Here comes the sun
And it's nothing to be afraid of
The light is sweet, and it is good for the eyes to see the sun. — Ecclesiastes 11:7
In the middle of some passages contrasting general principles of living, King Solomon wrote this sentence. And it seems like a great place to start for this topic, because it turns out that it actually IS good for the eyes to see the sun - in spite of what we've been told.
The science of quantum biology is bringing to light (see what I did there) the importance of aligning ourselves with times and seasons that God created. This may be the first time you’ve heard some of this. Please read to the end of the article to get the full picture, and some helpful links if you’re ready to learn more practical steps you can take toward better health.
How things used to be
Previous generations, before the 1930s-40s, spent considerably more time outside. What's more, before the advent of electricity, human days were naturally aligned with nature's rhythms - what we call circadian rhythm. They tended to rise at dawn (when there was light that allowed activity) and retire at sunset (when darkness discouraged activity). They didn't go to sleep at sunset of course, especially in the shorter days of winter - but their evening light was firelight or candles.
Even after electricity allowed us to stay up (too late), people enjoyed being out in the sunshine when possible. In fact sunlight was a common prescription for the sick, helping people recover from a variety of maladies including tuberculosis and the flu. These sunlight-based therapies were considered effective – up until the 1980s.
How dermatology helped mess this up
In the 1980s, dermatology was one of the least desirable specialties in medicine (e.g., dermatologists were often referred to as pimple poppers). Now however, dermatology is one of the most coveted specialties in medicine as dermatologists make 2-4 times as much as a regular doctor, but have a much less stressful lifestyle. — The Forgotten Side of Medicine: Dermatology’s Horrendous War Against the Sun
How did dermatology become such a lucrative medical practice? As chronicled by The Forgotten Side of Medicine, The Academy of Dermatology hired a prominent New York advertising agency to promote their specialty. These "mad men" formulated a plan to raise awareness of skin cancer and begin recommending regular skin cancer screenings. National Skin Cancer Screening Day was established by presidential proclamation in 1985, inflating the public's anxiety about skin cancer.
The problem with this is these two facts: (1) the most common skin cancer, by far, is easily treatable and has basically a zero percent fatality rate, and (2) sunlight exposure is not correlated with the most dangerous cancers, according to numerous peer-reviewed studies. In fact, some studies correlate lack of sun exposure to increased risk of skin cancers.
I urge you to read this article for a fuller treatment of this history. In addition, if you want to read some of the studies in question, they can be found on PubMed here.
Dermatologists have their place, certainly. But proceed with caution concerning the common advice offered on sun exposure. Some will tell you to avoid all sun exposure midday, but that's the sunlight that actually generates vitamin D in our bodies. Sunscreen has a place too, but primarily when you're going to be in midday sun for longer than you're used to. (Be aware also that many sunscreens contain chemicals that are not healthy for us, so look for clean sunscreens (link here).
What this all means
Increasing evidence shows that our health suffers when we shun the sun, and ignore circadian rhythm. It is one of the major factors in our increasing ill health — some say foundational to all other factors — it’s certainly a lot more important than we thought, as it improves health in countless ways (including weight management).
By the way – if you're not familiar with recent reports about just how sick and fat Americans are, Dr. Casey Means has been explaining the shocking statistics — and why we must prioritize our mitochondrial health — on numerous platforms including Joe Rogan, Tucker Carlson, and Megyn Kelly. Here's a link to one of those interviews.
Put your body back on God's natural schedule
So how can reclaim our time in the sun? First it's important to understand that sunlight is comprised of all the light colors (which is why a prism creates a rainbow), but the various colors change throughout the day. All of those colors are beneficial to us at the right time and can be harmful to us at the wrong time. More about that in a coming post.
Once we understand that principle, embracing circadian living makes more sense. I suggest you download the Circadian app for your phone, or another called MyCircadian. These will help you know which kind of sunlight is available throughout the day in your location, and let you pinpoint good times to go outside as outlined below. Oh and a note - the more skin exposed the better. Obviously this is related to the amount of privacy you have! Anyway, circadian science recommends:
See the sunrise. As in, go outside and look at the eastern sky (or any part of the sky, if your eastern view is blocked). You don't have to see the actual sun rising - it's the reddish UV light present when the sun first comes up that your body needs in the morning. Why? Because science tells us that sunlight coming into our eyes activates a hormonal cascade involving cortisol, leptin and melatonin. Cortisol should be high in the morning, leptin helps regulate our appetite, and we need melatonin to kick in to help us sleep in the evening. This cascade is triggered at the proper time when we get sunrise light in our eyes (and the light is there even if it's gray and rainy!). Don’t wear sunglasses - like sunscreen, they block your body from the sun’s benefits. One minute will do it - 20 minutes outside is even better. And if it is overcast, stay out even a bit longer. (Recommendation from me: Take your Bible and spend some time enjoying His creation with Him!)
Take a morning walk. This is ideally done during what's called the UVA hours - generally that starts about an hour after sunrise and runs for about an hour and a half. This is a great time to be outside for a longer period, and a half hour walk works great for that. This light benefits your body in several ways including enhancing mood, and preparing your skin to be able to tolerate the stronger light midday. Yes, you need to go out in the morning to prep your skin to go out midday. Again, don’t wear sunglasses for this outing.
Get the best vitamin D available. Aka, get a tan. This is best done during what's known as UVB hours - the strongest midday sun, where you can get burned. But this is also when you can make your own vitamin D in a far more effective way than supplements provide, so it's really important to get some of this sun on your skin. But if you've been an inside person all your life, work up to this by spending some time with the sunrise and morning light walks. Then start slowly with the midday sun - maybe just 5 minutes the first day (on each side, if you're laying in the sun). There is another helpful phone app called dminder which exists purely to help you get sunshine-based vitamin D. Based on input you give it, it will tell you when to turn over or when to stop, and it will tell you how much vitamin D you've generated. The scientists call this getting a solar callus, but normal people call it a tan! Since most people close their eyes when sunbathing, sunglasses aren’t required here either. (Leave your sunglasses in the car - that’s where you usually need them the most anyway, to avoid glare.)
Just go outside. Think of excuses to go outside - pull some weeds, check the mail, take a stretch break. Or even better, whatever you're working on, take it outside. Eat your meals outside (studies show eating outside helps regulate your blood sugar!) Being in the shade is just fine too. You can't really overdo any outdoor time except being in that direct midday sun (because obviously you don't want to burn) — but once you build up that solar callus/tan, you can enjoy quite a bit of time outside midday.
See the sunset. Not as important to your circadian rhythm as sunrise, but studies show that evening light is also valuable to our bodies as a signal that it's time for bed. A few minutes outside at sunset may also reward you with some of God's best handiwork as He paints the sky each night. What goes along with this is NOT coming back into the house and turning on every bright light (and bright screen!) which will send the wrong kind of light message to those hormones you're so carefully trying to sync up with nature.
We'll talk more about "wrong" light in a coming post. The reason this is so important is because we (particularly Americans) are so unhealthy right now — me included. I've absorbed countless health books and read newsletter and articles daily, and this topic is one that many of us are missing. Instead we hunker down in our heated or air-conditioned spaces surrounded by our screens, and rarely get out in the beautiful world God made for us to enjoy.
Note that sunlight therapy is free, and easy. Just step outside. It is probably the easiest upgrade you can make in caring for your body – this temple where the Spirit of God dwells.
Before I close, I want to share a (long-ish) video that you might find helpful if you’re new to all this:
As I've read the science on this, I'm always amazed that many researchers use language about the incredible design of our bodies and how they actually can sync up with the times and seasons in nature, all to our benefit - almost, they say, as if it was designed that way.
Ah, but we know, don't we? It was.