CALGARY – The snow may help some get into the Christmas spirit but for others it’s the start of months of winter blues.
Seasonal affective disorder causes depression in up to one third of Albertans. Light therapy can usually lift moods but a new treatment method claims it can do the same for much less.
Used two times a week, Premasai Spa claims 35 minutes of vibrating sounds can cure depression caused by SAD.
“The condition is thought to be related to the disturbances of the circadian rhythms that can occur as the duration of the day and night shift moving into the fall and winter months,” says Tricia Felber, medical intuitive. “There’s a lot of low energy, depression. Using the bed can help alleviate all those systems.”
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Law student Georgia Pears is trying the new system. So far, she’s happy with the results.
“The noise that it makes almost feels like a heartbeat, like a pulse. It kind of lulls you into this really relaxing state.”
A red blood cell analysis before and after is meant to show an emotional transformation.
However, Dr. Scott Patton says the test isn’t proven and emotions aren’t evident in blood cells.
“The current belief is that there’s not reliable, biological indicators of depression.”
Dr. Patton says the science behind sound therapy may need some tuning, suggesting light therapy as a more reliable option.
“To my knowledge, there’s not been scientific studies and by that I mean controlled trials to evaluate the effectiveness, whereas light treatment has been studied in many controlled trials.”
Dr. Patton also says anti-depressants and cognitive therapy are effective tools in treating SAD.
The sound bed costs $95 a session compared to almost $300 for a therapeutic light. The sound bed at Permasai Spa is one of only three available in Canada.
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