Do people need natural light?

By Catalogs Editorial Staff

The simple answer to do people need natural light is absolutely!

When an individual has little or no exposure to natural light, he becomes deficient in vitamin D, which is produced by the sun. If you are spending 90 percent of your time indoors, it is possible that you are experiencing a shortage of vitamin D, which isn?t good.

Deficiency in Vitamin D leads to brittle bone disease (osteoporosis), a devastating condition. Bones become fragile and break easily. A widow?s hump can develop on the upper back. The person can become permanently stooped over.

A shortage of vitamin D is associated with many medical conditions including breast cancer, multiple sclerosis, lymphoma, diabetes, prostate cancer and bowel cancer. Sun serves as a waste eliminator. It draws toxins out of the skin, which is the body?s biggest eliminative organ.

Those at risk for vitamin D deficiency include the elderly, who are often housebound; people with dark skin, and women that cover their skin because of religious dictates.

When sun makes contact with skin it boosts keratinocytes, which are in the top most layer of living cells. These cells make keratin, which is the outer layer of dead skin. The dead skin serves a purpose: it protects humans from injuries and germs. When sunlight shines on keratinocytes this causes the cells to make interleukin, which is a chemical that prompts T-cells and white cells to multiply.

When time is spent in the sun a person absorbs more calcium, which is a protective agent. Additionally, the immune system is boosted and white cells increase, all of which is good.
The sun provides beneficial services, including destroying bacteria. It is also instrumental in a person?s mental health. Some suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD) during the winter months because of lack of natural light.

People tend to get sick more often in the winter and that?s because their exposure to the sun is limited.

A study done at Tulane University reveals men that who were exposed to sunlight experienced a lowering of blood pressure because the heart works more efficiently when a person is open to natural light. The heart puts out 29 percent more blood when a person spends time in the sun.

Exposure to natural light is essential for healing and restoring a person?s mental and physical health. Natural light exposure strengthens muscles, makes fat disappear and wards off weight gain.

In fact, the ancient Greeks engaged in arenation. This involved exposing the nude body to the sun while lying in the sand. This practice was called Heliiosis.

Exposing oneself to sunlight benefits the activities and systems in the body. Benefits include an improvement in endurance and energy; a lowering of blood sugar and cholesterol levels; an increase in glycogen storage in the liver and better heart output and stamina.

When sunlight enters in to the eye, this controls melatonin production, which regulates the complete endocrine glandular system. When sunlight comes into contact with skin it has an impact on the individual?s molecular structure. The outcome is improved resistance to infections.

Other benefits of sun exposure include appetite stimulation, better sleep at night, a sense of over-all well-being and a calmer intestinal tract. Depression lessens when a person is in natural light.

On the other hand, over-exposure to natural light is detrimental. It can lead to skin cancer.
Granted, too much exposure to the sun can result in skin cancer, but moderate exposure is beneficial. Moderate exposure is necessary for a person?s health.

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If you know of an elderly person who never gets out of the house, encourage and help them to get outside. Roll them out in their wheelchair if necessary. They are going to feel better as a result.