Seeing The Sun From Another Angle
The sunlight has an energy quality that is irrefutable. Sunlight allows animals to relax and heat up, the plants to grow, and humans to produce vitamin D. In fact, I often prescribe trips to Florida, Arizona or Aruba for older people to regenerate and restore during the winter…and it works.
We hear about the health advantages of being in the sun, but there is also controversy on how much time and what time of day is best. Here is a little background to address these questions.
Since we cannot look into the sun with the naked eye, we inherently know that the large ball of fire in the sky can be damaging. At certain times of the day the sun is healing, yet at other times it may cause skin damage. Since I’m not a fan of using chemical sunscreens to protect my fair skin, I find it imperative to use caution to adequately protect myself.
At sunrise and sunset the angle of the sun to the earth is close to horizontal. As the morning progresses toward midday the angle approaches vertical. Many of us we have been told to stay away from the sun between 11 and 2 or some time around 12 noon. There is wisdom in these words. Direct, vertical light is too strong for the skin. Now for some of us fair maidens this rule is more than obvious, but for those with adequate melanin, olive coloring or chocolate appearance, this may be new information.
The vertical angle of the sun damages skin. This is based on the information recognized in the book “Back to a Future for Mankind” by Ibraham Karim. He mentions that “healthy humans only resonate qualitatively with the horizontal wave components” of the sun, as “do edible plants”.
Midday sun exposure can also be somewhat exhausting, especially over long spans. A 20-minute window during the midday seems to be the maximum, whereas morning and late afternoon allows for near unlimited exposure. With Daylight savings the sun is most vertically positioned to the earth at approximately 1:00 in the summer.
It is prudent and protective to avoid the time of day when the sun is at its vertical peak tegardless of your skin tone. Using clothing to cover yourself is another option, but the heat from the direct light may still cause issues for some. Patients have told me stories about acquiring sunburns while having clothes cover their skin.
My vote is for early morning exposure for multiple reasons. The morning time is the most important time to unveil the eyes and skin to bright, natural light. This “yang” time of day, when we ought to “rise and shine”, matches when the circadian rhythm naturally produces its highest cortisol levels of each day. Being out in the sun at this time gives us an extract of life-energy to perk us up and become wide awake.
AM exposure helps “reset” glandular function. Going into natural light early in the morning, even if it’s cloudy, stimulates the body’s production of melatonin in the evening. Melatonin lowers cortisol and decreases inflammation. Many people currently take melatonin to fall asleep or attain a deep sleep at night. Supplement suggestions can range from 3-40+ milligrams. It’s not easy to know how much an individual should take, if at all. Supplementing also produces varying results. Early and late sunbeams may be better options.
Vitamin D is vital for bone, heart and immune health. Vitamin D is best attained by skin exposure to the sun. Low angle sunlight provides no risk of sunburn or skin damage. We can avoid wearing sunscreen and clothing that blocks UVB rays which are needed for vitamin D production. The photons from the sun are life giving and necessary for health. They produce daily happy vibes to offset those who have a tendency toward depression. Sunlight does not contain preservatives, cannot be overdosed and it’s free for the taking to all of us.
Dr. Julie Wilson 6009 N Milwaukee Ave. Chicago, IL. 60646 773-481-9988
http://drjuliewilson.com