Sunshine: Nature’s Best Vitamin (and It’s FREE!)
With warmer weather right around the corner, I want to be sure we all approach the Spring and Summer months with a right perspective of the sun.
I have something important to share with you:
the sun is not your enemy.
Yes, you read that right. The sun is not something to be feared and avoided. It is actually an essential component in our health and vitality.
You may be a bit puzzled at this point. I thought the sun causes skin damage, aging, and cancer. Why would you intentionally expose yourself to that?
We’ve all been taught that sun exposure is bad for us, that we should avoid it at almost all costs, and to wear sunscreen even if you aren’t leaving your house (because UV rays come through window glass if it’s unfiltered). But, this belief is easily dismantled when one looks at tangible research rather than simple correlations.
In this post, I’m going to share with you what the sun really does, what it does not do, and what is actually contributing to the damage, aging, and cancer that many people encounter on their skin.
As we are approaching the end of Winter and cold weather, I’ve been craving sunshine like crazy.
Since learning about the seemingly endless benefits it offers to our bodies and health, being cooped-up in the house has made me anxious to get back outside in the sun.
I took advantage of every opportunity to soak it up last summer; and in the mean time I learned to tolerate, if not actually enjoy the heat involved in allowing my body that direct sun. Being hot was always what kept me from spending much time out during Summer, but like anything else in life, you get used to it with time.
It isn’t so hard to enjoy now that I know all the good things happening in my body through that sunshine. Let’s go over some of the functions sunshine serves for our bodies.
What Does the Sun Do?
There are countless functions that the sun serves in relation to benefiting our health- both physically and mentally.
Over the last year or so, I’ve been hearing a lot about products and techniques that will sterilize devices and various belongings using UV light, so that you don’t have to keep up with washing them with soap and water (if at all). Come to find out while researching for this post that sunshine does the same thing!
To put it plainly, sunlight kills germs.
The sunlight is known to be a natural bleaching agent, and provides UV sanitation. Regular exposure of our body to the germicidal wavelength of ultraviolet light (UV) of the sun controls germs, mites, molds, bacteria, and viruses; sunlight interacts with/stimulates beneficial gut bacteria that allows the body to fight off these detrimental substances.
Sunlight also disinfects our skin from harmful germs, and purifies water to depths of 12 feet. All of this is good to know if you’re concerned about becoming sick, in addition to the various immune-building actions that sunshine provides.
Utilizing the UVA rays in sunlight, sunshine will lower blood pressure if necessary. And using UVB rays, it lowers/converts cholesterol to vitamin D.
That’s right, sunlight doesn’t start out as Vitamin D in our bodies- it must be converted, and to do that it utilizes cholesterol. This reinforces the essential role cholesterol plays in our bodies- it isn’t a bad guy, either! Cholesterol plays important roles in our immune health, and it’s relationship to Vitamin D is part of that. And, Vitamin D is actually a hormone, which makes sense when you see all the various benefits sunlight has on our other hormones as well.
Sunshine and ultraviolet light encourage proper thyroid function, allowing for hormone balance.
Sunlight increases testosterone and estrogen production- both men AND women benefit from vitamin D: “women who have only very little exposure to sunlight often suffer from menstrual problems, or sometimes, have no menstrual periods at all. They can reestablish a healthy menstrual cycle by sunbathing regularly and spending several hours of the day outdoors. Normalization of the menstrual cycle can occur within a few weeks after starting sunlight therapy.” And men who get adequate sun (perhaps even laying out naked) can increase testosterone levels, and sperm count and motility.
The UV rays in sunlight also stimulate the thyroid gland to increase hormone production. Thyroid secretions largely control metabolism. Increased hormone production increases the body’s basal metabolic rate; this assists in both weight loss and improved muscle development.
Additionally, ultraviolet light:
-improves electrocardiogram readings
-improves cardiac output
-increases glycogen stores in the liver
-balances blood sugar
-enhances energy, endurance, and muscular strength
-improves the body’s resistance to infections
-enhances the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood
-increases sex hormones
-improves resistance to skin infections
-raises tolerance to stress and reduces depression
-vitamin D maintains calcium homeostasis and improves bone density, bolsters muscle strength and function
-improves sleep
These are just a handful of the benefits that sunshine provides for our health. There are countless more that are currently being researched. Now let’s discuss issues the sun does not contribute to.
The sun does not:
Cause skin cancer OR contribute to premature aging (wrinkles, age spots, discoloration).
I mean, think about it. The human race has been out and about in direct sunshine for thousands of years, and it wasn’t until about the 1950s that things like skin cancer started becoming a concern. It’s important to know, however, that this was also about the time when sunscreens and processed/refined foods really exploded within the general society. We need to realize that our diets play the primary role in our skin care, and that if sunscreens were actually effective, skin cancer wouldn’t even be a thing, what with people slathering as much on their bodies as they do.
Lack of sun exposure is actually one of the greatest risk factors for disease, and prior to the discovery of antibiotics in the 1930s, sunlight therapy, or heliotherapy, was one of the most successful treatments for infectious diseases.
If you look at statistics regarding skin cancer, you’ll find that the most dangerous skin cancers, melanomas, are more common in people who are indoors for the majority of the daytime. Some of the hottest places in the U.S. have the highest rates of skin cancer, not because they expose their skin to the sun, but because the extreme heat throughout much of the year keeps people indoors during the day. So, even though there’s plenty of sunlight, people avoid it and develop health problems including cancers from underexposure rather than overexposure. And cancerous lesions often appear on areas of the skin which are not typically (if ever) exposed to sunlight: “It has been observed that melanoma occurs in areas where sunscreen is used the most and also that melanoma rates are highest among those that avoid the sun and work in indoor urban environments.”
This underexposure to sunlight is also contributing to the widespread prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D deficiency contributes to poor bone health, weakened immune health, poor mental health, and many other symptoms.
Fluorescent lights also play a factor in terms of skin health (Aside from being a source of dirty electricity).
In August 1982 an article was published in the prestigious British Medical Journal The Lancet titled “Malignant Melanoma and Exposure to Fluorescent Lighting at Work”… it was found that working under fluorescent lights doubled the risk of melanoma in the subjects of research…their findings revealed that most of the melanomas occurred on areas of the body least exposed to light such as the trunk and limbs. They surmised that tanned skin from regular exposure to the sun actually protects the skin and that people who received more sunlight were less vulnerable to the deleterious effects of fluorescent lights.
Heal Yourself With Sunlight, pg. 32-33
So, What Does Cause Skin Cancer?
So far we’ve discussed the many benefits of sunshine and what it does for our bodies and health, and what sunshine does not do- cause skin cancer and premature aging.
In Part 2 of this post “Why You Need to Throw Away Your Sunscreen“, I’m going to share with you all the real culprits behind these issues and how we can correct them!
In the mean time, if you’re still unsure, watch the videos I’ve attached in this post, and check out the resources I have provided below. Go sit or work out in the sunshine for a few minutes and see how good you’ll feel- even better if you can stick your feet in the grass, too.
If you’re suffering from poor health of any kind, I encourage you to fight to find the source of your illness, to find what is causing the symptoms, rather than just suppressing them with some sort of synthetic treatment or medication. I pray that you will take the time to research and discover natural healing methods to restore your strength and wellness. The information provided here is a simple but good place to start (check out the Resources tab in the menu above for even more information).
God created this Earth to sustain life, and He created our bodies to receive from the resources He has provided. The Earth, the Sun, the elements are all comprised of things that nourish and heal our bodies, if we are willing to connect with them. We were created from the dust of the Earth, so it only makes sense that our bodies interact in some sense with the Earth in a very clever and intricate way only God could have designed.
Additional Tips
~Of course, we don’t want to allow our skin to burn. It’s important to pay attention to lengths of sun exposure, especially at the beginning of the season and if you’re not used to it. Increase sun exposure gradually, and don’t use sunscreen to prevent absorption- go in the shade, or cover your skin with some light clothing.
~Cleaning up the diet is the best and easiest way to prevent premature skin damage and aging. A low-carb, high-fat ketogenic/carnivore diet allows your body all the necessary, stable saturated fats it needs to thrive and heal itself from potential environmental stressors. I will link some resources on the topic below.
~Oxidative stress triggered by diet can be relieved by Earthing or Grounding (read my blog post on the topic here).
Further Resources:
~Sunscreen and Natural Alternatives
~Heal Yourself with Sunlight, by Andreas Moritz (this book is where most of the quotes in this post were found).
~Carnivore Code, by Paul Saladino
~Dr. Ivor Cummings, on Youtube
~Dr. Joesph Mercola, on Youtube
~Dr. Ken Berry, on Youtube
(All three doctors above provide information on sunlight, as well as keto/carnivore diets)
Medical disclaimer: The entire contents of this website, including text, graphics, images, videos, and studies, is provided for general informational purposes only. The contents are not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are under the care of a physician for any health condition, consult with your physician first, especially if you take medication. I am not responsible or liable for any advice or any other information that you obtain through this website.
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