Spring is here - it's time to show some skin!

Spring is in the air!

Which means it’s time to talk about light.

I think it would be an understatement to say that I am a huge fan of sunshine.

I believe that big ball of heat and light wasn’t just stuck up there to keep our planet warm. It also emits visible and invisible light particles that are crucial to your entire body.

Your skin and eyes rely upon LIGHT to function optimally.

Your skin can sense and react to all forms of light:

And hopefully I don’t need to convince you of the benefits of Vitamin D, which is made by the skin in response to sunlight and regulates over 1000 genes in our bodies. One of the main functions of Vitamin D is to properly regulate your immune system, and it has also been shown to help prevent cancer. And of course we know its importance to your bones and teeth.

But did you also know that sunlight increases your levels of nitric oxide, which is important for blood pressure? Or that it can improve your mood and outlook? Or help with sleep by regulating your melatonin production? Or signal your body to burn fat or increases libido? It even indirectly improves your kidneys by causing you to sweat.

It is very important that you get at least 30 minutes of sun exposure a day during the summer months. Without sunscreen, and over as much of your body as you can (in as little clothing as possible). Even standing outside facing the direct sun with your bare face for 10 minutes will do wonders.

Don’t believe the over-hype on sunscreen. There’s a reason that Americans are notoriously lacking in Vitamin D (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21310306/). We once again listened to the “experts” without critically thinking, and now we slather it on constantly instead of just when needed.

I’m sure our ancestors, who didn’t have access to sunscreen, all died of skin cancer…

Oh, wait.

Now we are paying the price. None of the above benefits from sunshine can happen adequately when you wear sunscreen. Is it needed? Maybe sometimes, but most sunscreens are full of toxic chemicals that you definitely do not want to put on (and then in…) your body (https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/report/the-trouble-with-sunscreen-chemicals/). I prefer to put on a hat or a shirt, but I have skin that tans easily. For some, an all-natural sunscreen may be needed, say in the tropical zones, but this should not be a daily occurrence. If you have fair skin, start with a few minutes outside, and slowly work your way up to a more protective tan. The darker your skin, the more sunshine you need without sunscreen in order to get adequate amounts of Vitamin D.

There is a great app called D-Minder that can tell you the UV level of your area and time zone, and can calculate an estimate of your Vitamin D level based on your exposure, skin tone, and temperate zone.

If you burn easily, think about your diet. Did you know that consuming industrial seed oils can actually make you more prone to burning? Because seed oils infiltrate your cell membranes and are so easily oxidized, your skin cells become unable to properly protect themselves. Just another reason to get rid of those nasty seed oils and watch how your skin changes.

You also shouldn’t constantly be wearing sunglasses. Your eyes need to be exposed to sunlight as well to function properly.

You want those beautiful rays to penetrate into your skin and eyes and do what God created them to do.

So as the temperatures warm up, get outside and soak in all those wonderful rays, and thank God for the SUN!