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Article: Light therapy
- Article from:
- Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Light therapy
Definition
Light therapy refers to two different categories of treatment, one used in mainstream medical practice and the other in alternative/complementary medicine. Mainstream light therapy (also called phototherapy) includes the use of ultraviolet light to treat psoriasis and other skin disorders, and the use of full-spectrum or bright light to treat
seasonal affective disorder
(SAD). Light therapy for SAD was first introduced in the 1980s and is now a widely approved form of treatment for the disorder.
Light therapy in alternative or complementary approaches includes such techniques as the use of colored light or colored gemstones directed at or applied to various ...