亮光耳機照亮你的冬日心情
As the nights get longer, those who suffer from the winter blues will be planning ways to escape to the sunshine.
隨着夜晚越來越長，那些患有冬季憂鬱症的人們就要開始計劃各種方法，想要逃離到陽光下。
But there may be a much simpler way of cheering yourself up... simply shining a bright light into your ear canal.
但要想心情好起來可能還有更簡單的辦法……往耳洞裏照點亮光就行了。
Up to one in four Britons suffer from seasonal affective disorder, with seven per cent of the population having full-blown SAD.
每四個英國人中就有一人有季節性情緒失調症，而英國人口中有7%都有嚴重症狀。
It is caused by the brain not receiving enough daylight which is needed to trigger serotonin, a hormone that regulates mood. Symptoms range from mild lethargy to depression and insomnia, but a cure might be in sight.
這種症狀是由於日光不足引起的，因爲大腦不能生成調節情緒所必需的血清素。季節性情緒失調的症狀有輕度嗜睡、抑鬱、失眠等，而且目前沒有治癒的可能。
Two clinical trials, run by Valkee - who make a device that can shine light into your ear - and the University of Oulu in Finland, have found that carefully targeted light can help prevent the condition.
Valkee公司生產了一種能往耳朵裏照射亮光的裝置。通過Valkee與芬蘭奧盧大學聯合進行的兩項臨牀試驗，專家發現這種局部曬光的辦法確實可以幫助預防病情。
Juuso Nissilä, Valkee's co-founder and chief scientist said: 'We presented earlier that the human brain is sensitive to light.
Valkee公司的創始人與首席科學家Juuso Nissilä表示：“我們之前就介紹過，人腦對光線是非常敏感的。”
'These two clinical trials demonstrate that channeling bright light via ear canal into brain's photosensitive areas effectively prevents and treats seasonal affective disorder.'
“這兩項臨牀試驗證明通過耳洞進入的亮光可以影響大腦的感光區，有效地預防以及治療季節性情緒失調症。”
The University of Oulu reported that in their first study, 92 per cent of the patients with seasonal affective disorder achieved full remission after a month of daily eight-to-12 minute doses of light from the Valkee.
奧盧大學也發表報告稱，在第一次研究中，經過每日8到12分鐘的Valkee照耳，一個月後，有92%的季節性情緒失調症患者病情得到全面緩解。
The results were presented at the International Forum for Mood and Anxiety Disorders in Budapest.
這一研究成果發佈於在布達佩斯舉行的情緒障礙和焦慮症國際論壇上。
Valkee launched its bright-light headset in August 2010. It is classed as a medical device under EU regulations.
Valkee公司是在2010年8月推出的這種亮光耳機，屬於符合歐盟規定的醫療器械。
The device channels bright light direct to the brain via the ear canal to prevent and cure depression, mood swings and even circadian-rhythm disorders such as jetlag.
這一裝置可以通過耳道直接將光線照入大腦，以幫助治療抑鬱症、情緒波動甚至如因時差而導致的晝夜失調。
It costs £185 and looks like an iPod - only the earphones emit light rather than sound.
這一售價185英鎊的器械外形酷似iPod，只不過其耳機只能發射亮光而不是用來聽音樂的。
Anyone wanting to replicate the effects with a torch is likely to be disappointed, they emit the wrong kind of light that is apparently too yellow.
如果有人想要用手電筒光來模擬這一效果，可以要失望了。手電筒發出的光線並不能奏效，明顯是因爲顏色太偏黃的緣故。
