Use Light to Relieve Minor Aches & Pains?
There's a very thorough book on getting vitamin D (and other benefits) from sunshine stimulation on skin. "The UV Advantage: The medical breakthrough that shows how to harness the power of the sun for your health" by Dr. Michael F. Holick, PhD, M.D. and Mark Jenkins. 2003 Holick is a dermatologist and medical researcher who describes some amazing aspects of sunshine that I've never seen collected elsewhere. There are some interesting receptors in the skin that react to sunshine...not just for starting the vitamin D synthesis reaction but for stimulating the release of "feel good" substances including serotonin, dopamine, and beta endorphins. It also suppresses hormones like melatonin, which make people feel sluggish and "down". No wonder we fell good after sunbathing.
Like many vitamins, D is only one marker for more general nutritional staus. When obtained the natural route, an entire cluster of healthy benefits are obtained.
There's also a problem with trying to get enough D from fortified dairy products: The Vitamin A dose would be toxic....
I agree. The amount of evidence of natural supplementation with food sources that have not been manipulated is very compelling.
When I have seen a problem with a vitamin/supplement it has been after it has been uber processed and isolated from the co-factors.
Dr. Weston A. Price has been right for decades.
Fact,UVA & UVB rays cause Skin Cancer. One person dies every hour from Melanoma, a cancer that is directly related to over exposure of UVA & UVB rays. Review research from MD Anderson Cancer Center, the world-renowned Cancer Research Center.
All ethnic groups are at risk of developing skin cancer but more so in fair-skinned people! The idea that dark-skinned people w/skin cancer on unexposed parts of the body suggests that sun exposure does not cause skin cancer. Consider this, why would dark-skinned people develop skin cancer? They have more Melanin/pigment in their skin to protect against the sun's UV rays, yet they still get skin cancer. Proof that a dark skin or a tan does not protect you from skin cancer; it is the amount of exposure to UVA & UVB rays. The location is not important but the fact that Melanoma affects African American people is. Melanoma has been detected in the eye, scalp, mouth, and other places not exposed to the sun. Our skin is the largest organ, and if subjected to harmful UV radiation Melanoma can develop at any location - it is a disease of the skin. While we would expect skin lesions in exposed places that is not always the case. Cancer is a unique disease that affects people in different ways.
My 20-yr old son died from Melanoma, ahorrible way to loose your life for the sake of a tan! Ask any Dermatologist if there is a safe tan. Google Melanoma and find out the facts.
If you are worried about Vitamin D deficiency then consider adding fish, eggs, and meat to your diet! How do the people of Iceland & Greenland survive living in an extreme climate, with minimal sunlight. They continue to thrive and perhaps a diet rich in fish and fish oils is a significant factor! According to Polar Bear, there are euphoric feelings from sun exposure, chocolate and wine can do the same thing yet they are not necessarily good for you.
Try exercise it is a great way to get a feeling of well-beingJ
Patty D, Have you been tested for food allergies? I suffered with inflammation of joints for years and was referred from specialist to specialist who could only tell me what I DIDN'T have until I finally insisted on FOOD allergy testing which is how I found out that I had celiac disease (I cannot digest glutens so they break down into toxins which kill the cilia in the small intestine causing malabsorption). I also tested allergic to 10 other foods including milk, eggs, corn, chocolate, apple, cabbage, fish, red and yellow dye. I recently went to a gluten free cooking class and at least 6 other people in the class had multiple allergies like mine, especially to milk and eggs. ANY of the foods on my "list" will cause joint inflammation, constipation, and facial rash if I cheat on my diet. If this sounds like your symptoms, you should be tested because the combination of inflammation, malnutrition, and toxins make you a target for cancer, osteoporosis, parkinson's, diabetes, etc. My father died with diagnosis of heart disease, parkinson's, diabetes, chronic constipation, but I'm sure that what caused all his problems was UNDIAGNOSED celiac disease. Some people manifest with diarrhea instead of constipation and they are misdiagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome. My brother was one of those.
Patty D, Have you tried giving up all dairy products? I found that giving them up and supplementing with Cod Liver Oil helped my arthritis symtoms to disappear. I live in the northeast and get very little sun in the winter, so I don't think this supplement is in any way hurting me, but like you, I keep experimenting to determine what works best for me.
