Sunshine for the Healthier Body

Just from growing up in the States, I have always heard about the dangers of the Sun's rays and sunscreen this and sunglasses that... though noting how much healthier a beach bum looked as opposed to a computer geek. Here are some new findings about the powers of the Sun.

The sunshine vitamin may protect against a host of diseases, including osteoporosis, heart disease, and cancers of the breast, prostate, and colon. What's more, sunlight has other hidden benefits—like protecting against depression, insomnia, and an overactive immune system.

Given all the upsides of basking at least briefly in the summer sun, many experts now worry that public-health messages warning about skin cancer have gone overboard in getting people to cover up and seek the shade. U . S . News got in touch with Robyn Lucas, an epidemiologist at Australian National University who led a study published in the February issue of the International Journal of Epidemi o logy . Her finding: Far more lives are lost to diseases caused by a lack of sunlight than to those caused by too much.

Here is the rest of the article:

health.usnews.com...

A single nutrient that keeps bones strong, wards off cancer, and protects against tuberculosis, diabetes, colds, and the flu. Sound too good to be true? There's more: It's free. But you're almost certainly not getting enough.

Taken from:

health.usnews.com...

So, contrary to all the hype in the recent decade, it seems wise to go outside and get some of that natural sunlight, folks. If you think back to the early days before mankind had the various devices that kept them indoors, they were all outdoors under the blazing sun until it set. Think of the folks in more rural countries and how many days of their lives they have spent in the sunshine. It is not quite the evil everybody makes it out to be.

So while interesting subjects are abound on the internet/television, make sure ya'll get up from your comps and step outside into the light once in a while!

I live in London, not much sunshine here, but when I do get sunshine or when I'm staying in a hot country, I feel much healthier and happy, I appear healthier, my eyes become very healthy looking and brighter green, and the simple fact that the sunshine brings a great atmosphere and good fun times is good for your health and stress too!



[edit on 24-6-2008 by _Phoenix_]

Yeah, I would have to say, there is something about natural light that is beyond the confines of science and technical babble.

Simply, when you go outside and enjoy the day outside it feels great. It is hard to put a science to that. And when you are inside, or live in a rainy place, or you're holed up in front of the comp, you do not feel as good.

I am going to do opposite of what TV tells me. I will strictly follow what my body knows is right. Before electricity to keep us working through the night, people were supposed to retire and relax when the sun went down, and get back in it in the dawn. The sunlight was time and the darkness was sleep time.

The warmth you get from natural sunlight is beyond description. It dances with the cells in your skin, fills the soul, lifts your spirits, takes away the deathly complexion, and sometimes gives you cancer and stuff. Can somebody start plugging that hole in our ozone?

I think I am going to research suntan lotions and sunblock. I have a distinct distrust of anything that is not natural, and I feel that those applications inhibit cancer as opposed to helping you.

If we do not get enough sunshine and stay indoors all the time, we will start to adapt and show characteristics of cave dwellers. Pale complexion, huge black eyes with heightened auditory and feel senses, but we will be blind as a bat outside.

Mankind was not meant to be hidden away in our plaster and brick caves. We were meant to be outside and under the sun to go about our daily quests. I would rather be a farmer than a computer geek. I would rather swim in the ocean then in front of the TV with AC.

Going form a different work schedule, and from going from working mostly outside to inside, I can tell you that there is definetly a big diffeerence in the way my body behaves. I get insomnia easier when I'm inside more often, even if i keep myself active. My acne worsens (long standing problem there) when i go outside, to the beach, or just drive around with my arm out my windwow, I feel a little better when the day starts. Right now, since i have the night shift, and I've been getting up later, definetly notice that even with more sleep, i'm less energetic.