Browsing the web, here are the benefits we found from getting proper doses of sunshine.
A healthy supply of vitamin D promotes bone growth and prevent illnesses such as breast and colon cancer, inflammation, multiple sclerosis, seasonal disorders, and depression.
Sunlight is the initiator of vitamin D3 creation in our bodies. Sunshine’s UVB rays interact with the cholesterol in our skin that ignites a process to create vitamin D from our kidneys and liver. This doesn’t happen without sunlight.
During long periods without sunshine, many get depressed. It’s called seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Besides feeling gloomy, people experiences low energy.
Sunlight exposure was discovered to reduce the need for pain medication, stress, and anxiety among post operative patients in one hospital that conducted a study in 2005.
A 2011 dermatological study observed the sunlight exposure helps burn subcutaneous fat, which is unattractive but doesn’t necessarily affect cardiovascular health adversely.
However, sunlight also helps reduce visceral fat indirectly. Vitamin D deficiencies have been associated to higher visceral fat production, which leads to obesity and subsequent health threatening diseases, including diabetes and cardiovascular issues.
Caveat: So it’s wise to avoid sunburn by developing a tan through gradual exposure times. A solid tan will protect your skin better than sunblocks.
Sun exposure lowers blood pressure.
In a landmark study, a group of researchers at the University of Edinburgh found that a compound called nitric oxide that helps lower blood pressure is released into the blood vessels as soon as sunlight touches the skin. This finding was important because until then it was thought that sunlight’s only health benefits to humans was to stimulate production of vitamin D. Richard Weller, Senior Lecturer in Dermatology, and colleagues, however, found that sun exposure can not only improve health, but also prolong life. That’s because the benefits of lower blood pressure include cutting risk of heart attacks and strokes. These benefits, says, Weller “far outweigh the risk of getting skin cancer.”
Sun exposure improves bone health.
It is a well known fact that vitamin D stimulates the absorption of bone-strengthening calcium and phosphorus in the body. However, emerging research also indicates there is a direct correlation between bone density and vitamin D3. Vitamin D3 is a fat-soluble vitamin formed during the process of Vitamin D manufacture when sunlight hits the skin. It regulates calcium absorption. When you have higher levels of vitamin D3 in your blood, you are at a lower risk of suffering fractures of virtually all types. On the other hand, lower levels of vitamin D3 in the blood are associated with higher rate of all types of fractures. This is why sun exposure is especially important for bone health in older adults.
Sun exposure improves brain function.
Aside from promoting bone health and regulating vital calcium levels, scientists have now linked vitamin D with a number of functions throughout the body, including the functioning of the brain. One study led by neuroscientist David Llewellyn of the University of Cambridge, assessed vitamin D levels in more than 1,700 men and women from England, aged 65 or older and found that cognitive function reduced the lower the subjects’ vitamin D levels were. However, more studies have found sunlight could help spur nerve cell growth in the hippocampus, which is the part of the brain responsible for forming, organizing and storing of memories.
Sun exposure eases mild depression.
Sunlight deprivation can cause a condition called seasonal affective disorder (SAD). SAD is a form of depression common in the winter months. It is also common in people who work long hours in office buildings and hardly get out for some sun. Moderate sun exposure, however, increases levels of natural antidepressants in the brain that can actually help relieve this and other forms of mild depression. That’s because on sunny days the brain produces more serotonin, a mood-lifting chemical, than on darker days.
When sunlight hits our eyes, a message is sent to the pineal gland in the brain and production of melatonin (a hormone that makes us drowsy and helps us sleep) is shut down until the sun goes down again. Your body gets a clear signal that it’s no longer night and this helps to maintain a normal circadian rhythm. When it gets dark outside, your body gets the signal again and you feel tired and drowsy at bedtime. Low levels of melatonin production at night due to overproduction during the day has been linked to poor sleep quality, especially in older adults. Ditch the sunglasses early in the morning when you wake up if possible so your body gets the message that it is day and triggers the pineal gland to stop releasing melatonin.
Sun exposure lessens Alzheimer’s symptoms.
Clinical research has shown Alzheimer’s patients who are exposed to the sun throughout the day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. followed by darkness at night score better on mental exams and improve some aspects of the disease. For example, one study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that Alzheimer’s patients exposed to bright light had fewer symptoms of depression, nighttime wakefulness, agitation and lost less function than those exposed to dim daytime lighting. The researchers attributed these improvements to more regular circadian rhythms.
Sun exposure heals some skin disorders.
Sunlight promotes healing of skin disorders, such as acne, psoriasis, eczema, jaundice and other fungal skin infections. In one study, for example, a four-week outdoor sunbathing therapy was successfully used to significantly clear symptoms of psoriasis in 84% of subjects. While sun exposure has a therapeutic effect on the skin and sunlight has been successfully used to treat skin disorders, this alternative treatment method should be done under medical supervision to prevent negative side-effects of UV radiation and to ensure the benefits outweigh the risks.
Sun exposure boosts growth in children.
This benefit is especially true for infants. Studies reveal the amount of sun exposure in the first few months of a baby’s life has an effect on how tall the child grows. Many cultures around the world recognize this fact and expose children to mild sun to boost growth and height.
Sun exposure enhances the immune system.
Sun exposure can help suppress an overactive immune system, which could explain why sunlight is used to treat autoimmune diseases like psoriasis. And since white blood cells increase with sun exposure and they play a key role in fighting diseases and defending the body against infection, moderate sun exposure is very helpful for your immune system.
Sun exposure reduces risk of certain cancers.
Vitamin D deficiency increases your risk of many cancers, especially breast and colon cancer. However, eating whole foods and getting some sun can send breast cancer into remission. This connection was first made by Drs. Frank and Cedric Garland from the University of California who observed that the incidence of colon cancer was nearly three times higher in New York than in New Mexico. Subsequent studies have since shown vitamin D supplementation produce a dramatic 60% drop in risk of developing any form of cancer. This confirms the benefits of vitamin D and sun exposure in reducing risk of cancer.
Sunshine does have its benefits, but it’s still the number one cause of skin cancer. Experts recommend no more than 15 to 20 minutes of direct sunlight daily for a healthy adult. After that, apply sunscreen with a minimum Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 30. Remember skin color, where you live and how much skin you expose to the sun affect how much vitamin D you can produce.
Ways to Avoid Sunburn without using poisonous sunblock.
There are many ways to avoid skin damage and burning without having to use harsh chemicals that they put in sunblock. Here are a few of them:
1. Make sure you drink plenty of fresh clean filtered or spring water to stay hydrated. Your skin is more likely to burn if you have are dehydrated.
2. Gradually expose your skin to the sun gently in short bursts rather than a big hit for hours. Your skin will naturally increase its resistance to the Ultra Violet light if it adjusts over weeks. Morning sun is the best.
3. Don’t wear sunglasses. They block light getting into the eyes, and the optical nerve that runs to the hypothalamus is able to adjust the skins resistance to the sun on the basis of how much light your receive with your eyes.
4. Cleanse your liver of toxins, and heavy metals, stop drinking alcohol, etc. The far infrared rays of the sun pull out toxins from the body. If the body is severely toxic then when those toxins come out and bake on the skin’s surface then you will burn easily.
5. take plenty of antioxidants in your diet – those colour pigments in foods. The sunburn is cause by oxidation of the skin cells. If there are plenty of antioxidants in your food from vegetables and herbs then you will be able to stay out longer without burning.
6. There is a particular nutrient that is called astaxanthin. If you take this regularly you will be amazed at how protected you from sunburn. You can buy it as a supplement.
7. Coconut oil has an SPF of about 4-6. All you need is regular light applications. And it has many other health benefits.
Sunblock has many draw backs. Most brands are laden with toxic chemicals such as:
Oxybenzone, which is linked to hormone disruption and cell damage that may lead to skin cancer.
Retinyl palmitate, which has now been proven to be a carcinogen.
Octyl-methoxycinnamate causes oxidation damage of the skin, which ages your face.
Butyl-Methdiebenzoylmethane, which releases free radicals into the body.
Benzophenone 2 (BP2), decreases the function of the thyroid, in a population that is already seriously suffering from hypothyroidism (under active).
Furthermore, sunblock stops the sun’s ultra violet rays from creating Vitamin D in the body, which is essential for many functions such as:
bone health
anti-cancer
supports the immune system
protects against dementia and brain aging
good for loosing excess fat
essential for decreasing symptoms of asthma
strengthens teeth
We are making a whole generation Vitamin D deficient with fear of the sun.
Ultra Violet light is just one frequency of light; there are eight others – infrared, and the seven spectrums of visible light. Each one has its own unique healing power!
Here are 10 benefits of getting a moderate amount of sun exposure:
1. Sunlight and whole foods send breast cancer into remission. The American physician Dr. Zane Kime used sunbathing and nutrition to cure his patients. Even in terminal cases, Dr. Kime was able to completely reverse the metastasized cancer.
2. The sun’s light kills bad bacteria. The German solders after WWI knew of the discoveries that had been made in 1903 by the Nobel Prize winner, Niels Finsen. They used sunlight to disinfect and heal wounds.
3. Sunlight has a beneficial effect on skin disorders, such as psoriasis, acne, eczema and fungal infections of the skin.
4. Sunlight lowers cholesterol. The sun converts high cholesterol in the blood into steroid hormones and the sex hormones we need for reproduction. In the absence of sunlight, the opposite happens; substances convert to cholesterol.
5. The sun’s rays lower blood pressure. Even a single exposure significantly lowers blood pressure in individuals with high blood pressure. On the other hand, pharmaceutical drugs such as Statins have side effects, such as robbing the body of Coenzyme Q10. CoQ10 is essential for cellular and heart energy.
6. Sunlight penetrates deep into the skin to cleanse the blood and blood vessels. Medical literature published in Europe showed that people with atherosclerosis (hardened arteries) improved with sun exposure.
7. Sunlight increases oxygen content in human blood. And, it also enhances the body’s capacity to deliver oxygen to the tissues; very similar to the effects of exercise. The sun has a great effect on stamina, fitness and muscular development.
8. Sunlight builds the immune system. The white blood cells, which increase with sun exposure, are called lymphocytes, and these play a major role in defending the body against infections.
9. Regular sunlight exposure increases the growth and height of children, especially babies. Many cultures throughout history have recognized this fact. Studies have shown the amount of sun exposure in the first few months has an effect on how tall the person grows.
10. Sunlight can cure depression. The noon sunshine can deliver 100,000 lux. When we sit in offices for the best part of the day, out of the sun, under neon and artificial lights (150-600 lux), we are depriving ourselves of the illumination of nature. Sunlight deprivation can cause a condition called seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a form of depression. It is more common in winter months, but also common in people who work long hours in office buildings.
Exposure to the sun should be done SLOWLY! If you are not used to the sun, then your skin will be more sensitive to it. Avoid sunburn by building up your tolerance SLOWLY.
It’s time people give the sun some credit.