How Sunlight is Good For Health

       "Sunlight may cause skin cancer but, paradoxically, there is growing scientific evidence that the sun's rays could play a key role in preventing and ameliorating a number of serious degenerative and infectious disease." 

~ Richard Hobday, PhD, The Healing Sun

     April showers may bring May flowers, but rain clouds made me SAD! SAD (Seasonal Affect Disorder) is a depressive disorder that usually strikes in the winter when sunlight levels are at their lowest. But as an intuitive empath, the more I evolve and grow, the more sensitive I become. A string of cloudy days any time of year can now significantly affect my mood. The fact that so many people suffer from SAD is a testament to how important sunlight is to our health. 

We've all seen pet cats and dogs pick the sunniest spots in our homes to lie in the sun. They instinctively know what people have known for eons; sunlight is vital for restoring and maintaining good health. Historically, sunlight therapy, or heliotherapy, has been effectively used in the prevention of tetanus and gangrene in war wounds, as well as the treatment of tuberculosis, smallpox, and other serious health conditions.

      However, due to fears about skin cancer, cataracts and the shrinking ozone layer, current guidelines recommend severely limiting sun exposure and protecting the skin with broad spectrum sunscreens. We now live our lives almost entirely indoors in buildings that are no longer designed to maximize sunlight. But the truth is there is no evidence that depletion of the ozone layer has caused an increased incidence of skin cancer. Nor is there any evidence that avoiding sunlight, using sunscreen, or wearing sunglasses prevents skin cancer or cataracts!

     It is sunburns that increase the risk of skin cancer. And it is a lack of sunlight, as well as a diet deficient in antioxidants and exposure of the skin to toxic chemicals from products such as cosmetics and many sunscreens that pose a risk to our health.

How Does It Work?

     The healing action of sunlight is energy in the form of electromagnetic waves. These waves of ultraviolet radiation irradiate blood in capillaries near the surface of the skin, increasing the formation of white blood cells called lymphocytes that are necessary for a healthy immune system. This energetic action also increases the oxygen content of the blood and accelerates elimination of toxic chemicals from the body - detoxification.

      Not only does sunlight energy detoxify and strengthen the immune system, it also synthesizes vitamin D production in the skin, essential for healthy teeth and bones and in prevention of the serious diseases and cancers associated with vitamin D deficiency. Such a deficiency is linked with depressive illnesses such as SAD; cancer of the skin, breast, colon, ovaries, and prostate; diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, rickets, osteoporosis, and tuberculosis. Heliotherapy can prevent and treat these disease conditions due to the ability of sunlight to: lower blood cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure levels; regulate hormonal processes; balance our internal biological rhythms; and kill bacteria. In particular, it has become imperative to recover lost knowledge of sunlight’s natural antibacterial effect, given the escalating issue of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections.

Getting Sunlight Energy Safely

     The key to safely receiving the benefits of sunbathing is through brief, regular, and gradually increasing sun exposure. Such practices prevent sunburn by properly preparing the skin. It is especially important for individuals with pale skin to follow these guidelines, as research indicates that it is only among the fair-skinned segment of the population that the incidence of malignant melanoma is increasing. That increase is attributed to sun avoidance, which leaves the skin ill-prepared for exposure and contributes to burning.

     Safe sunbathing practices are done without sunscreen in the cooler temperatures of early spring mornings, continuing into the early summer. This can begin with five minutes of sun exposure to the feet and ankles. Those with darker skin can begin with longer exposure. Sun exposure is gradually increased up to 30 minutes. The amount of skin exposed is also gradually increased to include the full leg, exposing the torso last  and wearing a hat to protect sensitive facial, neck, and upper chest skin.

     You can read more about these guidelines established by pioneers of heliotherapy in Richard Hobday’s The Healing Sun: Sunlight and Health in the 21st Century. By using these guidelines, our bodies can synthesize and store enough vitamin D in body fat and skeletal muscle to maintain levels during low-light winter months, while avoiding a skin-damaging sunburn.

    For more energy healing solutions for sensitive and creative women, subscribe to this blog and go to my website to subscribe to my newsletter and receive a FREE recording "3 Keys to Removing the Blocks to Getting What You Want in Life" and a power-packed Energy Medicine Resource Bundle with handouts for my most effective energy healing skills! While you are there, check out my award-winning books and energy healing online courses that can teach you everything you need to know to live a healing way of life and awaken your greater health.

     Thank you for supporting this blog by using the amazon link embedded in this article for ANY purchase.  Your support is greatly appreciated!