No sun—no moon!

No morn-no noon

No dawn-no dusk—no proper time of day.

No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,

No comfortable feel in any member-

No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,

No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds!-

November!





My coat is buttoned right up to my neck and my striped wool scarf is waving frantically in the wind as I rush to my car. I can't get inside it fast enough and home is looking more appealing than ever as I anticipate that warmth of hibernation within those familiar walls. While driving through the windswept streets, I notice the forlorn state of all the trees as they hang onto the last vestiges of leaves before they stand stripped for winter.

Once more, with each passing year, those November doldrums creep silently in as autumn begins its departure.

Is it an attitude or solely a true weather change that incites our saddened emotional state? Once the clocks move back an hour and darkness envelops at an earlier time, a mood of depression does affect many individuals. The need to indulge in outdoor activities subsides as the change in temperature and lack of daylight hours become more difficult to endure. There is less of an inclination to venture out in the evenings and luckily television's new season commences with a vengeance in September to keep everyone occupied inside. But this miserable feeling to escape the cold and a reoccurring melancholy for many may not just be simply a symptom of winter. There could be a medical explanation known as SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder which is a recognized winter depression that affects an estimated half a million of individuals between September and April. The true focal months of SAD usually occur in the heart of winter during December, January and February.

SAD is related to changes in the amount of daylight during different times of the year and was first detected in 1845 but it was not named until the late 1900s. Due to the fact that sunlight affects the seasonal activities of animals such as reproduction and hibernation, SAD may be an effect of this seasonal light variation in humans. As the season change, our biological internal clocks or circadian rhythms react to these changes in the sunlight patterns. This disease is more common in younger people and woman and research has shown that the cause of this disorder may be due to a certain hormone called Melatonin. This sleep-related hormone is secreted by the pineal

gland in the brain and is much more active during the increased levels of darkness. Therefore, when the days are shorter and darker, the production of this hormone increases. SAD symptoms in an individual include this depression state where there is a noticeable increase in the amount of sleep, eating and weight gain in that person during the winter months. All these dissipate during the spring and summer months when there is more daylight.

To assist and alleviate the mood of this depression a method known as phototherapy, or bright light therapy, has proven to decrease the brain's secretion of melatonin. The research on this type of antidepressant treatment is inconclusive even though people do respond to it. The device that is utilized is a bank of white fluorescent lights on a metal reflector and shield with a plastic screen. Milder symptoms may be treated just by spending time outdoors or arranging homes and workplaces to receive more sunlight. Antidepressants are also available but the possibility of side effects must be considered.

To shed some necessary brightness onto the month of November, there are many memorable events that take place that many people are not aware of. November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month and this national campaign is dedicated to increasing the knowledge concerning lung cancer issues. This month is also committed to other special events such as Remembrance Day, National Epilepsy Month, National Adoption Month, and American Thanksgiving and it is also that time that revs us up in anticipation of Christmas.

So when November stakes it place at the finale of the year, we shouldn't dread its arrival, but we should envision it as awakening to new seasonal beginnings and alertness to issues worth contemplating. It becomes an opportune time to adjust to the mindset of what to take pleasure in during December and also a wonderful opportunity to prepare for the joyous beauty of our winter. How we feel is truly all about a positive perspective, and it is time that November was painted in its own special light.