November 3, 2025 • 39 mins
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We share a joyful wedding recap and travel bits, then pivot to a clear guide on Seasonal Affective Disorder: what it is, who it affects, why it happens, and the tools that help. Practical and compassionate advice to steady mood, sleep, and energy through winter.
• defining Seasonal Affective Disorder and its seasonal pattern
• key symptoms including oversleeping and carb cravings
• distinguishing normal winter dips from functional impairment
• who is at higher risk and why geography matters
• biology of light, circadian rhythm, melatonin and serotonin
• evidence-based treatments including light therapy, CBT and medication
• practical routines for light exposure, activity and social connection
• when to seek help and how to prepare for a visit
You can email us at your checkuppod@gmail.com
You can look at our website to find all of our old episodes
References
1. Seasonal Affective Disorder: Common Questions and Answers. Galima SV, Vogel SR, Kowalski AW. American Family Physician. 2020;102(11):668-672.
2. Seasonal affective disorder. National Library of Medicine (MedlinePlus).
3. Seasonal Affective Disorder: An Overview. Magnusson A, Boivin D. Chronobiology International. 2003;20(2):189-207. doi:10.1081/cbi-120019310.
4. Seasonal Affective Disorder: A Clinical Update. Westrin A, Lam RW. Annals of Clinical Psychiatry : Official Journal of the American Academy of Clinical Psychiatrists. 2007 Oct-Dec;19(4):239-46. doi:10.1080/10401230701653476.
5. Seasonal Affective Disorders. Saeed SA, Bruce TJ. American Family Physician. 1998;57(6):1340-6, 1351-2.
6. Seasonal Affective Disorder. Kurlansik SL, Ibay AD. American Family Physician. 2012;86(11):1037-41.
7. Seasonal Sensitivity and Psychiatric Morbidity: Study About Seasonal Affective Disorder. Fonte A, Coutinho B. BMC Psychiatry. 2021;21(1):317. doi:10.1186/s12888-021-03313-z.
8. Melanopsin, Photosensitive Ganglion Cells, and Seasonal Affective Disorder. Roecklein KA, Wong PM, Miller MA, et al. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews. 2013;37(3):229-39. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2012.12.009.
9. Role of Serotonin in Seasonal Affective Disorder. Gupta A, Sharma PK, Garg VK, Singh AK, Mondal SC. European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences. 2013;17(1):49-55.
Production and Content: Edward Delesky, MD, DABOM & Nicole Aruffo, RN
Artwork Rebrand and Avatars:
Vantage Design Works (Vanessa Jones)
Website: https://www.vantagedesignworks.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vantagedesignworks?igsh=aHRuOW93dmxuOG9m&utm_source=qr
Original Artwork Concept: Olivia Pawlowski
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_02 (00:11):
Hi, welcome to your checkup.
We are the Patient EducationPodcast, where we bring
conversations from the doctor'soffice to your ears.
On this podcast, we try to bringmedicine closer to its patients.
I'm Ed Delesky, a familymedicine doctor in the
Philadelphia area.
And I'm Nicole Ruffel.
I'm a nurse.
And we are so excited you wereable to join us here again
(00:33):
today.
Tough to pick from all of thefun things that like we did in
Bali to talk about, buttimeliness, it's top of mind
that huge congratulations to, Imean, if anyone's a longtime
listener of the show, they knowthat one of our most loyal
listeners, Mike, who oftenlistens in his basement doing
basement things.
SPEAKER_00 (00:53):
Mike doing basement things.
SPEAKER_02 (00:54):
Um, so if anyone knows of this guy, know that he
got married this weekend to hiswife, Sam.
And we are so happy for them.
This was like an awesomewedding.
They're so easy to celebrate.
They're some of the kindestpeople.
They give of themselves so much,and it just they're they're
great people, really easy tocelebrate.
SPEAKER_00 (01:15):
Yeah, it was really fun.
No notes.
Food was great, vibes weregreat.
They looked great.
SPEAKER_02 (01:24):
They did.
SPEAKER_00 (01:25):
And I can confidently say it is better,
way better of a time to attend awedding as a guest.
SPEAKER_02 (01:34):
Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (01:35):
Than to be the couple getting married.
SPEAKER_02 (01:39):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (01:39):
I and I think not that you know we didn't have fun
at our wedding.
SPEAKER_02 (01:42):
We had a lot of fun.
We had a lot of fun at thewedding.
And it's different.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's like a very intense day.
And hold space for both things.
Totally.
Look at you.
All the the the hip lingo.
Yeah, it's like yeah, it was thebest day of my life, and it was
stressful and like intense.
SPEAKER_01 (02:03):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (02:04):
But this, like, you know, there were no like wedding
parties per se.
They had a best man and a maidof honor, but like no wedding
parties.
So you just show up as a guestand you just have a grand old
time.
It was close to home, which isgood.
Some of our friends really hadto travel.
Um, no, probably no more thantwo hours.
But we had an electric legendarytable.
(02:25):
That was awesome.
SPEAKER_00 (02:26):
Table nine was great.
SPEAKER_02 (02:28):
Table nine was awesome.
And look, I've gotten, I mean,if you guys listened last week,
you know, I was like dipping mytoe in like expressing myself by
making videos.
Now I'm like expressing myselfall over the place.
And I might have to reel it in alittle bit.
That was no pun intended.
SPEAKER_00 (02:44):
Never reel it in.
SPEAKER_02 (02:46):
You like them?
SPEAKER_00 (02:47):
I do.
They're so funny.
I look forward to them.
I mean, we got up this morningand I was like, oh my God, I
can't wait for your reel fromMike and Sam's wedding.
SPEAKER_02 (02:56):
I hope it met expectations.
I hope I'm not makingexpectations for myself.
You know, when I have free time,I'll do it because it's fun.
And like, I feel like you know,posting pictures with captions
is fun and nice, and you can doit that way, but I don't shut
up.
That's why we have this podcast.
That's why I make a video to dovoiceovers of the photos and
videos that we have.
So yeah, that one was a fun oneto make.
(03:18):
Um, poor Austin tore hishamstring, I think, while he was
busting a dance.
SPEAKER_00 (03:23):
He the two of them together, he and Addie are like
so funny.
SPEAKER_02 (03:29):
Oh, they they really are.
Yeah, they have such like a anenergy to them when they were on
the dance floor.
SPEAKER_00 (03:35):
They Addy's hilarious.
I think like honestly, if shewasn't like invited, like she
obviously was invited to ourwedding, but like she's one of
those people where like youwould like hire her to be a
guest just to like get the partygoing and like oh yeah, be like
electric on the dance floor.
SPEAKER_02 (03:53):
Her walk down the runway.
SPEAKER_00 (03:55):
Oh my god, it's so funny.
Yeah, it was not like it wasjust like so great.
SPEAKER_02 (04:02):
I'm so glad I got it on video.
It was like just her herposture, her pizzazz, just
everything.
SPEAKER_00 (04:09):
Yeah, the she's got the pizzazz.
SPEAKER_02 (04:11):
It was the pizzazz.
Austin is the pizzazz too, and adump truck.
But um, like the way he was ableto just like get on the ground,
he would like crouch down andbounce up and crouch down and
bounce up.
And you know, like he's a littlemeatier than that other guy who
was doing it, the other Mike atthe park.
Oh, yeah.
Um, he was doing it, but he waslike a like a pencil, he was
just like bouncing up and downlike a pencil on the ground.
(04:33):
But like Austin's more on like amarker, like one of those like
thick dry erase markers.
Thick, yeah, but handsome, butthick but handsome, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (04:45):
Not I think write it on his tombstone.
Thick but handsome.
SPEAKER_02 (04:50):
I might send this to him and let him know, like, hey,
we talked about you.
He's like been at the forefrontof my mind for the last like
three weeks.
Like, I don't see the guy allthat often, but now like I saw
him like a couple weeks beforethe wedding, saw him at the
wedding, see him a couple weeksafter the wedding.
Like, lots of Austin in my liferecently, and I'm not upset
about it.
Um yeah, oh um braised brisket,like they let you know, eight
(05:14):
hours braised brisket at the theevent.
Um, it was kind of like a go upand get your food buffet style.
That was delicious.
I loved that.
SPEAKER_00 (05:22):
I thought they were short, it was short ribs.
Is that the same thing?
Is it?
I don't know.
SPEAKER_02 (05:26):
We're not like meat and names really always kind of
get me.
Like we just figured out lastyear that like sirloin is the
name of a meat that we like.
SPEAKER_00 (05:35):
Well, I knew that.
SPEAKER_02 (05:37):
Well, yeah, there's a special school for people like
me.
Yeah.
Um no, well, I'm just figuringit out.
And short rib or what did I callit?
SPEAKER_00 (05:47):
Brisket.
SPEAKER_02 (05:48):
Brisket.
Like I'm not sure which one itwas.
It was delicious.
Maybe Mike can chime in here.
SPEAKER_00 (05:52):
Yeah, the food was great.
SPEAKER_02 (05:55):
I loved it.
And then like all of the peopleworking were great.
Uh, let's see.
The DJ was funny.
He had like three songs when hewas transitioning from dinner to
the um like the dance portion,and it was like the bride and
groom and their their bestpeople out there, or maybe her
sister and her boyfriend, andlike they were dancing out
(06:15):
there, and like I know Mike gotworried.
He was like, I really like Ithought he wasn't gonna pull
through.
No, it was so fun, but it was sofun, yeah.
And like there was plenty ofdancing time.
I think it was like two and ahalf hours of dancing time.
Like by the end, I was tuckeredout.
I was like a little like I waslike Ollie.
Your feet were really hurting.
When you say your feet arehurting, that probably meant
(06:38):
that like they were on firebecause you're tough.
SPEAKER_00 (06:41):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (06:42):
Like I got one little blister at our wedding,
and I was like, Oh, I'm I'm outfor a month.
I'm out.
SPEAKER_00 (06:48):
I'm still taking you up on your foot rub offer that
you oh yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (06:54):
So much around here, like so many wifely things.
Like clean the entire fridge,put our groceries away.
Yeah, you're getting a foot rub.
SPEAKER_00 (07:03):
I love cleaning the fridge.
I gotta do the freezer next.
Yeah, you know, and theneverything's like clean.
Like I cleaned the fridge.
Like cleaned the actual fridge,you know.
And then everything's like niceand clean and fresh.
(07:24):
Put the groceries away.
Really turning into my mother.
SPEAKER_02 (07:30):
Not a bad thing.
Not a bad thing.
Let's see.
Um great to see Dylan and Mariasat right next to them at the
table, got to catch up.
Don't see them a whole lot.
SPEAKER_00 (07:43):
So Dylan's really funny too.
SPEAKER_02 (07:46):
He's hilarious.
He like, I felt like I was likedancing in a mirror of my energy
on there.
SPEAKER_00 (07:52):
Yeah, he's really funny.
SPEAKER_02 (07:54):
Yeah.
Like I took it to a new leveland he went right there.
Or he took it to a level and Iwent right there.
And I reflected on my behaviorof like, you know, the style of
dancing I was doing.
And it was a personal thing, youknow, it wasn't like a work
event, but like I was getting inthere.
I was burning a hole in thedance floor.
(08:14):
But enough about me.
Yeah, Dylan, like Dylan alsohappens to know every lyric to
every wedding.
SPEAKER_00 (08:20):
He really does.
SPEAKER_02 (08:21):
Yeah.
Confidently, too.
Like, I'll say, like, oh, I knowlike a bunch of words, and then
like, you know, the part that Idon't know comes on.
I like turn my head to the sideand I try to hide, or like you
start mumbling a little bit.
No, this guy has studied.
He knows.
It's impressive.
It's impressive.
He really knows like everylyric.
(08:43):
What else happened?
Um, oh, poor Karthik.
He was like he was sojet-lagged.
Yeah, he should have listened tolast week's episode.
SPEAKER_00 (08:52):
Do you think he did?
SPEAKER_02 (08:54):
Um, you know, I think he he is one of the
biggest supporters.
You know, he was always postingthis on his Instagram stories,
and he's always listening.
Like, real shout out to thepeople who come back every week
truly and like actuallydemonstrate their support by
listening.
We are honored, he's one ofthem.
Um but I mean, the man like justthink about how we were.
(09:15):
Like we were jet lad coming backfrom Bali ourselves.
You probably still are.
And this guy showed up and he hewas in there.
He didn't just he was present.
He was present, he was doing hisbest he could, and then he had
to take her to the the airportat 4 a.m.
SPEAKER_00 (09:33):
Yeah, she had an early flight.
SPEAKER_02 (09:35):
Yeah.
Busy, busy.
Um, so we went to Trader Joe'stoday, and we haven't been there
in a long time.
SPEAKER_00 (09:45):
I was hoping um that some of the Christmas stuff
would be out.
But it's too early.
It's also only like two daysinto November.
SPEAKER_02 (09:56):
Well, that's not like totally you got the um the
advent calendar for Ollie.
SPEAKER_00 (10:02):
Oh yeah, we did.
Yeah.
They had I'm so upset wecouldn't get one last year
because they sold out.
SPEAKER_02 (10:09):
Not this year.
First in line.
SPEAKER_00 (10:10):
Yeah.
He's gonna love it.
SPEAKER_02 (10:12):
It was busy, but they were like all hands on
deck.
Like they had every cashregister was like had a person
there, and they're wildlyefficient.
SPEAKER_00 (10:21):
They are just like China Airlines.
SPEAKER_02 (10:25):
Gosh, wildly efficient, wildly efficient, and
like I knew exactly what wasgoing on.
SPEAKER_00 (10:29):
Like, can we fly China Airlines like
domestically?
SPEAKER_02 (10:32):
I wish in the US, honestly, because like that was
so cool.
SPEAKER_00 (10:38):
There's like can't like American Airlines and like
United anymore, you know?
SPEAKER_02 (10:41):
Yeah, I look, I it was company.
SPEAKER_00 (10:44):
We were taking off at the minute, down to the
minute that it said like ourflight was scheduled for.
SPEAKER_02 (10:50):
Yeah, none of this, like, oh, there is a tractor on
the runway, we're gonna buildthings in the way 20-minute
delay, which stinks, and like weyeah you build it in.
We built in like a four-hourtimeline before our flight and
in between to like make surethat no hiccups happen because
we expect so many delays.
And it happened, yeah, but no,not China Airlines.
(11:12):
Wow, have you seen Taiwan?
SPEAKER_00 (11:18):
Some people most people think it's small.
SPEAKER_02 (11:21):
But I ask you, have you really seen all of Taiwan?
Go ahead and tell.
Tell them, tell the good people.
SPEAKER_00 (11:32):
Okay, on China Airlines, China Airlines is
owned by Taiwan, but China Airis owned by China, I found out.
SPEAKER_02 (11:39):
Oh, did you?
I did not know that.
SPEAKER_00 (11:41):
So the whole like on like the screens on the back of
the seat, they have this wholelike um, I don't know, video,
like marketing video, I guess,but it's like for I guess like
tourism in Taiwan, and it startsout and it's like, what does it
say?
Have you ever seen Taiwan?
And then it's like most peoplethink it's small, but then it
goes on to say, you know, allthe things that Taiwan has to
(12:02):
offer you.
And it just like kept keepsplaying on a loop with this very
specific music in thebackground.
And so it was on, like, and itlike does it on for like takeoff
and then landing, then it likestarts playing again, and we had
two of those flights, so we werewatching it on a loop four
times.
(12:23):
And um, should we tell themabout Jade?
SPEAKER_02 (12:28):
I think it would be so funny, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (12:31):
So there's one part in it, and they talk about Mount
Jade, that I guess is like thehighest point in Taiwan.
Yeah, I think is that what itwas?
SPEAKER_02 (12:39):
I think that's what it was.
SPEAKER_00 (12:40):
And so then Eddie is like, if we have a girl, like if
we have kids and we have a girl,we should name her Jade.
And then when she asks, when sheasks, like, how we came up with
her name, we can say that it waswhat are we saying?
Like, oh, we named her from likeour honeymoon, and then when she
asks, like, oh, like where didyou go?
(13:02):
We can say, I don't know,whatever.
And then we'll basically betalking about how we were in
Taiwan for four hours on a lieover.
SPEAKER_01 (13:08):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (13:08):
And her name was like from Mount Jade, which is
the t the tallest point inTaiwan.
But we had never actually beenthere, and it would all have
just like been for the bit.
SPEAKER_02 (13:18):
Yeah, and our only Taiwan experience on the plane
lounge.
SPEAKER_00 (13:21):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (13:22):
And uh, yeah, that would say so.
SPEAKER_00 (13:24):
If we ever have a daughter named Jade, it's all
for the bit.
SPEAKER_02 (13:28):
Let this be a marker that this is why this happened.
And maybe if it does a prettyname, it is a pretty name,
though.
It is, but Jade, why am I namedJade?
Well, we went to Taiwan.
SPEAKER_00 (13:40):
One time your father and I were in Taiwan on our
honeymoon.
Like, I thought you were inBali.
SPEAKER_02 (13:46):
We did, we did, but we also went to Taiwan.
Well, how long were you inTaiwan?
Well, only for a few shorthours.
Well, what do you mean?
How did you see the mountain?
Well, we didn't actually.
On a video, we saw it on avideo.
Have you seen Taiwan?
Many people think it's small.
But I asked them, have youreally seen all of Taiwan?
SPEAKER_00 (14:06):
And then that's when she's going to Google, how do I
put myself up for adoption?
SPEAKER_02 (14:14):
Oh, it's such a funny bit.
I really like now I've made thisand I'm it's vexing.
I'm fixated on it.
Might need to happen.
Who knows?
SPEAKER_00 (14:24):
Jade duh.
See, I feel like because thename would end in a duh, and
then he can't go like duh toduh, like jade de lesky.
Like you know.
SPEAKER_02 (14:34):
Duh to duh.
It's tough to say.
SPEAKER_00 (14:36):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (14:36):
Yeah.
Duh to duck.
SPEAKER_00 (14:38):
Jade Rufal.
SPEAKER_02 (14:39):
Right.
That rolls.
Could do that.
Yeah, that rolls.
Um let's see.
Maybe we'll have to save our umour food antics and some other
Bali stories for another time.
Um, oh, wait.
What?
So Halloween obviously happenedrecently.
And for anyone who's seen HocusPocus, we went as um, there's a
(15:04):
very small scene, but it's animportant scene where the
Sandison sisters go in and theymeet the devil, and they think
it's the devil and his wife,Medusa.
Um, you you mentioned sister,but I think wife.
SPEAKER_00 (15:17):
And no, I think in real life, those actors are
brother and sister.
SPEAKER_02 (15:20):
Oh, the actors are an actress.
Um, oh, well, it seemed likethey were playing a married
couple, and they were thatscene, like the the devil and
Medusa is what we went as.
And I think it was very wellreceived.
You put it together.
I had the idea, you made thevision happen.
So credit to you, um, AmazonFairy.
(15:41):
Um, that was a fun one.
I was really happy about that.
SPEAKER_00 (15:44):
And it was nice because I got to wear pajamas.
SPEAKER_02 (15:47):
You certainly did.
So we were actually steppedoutside, and some guy was like,
Hello, good evening, my lord.
But I was dressed as the devil.
SPEAKER_00 (15:56):
He had like a witch hat on.
SPEAKER_02 (15:58):
He oh oh, did he?
Yeah.
I thought he was just an averageperson dressed on the street.
SPEAKER_00 (16:03):
Yeah, he had the hat on.
Oh, we've got a lot of satanic.
SPEAKER_02 (16:07):
Worshippers around here.
Yeah.
And then down the street therewas someone screaming at the top
of their lungs, and the policeshowed up.
SPEAKER_00 (16:16):
Yeah.
We're getting all the gosp fromour one neighbor earlier today.
SPEAKER_02 (16:23):
Yeah, apparently a lot of stuff happens around
here.
But we um it was funny becausehe was like, Oh, like we don't
want people to change theirbehavior or like stow themselves
away inside.
And I was like, Oh, that'sfunny.
That's exactly what we do.
SPEAKER_00 (16:37):
That's actually what we do.
Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (16:40):
I think now's as good a time as any.
Um, do you have any morethoughts for the the banter?
SPEAKER_00 (16:47):
No.
SPEAKER_02 (16:48):
You did make a treat today.
SPEAKER_00 (16:50):
I did make a treat.
I made some Christmas crack.
SPEAKER_02 (16:53):
Can you tell us a little bit more?
SPEAKER_00 (16:55):
Oh, yeah.
Christmas crack.
You probably need it.
SPEAKER_02 (16:59):
It's like a professional medical podcast.
It's like Christmas crack.
SPEAKER_00 (17:04):
It's like saltines or ritz crackers, and then you
pour over, you melt like brownsugar and butter, pour that over
it, bake it for a coupleminutes, and then put chocolate
chips, spread it.
So then it's this like caramely,chocolatey, salty, crunchy,
sweet, yummy dessert.
SPEAKER_02 (17:22):
Sounds super.
SPEAKER_00 (17:23):
I made some last year for Thanksgiving, and
people seem to really like it.
And then my friend Lauren and Iwere talking about it at work
the other day because she'shaving a Christmas party that
we're going to, so she was liketelling me things she wanted to
make.
We were talking about Christmascrack and how much we both love
it.
This was actually on Wednesdaywhen you were working late, and
(17:44):
I was like, oh, I might makesome Christmas crack for like a
little girl dessert to go withmy girl.
I usually have girl dinner whenyou work late on Wednesdays.
SPEAKER_02 (17:52):
Oh.
SPEAKER_00 (17:53):
Uh, but we didn't have enough chocolate chips, so
I decided to make it thisweekend.
Okay.
Because we were talking about itand I've been wanting it.
SPEAKER_02 (18:00):
Are we gonna enjoy that tonight?
Yeah.
Is that a thing?
Oh, sweet.
Wow.
All right.
Well, now that we're a healthyamount into the show, giving
them a lot of stuff to thinkabout.
What are we gonna talk abouttoday, Nick?
SPEAKER_00 (18:14):
Well, today to keeping topical with daylight
savings time, we are talkingabout seasonal affective
disorder.
SPEAKER_02 (18:24):
Yeah, this is, I feel like it's one that might be
under-recognized andunderappreciated.
Um, but it is that time of yearagain, uh, you know, where
people wake up and it might bedark or a little less dark in
the morning, but you probablyget back from work and it is
dark if you didn't step outsidebefore 5 p.m., um, everyone
(18:46):
feels a little off because theclocks moved back an hour.
You may feel like you weregetting up a little earlier than
normal, or maybe a little tiredearlier in the night.
And just overall, a little lesssunlight, I think.
Um, the struggle is real.
And when this time of year comesaround, um, as the days get
(19:07):
shorter, this fogginess or thatheavy feeling that creeps in may
not be just like winter blues orjust something you feel like.
It could be something moresignificant.
And that's why we want to spendtime talking about this today.
It's called seasonal affectivedisorder, um, aptly shortened to
sad.
SAD.
(19:27):
We're hoping to tell you what itis, why it happens, and what you
can actually do that's simpleand not medicine to try to feel
better.
So uh Nikki, can you tell us alittle bit more about what
seasonal affective disorder is?
SPEAKER_00 (19:41):
Seasonal affective disorder is a type of depression
that follows a seasonal pattern.
So basically what it soundslike.
And it usually starts in thefall or the winter when daylight
savings time happens, there'sless daylight, and then it kind
of lifts in the spring, alsokind of coinciding with daylight
savings when the time changesand we have more daylight.
SPEAKER_02 (20:03):
Yeah.
So the for the symptoms to countas seasonal affective disorder,
they need to actually show upfor at least two winters in a
row and clear up when theseasons change.
Um, so keep an eye on that ifyou're curious about this, and
that would be an important thingto tell whoever you're working
with on this.
(20:23):
Um, but it is really more thanjust like a bad week or feeling
bummed out for like a day ortwo.
It is a real pattern.
So that's something to keep inmind.
Um, for some people, this isvery real.
Um, it can interfere with theirfunction, with their daily life,
work, relationships, motivation,and even appetite and sleep.
(20:44):
So this can be a reallysignificant thing that is
probably underrecognized in intruth.
SPEAKER_00 (20:52):
I feel like, well, yeah.
But then I also feel likeeveryone just like says they
have it.
SPEAKER_02 (20:58):
You think?
SPEAKER_00 (20:59):
You know, like, oh my seasonal affective disorder.
Like, no, it's just dark out.
unknown (21:05):
True.
SPEAKER_00 (21:06):
So it does like otherwise like functioning
normally.
Yeah, that's like I don't likethat it's dark at 4 30 either,
but like I'm fine.
SPEAKER_02 (21:14):
Yeah.
The what I usually like to do,um, a little like a side here is
when people are talking about asymptom, they may be
experiencing that symptom.
So like in this instance, itwould be like sadness or
decreased mood and disinterestin doing things, concerning for
like things that look like ormasquerade around is depression.
But then how does that stuff,how do those symptoms affect the
(21:37):
functioning and like what you'reactually able to do?
And that's a big bridge.
Um, usually people are prettysurprised.
Like sometimes if I ask them andthey're like, oh no, I feel this
way, but I'm functioning fine.
It's important that you feelthat way.
But if you're able to function,it's at a different level.
Sometimes people take it formatter of a fact, though, and
(21:57):
they're like, Oh, yeah, I feelthis way, and I haven't been
able to do X, Y, and Z.
And I'm like, Oh, so like inthat way, you I draw that line
for them.
And I'm like, oh, you reallyhave not been able to function
and like physically do thingsthat you need to do.
SPEAKER_00 (22:10):
Yeah.
I feel like it's one.
There are like a I feel likethere are a handful of things
people like softly like quoteunquote self-diagnose themselves
with, and I feel like this canbe one of those.
This might be sometimes, yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (22:25):
Popped in there, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (22:26):
Like when people are like, I have OCD, like no,
you're normal and you're likeyour house to be clean, like
stop.
Yeah, no, that you ate too muchbread, I'm bloated.
Oh my god, I can't have gluten.
SPEAKER_02 (22:37):
I have celiac.
SPEAKER_00 (22:38):
I have celiac, like you don't that does happen.
SPEAKER_02 (22:41):
People do jump to conclusions a lot of times, and
that you know, this they'revalid questions and thoughts
like you should bring up to yourclinician, but like don't do it
yourself.
Like if your car's rattling,unless you're Fran, you're
probably gonna take a look at ityourself, like your brother.
But like if your car's rattlingor shaking, like mine was.
(23:02):
Oh my god, I don't like take itmyself, and I'm like, there was
nothing wrong.
Uh they told me there wasnothing wrong, but like I
brought it to the mechanic andhad them tell me that.
So that's just kind of thethought here.
SPEAKER_00 (23:15):
Yeah, anyway, I digress.
SPEAKER_02 (23:17):
That was um, so Nikki, can you tell us how you
know what do people normallynotice when they have seasonal
affective disorder?
SPEAKER_00 (23:28):
So it can look a lot like depression.
So having low energy, low mood,general kind of just like loss
of interest in things maybe thatyou used to do.
Um, but seasonal affectivedisorder has a few unique
features where people tend tosleep a lot more and then crave
(23:50):
carbs and as a result of thatmight gain a little bit of
weight in the winter.
SPEAKER_02 (23:55):
Yeah, and some of this, like we I mean, we're
gonna share all of our resourcesthat we looked into these two,
but like I feel like when peoplethere's less light outside,
people are also moving less.
And so that may also contributeto a little bit of weight gain.
Um, but this does sound like meevery February.
Um, you know, I so we'll takethat as it is.
(24:19):
Um so sometimes it seems likethere's even a group that gets a
reverse pattern.
Um, it tends to be more rare,but like in the summertime they
may feel more anxious um andthey might end up sleeping less
or eating less.
So it's a little bit of mix andmatch here, but the far more
common one is the one that Nikkidescribed right there.
SPEAKER_00 (24:40):
Okay, Eddie.
Who will tend to get seasonalaffective disorder the most?
SPEAKER_02 (24:45):
So it's more common in women and younger adults.
It's more likely if you livefarther from the equator.
Um, and that technically meansthat like places where the
winters are darker and longer.
For example, like when we wentto Bali, we were talking with
them and they were like, What doyou mean the sun goes down at 4
30?
SPEAKER_01 (25:03):
They were shocked.
SPEAKER_02 (25:05):
And they're like, You mean it gets cold and
there's snow?
Whereas there, like, I think itall just kind of hovers between
like 75 and 88 degrees, and it'slike sunny from 6 a.m.
to 7 p.m.
pretty much all the time.
SPEAKER_00 (25:20):
So summer all the time.
SPEAKER_02 (25:22):
Yeah.
So they're close to the equator,and that's what that means.
Um in the US, around one to fivepercent of adults experience
seasonal affective disorder.
But like you mentioned earlier,many more people claim to have
milder seasonal dips in moodthat may not reach the threshold
of like a formal diagnosis ofSAD.
SPEAKER_00 (25:43):
So basically, if you're living in the Northeast,
you know someone with this.
SPEAKER_02 (25:49):
Probably.
And I've seen a bunch ofpatients, like I would get
people who were really like itreally bothers them.
And those in residency, theywould come in and they would
like be really down.
And then the month would go byand I'd be like, all right,
well, I want to see you in amonth, why don't I see you in
three months, and then theseason would change, they'd come
back and like they'd pop rightup.
And so it can be a littleconfusing because like we
(26:12):
started medicine at the sametime too, so it was tough.
Like, you need to do all of thethings, and we're gonna talk
about what that looks like, butit can be confusing.
Like, is the medicine working?
Is it the season changing?
Sometimes tough to say, and Ithink that's probably why you
need two seasons.
So then talking about why ithappens, um it in large part
(26:35):
comes down to the way lightaffects our brain.
When we get less sunlight, ourinternal clock or the otherwise
the circadian rhythm, like wetalked about last week, it gets
out of sync.
And so that messes up withhormones like serotonin and
melatonin.
And then these already atbaseline help regulate mood and
sleep.
And if they are out of whack,it's probably not too far out of
(26:57):
the stretch to imagine that thiswill cause problems.
And so there's some evidence outthere showing that some people's
eyes detect light differentlybecause of their genes related
to pigment called melanopsin.
So some people are literallywired to feel light changes more
intensely than others at theirbaseline.
(27:19):
So, Nikki, why don't we talkabout um treatments that work?
Because this not, I mean,sometimes you can just get these
things.
No, we're telling people likedon't self-diagnose yourself.
But if you're looking for someextra stuff to do to be more
proactive, here's where the liststarts.
Um, so what are some things thatpeople, the good folks who
(27:41):
listen to us, can think about?
SPEAKER_00 (27:42):
Well, the good folks can think about.
Um main ones are light therapy,cognitive behavioral therapy, or
CBT, or in some cases you mightneed some antidepressants.
SPEAKER_02 (27:54):
Yeah, and it's reasonable to try.
Like, I mean, I think hopefullyas we like move farther and
farther along in life, likethere's less stigma associated
with like using a medicine likethis.
Like you get a cold, like youget a bacterial infection, you
take an antibiotic, you havedepression, you take a medicine
for it, you know.
But to each their own.
Um, light therapy.
(28:16):
That's the one that I foundreally interesting.
This is something that you canjust easily buy.
Um, it's kind of with a speciallamp.
The idea is that you sit near a10,000 luxe light box for about
30 minutes each morning, and itessentially tells your brain,
like, hey, it's morning, wakeup.
(28:37):
And it helps reset your rhythm.
And many people know.
SPEAKER_00 (28:40):
I've thought about getting one of them before.
SPEAKER_02 (28:42):
Yeah, I I mean it's an easy thing.
I was kind of when we werepreparing this, I was like, I
mean, we get up really early atfive, yeah, and it's always
dark, and part of me is like, dowe put it in the Pelly room?
SPEAKER_00 (28:56):
Like maybe, maybe.
I had thought about getting onewhen I was working on the floor
because like, well, you know,like you leave for work, it's
dark out, and then you leavework and it's still dark out.
And then I was like, when I wasreading like what to do and
stuff, I was like, I'm notwaking up another 30 minutes
when I already have to leave forwork so early to sit in front of
(29:19):
this light.
SPEAKER_02 (29:21):
Right.
Here I am in this light, tryingto enjoy my coffee, getting
blinded by it.
But most people notice animprovement within a week or
two.
So honestly, it's something thatI mean.
Should we get one?
Can we let's see if we can thinkyou can get them on Amazon.
Hmm.
I'm seeing different things.
I'm seeing one.
(29:42):
Um, I mean, like Oh yeah, HappyLight.
SPEAKER_00 (29:45):
That's like the the big one that's like marketed a
lot.
SPEAKER_02 (29:49):
That one looks like it's$40.
Is that I'm seeing that right?
That's the uh overall pick onAmazon.
Happy Light.
Yeah, you just like clip thatonto the treadmill in the
morning.
Or the bike and then let itride.
Might not be a bad idea.
We're not divulging ourselves toyou guys saying that we have
seasonal effects.
(30:10):
Oh, that's small.
You can put it on a nightstand.
Could probably like hook it upto turn on at a certain time
too.
It's an interesting concept.
So we're looking at like$40 hereis what I'm seeing.
Um, which you're there are alsomore expensive ones.
Um, maybe they have more perksor things, but like the$40 one
(30:30):
has like eight and a halfthousand reviews compared to
more expensive ones, which arelike 600, 100.
So it's just something to thinkabout.
Um, that's an easy one to getstarted with.
Um, there are medications, I'llsave the name just because I
don't want people running outthere, like running to their
doctors to be like, I need thismedicine.
(30:52):
But there are medicines that youcan give um that might help, and
you can start in the early fall.
And if this is like a well-knownthing that you have, you know,
maybe in that third season youfigure it out and you're like,
oh, maybe I need to start thismedicine preemptively to make
sure I can take care of this.
And sometimes people pick uptheir therapy sessions at a
higher rate when the sun goesdown, and I mean people can
(31:15):
identify the negative thoughtpatterns and plan ahead for
these hard months.
But like nothing's one size fitsall.
Um, Nikki, are there lifestyletips that we can just remind
folks of uh that will certainlyhelp them, but like maybe harder
to do when it's darker outside?
SPEAKER_00 (31:33):
Yeah, there are pretty simple changes you can
make.
Um, the first one, if it'spossible to get outside early in
the day, even if it's likecloudy, just you know, when the
sun is up to get some light, ormaybe even if it's not early in
the day, like if you can like gofor a walk during lunch or
something to you know.
SPEAKER_02 (31:54):
I might start doing that.
SPEAKER_00 (31:55):
Get outside.
I go for we go for walks all thetime at work.
It's a mental health walk.
Yeah, it's like splits your dayup.
SPEAKER_02 (32:03):
I yeah.
My like lunches, so peopleusually show up like so I have
like every 20 minute visits.
Um, you know that, but theymight not.
And that there's like an 1140slot, and my lunch is like
technically supposed to start at12, but it like never does
unless that person doesn't comeor that that slot isn't
scheduled, and then I'm probablywrapping up and trying to catch
(32:24):
up on my morning.
So, like in a perfect world, itwould be really cool if I could
do that.
Um it might not happen, but likethere's there's times I'm gonna
be like leaving, even this job,like leaving in darkness, coming
home in darkness.
So I probably want to getoutside a little bit.
So I I get it for all the folksout there who are like, I'm
(32:45):
using the word folks a lot.
I don't I don't love the wordfolks.
SPEAKER_00 (32:48):
Yeah, when did that start?
SPEAKER_02 (32:49):
Um today.
I don't love the word folks, buthere we are.
Here we are, folks.
Um, what else can we do?
SPEAKER_00 (32:58):
Let's see.
You can try to keep your regularschedule, stay active, and
staying social is reallyimportant so you're not in an
isolation of darkness anddepressingness.
SPEAKER_02 (33:19):
Yeah.
We were we were talking aboutthis today, like having a sense
of I mean, like uh we areobsessed with each other, so
like we're never alone.
SPEAKER_00 (33:26):
Yeah, it's sick.
SPEAKER_02 (33:27):
Um but having a sense of community in some way,
shape, or form is nice.
Like you like see friends thatyou haven't seen in a while.
Like you saw like all yourfriends at the wedding, and
you're probably like, I mean, Isaw them yesterday and I was
like, wow, like I love theseguys and I miss them.
And so like having some sort oflike I don't know, Meg has a
book club, and that was reallycool.
(33:48):
They like all meet once a monthand they like talk about the
book or the audio book, and Ithink that that's great.
So, like you could do somethinglike that, or if you have like a
club that you go to or the gym,sometimes people like go to
classes at the gym, two birds,one stone, or two birds, one
scone for the people who arebird enthusiasts.
SPEAKER_00 (34:10):
What a scone?
SPEAKER_02 (34:13):
Yeah, you know, um, there's a school of people out
there who don't like saying likekilling two birds with one stone
because it's like harmful toanimals.
SPEAKER_00 (34:22):
PETA is gonna come for you.
SPEAKER_02 (34:24):
Yeah, no, they're coming after me.
So then the alternativestatement, which I hope that
nothing gets clipped and is onlyme saying two birds, one stone,
because they think I'm gonnamurder murder birds.
It's funny, like murder ofcrows.
Um murder, murder.
Why am I saying murder so much?
SPEAKER_00 (34:41):
Just keep yeah, keep keep going.
SPEAKER_02 (34:44):
Crime.
Um feed two birds with onescone.
SPEAKER_00 (34:50):
Oh, feed two birds.
SPEAKER_02 (34:51):
Yeah, but I just truncated it in the front, so
like I normally do and liketried to communicate something
that just didn't work out.
Yeah, typical me.
SPEAKER_00 (34:59):
Well, now I understand.
SPEAKER_02 (35:01):
Thank you.
SPEAKER_00 (35:01):
You're welcome.
SPEAKER_02 (35:05):
Um, yes, even this could be even as simple as like
meeting a friend for coffee orsomeone regularly.
Um a quick highlight on likewhen to get help.
If you notice that the samepattern is happening every year,
your mood dips, you're moretired, you're not yourself, it's
probably worth bringing up toyour doctor.
I would I wouldn't say like goto your physical or just like
(35:27):
show up and meet a new doctorand say, like, hey, I'm here.
And like you should bring it up,but like maybe expect a
follow-up appointment, I wouldsay.
SPEAKER_00 (35:36):
Yeah.
Because you can't Well, it'salso hard to meet like, even if
you're already established withyour doctor, to go to them one
time and say, I guess unlessit's like very, very severe.
But to, you know, go to them onetime and be like, hey, X, Y, and
Z, I don't know.
SPEAKER_02 (35:56):
Oh, it's tough.
Yeah, right.
Like, I and like for someone tolisten to you, because you have
to be like, I'm worried I havethis, and then not feel like
you're getting blown off and belike, I've noticed for the last
two years, like that I have feltthis way.
And then they're gonna have tojump in and be like, oh, maybe
it's this thing.
And I don't know, there's likeopportunities for misdiagnosis
(36:19):
or like trying to cover so muchin one visit.
So, you know, do the best youcan.
That's why we do this kind ofthing, so you can prepare for
your visits better.
So the long and short of it isthat seasonal effective disorder
is real, it responds totreatment.
It might be just a little morethan just like feeling down or
tired when the sun goes downearlier.
(36:40):
But you also don't have to justwait for the spring to feel
better.
We gave you a couple things thatyou can work on and see if they
help you.
And you're not gonna get a medalfor toughing it out and not
feeling good.
Like you're the only one who'sgonna not feel good.
So might as well look into itand try to make it a little
(37:00):
better.
Any last thoughts?
SPEAKER_00 (37:04):
Nope.
SPEAKER_02 (37:05):
Great.
So thank you for coming back toanother episode of Your Checkup.
Hopefully, you were able tolearn something for yourself, a
loved one, or a seasonallyaffected neighbor.
You can check out our Instagram.
Check out my personal Instagramif you want.
Um Yeah, you've been on firelately.
I yeah, I'm just like pumpingthem out.
Um, but check out our Instagram.
You can email us at your checkuppod at gmail.com.
(37:28):
You can look at our website tofind all of our old episodes, of
which there's a ton.
And the my next thoughts for afew episodes are gonna be like
about osteoporosis.
I think we're gonna dip our toeinto menopause soon.
And the conversation abouthormone therapies for menopause,
which are often very confusing,and we're gonna try to take some
(37:48):
time to break them down in thecoming weeks.
So if you're interested in that,send us to a friend, a loved
one, or a neighbor.
And until then, we will see younext time.
Until but most importantly, stayhealthy, my friends.
Until next time, I'm Ed Doleski.
SPEAKER_00 (38:04):
I'm Nicole Ruffo.
SPEAKER_02 (38:05):
Thank you and goodbye.
SPEAKER_00 (38:06):
Bye.
SPEAKER_02 (38:12):
This information may provide a brief overview of
diagnosis, treatment, andmedications.
It's not exhaustive and is atool to help you understand
potential options about yourhealth.
It doesn't cover all detailsabout conditions, treatments, or
medications for a specificperson.
This is not medical advice or anattempt to substitute medical
advice.
You should contact a healthcareprovider for personalized
guidance based on your uniquecircumstances.
(38:34):
We explicitly disclaim anyliability relating to the
information given or its use.
This content doesn't endorse anytreatments or medications for a
specific patient.
Always talk to your healthcareprovider for a complete
information tailored to you.
In short, I'm not your doctor.
I am not your nurse.
And make sure you go get yourown checkup with your own
personal doctor.
Hi, welcome to your checkup.
We are the Patient EducationPodcast, where we bring
conversations from the doctor'soffice to your ears.
On this podcast, we try to bringmedicine closer to its patients.
I'm Ed Delesky, a familymedicine doctor in the
Philadelphia area.
And I'm Nicole Ruffel.
I'm a nurse.
And we are so excited you wereable to join us here again
(00:33):
today.
Tough to pick from all of thefun things that like we did in
Bali to talk about, buttimeliness, it's top of mind
that huge congratulations to, Imean, if anyone's a longtime
listener of the show, they knowthat one of our most loyal
listeners, Mike, who oftenlistens in his basement doing
basement things.
SPEAKER_00 (00:53):
Mike doing basement things.
SPEAKER_02 (00:54):
Um, so if anyone knows of this guy, know that he
got married this weekend to hiswife, Sam.
And we are so happy for them.
This was like an awesomewedding.
They're so easy to celebrate.
They're some of the kindestpeople.
They give of themselves so much,and it just they're they're
great people, really easy tocelebrate.
SPEAKER_00 (01:15):
Yeah, it was really fun.
No notes.
Food was great, vibes weregreat.
They looked great.
SPEAKER_02 (01:24):
They did.
SPEAKER_00 (01:25):
And I can confidently say it is better,
way better of a time to attend awedding as a guest.
SPEAKER_02 (01:34):
Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (01:35):
Than to be the couple getting married.
SPEAKER_02 (01:39):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (01:39):
I and I think not that you know we didn't have fun
at our wedding.
SPEAKER_02 (01:42):
We had a lot of fun.
We had a lot of fun at thewedding.
And it's different.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's like a very intense day.
And hold space for both things.
Totally.
Look at you.
All the the the hip lingo.
Yeah, it's like yeah, it was thebest day of my life, and it was
stressful and like intense.
SPEAKER_01 (02:03):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (02:04):
But this, like, you know, there were no like wedding
parties per se.
They had a best man and a maidof honor, but like no wedding
parties.
So you just show up as a guestand you just have a grand old
time.
It was close to home, which isgood.
Some of our friends really hadto travel.
Um, no, probably no more thantwo hours.
But we had an electric legendarytable.
(02:25):
That was awesome.
SPEAKER_00 (02:26):
Table nine was great.
SPEAKER_02 (02:28):
Table nine was awesome.
And look, I've gotten, I mean,if you guys listened last week,
you know, I was like dipping mytoe in like expressing myself by
making videos.
Now I'm like expressing myselfall over the place.
And I might have to reel it in alittle bit.
That was no pun intended.
SPEAKER_00 (02:44):
Never reel it in.
SPEAKER_02 (02:46):
You like them?
SPEAKER_00 (02:47):
I do.
They're so funny.
I look forward to them.
I mean, we got up this morningand I was like, oh my God, I
can't wait for your reel fromMike and Sam's wedding.
SPEAKER_02 (02:56):
I hope it met expectations.
I hope I'm not makingexpectations for myself.
You know, when I have free time,I'll do it because it's fun.
And like, I feel like you know,posting pictures with captions
is fun and nice, and you can doit that way, but I don't shut
up.
That's why we have this podcast.
That's why I make a video to dovoiceovers of the photos and
videos that we have.
So yeah, that one was a fun oneto make.
(03:18):
Um, poor Austin tore hishamstring, I think, while he was
busting a dance.
SPEAKER_00 (03:23):
He the two of them together, he and Addie are like
so funny.
SPEAKER_02 (03:29):
Oh, they they really are.
Yeah, they have such like a anenergy to them when they were on
the dance floor.
SPEAKER_00 (03:35):
They Addy's hilarious.
I think like honestly, if shewasn't like invited, like she
obviously was invited to ourwedding, but like she's one of
those people where like youwould like hire her to be a
guest just to like get the partygoing and like oh yeah, be like
electric on the dance floor.
SPEAKER_02 (03:53):
Her walk down the runway.
SPEAKER_00 (03:55):
Oh my god, it's so funny.
Yeah, it was not like it wasjust like so great.
SPEAKER_02 (04:02):
I'm so glad I got it on video.
It was like just her herposture, her pizzazz, just
everything.
SPEAKER_00 (04:09):
Yeah, the she's got the pizzazz.
SPEAKER_02 (04:11):
It was the pizzazz.
Austin is the pizzazz too, and adump truck.
But um, like the way he was ableto just like get on the ground,
he would like crouch down andbounce up and crouch down and
bounce up.
And you know, like he's a littlemeatier than that other guy who
was doing it, the other Mike atthe park.
Oh, yeah.
Um, he was doing it, but he waslike a like a pencil, he was
just like bouncing up and downlike a pencil on the ground.
(04:33):
But like Austin's more on like amarker, like one of those like
thick dry erase markers.
Thick, yeah, but handsome, butthick but handsome, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (04:45):
Not I think write it on his tombstone.
Thick but handsome.
SPEAKER_02 (04:50):
I might send this to him and let him know, like, hey,
we talked about you.
He's like been at the forefrontof my mind for the last like
three weeks.
Like, I don't see the guy allthat often, but now like I saw
him like a couple weeks beforethe wedding, saw him at the
wedding, see him a couple weeksafter the wedding.
Like, lots of Austin in my liferecently, and I'm not upset
about it.
Um yeah, oh um braised brisket,like they let you know, eight
(05:14):
hours braised brisket at the theevent.
Um, it was kind of like a go upand get your food buffet style.
That was delicious.
I loved that.
SPEAKER_00 (05:22):
I thought they were short, it was short ribs.
Is that the same thing?
Is it?
I don't know.
SPEAKER_02 (05:26):
We're not like meat and names really always kind of
get me.
Like we just figured out lastyear that like sirloin is the
name of a meat that we like.
SPEAKER_00 (05:35):
Well, I knew that.
SPEAKER_02 (05:37):
Well, yeah, there's a special school for people like
me.
Yeah.
Um no, well, I'm just figuringit out.
And short rib or what did I callit?
SPEAKER_00 (05:47):
Brisket.
SPEAKER_02 (05:48):
Brisket.
Like I'm not sure which one itwas.
It was delicious.
Maybe Mike can chime in here.
SPEAKER_00 (05:52):
Yeah, the food was great.
SPEAKER_02 (05:55):
I loved it.
And then like all of the peopleworking were great.
Uh, let's see.
The DJ was funny.
He had like three songs when hewas transitioning from dinner to
the um like the dance portion,and it was like the bride and
groom and their their bestpeople out there, or maybe her
sister and her boyfriend, andlike they were dancing out
(06:15):
there, and like I know Mike gotworried.
He was like, I really like Ithought he wasn't gonna pull
through.
No, it was so fun, but it was sofun, yeah.
And like there was plenty ofdancing time.
I think it was like two and ahalf hours of dancing time.
Like by the end, I was tuckeredout.
I was like a little like I waslike Ollie.
Your feet were really hurting.
When you say your feet arehurting, that probably meant
(06:38):
that like they were on firebecause you're tough.
SPEAKER_00 (06:41):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (06:42):
Like I got one little blister at our wedding,
and I was like, Oh, I'm I'm outfor a month.
I'm out.
SPEAKER_00 (06:48):
I'm still taking you up on your foot rub offer that
you oh yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (06:54):
So much around here, like so many wifely things.
Like clean the entire fridge,put our groceries away.
Yeah, you're getting a foot rub.
SPEAKER_00 (07:03):
I love cleaning the fridge.
I gotta do the freezer next.
Yeah, you know, and theneverything's like clean.
Like I cleaned the fridge.
Like cleaned the actual fridge,you know.
And then everything's like niceand clean and fresh.
(07:24):
Put the groceries away.
Really turning into my mother.
SPEAKER_02 (07:30):
Not a bad thing.
Not a bad thing.
Let's see.
Um great to see Dylan and Mariasat right next to them at the
table, got to catch up.
Don't see them a whole lot.
SPEAKER_00 (07:43):
So Dylan's really funny too.
SPEAKER_02 (07:46):
He's hilarious.
He like, I felt like I was likedancing in a mirror of my energy
on there.
SPEAKER_00 (07:52):
Yeah, he's really funny.
SPEAKER_02 (07:54):
Yeah.
Like I took it to a new leveland he went right there.
Or he took it to a level and Iwent right there.
And I reflected on my behaviorof like, you know, the style of
dancing I was doing.
And it was a personal thing, youknow, it wasn't like a work
event, but like I was getting inthere.
I was burning a hole in thedance floor.
(08:14):
But enough about me.
Yeah, Dylan, like Dylan alsohappens to know every lyric to
every wedding.
SPEAKER_00 (08:20):
He really does.
SPEAKER_02 (08:21):
Yeah.
Confidently, too.
Like, I'll say, like, oh, I knowlike a bunch of words, and then
like, you know, the part that Idon't know comes on.
I like turn my head to the sideand I try to hide, or like you
start mumbling a little bit.
No, this guy has studied.
He knows.
It's impressive.
It's impressive.
He really knows like everylyric.
(08:43):
What else happened?
Um, oh, poor Karthik.
He was like he was sojet-lagged.
Yeah, he should have listened tolast week's episode.
SPEAKER_00 (08:52):
Do you think he did?
SPEAKER_02 (08:54):
Um, you know, I think he he is one of the
biggest supporters.
You know, he was always postingthis on his Instagram stories,
and he's always listening.
Like, real shout out to thepeople who come back every week
truly and like actuallydemonstrate their support by
listening.
We are honored, he's one ofthem.
Um but I mean, the man like justthink about how we were.
(09:15):
Like we were jet lad coming backfrom Bali ourselves.
You probably still are.
And this guy showed up and he hewas in there.
He didn't just he was present.
He was present, he was doing hisbest he could, and then he had
to take her to the the airportat 4 a.m.
SPEAKER_00 (09:33):
Yeah, she had an early flight.
SPEAKER_02 (09:35):
Yeah.
Busy, busy.
Um, so we went to Trader Joe'stoday, and we haven't been there
in a long time.
SPEAKER_00 (09:45):
I was hoping um that some of the Christmas stuff
would be out.
But it's too early.
It's also only like two daysinto November.
SPEAKER_02 (09:56):
Well, that's not like totally you got the um the
advent calendar for Ollie.
SPEAKER_00 (10:02):
Oh yeah, we did.
Yeah.
They had I'm so upset wecouldn't get one last year
because they sold out.
SPEAKER_02 (10:09):
Not this year.
First in line.
SPEAKER_00 (10:10):
Yeah.
He's gonna love it.
SPEAKER_02 (10:12):
It was busy, but they were like all hands on
deck.
Like they had every cashregister was like had a person
there, and they're wildlyefficient.
SPEAKER_00 (10:21):
They are just like China Airlines.
SPEAKER_02 (10:25):
Gosh, wildly efficient, wildly efficient, and
like I knew exactly what wasgoing on.
SPEAKER_00 (10:29):
Like, can we fly China Airlines like
domestically?
SPEAKER_02 (10:32):
I wish in the US, honestly, because like that was
so cool.
SPEAKER_00 (10:38):
There's like can't like American Airlines and like
United anymore, you know?
SPEAKER_02 (10:41):
Yeah, I look, I it was company.
SPEAKER_00 (10:44):
We were taking off at the minute, down to the
minute that it said like ourflight was scheduled for.
SPEAKER_02 (10:50):
Yeah, none of this, like, oh, there is a tractor on
the runway, we're gonna buildthings in the way 20-minute
delay, which stinks, and like weyeah you build it in.
We built in like a four-hourtimeline before our flight and
in between to like make surethat no hiccups happen because
we expect so many delays.
And it happened, yeah, but no,not China Airlines.
(11:12):
Wow, have you seen Taiwan?
SPEAKER_00 (11:18):
Some people most people think it's small.
SPEAKER_02 (11:21):
But I ask you, have you really seen all of Taiwan?
Go ahead and tell.
Tell them, tell the good people.
SPEAKER_00 (11:32):
Okay, on China Airlines, China Airlines is
owned by Taiwan, but China Airis owned by China, I found out.
SPEAKER_02 (11:39):
Oh, did you?
I did not know that.
SPEAKER_00 (11:41):
So the whole like on like the screens on the back of
the seat, they have this wholelike um, I don't know, video,
like marketing video, I guess,but it's like for I guess like
tourism in Taiwan, and it startsout and it's like, what does it
say?
Have you ever seen Taiwan?
And then it's like most peoplethink it's small, but then it
goes on to say, you know, allthe things that Taiwan has to
(12:02):
offer you.
And it just like kept keepsplaying on a loop with this very
specific music in thebackground.
And so it was on, like, and itlike does it on for like takeoff
and then landing, then it likestarts playing again, and we had
two of those flights, so we werewatching it on a loop four
times.
(12:23):
And um, should we tell themabout Jade?
SPEAKER_02 (12:28):
I think it would be so funny, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (12:31):
So there's one part in it, and they talk about Mount
Jade, that I guess is like thehighest point in Taiwan.
Yeah, I think is that what itwas?
SPEAKER_02 (12:39):
I think that's what it was.
SPEAKER_00 (12:40):
And so then Eddie is like, if we have a girl, like if
we have kids and we have a girl,we should name her Jade.
And then when she asks, when sheasks, like, how we came up with
her name, we can say that it waswhat are we saying?
Like, oh, we named her from likeour honeymoon, and then when she
asks, like, oh, like where didyou go?
(13:02):
We can say, I don't know,whatever.
And then we'll basically betalking about how we were in
Taiwan for four hours on a lieover.
SPEAKER_01 (13:08):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (13:08):
And her name was like from Mount Jade, which is
the t the tallest point inTaiwan.
But we had never actually beenthere, and it would all have
just like been for the bit.
SPEAKER_02 (13:18):
Yeah, and our only Taiwan experience on the plane
lounge.
SPEAKER_00 (13:21):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (13:22):
And uh, yeah, that would say so.
SPEAKER_00 (13:24):
If we ever have a daughter named Jade, it's all
for the bit.
SPEAKER_02 (13:28):
Let this be a marker that this is why this happened.
And maybe if it does a prettyname, it is a pretty name,
though.
It is, but Jade, why am I namedJade?
Well, we went to Taiwan.
SPEAKER_00 (13:40):
One time your father and I were in Taiwan on our
honeymoon.
Like, I thought you were inBali.
SPEAKER_02 (13:46):
We did, we did, but we also went to Taiwan.
Well, how long were you inTaiwan?
Well, only for a few shorthours.
Well, what do you mean?
How did you see the mountain?
Well, we didn't actually.
On a video, we saw it on avideo.
Have you seen Taiwan?
Many people think it's small.
But I asked them, have youreally seen all of Taiwan?
SPEAKER_00 (14:06):
And then that's when she's going to Google, how do I
put myself up for adoption?
SPEAKER_02 (14:14):
Oh, it's such a funny bit.
I really like now I've made thisand I'm it's vexing.
I'm fixated on it.
Might need to happen.
Who knows?
SPEAKER_00 (14:24):
Jade duh.
See, I feel like because thename would end in a duh, and
then he can't go like duh toduh, like jade de lesky.
Like you know.
SPEAKER_02 (14:34):
Duh to duh.
It's tough to say.
SPEAKER_00 (14:36):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (14:36):
Yeah.
Duh to duck.
SPEAKER_00 (14:38):
Jade Rufal.
SPEAKER_02 (14:39):
Right.
That rolls.
Could do that.
Yeah, that rolls.
Um let's see.
Maybe we'll have to save our umour food antics and some other
Bali stories for another time.
Um, oh, wait.
What?
So Halloween obviously happenedrecently.
And for anyone who's seen HocusPocus, we went as um, there's a
(15:04):
very small scene, but it's animportant scene where the
Sandison sisters go in and theymeet the devil, and they think
it's the devil and his wife,Medusa.
Um, you you mentioned sister,but I think wife.
SPEAKER_00 (15:17):
And no, I think in real life, those actors are
brother and sister.
SPEAKER_02 (15:20):
Oh, the actors are an actress.
Um, oh, well, it seemed likethey were playing a married
couple, and they were thatscene, like the the devil and
Medusa is what we went as.
And I think it was very wellreceived.
You put it together.
I had the idea, you made thevision happen.
So credit to you, um, AmazonFairy.
(15:41):
Um, that was a fun one.
I was really happy about that.
SPEAKER_00 (15:44):
And it was nice because I got to wear pajamas.
SPEAKER_02 (15:47):
You certainly did.
So we were actually steppedoutside, and some guy was like,
Hello, good evening, my lord.
But I was dressed as the devil.
SPEAKER_00 (15:56):
He had like a witch hat on.
SPEAKER_02 (15:58):
He oh oh, did he?
Yeah.
I thought he was just an averageperson dressed on the street.
SPEAKER_00 (16:03):
Yeah, he had the hat on.
Oh, we've got a lot of satanic.
SPEAKER_02 (16:07):
Worshippers around here.
Yeah.
And then down the street therewas someone screaming at the top
of their lungs, and the policeshowed up.
SPEAKER_00 (16:16):
Yeah.
We're getting all the gosp fromour one neighbor earlier today.
SPEAKER_02 (16:23):
Yeah, apparently a lot of stuff happens around
here.
But we um it was funny becausehe was like, Oh, like we don't
want people to change theirbehavior or like stow themselves
away inside.
And I was like, Oh, that'sfunny.
That's exactly what we do.
SPEAKER_00 (16:37):
That's actually what we do.
Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (16:40):
I think now's as good a time as any.
Um, do you have any morethoughts for the the banter?
SPEAKER_00 (16:47):
No.
SPEAKER_02 (16:48):
You did make a treat today.
SPEAKER_00 (16:50):
I did make a treat.
I made some Christmas crack.
SPEAKER_02 (16:53):
Can you tell us a little bit more?
SPEAKER_00 (16:55):
Oh, yeah.
Christmas crack.
You probably need it.
SPEAKER_02 (16:59):
It's like a professional medical podcast.
It's like Christmas crack.
SPEAKER_00 (17:04):
It's like saltines or ritz crackers, and then you
pour over, you melt like brownsugar and butter, pour that over
it, bake it for a coupleminutes, and then put chocolate
chips, spread it.
So then it's this like caramely,chocolatey, salty, crunchy,
sweet, yummy dessert.
SPEAKER_02 (17:22):
Sounds super.
SPEAKER_00 (17:23):
I made some last year for Thanksgiving, and
people seem to really like it.
And then my friend Lauren and Iwere talking about it at work
the other day because she'shaving a Christmas party that
we're going to, so she was liketelling me things she wanted to
make.
We were talking about Christmascrack and how much we both love
it.
This was actually on Wednesdaywhen you were working late, and
(17:44):
I was like, oh, I might makesome Christmas crack for like a
little girl dessert to go withmy girl.
I usually have girl dinner whenyou work late on Wednesdays.
SPEAKER_02 (17:52):
Oh.
SPEAKER_00 (17:53):
Uh, but we didn't have enough chocolate chips, so
I decided to make it thisweekend.
Okay.
Because we were talking about itand I've been wanting it.
SPEAKER_02 (18:00):
Are we gonna enjoy that tonight?
Yeah.
Is that a thing?
Oh, sweet.
Wow.
All right.
Well, now that we're a healthyamount into the show, giving
them a lot of stuff to thinkabout.
What are we gonna talk abouttoday, Nick?
SPEAKER_00 (18:14):
Well, today to keeping topical with daylight
savings time, we are talkingabout seasonal affective
disorder.
SPEAKER_02 (18:24):
Yeah, this is, I feel like it's one that might be
under-recognized andunderappreciated.
Um, but it is that time of yearagain, uh, you know, where
people wake up and it might bedark or a little less dark in
the morning, but you probablyget back from work and it is
dark if you didn't step outsidebefore 5 p.m., um, everyone
(18:46):
feels a little off because theclocks moved back an hour.
You may feel like you weregetting up a little earlier than
normal, or maybe a little tiredearlier in the night.
And just overall, a little lesssunlight, I think.
Um, the struggle is real.
And when this time of year comesaround, um, as the days get
(19:07):
shorter, this fogginess or thatheavy feeling that creeps in may
not be just like winter blues orjust something you feel like.
It could be something moresignificant.
And that's why we want to spendtime talking about this today.
It's called seasonal affectivedisorder, um, aptly shortened to
sad.
SAD.
(19:27):
We're hoping to tell you what itis, why it happens, and what you
can actually do that's simpleand not medicine to try to feel
better.
So uh Nikki, can you tell us alittle bit more about what
seasonal affective disorder is?
SPEAKER_00 (19:41):
Seasonal affective disorder is a type of depression
that follows a seasonal pattern.
So basically what it soundslike.
And it usually starts in thefall or the winter when daylight
savings time happens, there'sless daylight, and then it kind
of lifts in the spring, alsokind of coinciding with daylight
savings when the time changesand we have more daylight.
SPEAKER_02 (20:03):
Yeah.
So the for the symptoms to countas seasonal affective disorder,
they need to actually show upfor at least two winters in a
row and clear up when theseasons change.
Um, so keep an eye on that ifyou're curious about this, and
that would be an important thingto tell whoever you're working
with on this.
(20:23):
Um, but it is really more thanjust like a bad week or feeling
bummed out for like a day ortwo.
It is a real pattern.
So that's something to keep inmind.
Um, for some people, this isvery real.
Um, it can interfere with theirfunction, with their daily life,
work, relationships, motivation,and even appetite and sleep.
(20:44):
So this can be a reallysignificant thing that is
probably underrecognized in intruth.
SPEAKER_00 (20:52):
I feel like, well, yeah.
But then I also feel likeeveryone just like says they
have it.
SPEAKER_02 (20:58):
You think?
SPEAKER_00 (20:59):
You know, like, oh my seasonal affective disorder.
Like, no, it's just dark out.
unknown (21:05):
True.
SPEAKER_00 (21:06):
So it does like otherwise like functioning
normally.
Yeah, that's like I don't likethat it's dark at 4 30 either,
but like I'm fine.
SPEAKER_02 (21:14):
Yeah.
The what I usually like to do,um, a little like a side here is
when people are talking about asymptom, they may be
experiencing that symptom.
So like in this instance, itwould be like sadness or
decreased mood and disinterestin doing things, concerning for
like things that look like ormasquerade around is depression.
But then how does that stuff,how do those symptoms affect the
(21:37):
functioning and like what you'reactually able to do?
And that's a big bridge.
Um, usually people are prettysurprised.
Like sometimes if I ask them andthey're like, oh no, I feel this
way, but I'm functioning fine.
It's important that you feelthat way.
But if you're able to function,it's at a different level.
Sometimes people take it formatter of a fact, though, and
(21:57):
they're like, Oh, yeah, I feelthis way, and I haven't been
able to do X, Y, and Z.
And I'm like, Oh, so like inthat way, you I draw that line
for them.
And I'm like, oh, you reallyhave not been able to function
and like physically do thingsthat you need to do.
SPEAKER_00 (22:10):
Yeah.
I feel like it's one.
There are like a I feel likethere are a handful of things
people like softly like quoteunquote self-diagnose themselves
with, and I feel like this canbe one of those.
This might be sometimes, yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (22:25):
Popped in there, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (22:26):
Like when people are like, I have OCD, like no,
you're normal and you're likeyour house to be clean, like
stop.
Yeah, no, that you ate too muchbread, I'm bloated.
Oh my god, I can't have gluten.
SPEAKER_02 (22:37):
I have celiac.
SPEAKER_00 (22:38):
I have celiac, like you don't that does happen.
SPEAKER_02 (22:41):
People do jump to conclusions a lot of times, and
that you know, this they'revalid questions and thoughts
like you should bring up to yourclinician, but like don't do it
yourself.
Like if your car's rattling,unless you're Fran, you're
probably gonna take a look at ityourself, like your brother.
But like if your car's rattlingor shaking, like mine was.
(23:02):
Oh my god, I don't like take itmyself, and I'm like, there was
nothing wrong.
Uh they told me there wasnothing wrong, but like I
brought it to the mechanic andhad them tell me that.
So that's just kind of thethought here.
SPEAKER_00 (23:15):
Yeah, anyway, I digress.
SPEAKER_02 (23:17):
That was um, so Nikki, can you tell us how you
know what do people normallynotice when they have seasonal
affective disorder?
SPEAKER_00 (23:28):
So it can look a lot like depression.
So having low energy, low mood,general kind of just like loss
of interest in things maybe thatyou used to do.
Um, but seasonal affectivedisorder has a few unique
features where people tend tosleep a lot more and then crave
(23:50):
carbs and as a result of thatmight gain a little bit of
weight in the winter.
SPEAKER_02 (23:55):
Yeah, and some of this, like we I mean, we're
gonna share all of our resourcesthat we looked into these two,
but like I feel like when peoplethere's less light outside,
people are also moving less.
And so that may also contributeto a little bit of weight gain.
Um, but this does sound like meevery February.
Um, you know, I so we'll takethat as it is.
(24:19):
Um so sometimes it seems likethere's even a group that gets a
reverse pattern.
Um, it tends to be more rare,but like in the summertime they
may feel more anxious um andthey might end up sleeping less
or eating less.
So it's a little bit of mix andmatch here, but the far more
common one is the one that Nikkidescribed right there.
SPEAKER_00 (24:40):
Okay, Eddie.
Who will tend to get seasonalaffective disorder the most?
SPEAKER_02 (24:45):
So it's more common in women and younger adults.
It's more likely if you livefarther from the equator.
Um, and that technically meansthat like places where the
winters are darker and longer.
For example, like when we wentto Bali, we were talking with
them and they were like, What doyou mean the sun goes down at 4
30?
SPEAKER_01 (25:03):
They were shocked.
SPEAKER_02 (25:05):
And they're like, You mean it gets cold and
there's snow?
Whereas there, like, I think itall just kind of hovers between
like 75 and 88 degrees, and it'slike sunny from 6 a.m.
to 7 p.m.
pretty much all the time.
SPEAKER_00 (25:20):
So summer all the time.
SPEAKER_02 (25:22):
Yeah.
So they're close to the equator,and that's what that means.
Um in the US, around one to fivepercent of adults experience
seasonal affective disorder.
But like you mentioned earlier,many more people claim to have
milder seasonal dips in moodthat may not reach the threshold
of like a formal diagnosis ofSAD.
SPEAKER_00 (25:43):
So basically, if you're living in the Northeast,
you know someone with this.
SPEAKER_02 (25:49):
Probably.
And I've seen a bunch ofpatients, like I would get
people who were really like itreally bothers them.
And those in residency, theywould come in and they would
like be really down.
And then the month would go byand I'd be like, all right,
well, I want to see you in amonth, why don't I see you in
three months, and then theseason would change, they'd come
back and like they'd pop rightup.
And so it can be a littleconfusing because like we
(26:12):
started medicine at the sametime too, so it was tough.
Like, you need to do all of thethings, and we're gonna talk
about what that looks like, butit can be confusing.
Like, is the medicine working?
Is it the season changing?
Sometimes tough to say, and Ithink that's probably why you
need two seasons.
So then talking about why ithappens, um it in large part
(26:35):
comes down to the way lightaffects our brain.
When we get less sunlight, ourinternal clock or the otherwise
the circadian rhythm, like wetalked about last week, it gets
out of sync.
And so that messes up withhormones like serotonin and
melatonin.
And then these already atbaseline help regulate mood and
sleep.
And if they are out of whack,it's probably not too far out of
(26:57):
the stretch to imagine that thiswill cause problems.
And so there's some evidence outthere showing that some people's
eyes detect light differentlybecause of their genes related
to pigment called melanopsin.
So some people are literallywired to feel light changes more
intensely than others at theirbaseline.
(27:19):
So, Nikki, why don't we talkabout um treatments that work?
Because this not, I mean,sometimes you can just get these
things.
No, we're telling people likedon't self-diagnose yourself.
But if you're looking for someextra stuff to do to be more
proactive, here's where the liststarts.
Um, so what are some things thatpeople, the good folks who
(27:41):
listen to us, can think about?
SPEAKER_00 (27:42):
Well, the good folks can think about.
Um main ones are light therapy,cognitive behavioral therapy, or
CBT, or in some cases you mightneed some antidepressants.
SPEAKER_02 (27:54):
Yeah, and it's reasonable to try.
Like, I mean, I think hopefullyas we like move farther and
farther along in life, likethere's less stigma associated
with like using a medicine likethis.
Like you get a cold, like youget a bacterial infection, you
take an antibiotic, you havedepression, you take a medicine
for it, you know.
But to each their own.
Um, light therapy.
(28:16):
That's the one that I foundreally interesting.
This is something that you canjust easily buy.
Um, it's kind of with a speciallamp.
The idea is that you sit near a10,000 luxe light box for about
30 minutes each morning, and itessentially tells your brain,
like, hey, it's morning, wakeup.
(28:37):
And it helps reset your rhythm.
And many people know.
SPEAKER_00 (28:40):
I've thought about getting one of them before.
SPEAKER_02 (28:42):
Yeah, I I mean it's an easy thing.
I was kind of when we werepreparing this, I was like, I
mean, we get up really early atfive, yeah, and it's always
dark, and part of me is like, dowe put it in the Pelly room?
SPEAKER_00 (28:56):
Like maybe, maybe.
I had thought about getting onewhen I was working on the floor
because like, well, you know,like you leave for work, it's
dark out, and then you leavework and it's still dark out.
And then I was like, when I wasreading like what to do and
stuff, I was like, I'm notwaking up another 30 minutes
when I already have to leave forwork so early to sit in front of
(29:19):
this light.
SPEAKER_02 (29:21):
Right.
Here I am in this light, tryingto enjoy my coffee, getting
blinded by it.
But most people notice animprovement within a week or
two.
So honestly, it's something thatI mean.
Should we get one?
Can we let's see if we can thinkyou can get them on Amazon.
Hmm.
I'm seeing different things.
I'm seeing one.
(29:42):
Um, I mean, like Oh yeah, HappyLight.
SPEAKER_00 (29:45):
That's like the the big one that's like marketed a
lot.
SPEAKER_02 (29:49):
That one looks like it's$40.
Is that I'm seeing that right?
That's the uh overall pick onAmazon.
Happy Light.
Yeah, you just like clip thatonto the treadmill in the
morning.
Or the bike and then let itride.
Might not be a bad idea.
We're not divulging ourselves toyou guys saying that we have
seasonal effects.
(30:10):
Oh, that's small.
You can put it on a nightstand.
Could probably like hook it upto turn on at a certain time
too.
It's an interesting concept.
So we're looking at like$40 hereis what I'm seeing.
Um, which you're there are alsomore expensive ones.
Um, maybe they have more perksor things, but like the$40 one
(30:30):
has like eight and a halfthousand reviews compared to
more expensive ones, which arelike 600, 100.
So it's just something to thinkabout.
Um, that's an easy one to getstarted with.
Um, there are medications, I'llsave the name just because I
don't want people running outthere, like running to their
doctors to be like, I need thismedicine.
(30:52):
But there are medicines that youcan give um that might help, and
you can start in the early fall.
And if this is like a well-knownthing that you have, you know,
maybe in that third season youfigure it out and you're like,
oh, maybe I need to start thismedicine preemptively to make
sure I can take care of this.
And sometimes people pick uptheir therapy sessions at a
higher rate when the sun goesdown, and I mean people can
(31:15):
identify the negative thoughtpatterns and plan ahead for
these hard months.
But like nothing's one size fitsall.
Um, Nikki, are there lifestyletips that we can just remind
folks of uh that will certainlyhelp them, but like maybe harder
to do when it's darker outside?
SPEAKER_00 (31:33):
Yeah, there are pretty simple changes you can
make.
Um, the first one, if it'spossible to get outside early in
the day, even if it's likecloudy, just you know, when the
sun is up to get some light, ormaybe even if it's not early in
the day, like if you can like gofor a walk during lunch or
something to you know.
SPEAKER_02 (31:54):
I might start doing that.
SPEAKER_00 (31:55):
Get outside.
I go for we go for walks all thetime at work.
It's a mental health walk.
Yeah, it's like splits your dayup.
SPEAKER_02 (32:03):
I yeah.
My like lunches, so peopleusually show up like so I have
like every 20 minute visits.
Um, you know that, but theymight not.
And that there's like an 1140slot, and my lunch is like
technically supposed to start at12, but it like never does
unless that person doesn't comeor that that slot isn't
scheduled, and then I'm probablywrapping up and trying to catch
(32:24):
up on my morning.
So, like in a perfect world, itwould be really cool if I could
do that.
Um it might not happen, but likethere's there's times I'm gonna
be like leaving, even this job,like leaving in darkness, coming
home in darkness.
So I probably want to getoutside a little bit.
So I I get it for all the folksout there who are like, I'm
(32:45):
using the word folks a lot.
I don't I don't love the wordfolks.
SPEAKER_00 (32:48):
Yeah, when did that start?
SPEAKER_02 (32:49):
Um today.
I don't love the word folks, buthere we are.
Here we are, folks.
Um, what else can we do?
SPEAKER_00 (32:58):
Let's see.
You can try to keep your regularschedule, stay active, and
staying social is reallyimportant so you're not in an
isolation of darkness anddepressingness.
SPEAKER_02 (33:19):
Yeah.
We were we were talking aboutthis today, like having a sense
of I mean, like uh we areobsessed with each other, so
like we're never alone.
SPEAKER_00 (33:26):
Yeah, it's sick.
SPEAKER_02 (33:27):
Um but having a sense of community in some way,
shape, or form is nice.
Like you like see friends thatyou haven't seen in a while.
Like you saw like all yourfriends at the wedding, and
you're probably like, I mean, Isaw them yesterday and I was
like, wow, like I love theseguys and I miss them.
And so like having some sort oflike I don't know, Meg has a
book club, and that was reallycool.
(33:48):
They like all meet once a monthand they like talk about the
book or the audio book, and Ithink that that's great.
So, like you could do somethinglike that, or if you have like a
club that you go to or the gym,sometimes people like go to
classes at the gym, two birds,one stone, or two birds, one
scone for the people who arebird enthusiasts.
SPEAKER_00 (34:10):
What a scone?
SPEAKER_02 (34:13):
Yeah, you know, um, there's a school of people out
there who don't like saying likekilling two birds with one stone
because it's like harmful toanimals.
SPEAKER_00 (34:22):
PETA is gonna come for you.
SPEAKER_02 (34:24):
Yeah, no, they're coming after me.
So then the alternativestatement, which I hope that
nothing gets clipped and is onlyme saying two birds, one stone,
because they think I'm gonnamurder murder birds.
It's funny, like murder ofcrows.
Um murder, murder.
Why am I saying murder so much?
SPEAKER_00 (34:41):
Just keep yeah, keep keep going.
SPEAKER_02 (34:44):
Crime.
Um feed two birds with onescone.
SPEAKER_00 (34:50):
Oh, feed two birds.
SPEAKER_02 (34:51):
Yeah, but I just truncated it in the front, so
like I normally do and liketried to communicate something
that just didn't work out.
Yeah, typical me.
SPEAKER_00 (34:59):
Well, now I understand.
SPEAKER_02 (35:01):
Thank you.
SPEAKER_00 (35:01):
You're welcome.
SPEAKER_02 (35:05):
Um, yes, even this could be even as simple as like
meeting a friend for coffee orsomeone regularly.
Um a quick highlight on likewhen to get help.
If you notice that the samepattern is happening every year,
your mood dips, you're moretired, you're not yourself, it's
probably worth bringing up toyour doctor.
I would I wouldn't say like goto your physical or just like
(35:27):
show up and meet a new doctorand say, like, hey, I'm here.
And like you should bring it up,but like maybe expect a
follow-up appointment, I wouldsay.
SPEAKER_00 (35:36):
Yeah.
Because you can't Well, it'salso hard to meet like, even if
you're already established withyour doctor, to go to them one
time and say, I guess unlessit's like very, very severe.
But to, you know, go to them onetime and be like, hey, X, Y, and
Z, I don't know.
SPEAKER_02 (35:56):
Oh, it's tough.
Yeah, right.
Like, I and like for someone tolisten to you, because you have
to be like, I'm worried I havethis, and then not feel like
you're getting blown off and belike, I've noticed for the last
two years, like that I have feltthis way.
And then they're gonna have tojump in and be like, oh, maybe
it's this thing.
And I don't know, there's likeopportunities for misdiagnosis
(36:19):
or like trying to cover so muchin one visit.
So, you know, do the best youcan.
That's why we do this kind ofthing, so you can prepare for
your visits better.
So the long and short of it isthat seasonal effective disorder
is real, it responds totreatment.
It might be just a little morethan just like feeling down or
tired when the sun goes downearlier.
(36:40):
But you also don't have to justwait for the spring to feel
better.
We gave you a couple things thatyou can work on and see if they
help you.
And you're not gonna get a medalfor toughing it out and not
feeling good.
Like you're the only one who'sgonna not feel good.
So might as well look into itand try to make it a little
(37:00):
better.
Any last thoughts?
SPEAKER_00 (37:04):
Nope.
SPEAKER_02 (37:05):
Great.
So thank you for coming back toanother episode of Your Checkup.
Hopefully, you were able tolearn something for yourself, a
loved one, or a seasonallyaffected neighbor.
You can check out our Instagram.
Check out my personal Instagramif you want.
Um Yeah, you've been on firelately.
I yeah, I'm just like pumpingthem out.
Um, but check out our Instagram.
You can email us at your checkuppod at gmail.com.
(37:28):
You can look at our website tofind all of our old episodes, of
which there's a ton.
And the my next thoughts for afew episodes are gonna be like
about osteoporosis.
I think we're gonna dip our toeinto menopause soon.
And the conversation abouthormone therapies for menopause,
which are often very confusing,and we're gonna try to take some
(37:48):
time to break them down in thecoming weeks.
So if you're interested in that,send us to a friend, a loved
one, or a neighbor.
And until then, we will see younext time.
Until but most importantly, stayhealthy, my friends.
Until next time, I'm Ed Doleski.
SPEAKER_00 (38:04):
I'm Nicole Ruffo.
SPEAKER_02 (38:05):
Thank you and goodbye.
SPEAKER_00 (38:06):
Bye.
SPEAKER_02 (38:12):
This information may provide a brief overview of
diagnosis, treatment, andmedications.
It's not exhaustive and is atool to help you understand
potential options about yourhealth.
It doesn't cover all detailsabout conditions, treatments, or
medications for a specificperson.
This is not medical advice or anattempt to substitute medical
advice.
You should contact a healthcareprovider for personalized
guidance based on your uniquecircumstances.
(38:34):
We explicitly disclaim anyliability relating to the
information given or its use.
This content doesn't endorse anytreatments or medications for a
specific patient.
Always talk to your healthcareprovider for a complete
information tailored to you.
In short, I'm not your doctor.
I am not your nurse.
And make sure you go get yourown checkup with your own
personal doctor.
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