i plan to buy a full-spectrum or similar natural light simulating lamp
to address SAD.  but how to choose one?

ideally i want to find...
 
1) anecdotal evidence from users - experience, reviews, etc - about
    *  choice of brand/model
    *  lamp criteria (e.g. measure of brightness, tabletop vs floor lamp, etc)

2) any info about using a SAD type lamp to also address acne?  some
lamps are marketed with red/blue specific spectrum for acne treatment.
    *  could i acheive the same results with a lamp marketed for SAD?
    *  could i create a dual purpose SAD/acne lamp in some way?  maybe
by buying two different diffusers for the same bulb?

3) let's avoid info from the sales websites.

here are examples of brands and products i've found far.

http://www.bluemaxlighting.com/compare_ultralux.htm
http://www.fullspectrumsolutions.com/technical_data.shtml
http://www.naturebright.com/products/skin_care_lamp.html
http://www.sunalux.com/s_lightboxes.cfm

many thanks!
nerdqueen

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Clarification of Question by nerdqueen-ga on 14 Dec 2005 05:49 PST

wondering if item #2 is an obstacle?  happy to reduce question to #1
in that case - please let me know.  thanks -sharon

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Request for Question Clarification by byrd-ga on 14 Dec 2005 09:49 PST

Hi Sharon, 

Since I also have a personal interest in SAD, out of curiosity I
recently did a search for information on the subject of "full
spectrum" lighting. I was confused by all the conflicting claims, not
to mention the huge variation in prices. You might be surprised, as I
was, to learn that actually "full spectrum light" is not a technical
or scientific term, but rather a marketing phrase, with no consistent
consensus on meaning, let alone efficacy. Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute conducted and published the results of a comparative study
on this type of product. I think you might find the paper quite
interesting.
 
The abstract says, "Lighting Answers:Manufacturers of full-spectrum
light sources have claimed a variety of benefits for their products,
including better visibility, improved color rendering, better health,
and greater productivity. Light sources promoted as full-spectrum can
cost over ten times as much as nearly identical products that do not
bear the full-spectrum claim. This report addresses questions about
full-spectrum light sources: What are full-spectrum light sources? How
valid are the claimed benefits? Are these products worth the extra
cost? This report also proposes a convenient definition for
full-spectrum light sources that can be used to quantify the extent to
which a given light source deviates from a full-spectrum light source.
This revision presents an improved calculation method for this new
full-spectrum metric."
 
Here is the link to the full paper:
http://www.lrc.rpi.edu/programs/nlpip/lightingAnswers/fullSpectrum/abstract.asp

Please let me know if you believe this information answers your
question. If so I'll be happy to post it as the 'official' answer. If
not, hopefully another Researcher can find more for you.

Best regards,
Byrd-ga

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Clarification of Question by nerdqueen-ga on 22 Dec 2005 13:35 PST

Hello byrd-ga,  

Sorry I was offline for so long after your posting.

Your finding is good.

But my goal is realy to determine which solution to buy (or possibly
make) - so the link offered by heatherjo-ga better addresses my
question #1.

I can live without question #2, or info about a homemade lamp.

Now hoping for a bit more evidence about which appliance to choose.

Thanks!
Sharon

I recently read a review I found VERY helpful at
http://www.epinions.com/content_213558398596

She also has links to other reviews she's done.