Sunlight - Nature's Best Medicine

Today, we spend more time indoors exposed to artificial blue light - from LED and fluorescent bulbs, computers, phones and TV’s.  When outdoors, we overly protect ourselves from the sun. Has our modern lifestyle made us dangerously sunlight deficient?

Vitamin D deficiency is now rapidly on the rise. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, one in four adults are deficient in vitamin D, with numbers increasing in winter. Worldwide, about 1 billion people have vitamin D deficiency. Some experts believe the overuse of sunscreens and lack of direct sunlight is behind this rising global trend.

Dr Jack Kruse is an American neurosurgeon who specialises in how light frequencies affect human cells and the function of our mitochondria.  He claims UV from sunlight is nature’s best medicine and is more powerful than diet for healing some chronic diseases.

Kruse believes that skin cancer and some modern chronic illnesses are actually caused by a lack of natural sun exposure. The excessive use of sunscreens can interfere with our natural melanin production. Sunlight stimulates our skin cells to produce melanin to absorb incoming UV radiation. Melanin helps to prevent DNA damage and reduces the risk of skin cancer.

Kruse says that regular early morning light exposure helps the body safely adapt to the sun, by supporting natural melanin production. Early morning light helps to increase the skin's tolerance and reduces the risk of burning from midday UV rays. Exposure to the early morning’s low-intensity red and infrared light prepares cellular mitochondria and builds a "solar callus."

Mitochondria are the tiny parts inside your cells that control energy production and cell death. If the mitochondria is damaged, our bodies could not heal, even with the healthiest diets. But when the mitochondria absorb UV light from the sun, our cells can repair themselves naturally.  

“Mitochondrial disease is the basis of where chronic conditions come from…. If mitochondrial energy production is disrupted, cells become stressed and cell death occurs.”

According to Kruse, indoor blue light is more dangerous than the sun.  He believes that the cumulative effects of artificial indoor blue light could be adversely affecting our biology at the mitochondrial level.

Natural blue light in sunlight is different to artificial blue light because it is balanced by a full spectrum of other wavelengths, such as red and infrared light present during sunrise and sunset. The natural balance of blue and red light from the sun regulates your circadian rhythm, which governs your sleep-wake cycle.

Kruse explains that artificial blue light is a form of light toxicity that leads to long-term cellular damage. Isolated blue photons damage the mitochondria, the energy factories of the cells. Blue light overstimulates the light receptors in our eyes and disrupts melatonin production, causing the hypothalamus in the brain to become dysfunctional. If the hypothalamus is out of balance, it can disrupt your hormones and lead to systematic inflammation.

“We need to reduce our exposure to blue light from indoor lighting and technology and spend more time outdoors.  Exposing most of your body to sunlight throughout the year is the best medicine for the body.”

Neuroscientist and wellness podcaster Andrew Huberman spent years studying neural circuits and retinal regeneration. He promotes the benefits of early morning sunlight for your general health. However, he stresses the importance of avoiding sunglasses during early morning time so natural sunlight can properly enter your eyes.

“ Early morning sunlight is the most valuable time for setting your circadian rhythm.  Low solar angle sunlight activates certain cells that reset your circadian clock. Early morning light also increases your cortisol levels by 50% – giving you an early energy spike. Even if overcast, get some light in your eyes early in the day. Go outside every morning for at least for five or ten minutes and don’t wear sunglasses.”

The Ancient Spiritual Practice of Sun Gazing

Sun gazing is ancient practice of looking directly at the sun with your naked eye at sunrise and sunset to absorb solar energy. Followers believe that sungazing in the first hour of sunrise and the last hour of sunset clears the mind and promotes physical healing. Ancient civilisations in Egypt and India, as well as the Mayans and Aztecs were the first groups to practice sungazing as part of their spiritual rituals over 2000- 6000 years ago.

Sungazing was revived in 2001, when India’s Hira Ratan Manek (HRM) gained worldwide prominence for fasting on sunlight and water alone for 411 days, while under medical supervision.

HRM said the body is like a supercomputer powered by solar energy, which enters through your eyes to activate the pineal gland. His sungazing protocol includes starting each day with ten seconds of direct viewing in the first hour of sunrise and last hour of sunset and adding ten seconds a day until your reach 44 minutes.  

According to HRM, sun gazing at sunrise and sunset has many health benefits.

“You can balance your emotions in three months, (up to 15 minutes), heal the body of illness within 3-6 months (15-30 minutes), and reduce your food intake in 6-9 months (30-44 minutes). Results vary, depending on the person and consistency of practice.”

Let Sunlight Be Thy Medicine

The sun is our best source of vitamin D, vital for fighting bacteria and viruses. Since ancient times, the sun was the main source of healing for humans. Sunlight was used to prevent and cure disease. The Ancient Greeks and early Romans practiced an early form of sun therapy called heliotherapy, or sunbathing for health.

Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, believed the sun was the natural enemy of bacteria and viruses and observed how patients in sunny rooms healed faster.

John Postgate, a British microbiologist and author of “Microbes and Man” wrote about how the UV rays in sunlight kill most pathogenic microbes quite rapidly. This is why artificial UV lamps are used to sterilise air in hospital operating rooms and laboratories.

Modern scientific evidence today shows how sunlight can help prevent and treat many chronic illnesses. In “The Healing Power of the Sun”, author Richard Hobday highlights studies which link sunlight to lower rates of multiple sclerosis, diabetes, heart disease and psoriasis. He also reveals data that explains how adequate sun exposure can reduce the incidence of cancers such as breast, colon, prostate and ovarian.

Sunlight has many vital healing benefits, which include the following:   

1.      Vitamin D, which comes from the sun, actually functions as a vital hormone, controlling cell growth and death. Vitamin D also helps your body absorb more calcium to build strong bones.

2.      Sunlight exposure increases the number of white blood cells in human blood – especially lymphocytes which are responsible for defending the body against infections.

3.    Sunlight increases the oxygen content of human blood and its capacity to deliver oxygen to tissues – just like exercise does.

4.    Sunlight can bring down blood cholesterol levels dramatically. Squalene in the skin is converted to vitamin D in sunlight - but converts to cholesterol in the absence of sunlight.

5.    Sunlight decreases your risk of catching respiratory infections and developing autoimmune diseases.

6.    High vitamin D levels decrease your risk of breast cancer. Low vitamin D is the leading cause of breast cancer worldwide.  Breast cancer is more common further from the equator, where there is less sunlight and is extremely low in Ecuador.

7.    Sunlight lowers your blood pressure. When the sun’s rays hit the skin, it helps to release nitric oxide into your bloodstream, acting as a signal to relax and widen the arteries, lowering your blood pressure.

8.    The sun helps to treat skin conditions like acne, psoriasis and eczema.

9.    Sunlight reduces your risks for stroke and heart disease.

10. When sunlight hits your eyes, your brain releases serotonin, which boosts your mood.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on this blog are entirely my own and are meant strictly for educational and informational purposes. I am not a doctor, dermatologist or medical professional. The content on this page is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the guidance of a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding sun exposure or medical conditions. If you choose to act on any information found on this website, you do so entirely at your own risk.

Sources

How to Get Morning Light Without Direct Sunshine - Dr Andrew Huberman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyC-JysGma

Microbes and Man-  John Postgate

The Healing Power of the Sun – Richard Hobday, PhD

The Real Cause of Sun Cancer- Dr Jack Kruse https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwOUoNJGDtU