light therapy

Swedish town introduces light therapy to bus shelters

In Umea, Sweden, the forecast for Thursday is partly cloudy with a 10 percent chance of precipitation and a high of 25 degrees Fahrenheit. As I write this in dark and damp Portland, Ore., Umea doesn't sound so bad.

But the city, located some 400 miles north of the already northern Swedish capital Stockholm, is for most of the day this time of year cloaked in darkness, with the sun rising at almost 9 a.m. and setting just after 2 p.m.

So the local energy company Umea Energi has begun installing phototherapy lamps in 30 bus shelters … Read more

Stroke survivors regain vision with new light therapy

May is National Stroke Awareness month, and Boca Raton, Fla.-based NovaVision is using the occasion to trumpet a successful new therapy for partial vision loss due to stroke.

According to NovaVision's statistics, stroke is a primary cause of serious long-term disability and often causes partial blindness due to neurological trauma and visual field loss. For example, a stroke victim might retain general sight, but lose their peripheral vision or even the ability to see if he or she moves eyes to the left or right. Until now, according to NovaVision research, the opinion amongst most physicians stated such … Read more

The 'SunSpa': Light therapy for the bipolar pet

Depression among household pets may be worse than originally believed.

We thought the issue was more isolated last month upon learning of the "Fauna Sauna"--its name doesn't exactly scream credibility--a device that uses radiant heat "to bring healing to your pet right in your home." But now it has competition in the "SunSpa," another product that claims to control mood swings by simulating sunlight "for a warm and soothing heaven for your pets," according to Luxurylaunches. We're not sure about that, but it does look considerably more comfy than … Read more

Gadgettes 71: The Indulge or Be Punished Episode

LED mirror isn't as bad as it sounds

LEDs are beginning to rival Swarovski crystals as overused (and unnecessary) accents for all manner of products--even handbags. They appear so often that we could even start a daily feature on them.

So for today's installment of Crave, The LED Edition, we be bring you into the home. The "Diamond Lite" mirror, from the UK's BC Designs, is a backlit, splash-proof accessory punctuated with small diamond-shaped LED clusters. But, unlike so the garish designs of so many other items we've seen, this one is actually done in a tasteful manner, as Gadget Candy says. Then … Read more