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<> Medical kigo <>
Here are gKs thoughts
The seasonality of a kigo is just when it is most likely to happen.
The flu (influenza) could happen any time, but flu shots would be a
fall kigo since that is when they are most likely to be given. The
flu itself would be a late fall/winter kigo since that is when you
are much more likely to get it (hence the term "flu season").
As a medical doctor, you could probably come up with a whole list of
diseases and medical problems that have some seasonal connection
hay fever for example. Seasonal Affective Disorder ("winter blues")
would be another [which, since it is much more prevalent in higher
lattitudes, would probably be a good Alaska kigo ;-]].
Although heart attacks are more likely to occur in winter it doesn't
appear to be a big statistical difference, so they would probably not
be a good kigo
Should heart attacks be considered a winter kigo (along with flu and
the common cold)?
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=ap/winter_heart_attacks
gK, Sep 1, 2004
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The annual flu has arrived in the United States
and has killed at least one child, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention reported on Thursday.
The influenza season is off to a slow start, the CDC said in its weekly report on death and disease. "Twenty states and the District of Columbia reported no influenza activity," the CDC said.
Flu season usually peaks in the United States in February and March.
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What is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)?
Seasonal affective disorder is a type of depression that tends to occur (and recur) as the days grow shorter in the fall and winter. It is believed that affected persons react adversely to the decreasing amounts of light and the colder temperatures as the fall and winter progress.
Seasonal affective disorder has not been recognized very long as a medical condition. The term first appeared in print in 1985. Seasonal affective disorder is also sometimes called winter depression, winter blues, or the hibernation reaction.
The incidence of seasonal affective disorder increases in people who are living farther away from the equator. Seasonal affective disorder is less common where there is snow on the ground. Seasonal affective disorder is more common in women than men. Persons of all ages can develop seasonal affective disorder.
What are the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder?
Symptoms of seasonal affective disorder include tiredness, fatigue, depression, irritability, body aches, loss of sex drive, poor sleep, and overeating.
The symptoms of seasonal affective disorder typically tend begin in the Fall each year, lasting until Spring. The symptoms are more intense during the darkest months. Therefore, the more common months of symptoms will vary depending on how far away from the equator one lives.
What causes seasonal affective disorder?
Seasonal affective disorder seems to develop from inadequate bright light during the winter months. Researchers have found that bright light changes the chemicals in the brain. Exactly how this occurs and the details of its effects are being studied.
What is the treatment for seasonal affective disorder?
Regular exposure to light that is bright, particularly fluorescent light, significantly improves depression in persons with seasonal affective disorder. The light treatment is used daily in the morning and evening for best results. If one could temporarily change locations to a climate that is characterized by bright light (such as the Caribbean), this can achieve similar results. Light treatment has also been called phototherapy.
Phototherapy is commercially available in the form of light boxes, which are used for approximately one-half hour daily. The light required must be of sufficient brightness, approximately 25 times as bright as a normal living room light. Contrary to prior theories, the light does not need to be actual daylight from the sun. It seems that it is quantity, not necessarily quality of light, that matters in the light treatment of seasonal affective disorder.
http://www.medicinenet.com/seasonal_affective_disorder_sad/article.htm
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