This may come as a shock to many, but the Sun actually can do great things for your body. Just like with everything else in life, if you absorb sunlight in moderation, it can do such great things for your body.
Sunlight helps reduce a person’s risk of colon and pancreatic cancer and helps treat skin diseases such as eczema, jaundice, psoriasis and acne. But most prominently, aside from all of this, studies have shown that sunlight strengthens your bones and therefore reduces your risk of arthritis. This is due to the existence of ultraviolet-B radiation in the sun’s rays. This radiation helps create a greater supply of Vitamin D in the body, which is the main contributor to enhanced bone strength. According to the author of the book, The Complete Book of Bone Health, Diane Schneider, MD, adults under the age of 70 need at least 600 International Units (IUS) of Vitamin D in order to have healthy bones, and adults over 70 require a minimum of 800 IUs of Vitamin D. Fortunately, studies have shown that just 30 minutes in the sun, wearing a bathing suit, can lead Caucasian individuals to absorb up to 50,000 IUs of Vitamin D, tanned individuals to absorb up to 30,000 IUS and dark skinned people to absorb up to 10,000 IUs. These numbers have been linked to an immense reduction in the risk of arthritis. It is important to remember that these goals can be achieved even with the use of sunscreen, which is important in order to block the harmful rays from causing things such as skin cancer.
As the summer is quickly coming to an end, make sure to do as many outdoor activities as possible with your friends and family to ensure that you’re soaking up all the Vitamin D that you can and having summer fun at the same time!
I can’t wait for your next massage session with me to hear about all the fun ways that you have been soaking up the last rays of summer sun, and about how much better your joints feel because of it!
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