Sunshine is Essential to Vitality

Avoiding sunshine because of an irrational fear of skin cancer has kept millions of people from enjoying better health due to Vitamin D deficiency. The sun is the prime source of energy for planet earth. Plants wither and die without it and we cannot live long without it. What kind of creation is a world in which we hide in fear from our energy source?

The sun itself does not cause cancer. However, overexposure and sunburn can be destructive enough to lead to some skin cancers. Like many other health and wellness issues the key is moderation and common sense.

• The human body makes Vitamin D from sunlight. It can make 15,000 to 20,000 IU in 15 to 20 minutes on a sunny day. The US government recommendation is 200 to 600 units depending on ones age.
• Vitamin D3 (D3 is the kind made by the sun) deficiency is epidemic in the US and can result in Osteoporosis, High Blood Pressure, Obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Neuro-degenerative disease including Alzheimer's. Deficiency can also lead to breast, prostate and colon cancer.
• People who live in sunnier climates have much lower incidence of most of these diseases and people who live in less sunny climates are more prone to Type 1 Diabetes, Schizophrenia, and Multiple Sclerosis.
• There is substantial evidence that safe sun exposure significantly reduces the risk of melanoma, the deadly form of skin cancer.
• Bone density and mass and muscle strength are enhanced by high levels of Vitamin D. This helps relieve unexplained aches and pains and prevents injury in falls and other minor accidents.

If you are not accustomed to regular exposure start out slowly. Begin with five or ten minutes a day. Wear minimal or no clothing to expose as much skin to the sun as possible. If you are fair skinned you should notice a very slight increase in color each day for the first several days. UVB, the D producing rays are strongest in mid-day.

Twenty minutes a day will produce optimum benefits for most people. Northern locations and winter time require longer exposures. The closer you are to the equator, the stronger the UVB rays. This is why people in far southern states have lower incidence of Vitamin D deficiency.

Get the sunshine habit. You will feel better and look better for the rest of your life.

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