Part of me thinks that SAD, like so many other new-age maladies for which you can buy an easy fix-all remedy, is more marketing scheme than medical science.
^^^ Says the guy with the ironic username who probably doesn't want to kill himself every-single-February in Seattle for no apparent reason.
Look I get where you are coming from encouraging people to not fall prey to the Mumbo Jumbo, but there are many cases of high intensity phototherapy being used medically, from babies with bilirubin issues to people with skin conditions to treatment of seasonal depression. This isn't like coffee enemas or shaman-blessed jade sex eggs.
As you know, a Pac NW winter isn't like Maine, or Colorado winter. The light intensity can be basically nil for months at a time. Even if you get outside, you're not really "out in the sun." Some people, like me, love the feeling of the giant grey sky blanket. Others, including relatives of mine, have annual, predictable seasons of depression in winter and have found tremendous relief in therapeutic Vit D dosages and high-intensity light boxes.
Frankly, for many people the alternative to light box therapy is either moving to the South (often impractical) or prescription antidepressants. Both of these options are more expensive than phototherapy and and if there's anything that deserves a skeptical eye and extensive research, it's happiness-in-a-pill.
OP Will, I recommend you go find your friendly local "indoor sun / pot grow op" shop and walk in one dark, gloomy NW day. Spend ten minutes admiring the cacti and the "hydroponic grow set-up" type things. If after this you feel like someone just took a 60 pound backpack off your back and you think you might like to do some push-ups while working on the Sunday Times crossword (ie., invigorated), look at their lightbox type offerings. I'd personally skip the Costco offer until you've done more targeted research.
