HEALTH

alterna tag

Natural Cures
For Season
Disorder

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On-Site Digital X-Ray Technology
On-Site Stat Lab Facilities
On-Site CT Scanning and Ultrasound
Cardiac Stress Testing Available

Our most fundamental activity is the provision
of personal, timely and cost effective medical
care in a warm and friendly environment.

In addition to coughs, colds and infections
we commonly treat:

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Sprains • Strains • Fractures
Lacerations and Burns
Work, Auto and Sports Injuries
Eye Injuries

DR. VIEDER, medical director
at Lakes Urgent Care says
"Lakes Urgent Care was
created to provide patients
with a cost-effective, timely
alternative when they seek
quality medical care and
are unable to see their own
primary care physician."

www.lakesurgentcare.com

LAKES MEDICAL CENTER

2300 Haggerty Road Suite 1010 I West Bloomfield, MI 48323

(On Haggerty Road AO North of Meijer)

248-926-9111

Mon.-Fri. 5 pm-10 pm • Sat., Sun. & Holidays: 10 am - 6 pm
(Internal Medicine & Primary Care Physicians from 8:30 am - pm)
Most health insurances accepted and MCNisa accepted

s the dark nights and
short days of winter
are upon us, it is not
uncommon to feel more
tired, lower energy and a desire to
stay inside a
warm house
and cozy
up with a
good book.
For many
of us, this
is a passing
experience
that can be
cured by a
weekend
Julie Silver
getaway or
Columnist
a few sunny
days.
However, for some, these symp-
toms can be indicative of a form of
depression called Season Affective
Disorder. According to the Web
site familydoctor.org , as many as
500,000 people have SAD. It is not
surprising that SAD is more com-
mon in the northern part of the
country. Symptoms of winter-onset
Seasonal Affective Disorder include:
loss of energy, depression, anxiety,
oversleeping, changes in appetite
and difficulty concentrating.
Shorter days and longer nights
can cause an increase in melato-
nin, a hormone that helps us to
sleep. Melatonin's main function
is to induce sleep by traveling
through the bloodstream during
our deepest sleep time. Typically,
melatonin secretion peaks in the
middle of the night. However,
according to a 1994 study by
the Russian Academy of Medical
Science, SAD patients had higher
daytime levels of melatonin during
the winter months.
Research has shown that tak-
ing melatonin supplements at 9-
10 p.m. to induce sleep will help
your sleep cycle shift back to nor-
mal and allow you to wake earlier
in the morning. In essence, mela-
tonin can help reset the body's
internal clock.
When we suffer from Seasonal
Affective Disorder, or winter
depression, we are missing the
exposure to natural light that we
enjoy with the longer days of sum-

NATURAL CURES on page 28

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December 31 . 2009

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