggest that SAD sufferers can receive the same benefits by walking outdoors for an hour a day. Even on overcast days, natural sunlight provides enough light to help alleviate symptoms.

Exercise:

Several studies at Duke University suggest that exercise plays a key role in recovery from depression as well as prevention of relapse. Since SAD responds to the same treatments that have been successful in relieving other types of depression, the results of these studies are relevant.

In one study, researchers found that patients who engaged in brisk exercise for 30 minutes three times weekly were just as likely to experience a decrease in their depressive symptoms as patients who were treated with medication only. Researchers then followed participants for another six months, and found that those who exercised were unlikely to experience a relapse. Only 8 percent of the exercisers became depressed again. Patients who exercised and took medication relapsed at the rate of 31 percent, and those who took medication had a 38 percent relapse rate.

If you don’t already exercise regularly, try incorporating a brisk 30-minute walk into your day three times each week. In addition to mitigating depressive symptoms, this level of activity contributes to overall physical well-being, especially cardiovascular health.

Sources of Steps: author Dawn Williams

This story has positive news elements to it, for sure. While we need to be moving away from fossil fuel, it’s still important to maximize the vehicle we have. Buying new cars only adds to the problem of having too many vehicles on our planet.

But this man made the most of his Saab. So much so that it now sits in a museum!

MILWAUKEE — As a traveling salesman, Peter Gilbert has put a few miles on his car — 1,001,385 miles, to be precise.

It took the Glendale, Wisc, man 17 years to cross the million mile mark with his 1989 Saab 900 SPG. He recently donated the durable vehicle to the Wisconsin Automotive Museum after Saab verified the mileage.

The transmission was rebuilt at 200,000 miles and the hood and a few other parts replaced after eight deer collisions, but otherwise it has original equipment.

Gilbert bought the Saab for $29,000. It was his treat after a divorce, and he took meticulous care of it. He used premium, synthetic oil in oil changes, changed the tires every 45,000 miles and strictly followed the maintenance schedule.

Source: MSNBC

Peter Gilbert (right) with mechanic and his “baby”

Foreclosed homes have been in the forefront of our economic woes, increasingly scattering the US landscape. But this organization is making sure houses don’t sit unoccupied while families desperately search for a place to live. It’s called illegal squatting by some. By according to Max Rameau, it’s a moral issue, not a legal one.

It’s an act of civil disobedience. Rameau feels that the federal government gave billions of dollars to the banks in exchange for the toxic assets - the homes. But that’s not what happened. The banks remained in possession of these homes and are doing nothing with them. Many of these homes remain unoccupied with little to no chance of selling in this market.

Max Rameau feels that this is a crime. He finds these empty homes, make sure they are safe and signs up for electricity, since electric companies will supply electricity, for the most part, regardless of the ownership.

He calls it the liberation of the home, in response to corruption of the bailout.

This is a video of this man’s work. Take the time to see one person’s response to the foreclosure situation:

http://takebacktheland.blogspot.com/2009/04/take-back-land-on-abc-world-news-04-12.html

New York Times piece:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/10/us/10squatter.html?_r=2&hp

We tend to think of careers in black or white. You’re either an accountant or a chef. Never the twain shall meet. One dream must make room for another. Not in this physicians case, who has figured out a way to conjoin a childhood dream with his medical profession:

Dr. Eric Roter has two personas: an emergency room doctor who tends to cardiac arrests and accident victims and a Juilliard-trained cellist who uses his instrument to help cure the medical conditions he treats. Dr. Eric Roter plays the cello to raise awareness about ankylosing spondylitis.

His usual introduction to patients at Ohio’s Kaiser Permanente’s Cleveland Heights Medical Center is, “Hi, I’m Dr. Roter, where does it hurt?”

But now, as holiday giving reaches its peak, Roter and his cello are featured in a series of YouTube videos — “Bach to Health” — designed to raise funds for some of the toughest diseases, from lupus to cancer.

Making his debut as a soloist at New York City’s Lincoln Center at age 17, Roter abandoned a promising music career to study medicine. While he was heartened by helping others, he also felt a “betrayal for leaving an art that was so near and dear to me.”

As a student in New York, he occasionally performed as a street musician and never forgot the charity of passersby who tossed donations in his cello case.

Today, at 46, he has perfected the solo suites by Johannes Sebastian Bach — “the heart of cello literature” — and dedicated each of the 36 movements to a national medical charity.

“People trust me with their lives in the ER,” said Roter. “Perhaps they would trust me if I taught them a bit about some of the medical conditions I treat. Perhaps I could inspire people to donate to some great health care charities.”

His medical colleague at the hospital, Dr. Aaron R. Smith, said Roter likes the flexibility of emergency room shift work so he can pursue his art.

Source: ABC News

The Pope Going Green

This kind of support means a broader base for the green movement. It also indicates the imperative nature of our ecological issues. When was the last time you heard a pope talk about the environment?

According to Reuters:

Pope Benedict used his traditional New Year address on Friday to call on people to change their lifestyles to save the planet, saying environmental responsibility was essential for global peace.

Recalling that world leaders had gathered in Copenhagen last month for the U.N. climate conference, the pope said action at a personal and community level was just as important to safeguard the environment.

“Nevertheless, in this moment, I would like to underline the importance of the choices of individuals, families and local administrations in preserving the environment,” the Pope told the thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

“An objective shared by all, an indispensable condition for peace, is that of overseeing the earth’s natural resources with justice and wisdom.”

Remember, those choices are made by people like you and I, every day. One of the BIGGEST things you can do, obviously, is lessen the use of your vehicle. Or make sure its as fuel efficient as possible.

Of course, it only starts there. In the next FIVE minutes, there are choices you make that affect the environment - a light that could be turned off, your refrigerator running at high speed, the water leaking in the bathroom, the use of paper products (stop using so many paper towels! They do grow on trees!) If you can’t ride your bike to work, what is the next step?

Make it something. The Pope just decreed it!

(FYI - The NRDC estimates that if every household in the United States used one less roll of paper towels, we could save 544,000 trees.)

Sometimes it doesn’t take much to start a positive chain reaction. Take this example in a Philadelphia diner where one couple anonymously paid for another table’s bill:

“It was magical. I had tears in my eyes because it never happened before. I’ve been here for 10 years, and I’ve never seen anything like that,” said Lynn Willard, a waitress.

Willard and other waitresses told NBC Philadelphia that the couple started the chain reaction by paying double: for their own meal and for the tab of another table of diners at the restaurant. There’s no evidence that one group of diners knew the others.

“I could not believe it. And it continued and continued — it was very nice,” said Willard. “They asked us not to say anything until they left, say, ‘Merry Christmas, that person picked up your check.’”

For the next five hours, dozens of patrons got into that same holiday spirit and paid the favor forward.

The diner’s manager said not one person was concerned about price of the check — which ran between $12 and $30.

“It was a surprise to all of us; the girls were even taken aback,” said the diner’s manager. “Those who took the check also tipped the waitress. So nobody had to do anything other than pass it on, and that’s what they did. They just passed it forward.”

It’s a true holiday story that proves how a small gesture of kindness can create some magic.