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Science & The Spirit
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LET THE SUN SHINE IN
Health Helps Part 7
By Dane and Vicki Griffin
We’ve all heard someone say
it: “Stay out of the sun. It can cause wrinkles, skin cancer,
and cataracts.” Sunshine has gotten a lot of “bad press”
lately, but that doesn’t mean we don’t need the light of the
sun.
To begin with, sunlight is the major source for vitamin D. This
vitamin does many important things for us, including helping the
body absorb calcium, which we need for strong bones.
Vitamin D enters the body when the skin is exposed to the sun.
However, sitting behind a glass window won’t cut it. Glass
blocks 95% of the ultraviolet light—so open the window, or
even better yet, get outside!
Don’t overdo it, though. Just like most things, too much
sunshine can be harmful. If you’re going to be in the sun for
very long, take precautions—wear a hat and cover your skin.
Sunscreen is not always best. It’s been found that sunscreen
can decrease the incidence of skin cancer by up to 30%, but it
also contains titanium dioxide. This chemical can accumulate in
the skin—and is suspected of causing cancer. Instead, wear
long sleeves, or get your sun in the early morning or late
afternoon.
Sunny personality
When we think of a “sunny” personality, we imagine someone
who is cheerful, energetic, and a quick thinker. Exposure to
sunshine actually promotes all these qualities! Bright sunshine
improves alertness and mental ability, and it helps fight
depression and fatigue. Sunlight also helps keep your internal
body clock on course. This is important, because this clock
regulates hormones, sleep patterns, mood, and appetite. Sunlight
can even greatly reduce the symptoms of “jet lag.”
Bonny blessing
Sunlight offers even more blessings! For one thing, it can
actually help lower cholesterol. It speeds up the body’s
circulation, which helps rid the system of toxins. It also
increases the number of white blood cells that defend the body
against germs. Sunlight helps wounds heal faster, and it kills
many bacteria after just a short exposure.
Sunlight can ease arthritis, type I diabetes, high blood
pressure, heart problems, seizures, and eczema. It can even help
prevent leukemia and cancers of the prostate, colon, breast. Do
check with a doctor if you have a medical condition and are not
sure if it can be helped by sunshine. Some diseases are
aggravated by sunlight.
As early as 1915, it was discovered that exposure to sunlight
had a calming and painkilling effect on people. Researchers
found that it helped arthritis sufferers and those who were
agitated or irritable. Of course we’ve known for thousands of
years that sunshine is a good thing. Solomon, the wisest man who
ever lived, said: “Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant
thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun” (Ecclesiastes
11:7).
Part 1
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4
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| 7
| 8 | 9 |
10
| 11 | 12
| 13 | 14
| 15 | 16
| 17 | 18
| 19 | 20
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