Your skin isn’t the only part of your body that needs a regular dose of sunlight — your brain thrives on the stuff, too.

Just as your skin helps turn sunlight into vitamin D, your brain uses those same bright rays as a cue to produce serotonin, the neurotransmitter that helps you to feel happy and content.

Lack of sun is why most of us experience the winter blahs at some point — and for millions of people, it’s the direct cause of an annual battle with serious depression.

Now, a new gadget is promising to bring quick and lasting relief to people who suffer from that seasonal affective disorder — and it works by giving your brain the light it needs to get the serotonin factory producing at mid-summer levels.

The device looks like a set of the earbuds people use for listening to music — but instead of tiny speakers, these earbuds contain little flashlights with enough power to send a beam of light through the ears and straight into the brain.

Side note: I’m going to be more careful with Q-tips from now on.

Using light to beat SAD is not a new concept. Many people already get relief by staring at a light box. It works — but it’s a pain in the butt: It can take an hour a day, every day, or more to get some relief… and who has that kind of time these days?

That’s where the new technique really shines: In one clinical trial, nearly 80 percent of 89 SAD patients who used the earbud flashlights were completely cured with just 12 minutes of treatment a day, according to data presented at the recent International Forum for Mood and Anxiety Disorders in Budapest.

Just 12 minutes! If this holds up to further study, this won’t just be a breakthrough — it would revolutionize how we treat SAD.

The only drawback is the price. At around $300, it’s more expensive than a lightbox and even pricier than an iPod.

But since it’s every bit as portable as a music player, you can plug in on your way to the office and arrive at work each day singing a new — and happier — tune.

They must be joking.

That’s the only possible explanation for this one, friends. Either that, or maybe the folks in Washington just don’t read the newspapers.

The FDA has just approved the antidepressant Lexapro for use in kids. Just weeks before that, federal prosecutors accused its maker, Forest Laboratories, of illegally marketing that same drug, along with one other antidepressant, to kids.

The manufacturer was also accused of giving pediatricians kickbacks to get kids on these drugs. And now, the FDA essentially rewards this behavior.

If you can see any logic in that, please drop me a line because I just can’t figure it out. To me, it’s like a gang of bank robbers getting caught in the vault. And instead of being locked up, they’re given the keys.

Lexapro already enjoys $2 billion more in annual sales – just how many more times are we going to let that cash register ring before someone notices this company isn’t playing by the rules?

This wasn’t some spontaneous act by the Justice Department in response to a one-time slip-up. Their accusations came after a five-year probe of how Forest marketed Lexapro and another antidepressant, Celexa. Five years!

They found the company was offering pediatricians everything from tickets to sporting events and Broadway shows to fishing trips and spa visits in exchange for giving these drugs to kids. They also found that the company had ordered its sales force to push a positive study on Celexa and ignore one that showed it was ineffective for children.

Let’s keep in mind that antidepressants are potentially dangerous drugs that sometimes cause nasty side effects. Many come with black-box warnings because they’ve been linked to increased suicide and suicidal behavior in youths.

If any drugs should be kept away from kids, it’s these.

Antidepressants exist purely for symptom control. They won’t cure depression or cause the body to create the additional serotonin it needs. They just manipulate the serotonin you already have.

Often times, there are much better ways, not just for kids, but for everyone to treat their depression. Everything from tryptophan to vitamin B to exercise can be just as effective as drugs like Lexapro, if not more so.

To me, the behavior of the company tells you everything you need to know about what they’re selling. When a business has to resort to shady and manipulative behavior to sell its product, then it’s probably not a product you want to use, much less give to your children.

Some drugs can be worse than the illnesses they treat.

I’ve always felt very strongly that antidepressants belong in this group. These drugs have a long history of nasty and even deadly side effects, and it seems we’re learning about new ones all the time.

The latest research, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, found that women who take antidepressants may face a greater risk of sudden cardiac death.

Now, the researchers say we shouldn’t be so quick to blame this on the drugs. They point out, somewhat rightly, that depressed women are often at greater risk for hypertension and diabetes, and are more likely to smoke. Depression alone is a risk factor for the heart, even in women who don’t have heart disease.

But their numbers do show a strong link between the use of antidepressant drugs – not just the depression – and sudden cardiac death, and that alone is enough to worry me even more. And believe me when I tell you that I was already plenty worried.

Remember, in addition to this new link to sudden cardiac death in women, some antidepressants have also been connected to an increased risk of suicide in younger patients, both male and female. The link is so strong there’s now a black-box warning on a number of the most popular drugs.

And let’s not forget about those side effects, which include nausea, insomnia, diarrhea and sexual side effects, not to mention withdrawal symptoms when trying to get off them. Some antidepressants also contain fluorine, which research around the world has linked to brain damage and degeneration.

So let’s get away from those drugs because they don’t really work in the first place. In many cases, depression is caused by a drop in serotonin levels. Antidepressant drugs don’t help your body make more serotonin, they just toy with how your body treats the serotonin it has, forcing it to stick around in the system longer.

In some cases, these drugs can cause serotonin levels to drop even more in the long-term. What’s more, your body won’t correct that deficiency on its own. It needs help, and the kind of help it needs won’t come from Big Pharma.

From where I sit, there’s simply no reason to fool with these drugs when there are natural, non-drug treatments that really do work. I’ve seen first-hand how tryptophan, B6, B12 and other vitamins can help folks in ways no antidepressant can. Even ordinary exercise has been shown to be as effective as some of the most popular antidepressant drugs.

Exercise won’t improve Big Pharma’s bottom line, but it may go a long way toward improving your depression symptoms. And a walk in the park or a gym membership won’t come with a black box warning.