Participants: Curtis & Paula Eakins
Series Code: AL
Program Code: AL00173A
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00:01 I dread the winter months.
00:03 I just don't feel like myself, 00:05 it feels like I'm in hibernation. 00:07 Well, if that's your case you could be 00:09 experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder, 00:13 SAD. If that's the case this program is just for 00:16 you entitled, Don't Be Sad, we'll be right back. 00:48 Hi, welcome to Abundant Living, 00:49 this is Curtis Eakins and this is my beautiful 00:53 bride of over ten years. Your name? 00:57 Paula Eakins. Okay, I just wanna hear you, 00:59 well I want you to say your. 01:01 I thought you gonna change it all up. 01:02 Well I'll just change it up every now and then, 01:04 just to keep you honest. 01:05 You doing pretty good today, honey. 01:07 Well I'm doing wonderful. 01:08 You're looking pretty good too by the way. 01:09 Thank you, thank you. You're welcome. 01:11 Sad. I want to give you compliments. 01:12 Okay. Yeah I'm not finished, 01:14 lets before we go into this I just wanted to give 01:15 you some compliments you are looking 01:17 very good today. Thank you. 01:18 Okay, now you may go with your suggestions 01:21 or statements. Okay, stay focused baby, 01:27 stay focused. I wanna stay focused. 01:28 Okay. Because you're talking about SAD 01:30 and its you know you were saying you were sad 01:32 as you open the program. That's true. 01:34 And I'm sure, but you know this program 01:36 is also not only for those who might be 01:38 experiencing it, but also for all of us 01:41 who are even listening in because we very well 01:43 could be in this situation and not really 01:45 know we're in it, yeah, you know. 01:46 And again this is part of a series of 01:49 Mental Health Series and we've been talking 01:52 about over the last several weeks about 01:54 depression and Dysthymia and didn't mention 01:58 Bi-polar that's another part of it, 01:59 we didn't cover that. Well that's an alternative. 02:02 Yeah, alternatives to drugs. 02:04 If drugs just not doing their job effectively 02:07 as most people will like them to do. 02:09 And of course with the side affects as well. 02:11 We gave some alternatives for that 02:13 and also about the fresh air and other things 02:17 that we can lift our spirit and to improve 02:20 our mental wellness, so today's topic is SAD 02:25 Seasonal Affective Disorder and we want you out 02:29 there if you are experiencing this 02:32 don't be sad. Don't be sad. 02:34 Don't be sad. Oh what exactly is SAD? 02:38 Well I said before seasonal, 02:39 it's seasonal affective disorder, 02:43 so the first word gives you a clue. 02:45 SAD is, and let me just draw a parallel 02:48 here because we have been talking about 02:49 depression over last several weeks. 02:52 As far as depression and SAD is concerned. 02:54 Depression is a set of symptoms where both cases 02:59 there is a low serotonin level 03:00 and we talked about this in earlier programs 03:02 with the low serotonin levels of course 03:05 we have more of a depressed mood, 03:07 that's the mood hormone serotonin. 03:10 So with depression you have that low serotonin 03:13 level in the system. With SAD you also have low 03:17 serotonin levels as well, but with SAD 03:20 you also have cravings of Carbohydrates 03:25 something that you normally don't get 03:27 with being depressed or being clinically 03:29 depressed. Another thing that's different between 03:32 depression and SAD is that depression 03:34 is actually diagnosed if you are depressed 03:38 over a period of, lets say several weeks, 03:41 alright. And have those symptoms of, 03:44 we called these before of mood and nervousness, 03:48 anxiety, irritability, fatigue, weight gain or 03:53 weight loss and those kind of things filling 03:56 sorry or hopelessness, but now SAD is where 04:01 you can be diagnosed if you're experiencing 04:04 this condition two consecutive years during 04:09 the winter months. Usually between October, 04:13 November to March and April, so it's seasonal. 04:19 Okay, seasonal with SAD, depression is year long. 04:23 Now in the summer time those who are experience 04:25 the SAD in the winter months, 04:27 in the summer time the people are themselves. 04:30 So you see the difference between the two alright. 04:32 And so many things that we talk about 04:34 in depression can also help those individuals 04:38 who also help SAD as well. 04:40 Now of course we're gonna be mentioning 04:41 the word SAD, but that's the acronym for 04:43 seasonal affective disorder, so when 04:46 we say SAD that's what we're talking about. 04:48 Absolutely okay, well I guess the question, 04:50 because you kind of answered that already 04:52 about you know how it's different from depression. 04:54 Right. Okay. So I guess then what actually 04:56 causes it, is the seasons themselves like 04:59 you said the winter months is when you're 05:01 more likely to experience that as well. 05:04 Well and let me don't tell them that too 05:06 and that's true the winter months. 05:07 And not just be in the winters months. 05:10 Okay. But again what causes SAD is that 05:13 there is a deprivation of Sunlight. 05:19 Alright, of course in a 24 hour period of course 05:23 the shortest day in a month or the year 05:24 is what December 21st or somewhere around 05:28 there where it's the shortest day with that 05:29 you have the shorter amount of Sunlight 05:33 exposure on the earth, so again with that in mind 05:36 you have more people are prone to that. 05:39 And so also, its also tend to be hereditary. 05:42 It normally runs in families. 05:45 It's genetic disposition of those who are sad 05:48 and so sometimes the brother, mother, sister, 05:51 cousin whatever, so there is a geneditary, 05:55 hereditary I should say, link to being SAD as well. 05:59 Also the further you live away from the Equator, 06:03 of course there is a higher risk of being SAD, 06:07 so Floridians have a one percent risk of being sad. 06:13 Okay. People who live in Alaska is 10 percent, 06:17 that seems to reason. So again Sunlight 06:20 is the main culprit of not getting enough 06:22 Sunlight exposure. Now a lot of people do not get 06:26 enough Sunlight exposure wherever you live, 06:28 but these people who are sad, called SAD. 06:32 There is a more profound affect on those 06:35 individuals then somebody else. 06:37 And so it's affecting quite a bit of the 06:40 population. Depression affects about 06:43 approximately 20 million. SAD affects 06:46 about 10 million. Wow! Now when you throw 06:48 in the winter blues, which is a less serious 06:54 disease of SAD, the winter blues, 06:56 that affects about 25 percent of the population. 07:00 So you put those together SAD and winter blues 07:03 you're looking over 30 percent of the population. 07:06 So who's actually at higher risk then again? 07:08 Well again like I said before those who live 07:11 close to the equator are at lower risk 07:14 but those who live further away or 07:15 in Northern areas have a higher risk. 07:18 Also women, now we mentioned this before 07:21 in depression women have a higher risk of 07:24 being SAD as well two or four times of the men. 07:27 Also one other thing I like to mention too, 07:30 those who work third shift. Oh! Shift work, 07:35 now of course based on what we just said 07:37 you can understand why shift workers 07:41 have a higher risk of SAD, because again while 07:46 the Sun is up they're sleeping. 07:49 When the Sun is down they're at work 07:52 or they awake. So that's why shift workers 07:56 and it really throws off our Circadian Rhythm, 07:59 right, because our body is on a 24 hour cycle. 08:02 So I remember one time I worked in place 08:06 of a guy who at the hospital 08:08 and he worked third shift. 08:10 I worked first shift and he is a friend of mine, 08:12 so he went on vacation, he said Curtis do you mind 08:14 taking my place at the hospital third shift 08:17 I said no problem. I worked his third shift 08:20 from 11 to 7. I tell you what, 08:24 folks it took me two days to get my body 08:28 back in sync again and I said I love you 08:31 as a friend, but don't ask me anymore alright, 08:34 so shift workers have a higher rate of SAD as well. 08:39 I'm gonna tell you I worked in a 11 to 7 shift. 08:44 Oh the graveyard shift. And it was one of my 08:46 first jobs, okay, and I want you to know 08:48 I was absolutely exhausted. Wiped out. 08:52 It was like when I would go to 08:54 work at night I would have to make sure 08:56 I went to bed early, okay, so that I would 08:58 not be sleeping on the job. 08:59 And then when I would get to go home, 09:02 I would get on the bus to travel back 09:04 to my house and I'm telling you I was 09:06 absolutely worn out. Everybody just looked 09:07 totally different. I had to get off that shift 09:09 and I think I was on there for at least about 09:12 a year or so. Yes. And I'm telling you a year 09:15 was a lot. Okay. Oh that whole year 09:18 I was just absolutely no good. 09:20 And that shift worked you, the graveyard shift. 09:23 I watched the people as they, 09:25 I would go to work and when I came back home, 09:27 they were going to work and after a year 09:31 and half I was absolutely through. 09:33 That was it, it through you off the biological 09:35 clock and you know and of course those people 09:38 who do work the third graveyard shift. 09:40 Third shift there is always usually more 09:43 income of course, but you know you have 09:45 to weight the benefits versus the risk 09:47 and to one's health personally 09:50 I choose not to, but I did that for a friend 09:53 but that was the last time. 09:55 Well I have heard about this, 09:57 a word called the Third Eye. Tell us about that. 10:00 The third eye, okay now this is interesting 10:02 the third eye. Let me go into a little bit about 10:04 anatomy physiology on a 24 hour period. 10:07 And that way people can understand 10:08 what's going on here. In the morning time 10:13 the Sun comes up, when the light strikes 10:17 the eye it goes through and passes 10:21 the hypothalamus gland. This is our biological 10:24 clock. Okay. And it goes deep into a smaller gland, 10:28 the size of a pea inside the brain between 10:31 the two hemispheres called the pineal 10:34 gland alright. Now this gland has the highest 10:38 concentration of serotonin. 10:42 We talked about that in the past weeks 10:44 this is the good mood hormone that's released. 10:48 And with that in mind when the light strikes 10:51 the eye and goes back to the pineal gland 10:55 then it releases serotonin helps us 10:58 awaken from our sleep. Now this reaches 11:02 it's peak around 4 O'clock in afternoon 11:04 give or take, depending on where you live. 11:07 When the Sun goes down, then there is less light, 11:11 more darkness, therefore this pineal gland 11:15 releases melatonin it lowers the body's 11:19 temperature and helps us to fall asleep. 11:23 So therefore the pineal gland also what it does 11:27 is when it sees light, when it sees darkness 11:34 it responds accordingly whether we are more alert 11:39 or whether we are sleepy, 11:41 that's why the pineal gland is called 11:43 the Third Eye. It's very interesting, 11:47 so with that in my mind. I think that's why honey, 11:51 in on a bright sunny day we feel great and happy. 11:58 But as the song writer says rainy days 12:01 and Mondays always get me down. 12:05 Where as not so much, well sometimes the 12:08 Monday because we don't want to go to work, 12:09 but the rain, because of the clouds, 12:11 so there is less Sunlight, so it tends to reason 12:13 that, that's why its called the third eye. 12:16 You know you are talking about anatomy 12:17 physiology and on the serotonin level 12:19 and all the different things that are created. 12:21 This is a God thing, I mean you know he though 12:23 of every single thing. It really is yes. 12:26 You know, so I guess some of the questions 12:30 someone might ask is that, what are some of the solutions then. 12:33 Okay yeah some solutions now again the SAD, 12:38 Seasonal Affective Disorder, is the true 12:41 form of depression, but now there is 12:44 something else that's called the winter blues, 12:47 it's a less serious Sad disease the 12:51 winter blues. And for those individuals 12:53 what may need to be done is simply take 12:57 longer walks outdoors to get more light 13:01 into the system and or folks open up those 13:07 shades pull back those curtains and let more 13:10 light enter into the home. 13:13 Now for a lot of people that's all needs to be 13:16 done during the winter months from 13:18 October to March give or take alright. 13:21 So that's some of the solutions that people 13:23 can get. Now go to quickly the God's word 13:26 I think you have a text or so and lets talk about 13:30 God's word and have to say about Sunlight. 13:31 As you began talking about the chemistry 13:33 of the Bible and what, 13:35 I mean the chemistry of the, anatomy of the body 13:37 and what God has done. 13:38 I mean what he has done, he thought of every 13:40 single thing, yes, to put us to sleep to wake us 13:42 up you know. I just thought about one of the 13:45 scriptures that came in my mind was 13:46 Malachi 4:2. Oh yes. And it says that, 13:49 the son of righteousness shall arise with healing 13:53 in it's wings. Oh yes. And that's two ways 13:56 you can look at that Curtis. 13:57 Number one is that you know every single 14:00 morning that we wake up, do you know that 14:05 God whispers our name. As a matter of fact 14:09 if he does not whisper our name in the morning 14:11 we will not wake up. That's right. 14:13 So everyday he says Ann, wake up. 14:16 Time to wake up. Paula, wake up 14:19 and I thought guys in there too. Curtis, 14:22 wake up. I'm glad you mentioned that. 14:24 And so sometimes we get up in the morning 14:26 you know and we're like oh another day 14:27 and we just start that mood going. 14:29 I'm not gonna get into that, 14:30 because we're gonna go into that about positive 14:32 thinking and what happens but. 14:33 You're right. Everyday we wake up is a gift 14:36 from God. Yes, it is. A gift. Yes. 14:38 You know an opportunity for us just to move, 14:40 so I say you wanna get the Sun on you. 14:44 Alright. And the son of God in you. 14:47 Alright now work it girl, work it. 14:49 Don't get me preaching. Alright now, don't get me 14:52 preaching, don't get me preaching, 14:53 okay lets just giving me some offering 14:55 you keep that up. What does the Bible, 14:56 what else the Bible. As you were talking about 14:58 that I have another test and again based 15:00 on what we just talked about folks. 15:01 We're talking about the Sunlight now again. 15:04 Yes. When the Sunlight strikes the eye 15:06 you don't have to look directly in the Sun, 15:08 when there is light, Sunlight it strikes the 15:11 optic nerve goes back to the hypothalamus gland 15:14 which is our biological clock and goes deep into 15:17 the pineal gland. Some terms, 15:21 we're getting mixed up here, 15:22 but the pineal gland and that releases the 15:24 serotonin or melatonin. Melatonin is called 15:27 the Hormone of Darkness, based on what that 15:29 has been said there in Anatomy Physiology. 15:32 I wanna read something to you from, 15:34 and these two texts are easy to remember. 15:37 One is Ecclesiastes 7:11 and another one is 15:42 Ecclesiastes 11:7. 7:11, 11:7. 15:48 Let's go to the 7:11 first. 15:49 Listen to these words based on what 15:51 we just said now. Wisdom is good with an 15:55 inheritance, and by it there is profit to them 16:01 that see the Sun. That's Sun, see the Sun. 16:06 So the Bible says there is profit for those 16:09 who actually see the Sun. Wow! 16:12 Well we just talked about that profit. 16:15 Now lets go to Ecclesiastes 11 16:17 and verse 7, listen to these words. 16:20 Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing 16:27 it is for the eyes to behold the Sun. 16:32 Now one says that there is a profit for those 16:35 who see the Sun. Another text says 16:38 it is the pleasant thing for the eyes to behold 16:41 the Sun. Therefore that's very good 16:44 as far as that's concerned. 16:45 I think the word of God, Solomon the wise man 16:47 was talking about I don't know if they have 16:49 seasonal affective disorder back then, 16:52 but the point of it is that God has provided 16:55 the greatest light to rule the day 16:57 and it has a profound affect on our 17:00 mental wellness. With that in mind quickly 17:03 let me go to our first graphic lets see what 17:05 this inspired writer has to say about the 17:07 Sun as well, lets go to our next graphic. 17:11 And it says Let There Be Light and the author 17:15 says this quote. "The Sun carries healing 17:18 in its beams. Sunlight soothes, cheers, 17:23 and makes us joyous and healthy." 17:26 Very profound statement. This author also says 17:29 honey that Sunlight is one of nature's most 17:32 healing agents, so the power of Sunlight. 17:36 What if Sunlight is not enough? 17:39 Well again talking about seasonal affective 17:42 disorder where there is very little Sunlight 17:44 during the winter months so sometimes 17:46 for a lot of people Sunlight is just 17:49 not enough, if they have a severe case of SAD. 17:51 Let's go to our last graphic and this is what 17:54 people can do, going to this website 17:56 and give them some information about 17:58 that as well. Artificial Sunlight, 18:01 this is the Circadian Lighting Association 18:05 and there is a website there, people would 18:07 jot that down claorg.org. 18:13 This is an association for those who are 18:16 experiencing SAD, SAD and you can order even 18:20 a light box, they have visors you can put 18:23 on your head as glasses, 18:25 so that in the winter time, 18:27 for those who have severe cases of Sunlight 18:29 or severe cases of SAD I should say, 18:32 they can order products from this organization 18:34 to help those individuals to move 18:36 through the winter months. 18:38 Well, lots of ways to get that Sun in you, 18:43 on you and speaking of brightness and color, 18:47 wait until we go into the kitchen. 18:49 We are going to be doing a green bean 18:51 and tomato skillet, kind of an combination 18:57 of orange greens and blacks 19:00 and you just wait and see, get your paper 19:03 and pencil, meet us in the kitchen. |
Revised 2014-12-17