NatureBright SunTouch Plus Light

*Please note - I paid full retail for this. I did not receive a discount for this review* I am new to the light therapy way of thinking. I have several medical problems including Fibro, Chronic Fatique, and Arthritis. The worst part for me in all of this is the sheer exhaustion I feel every day. Friends have fallen by the wayside because they don't understand why I can't just get up and shake it off. If I hear one more person say to me, "just get up. You won't feel like it, but you have to make yourself. It's mind over matter." Since I have tried many therapies, all to no avail, I decided to look into more unconventional therapies and avenues. I started with Binaural Beats, and decided to augment that with light. I know this is a review of just the light, but it's worth mentioning that using free apps I downloaded some basic binaurals, and there is a definite, if subtle, difference. If you are purchasing this light, I would absolutely recommend trying it with the beats. The light arrived quickly, two day shipping from Prime. I spent about a day and a half researching before choosing the NatureBright SunTouch Plus. I really wanted the alarm clock light that mimics the sunrise. But what it came down to for me was the value for my money. Although the clock lights say that the light is bright and it is enough, in reviewing the customer images I picked up on the fact that the light really only covered their faces at a bare minimum. It appeared to me that you would have to be sitting 'just so' to get that limited light field only on your face, and that staying for 30 minutes in the positions shown might be uncomfortable. Yes, it's true that this NatureBright does't have the dimming sunset and bright sunrise effects to wake/sleep to. However it is notably less expensive and more notably very large. In comparing the two technologies, giving up the automatic feature to have a much larger light that I have to physically turn on didn't seem like that much of a trade-off. So the packaging was nice and sturdy. The light itself is cased in a plastic housing that kind of makes the light look and feel inexpensive. The closest I can describe the size is this; have you ever had or seen the Conair (or any brand) lighted make up mirror? The one that is tri fold? This NatureBright light looks just like that without the side mirrors. So the light area itself is about the size of a piece of notebook paper. This light is incredibly BRIGHT! (I will most likely use it as a light by my vanity mirror for applying my eye makeup) I like the fact that I can turn it on and then focus on other things for the 15-30 minute sessions. The light wraps around my face even though it is sitting off to the side. To start my day I will grab my latte, my phone and headphones, and the NatureBright. Then I will but on some Binaural Beats for energy and healing, pop in my headphones, and use the first session as a sort of meditation. I have only had the light 2 days, but I can definitely tell a difference already. I look forward to getting up now instead of dreading having to drag myself out the door. I find this odd as I am definitely not into hippy-dippy stuff or meditation or any of that, but I love love love this light. Light therapy itself has been around for quite a while, mainly for SAD patients (Seasonal Affect Disorder) and to reset our internal clocks. More and more research has recently suggested that the light therapy is great for many other ailments than they first thought, mainly the pain of Fibro. I cannot and will not debate the validity of the research, however I can definitely say that in only 2 days, it has had an effect on me. In researching this product, I kept reading all of the reviews and getting more and more confused. So I will try to make mine as straightforward and unambiguous as possible: Pros: Light surface area is huge. The brightness is amazing. You don't have to contort into one position, light is bright and big enough to sit naturally and get other things done. Doesn't get hot. (after 30 minute session I can touch, move, hold the light and it's just warm) Nicely packaged and doesn't look bad should you choose to leave it out, it won't detract from your aesthetic Claims that this light will improve mood and energy - I have found them to be valid for me Reasonable cost Controls are located on the top and are VERY user friendly. Time function so you can set your session to 15 minute intervals. I would definitely recommend to anyone considering a light therapy purchase, especially if you are comparing to the clocks. If you are unsure, look at the customer images for the clocks and notice how the light only shines bright on a small area so for it to be effective you would have to stay in 1 position for 30-45 min. I didn't mention the negative ion feature in this review as I don't feel like I understand that therapy enough to determine if it works. If I feel later that it has an impact I will amend my review to include that.