In part one of my series on gaining real health, I wrote that one of the easy things to do to start getting healthier was to spend some time in the sun. You may have wondered why this is important.

Our bodies, if exposed to the UVB rays of the sun, create stores of Vitamin D. Since vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin, we can store it in our bodies for the winter, when either there is no sun or it is much weaker in intensity due to the earth’s rotation.

Why does this matter you might ask? Well, vitamin D serves many functions in our bodies. It helps your intestines absorb calcium more efficiently, thus building stronger bones. It can also help lower blood pressure, lower insulin sensitivity, and supports our immune system. Lack of vitamin D has been associated with some forms of cancer. And our body won’t create more vitamin D than we need. Our system is self-regulating.

This article in the Contra Costa Times has more details about vitamin D deficiencies due to lack of sunlight.

One of the best and certainly the cheapest way to improve your health is to get out into the sun for 15-20 minutes a day. If you are darker-skinned, you have sort of a natural sunscreen and need correspondingly more time in the sun. I also supplement every day with cod liver oil, which is a rich source of Vitamin D.

For more infomation on the healing power of sunlight, click on the link and download a free ebook. It’s quite amazing how well our bodies are designed and how they can be healthy, if only we give them the chance.

Barbara

This entry was posted on Monday, July 25th, 2005 at 10:51 am and is filed under Real Health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.