They do not say without a reason that the sun is the source of life. Ever since the dawning of the first civilizations, the sun was worshipped as a god in many cultures, and not just any god: the god, the god of light and life. Nothing much has changed in the meantime, because the Sun’s eternal glow seems to bring us life and all the benefits of its beams of light.
Sunlight and vitamin D
Do not let paranoid magazines telling you how the sun is actually bad – scare you. The power of the sun was actually known to all ancient civilizations, and the usage of sunlight therapy dates back to ancient Indian civilization as well as the Greeks. As a matter of fact, today’s official term for light therapy is heliotherapy, which comes from Greek helios, which is the word for the sun.
While we are sunbathing, our skin produces vitamin D, which is a substance responsible for protection from cancer, it is beneficial for bones, skin, blood, and mood. Vitamin D deficiency can cause weak bones and deformities, as well as osteomalacia, and even some forms of cancer.
The good sides of sunlight exposure
Many people oversee the actual benefits of the sun, which are the following:
- Sunlight helps in regulating skin tone and can be beneficial for skin disorders which include acne, eczema, fungal infections and psoriasis;
- Sunlight kills bacteria, and can serve as an disinfectant;
- It lowers blood pressure and cholesterol in the blood, by converting it into steroid and sex hormones;
- It improves your immune system by increasing the number of white blood cells, or lymphocytes, thus defending the body from various infections and diseases.
- Sunlight is also beneficial for mood, that is, according to Dr. Mercola, exposure to it can cause the release of endorphins, the happiness hormone, and thus help prevent depression and even in fighting it with the help of heliotherapy.
As you can see, if you are having a 9-to-5 working week during the entire year, you may be at risk of lacking vitamin D. This is why we recommend you spend your next holiday somewhere nice. During the summer holidays, your body can accumulate warmth for the winter and store enough vitamin D which will get your through the winter. Consider going on vacations somewhere nice, such as to Hawaii, Madagascar, or discover paradise in one of the best Tahiti cruises there are, relax and enjoy all the benefits the sun can provide your with.
Vitamin D rich diet
On the other hand, when you come back from your holidays, you can maintain the levels of vitamin D during the winter through healthy nutrition and a diet rich in vitamin D, so make sure your eat a lot of eggs, veggies, fatty fish, mushroom, fortified milk, etc. in order to satiate the need for oral intake of this vitamin as well.
However, you need to be cautious, because excessive sun exposure can damage your skin. If you did not spend a lot of time outside, you should, of course, be protected and start extending the periods of time gradually, in order to help your organism adapt to it and create a positive effect on you.
0 comments:
Post a Comment