The best healing and wellness support system we have is Nature. Yes, Mother Nature!
Here is the latest edition of 1 thing I’m doing, 2 things I’ve learnt and 3 things to explore lovingly created so you can live a happier, healthier and longer life. Much love, Sandy xx
Why It’s Time to Stop Fearing the Sun
For decades, we’ve been bombarded with fear-mongering about the Sun – the ultimate source of all energy and life on Earth. Isn’t it strange? For millennia, our ancestors thrived under the sun’s rays, living in harmony with Nature’s rhythms. Yet, only in recent history have we been told that something so essential to our existence is dangerous.
Here’s the truth bomb. As our lifestyles shifted indoors, bathed in artificial light, the burden of disease has skyrocketed. But instead of questioning this unnatural shift, we’ve been conditioned to blame the Sun and even worse, told to avoid it at all costs. Sunscreen, sunglasses, and layers of protective clothing have become an armour, disconnecting us further from the very force that sustains life. And yet, despite avoiding sunlight more than ever, we’re not healthier but quite the opposite.
Every wavelength of sunlight has a purpose.
The sun is made up of different wavelengths. Visible light, infrared light, UVA and UVB, every wavelength of sunlight has a purpose, offering unique benefits when experienced as part of Nature’s full-spectrum symphony. When we embrace the Sun’s light in its natural intensity, we unlock unparalleled healing potential. The Sun, along with Nature, is the most potent medicine available to us. And the best part? It’s completely free – a priceless gift from above.
No supplement, pill, potion or high-tech device can replicate what the Sun provides. If you’re investing in health products but neglecting the basics – like your relationship with light and Nature – you’re missing the mark. Here’s why. Light and circadian alignment lay the foundation for everything. Every single cell, tissue, muscle, organ and system within your body holds a clock that is influenced by light. Your appetite, mood, metabolism, hormones, sleep patterns, energy levels are all driven by light. Without optimising your light environment, even the perfect diet and fitness routine will fall short. You may outwardly look fantastic, though inside, you may be falling apart.
It’s time to stop fearing the Sun.
It’s time to release the fear. Mother Nature – and for those who believe, God – wouldn’t have designed us to live in harmony with the Sun if it was inherently harmful. It wouldn’t have made the sun our primary source of life sustaining Vitamin D, if it was dangerous. It’s time to honour that divine design and stop falling into the trap of the programming of mass marketing and mainstream media.
Take a moment to pause, soak in the sunlight, and reconnect with the rhythms of Nature. Your health depends on it. And if you’re still not sure, here are some great studies and excerpts that celebrate Sun’s goodness and healing qualities.
PS – Everyone is on a unique journey and I appreciate many may have had fearful times and painful experiences and been told the sun was to blame. Just like our current healthcare system, the dermatology and ophthalmology branches of medicine have also been captured by big Pharma and corporate greed so the possibility that their education and practice has been compromised and biased, must be considered.
PPS – If this resonates with you, please don’t keep this wisdom to yourself! Bookmark this page and share it with anyone in your life who might be avoiding the Sun out of fear. Together, we can rewrite the narrative. ☀️
The Fundamental Flaw With All Current UV Studies
No campaign starts without data. Hard facts, figures, reports and studies proving your case. And the case against the sun has been no different. From sunscreen manufacturers to dermatologists, from government departments to media, from Cancer Council organisations to every school, sporting organisation and more. The message to slip, slop, slap – now extended to seek and slide – has been a sales and marketing behemoth based on the data that “the sun causes skin cancer”.
But here’s the thing. There is a mechanistic flaw in every UV study in that it wasn’t conducted outside in sunlight but rather it was conducted in a laboratory with UV light in isolation. This is not how nature works! We are never exposed to UV light in isolation.
UV light makes up about 5% of the sunlight’s energy. It is always present with full spectrum light and infra-red light which we know has protective qualities that prepares our skin to absorb UV light. In saying that, no-one is denying that the sun can cause some skin cancers like BCC and SCC. This is generally more of a problem when an unhealthy relationship with the sun exists. It is also poses a far lower risk to dying than the dangers one is exposed to when avoiding the sun completely.
It’s time to explore a fresh perspective of the Sun’s wonderful healing powers. This will provide you with a more balanced holistic view and the ability for you to make up your own mind, now that you have the full sunny story.
Regular Sun Exposure Is Life Saving & Reduces Mortality Risks
Sun exposure is protective against all cause mortality, mental health disorders, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and multiple cancer types. It is clear from the studies below that sun avoidance causes far more disease and death, than sun seeking behaviour.
Study: Avoidance of sun exposure as a risk factor for major causes of death
In a large Swedish study, involving 29,518 Swedish women and a 20-year follow up, sun avoidance was found to be a risk factor for death of a similar magnitude as smoking. The study also found that those women with active sun exposure habits were mainly at a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and noncancer / non-CVD death as compared to those who avoided sun exposure.
Study: Beneficial effects of sun exposure on cancer mortality
When it comes to sunlight exposure, the message that has been repeatedly conveyed is solely about the dangers and harms. This study shows another side. Here are some highlights:
- regular sunlight exposure ie. vitamin D intake inhibits growth of breast and colon cancer cells and is associated with substantial decreases in death rates from these cancers
- sunlight has a paradoxical relationship with melanoma, in that severe sunburning initiates melanoma whereas long-term regular sun exposure inhibits melanoma
- frequent regular sun exposure acts to prevent cancers that have death rates from 20-65% with 138,000 U.S. fatalities per year whilst potentially causing cancers that have a 0.3% death rate with only 2,000 U.S. fatalities per year
By avoiding the sun, whilst we may be saving ourselves from a small risk, we could be putting ourselves in front of a runaway train.
Study: Regular sun exposure benefits health
A 2016 study found that regular exposure to sunlight “contributes to the prevention of colon-, breast-, prostate cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, multiple sclerosis, hypertension and diabetes.”. It also found that these benefits were not just related to Vitamin D but that the sun offered many other health benefits in the form of nitric oxide, melatonin, serotonin, and the sun’s effect of on circadian rhythms. In regards to melanoma, the study found it was mainly caused by an “intermittent pattern of exposure, while regular exposure confers a relatively low risk.”
Study: Insufficient Sun Exposure Has Become a Real Public Health Problem
This 2020 study aimed to alert the medical community and public health authorities about the increasing evidence regarding the health benefits from sun exposure. Based on the past decade of studies, it found “insufficient sun exposure may be responsible for 340,000 deaths in the United States and 480,000 deaths in Europe per year, and an increased incidence of breast cancer, colorectal cancer, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, autism, asthma, type 1 diabetes and myopia.” This study also found that oral vitamin D supplementation did not generate the same results as natural sun exposure confirming that the sun is TINA: There Is No Alternative.
Study: On the Relationship Between Sun Exposure and All-Cause Mortality
This 2020 study confirmed that increasing sun exposure is related to a lower prevalence of death from cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and other non cancer, non cardiovascular causes. This study also recognised that whilst sun exposure can increase the incidence of skin cancer, it also improves the prognosis.
Study: Sunlight Has Cardiovascular Benefits Independently of Vitamin D
A great reminder that the primary determinant of public health messages around healthy sun exposure should be based on what’s best for our overall good health. This study is another that supports that sun exposure reduces overall mortality, and that supplementation has no effect.
Sun Exposure & Melanoma: The Risks, Prognosis & Conclusions
Sadly, the risk of melanoma is one of the greatest fears when it comes to sun exposure and the highest motivator for many, for avoiding the sun at all costs. But what if the data showed that melanoma may not actually be caused by sun exposure and that in fact, sun exposure improved the prognosis? Whilst it may sound a little beyond belief and contrary to what you have been told, it’s totally possible.
Study: Sun exposure and mortality from melanoma
Contrary to the information we’ve all heard for years, this study showed that sunburn and high intermittent sun exposure, amongst a few other things, were statistically significantly inversely associated with death from melanoma. It also showed that sun exposure is associated with an increased survival rate from melanoma. This means the less sun you get, the higher your risks of melanoma and the worse the prognosis.
Study: Is there more than one road to melanoma?
A 2004 Lancet study concluded that not all melanomas are as a result of sunlight exposure. In fact, outdoor workers, who would be expected to have a higher incidence of melanoma, had a lower incidence with chronic sunlight exposure proposed to have a preventative effect. Is sunlight therefore the sole cause of melanoma? Or is it actually protecting us? And therefore, are we potentially avoiding healthy sunlight exposure for all the wrong reasons?
Study: Melanoma is not caused by sunlight
It is inconclusive that the sun is the cause of melanoma. Many studies show otherwise highlighting the fact, that melanomas can appear anywhere in the body, including those areas that are rarely exposed to the sun.
Study: Vitamin D deficiency in melanoma patients is associated with worse overall survival
Here’s a conundrum. What if the very thing you were told to avoid, was the one thing that could help save you? And so it is with healthy sunlight exposure, melanoma and Vitamin D.
Vitamin D: A Biomarker For Time Spent Outdoors & Health
The Vitamin D story is simple, yet centralised medicine has somehow managed to turn a perfect process created by nature into a profit making machine. Here how it goes. Humans were designed to live outside. By doing so, our bodies create an essential hormone called Vitamin D. Vitamin D’s influence extends across every single system in our body, making it a key player in promoting longevity and vitality. Sadly though, this incredible process has been broken. Over the past few decades, people have been programmed to fear the sun thereby taking away their natural ability to create life affirming Vitamin D. As a solution, Vitamin D supplements have been promoted and sold by the truckload. Whilst wonderful for supplement manufacturers and big Pharma, this is not the answer. Vitamin D supplements do not replicate the benefits of the hormone, Vitamin D created endogenously and by the sun. Some say they virtually have no impact, apart from acute cases. There is no alternative to the sun, and you cannot find the benefits of the sun in any bottle!
Study: Vitamin D Status and Risk of All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality in a Large Cohort:
A large UK Biobank 2020 study involving 365,530 people with a median follow up of 8.9 years found that those with higher concentrations of Vitamin D had a 17% lower risk for all-cause mortality, 23% lower risk for cardiovascular disease mortality and 11% lower risk for cancer mortality.
Study: Vitamin D Supplements and Prevention of Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease
In a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, involving 25,871 participants over a median follow up of 5.3 years, participants were given Vitamin D and a placebo. The trial found that supplementation with Vitamin D did not result in a lower incidence of invasive cancer or cardiovascular events than placebo.
Sunlight: An Amazing Super Star for Physical, Mental & Emotional Wellbeing
The health benefits sunlight exposure offers us cannot be overstated. From physical health to mental health to emotional health, the sun is our key circadian cue and zeitgeber. Here are a even more studies celebrating the sun’s incredible goodness.
Study: Association Between Sunlight Exposure and Mental Health: Evidence from a Special Population Without Sunlight in Work
Who doesn’t feel happier and spritelier after being outside in the sunshine? There is a very good reason for this and it’s not by accident. When our skin is exposed to sunlight, particularly UVB rays, it triggers the production of Vitamin D and simultaneously stimulates keratinocytes (skin cells) to produce beta-endorphins. These molecules bind to opioid receptors in the brain, creating feelings of pleasure, relaxation, and even mild euphoria.
This mechanism is thought to be an evolutionary adaptation. By associating sunlight exposure with positive sensations, our bodies encourage us to seek out the Sun, ensuring we get enough light to produce essential Vitamin D and regulate circadian rhythms. It’s Nature’s way of keeping us healthy and aligned with the environment.
Study: Ultraviolet radiation and autoimmune disease: insights from epidemiological research
This study found that sunlight and ultraviolet radiation may play a protective role in preventing three autoimmune diseases: multiple sclerosis, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and rheumatoid arthritis.
Study: Effect of sunlight exposure on cognitive function among depressed and non-depressed participants
The sun makes you healthier, happier, and it also makes you smarter too!
Building a Healthy Relationship & Tolerance for the Sun
There are far more studies that support the healthy benefits of sunlight – it’s just a matter of diving in to find them. And like all relationships, our relationship with the sun needs to be nurtured to be a healthy one.
I am not suggesting for one minute that anyone should go outside and get sunburnt. In fact, that is the exact opposite of what anyone should do. Building our tolerance to the sun, called a solar callus, requires time and the know how, especially if you’ve been one to cover up, wear sunscreen and sunglasses regularly. We have innate mechanisms within us that help protect our skin so stay tuned for more next week.
In the southern hemisphere, Summer has officially started today! This is our time to build up our Vitamin D stores that will see us through the cold and dark Winter days and nights. Let’s make this our best and healthiest Summer yet, as we harness Nature’s superpower and set ourselves up for a healthy year ahead.
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