This is the Second Edition of a book that has been very popular since its introduction in 2008. Since then there have been many studies that confirm that using ordinary light at night is damaging to sleep and increases the risk of deadly illnesses like diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and breast, colon and prostate cancer. The author introduces the dawning of a new epoch in lighting, "Lighting for Health". But this book is also a very personal book. It describes how the medical profession is slow to embrace new ideas without years of clinical testing but how simple changes in your life style (changing to light bulbs that don't make the blue light that suppresses melatonin) can greatly improve the quality of your sleep and may reduce your risk of serious illness. It documents the dangers associated with the use of sleeping pills and reviews in detail the evidence that maximizing natural melatonin has many health benefits. It summarizes the results of many recent studies concerning how melatonin fights cancer in so many different ways including reduction in the risk of metastasis in cancer survivors. The author provides suggestions to shift workers for ways they can preserve their circadian rhythm and their supply of melatonin while working different shifts. You will learn that we are beginning to have some completion in providing low blue light products including a project funded by the Department of Health and Human Services to develop a safe light source, i.e., one that does not suppress melatonin.
About the Author: Dr. Hansler is the Director of the Lighting Innovations Institute where he does research on the effects of light on health. He is a physicist with degrees from the University of Chicago (MS) and Ohio State University (PhD). He did research for GE Lighting for 42 years on almost every type of lamp produced by GE and received more than 70 patents on his inventions. He served in WWII in the Army Air Corps as a B17 navigator. He fought with the Polish Underground Army after having been shot down on his 25th mission. Since joining JCU in 1996 he has written three books in addition to this one; "Heroes of Cancer Prevention Research, "Pregnant? New Baby? Need Sleep!" and "Another Weight Loss Gimmick? Maybe Not". He is the father of three sons and a daughter and grandfather to five boys and five girls. He believes lighting is entering a new epoch in which lighting for health will be the number one goal. He hopes his readers will take action to protect themselves from the dangers that lie in an ordinary light bulb.