Sherrie Baxter is talking to a lot of tired, depressed, scattered, carb-hungry people lately.

That's because the Northwest winter, with its rain and loss of light, causes the aptly named seasonal affective disorder.

As of this month when the rainy season started with a bang, many of us began sleeping in later, having diff iculty concentrating, feeling tired, lethargic and moodier than normal - and prowling for cookies, cakes and breads.

"I really feel that's why we're the caffeine capital of the world," says Baxter, owner of Enviro-Med in Vancouver, which makes bright light boxes to treat SAD. "People are trying to self-medicate."

Other symptoms of SAD are aggravated pre-menstrual syndrome in women, bulimia and sleep disorders, says Leslie Korn of the Center for Traditional Medicine in west Olympia.

"Chronic stress and exposure to trauma depletes your levels of serotonin - a neurotransmitter in the brain," Korn says.

"Large numbers of people don't have their neurotransmitters operating at full efficiency, and winter exacerbates that."

Korn's center, which includes offices f or five clinicians and therapists, offers a bright light box for clients to use while sitting in the waiting room.

The center also offers nutritional counseling, biofeedback, neurofeedback, massage and polarity therapy - all of which can potentially help with SAD, she said.

"Anything that helps rebalance the body's circadian rhythm - or body clock - can be useful," Korn said.

Baxter's company ships bright light boxes all over the world - but mostly to people in Oregon and Washington who suffer from SAD in larger numbers than elsewhere.

"The problem is not getting enough light early in the day," Baxter says. "You have to reset your body clock - some people find it's kind of a lifting of the fog."

Sitting in front of a light box every morning for between 30 minutes to an hour can help many people, Baxter says.

The two lower-priced Enviro-Med light boxes cost between $279 and $370 each, plus $15 shipping and $16 extra for an optional acrylic stand.

If you don't want to buy a light box, try to get outside in the morning sunlight - if there is any. Either a light box or natural light will expose the retinas of your eyes to the light. The light travels from the retinas over nerves to your pineal gland - the gland in the center of your forehead. That gland, together with the pituitary gland, are known by spiritual healers as the third eye, and by Chinese medicine practitioners as a key acupuncture point for serenity and mental balance.

The light tells the pineal gland to shut off production of melatonin, the hormone that makes you feel tired and fall asleep. When it's dark in the early morning, the pineal gland keeps producing melatonin - throwing off your body clock so you wake up later.

If you sit and eat breakfast - or read the newspaper - in front of a light box at 6 or 7 a.m., it will shut off the melatonin production at the appropriate time, Baxter says. The boxes emit 10,000 lux of light, but you can adjust your exposure to lower amounts depending on how close you sit.

"The thing I hear the most from my customers is, 'I just hate the winter,' " Baxter said. "They dread it."

In addition to shutting off your body's melatonin production at the right time, you also need to raise your levels of serotonin, because the body needs serotonin to make melatonin. Low levels of serotonin can cause all the symptoms of SAD - especially the carb cravings.

Serotonin also is a mood regulator - as evidenced by the millions of people who take prescription antidepressants aimed at increasing levels of serotonin in the brain. Prozac, for example, is one of many antidepressants called SSRIs, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors - meaning they shut off the mechanism that depletes serotonin and increases the serotonin storage.

But there are other ways - such as exposure to natural light or bright light boxes - to raise serotonin levels without having to pop pills or gorge on carbs.

Other methods, according to Korn, include:

- Eat small portions of lean animal proteins. The proteins also support adrenal function.

- Get bodywork such as massage, acupuncture or polarity therapy.

- Take supplements such as 5-HTP, magnesium or Vitamin B-6 (consult your practitioner for dosages).

Be careful not to increase your serotonin levels too much, or you can suffer from serotonin poisoning - a manic, agitated condition, Korn warns. She says the ultimate goal should be helping people to align with natural energies.

"The movement of seasons and stars intersect and interact with human rhythms," Korn writes in her soon-to-be-published book, "Rhythms of Recovery: Trauma, Nature and the Body."

"Life is oscillation and pulsation, attuned to and entrained by the geomagnetic pulse."

If all else fails, there always is a triple low-fat 16-ounce latte.

Keri Brenner covers Thurston County and Tumwater for The Olympian. She is a licensed acupuncturist in Oregon and holds a master's degree in Oriental medicine and acupuncture from the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine in Portland. Brenner is the author of "Sleep Disorders: An Alternative Guide" and a contributing editor to "Alternative Guide to Women's Health, Vols. I and II." Contact her at 360-754-5435.

Resources

The Center for Traditional Medicine: 1015 Fourth Ave. W., Olympia, 360-586-0117

American Academy of Family Physicians: www.aafp.org. Type in "Seasonal Affective Disorder" in the search box.