The LiteBook Elite

If you're a regular reader, or a friend of mine, then you know that I suffer in the wintertime here in Vancouver. The serious lack of sunshine does a number on me, and I have a really hard time staying positive. For a few years, I tried to wish it away, but I've finally found some relief in just admitting it – I get depressed in the winter. It sucks. But it's not a character failing; it's actually largely chemical thing.

So last year I bought a Litebook, and blogged about it. Then, a couple of months back, I was contacted by the president of the Litebook company. He was going to be in town from Calgary for a few days and wanted to meet for coffee to talk about the new model they had just released.

So we met up one day for an hour or so, and shared our stories of Seasonal Affective Disorder. He told me how he had first tried out light therapy in the very early days of its promotion as a treatment, when it was largely considered quackery, and how it had been the only thing that helped him. The lights they used back then, though, were big, awkward, and entirely not portable. He decided to try and find a way to produce something small and light and easy to use. The rest is history, to use a cliche, and thus the Litebook was born, using special LED technology to simulate the two peak wavelengths of sunlight.

I was already a believer, having experienced first-hand that I felt better when I used my Litebook on grey days and in the dark months (though there is a lot of research, if you're interested). So when Larry asked if I'd like to test-drive their new Elite model, in exchange for writing about it (writing whatever I wanted), I agreed, of course!

The New Elite Model

We talked a bit about what makes the new model different from the previous one. For one, they took their production out of Canada, which allowed them to drop the price by $100. I asked about their factory conditions, and was assured that they meet rigorous standards. It's always a trade-off, I guess, and I am glad that they are able to offer it cheaper, even if I did like the fact that they were produced in Canada. They also made some design changes, which should be pretty obvious if you compare the older model (still available online) to the new. The new ones are much "hipper" looking, and use less lights but are brighter, thanks to some sort of reflective technology.

So I'm finally sitting down to write about the new model, now that I've been using it for a few months. And the verdict? Well, it took a while to get used to it. I wasn't sure I preferred it over the old model. To start with, it's *very* bright, and takes some getting used to. Also, because of the way the fewer lights are reflected, I find that there is a pretty narrow beam of light that you need to position your face in. That is, you can't move your head around much, once you've got the light positioned correctly to shine into your eyes at a 45 degree angle. A few inches, and you're out of the bright part of the beam, which isn't what you want. You gotta get it right in your eyes and pretend it's a gorgeous sunny day and you're in Hawaii. (Okay, you don't have to do that. It still works even without the pretending part.)

I have also found that the angle it's at, when placed on a table, isn't quite right for me. I have to prop it up on a book, or slouch a lot, to get the beam in my eyes. This is a minor point, though, as I guess it would be impossible to get the right angle for people of all heights!

Other than that, it's pretty great. Portable, the battery has a decent life, and you can set it to go for either 15, 30, 45 or 60 minutes. (I have it set for 15, as a minimum, and then if I feel like I have time I just turn it on again for another 15. Especially if it's a really crappy rainy day outside.)

BUT DOES IT WORK??

I believe so, yes. It's hard to explain, and hard to quantify, obviously. But I definitely feel better when I use it than when I don't. Recently, as the days have been getting a bit longer, I started to think maybe I didn't need it, and stopped being very diligent about using it (it does require that you make the time in the morning, and that can be hard, especially when your SAD is making you not a morning person!). But it quickly became apparent that I had quit too soon, as after a full week of greyness and no Litebook, I found myself feeling despondent. I just felt plain crappy, sad, empty, and kind of hopeless. A wise friend asked me if I'd been using it, and I admitted I hadn't. So I started again, and two days later, after using it for 15 - 30 minutes each morning, I felt like a different person.

It's not that everything gets all sunny and rosy and suddenly all is right in the world. No, I wish it were that simple, but it's not. But I find I do have much more equanimity when I've been using it. I can look at my life with much more perspective, and I don't get lost in the downward spiral of wanting to crawl under my desk and cry. Which is good!

IN CONCLUSION...

If you've made it this far, I'm impressed. And if you've kept reading this far because you, too, feel inexplicably shitty in the winter months, then maybe you should try the Litebook. I'd highly recommend looking through the information on their website to see if your symptoms match the ones listed. It claims to be helpful for other conditions besides SAD – and in fact, I was told that studies have found it to be as effective as Prozac for many people with depression.

Many people I talk to express concern at the $200 price tag. Yes, it seems like a lot for a plastic box with some LED lights. However, I paid $300 for mine, and have not regretted it. Far cheaper than months of therapy, far less side effects than anti-depressant drugs, and really you can't put a price on your sanity for an entire season, especially if that season is 6 months long.

AND (I shouldn't have left this till the end), if you're reading this, then you're eligible for a 10% discount if you order online or by phone. Just use the code SP001.

And that, my friends, is all. I'm interested in hearing stories from other people who have tried the Litebook, and I'm happy to answer questions. May the bright light be with you.