Ultraviolet light good or bad for you?

Posted on 28. Feb, 2010 by in Family Nutrition, Health Professionals, How to Get Started

Research indicates that full spectrum light has numerous dramatic health benefits. Full spectrum light has two parts: one visible, one invisible. The visible spectrum consists of all the colors of natural sunlight, as found in a rainbow or light refracted in a prism.

Ultraviolet light (UV), although invisible, is present the entire time outdoors during the day – even on cloudy days. Many of us have been led to believe that UV light is bad for us and contributes to skin cancer. This partly true and partly false. Actually UV light is divided into three types depending on wavelength:

1. Near UV (UV-A) – which tans us.

2. Mid UV (UV-B) – stimulate the production of Vitamin D3 in our skin and are essential for the absorption of calcium into bones and stimulates our immune system.

3. Far UV (UV-C) – although hospitals use UV-C to kill bacteria and viruses, UV-C is widely believed to increase the risk of cancer. Fortunately most UV-C is blocked from reaching us by the earth’s ozone layer.

Research has found that although overexposure to sun greatly increases your chance of getting skin cancer, regular moderate exposure may actually decrease the risk of skin cancer. One rigorous study found that the incidence of malignant melanomas was considerably higher in office workers than in people who were regularly exposed to sunlight in their occupations or lifestyles. In fact, sunbathers were in one of the lowest risk groups – they were only half as likely to get malignant skin cancers as the office workers.

In his book “Light: Medicine of the Future”, Jacob Liberian, O.D., Ph.D., lists some of benefits of Ultraviolet A and B including:

  • UV light activates the synthesis of Vitamin D, which is a prerequisite for the absorption of calcium and other minerals from the diet. In a controlled study, the group receiving UV absorbed 40% more calcium from their diet than their counterparts who received no UV.
  • UV light lowers blood pressure.
  • UV light improves electrocardiogram (EKG) readings and blood profiles of individuals with arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).
  • UV lowers LDL (so called bad cholesterol) by 13% within two hours of exposure.
  • UV light assists in weight loss. Perhaps due to the stimulating effect on the thyroid.
  • UV light is effective in treating psoriasis. 80% of people suffering from psoriasis improved when exposed to UV light according to the National Psoriasis Foundation.
  • UV light is an effective treatment for many other health problems including tuberculosis and asthma.
  • UV light increases the level of sex hormones.
  • UV light activates solitrol, an important hormone in the skin that works in conjunctions with the pineal hormone melatonin. It is believed that solitrol is a form of Vitamin D3, which influences the immune system in addition to other regulatory hormones in the body.

The best way to get UV light is of course to get outdoors even if for only ten or fifteen minutes per day. My personal belief is that moderate sunlight exposure during the day for ½ to 1 hour per day is optimum for health. In the summer in Northern climates or year round nearer the equator you should avoid mid-day direct sunlight from 11 am – 2pm.

Just make sure some skin is exposed to the sun and sunglasses or contact lenses – which block beneficial UV light, do not cover your eyes. Indirect UV light in the eyes activates the pituitary gland and helps regulate all hormones in the body.

For those of us who live in northern climates or who work indoors long hours, sometimes it is just not possible to get a healthy dose of daily sunlight. Last spring when I opened my new office I installed full spectrum florescent lighting from a company called American Environmental Products. Over the years I had researched many lighting products and am convinced these are the best on the market. Their products only produce the UV-A and UV-B wavelengths – so you get all the health benefits of UV light without any of the risk of UV-C light.

Full Spectrum lighting has been used therapeutically to help with many conditions including:

  • Seasonal Affective Disorder
  • Depression
  • Immune system dysfunction
  • Sleep disorders
  • Jet Lag
  • Respiratory conditions