Harness the Power of the Sun for Your Health
This month, as you may be escaping to shade and air-conditioned buildings for survival, people in other summertime areas are able to get out in the sun and enjoy it.
But what about wrinkles and cancer?
Dermatologists tell you to avoid the sun or slather yourself in sunscreen.
Nature cure doctors used sunshine to effect cures, especially for rickets, tuberculosis, and psoriasis.
Dr. Michael Holick, in his book The UV Advantage, sheds some light on the medical facts regarding the risks and benefits of sun exposure.
First, the facts.
Sunlight comes in various wavelengths from infrared, through the color spectrum, to ultraviolet.
There are three kinds of ultraviolet: UVA, UVB, and UVC.
UVA causes wrinkles and in extremely high doses may be responsible for melanomas.
UVB reddens skin and may be responsible for non-melanoma skin cancer. It also starts the reaction in skin that stimulates the production of Vitamin D.
UVC is absorbed by the atmosphere and doesn’t even make it to your skin.
Why spend time in the sun?
Sun exposure
- improves bone health,
- enhances mental health,
- prevents certain cancers,
- improves heart health,
- and alleviates skin disorders.
It also decreases the risk of autoimmune disorders, including
- multiple sclerosis,
- diabetes mellitus type 1,
- and rheumatoid arthritis.
Finally, it alleviates conditions related to obesity that prevent participation in an exercise program.
How does UVB sunlight do this?
Let’s look at UVB stimulating Vitamin D production.
A form of Vitamin D is made in the skin after sun exposure and also may come from the diet. This form must be converted by the liver to an intermediary, which in turn is converted by the kidney to the active form of Vitamin D, which circulates in the bloodstream.
But the kidney keeps a cap on the amount of active Vitamin D it will convert.
The wisdom of the body allows this last conversion to take place in most cells of the body for their own use, which is independent of circulating Vitamin D levels.
When it happens in immune cells, we see less autoimmune diseases. When in prostate, breast, brain, colon, and skin, there are fewer cancers of these organs.
All from sunlight starting a reaction in the skin!
What about bones?
Everyone learns in school the relation between Vitamin D and bone health.
Calcium is absorbed mostly with the help of Vitamin D from the bloodstream. One of the best ways of treating childhood rickets is to get the kids into the sun.
Adults deficient in Vitamin D have a similar condition called osteomalacia. Besides weak bones, there are vague muscle aches, often misdiagnosed as fibromyalgia.
In obese people, fat absorbs Vitamin D so that it cannot be used for bone and general cellular health. This leads to osteomalacia and the aching discourages exercise, so more weight may be gained, perpetuating a vicious cycle.
What happens with UVA wavelenghts?
We must note one effect of UVA on the skin. The skin manufactures beta endorphins, the “feel good” neurohormone.
No wonder we feel so good after going to the beach!
Sunlight regulates circadian rhythms through exposure of photoreceptors in the eye, which send their signals to the hypothalamus of the brain.
Circadian rhythm disorders can result in
- depression,
- seasonal affective disorder,
- premenstrual tension,
- sleeping disorders,
- and possibly heart & gastrointestinal disease.
Natural sunlight again is the answer to a healthy mood.
Next week in a blog post we’ll look at the risks of sun exposure, sunscreens, and how to take the sun in a medicinal dose.
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