Sunlight! and Vitamin D
SUNLIGHT is one of my top healing tools! I am typing this as I sit under the gorgeous sun in the backyard. How I’ve missed this form of medicine! It is glorious for fibromyalgia pain, back pain, improves sleep and boosts the mood.
Sunlight is all natural, and provides the following benefits:
Emma and I sunning at Disney, she’s 2 here!
Sunlight boosts the body’s vitamin D supply - at least 1,000 different genes governing every tissue in the body are now thought to be regulated by vitamin D3, the active form of the vitamin, including calcium metabolism and neuromuscular and immune system functioning.
Sunlight helps with pain - 2003, a study was published in Spine evaluating 360 patients in Saudi Arabia with chronic low back pain of unknown cause. 83% of patients were noted to have low vitamin D levels. After 3 months of treatment with high dose oral supplementation, all patients with deficiency reported decreased levels of pain. 2004, a report was published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings, noting higher levels of Vitamin D deficiency in patients with unexplained diffuse muscle and skeletal pain. 2009, scientists found that patients with Vitamin D deficiency required higher doses of pain killers to achieve relief compared to those with normal levels. 2012, Italian researchers reported on how a single dose of Vitamin D can provide women with significant pain relief during menstrual periods in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Sunlight has mood lifting benefits - exposure to sunlight is thought to increase the brain’s release of a hormone called serotonin. Serotonin is associated with boosting mood and helping a person feel calm and focused. Exposure to sunlight can help those with depression and PMDD. Think of the long, depressing winter months, when your practitioner recommends a “SAD” light - this is why.
Sunlight helps build strong bones - exposure to the ultraviolet-B radiation in the sun’s rays causes a person’s skin to create vitamin D. In a 30-minute period while wearing a swimsuit, people will make the following vitamin D levels:
50,000 international units (IUs) in most Caucasian people
20,000 to 30,000 IUs in tanned people
8,000 to 10,000 IUs in dark skinned people
The vitamin D made thanks to the sun plays a big role in bone health. Low vitamin D levels have been linked to rickets in children, and bone wasting diseases like osteoperosis and osteomalacia.
Sunlight helps with skin conditions - sun exposure might help treat several skin conditions. Doctors have recommended UV radiation exposure to treat psoriasis, eczema, jaundice and acne.
If your body is trying to heal from a bacteria or virus, sunlight.
If you’re living with chronic pain, sunlight.
If you’re depressed, sunlight.
If you have eczema, sunlight.
If you have trouble sleeping, sunlight (especially first thing in the morning).
This list is never-ending, I only named a few.
We try to get at least 30 min of sun every single day in our house, but it’s usually way more, especially in the spring, summer and fall months. Today is a good example of that - it was 26 degrees and sunny outside, not a cloud in the sky. Aside from working, I spent the majority of my time outside. Emma currently has a virus, and if she had been with me today, she would have been sitting outside soaking in the benefits of vitamin D, as much as possible.
Obviously you want to be safe in the sun. Don’t expose yourself to too much mid-day sun and bring on a sunburn. Wear natural sunscreen when needed. Wear hats. Dress your kiddos in UV protective swim wear. I use an all natural Beauty Counter face sunscreen on both myself and Emma, and she uses several different brands of natural sunscreen, including: ThinkBaby / ThinkSport, Green Beaver, Attitude, and Beauty Counter. These brands don’t contain any toxic chemicals. If you’re unsure about your brand / product, check it out on the EWG app or website.
The optimal vitamin D blood level in the natural medicine world is around 100 nmol/L. You can get your vitamin D levels tested through your medical or naturopathic doctor. I do mine yearly. I also supplement with vitamin D3 drops (mixed with coconut oil - a healthy fat to help improve bioavailability), all year long. If you’re supplementing, don’t forget to add K2 and magnesium as well - the vitamin D is activated by those nutrients. In the winter months, it can be very hard to get natural sunlight, unless you live somewhere near or below the equator, are a snowbird, or go on hot sun vacations.
If you’re looking for vitamin D rich foods, here are a few: fatty fish, herring and sardines, cod liver oil, canned tuna, egg yolks and mushrooms.
Try incorporating sunlight, vitamin D supplementation and vitamin D rich foods into your healing journey for one month, and let me know how you feel!
Cheers,
Alexis Tanner, RHN
The Nutritionist Mama
*Disclaimer - this is my own personal experience and not medical advice.