Sun Worshipping For Health (c) By Polly Guerin

The benefit of sunlight has been much maligned and misunderstood. Based on medical advice people have been hiding from the sun to excape its deadly rays that might cause cancer or cataracts. Fearing the worst people would never leave their homes without sunscreen or dark sunglasses, particularly on bright, sunny days. Avoidance of the sun was the rule but new medical research now stresses the importance of sunlight, the major source of vitamin D, as an important daily ingredient for good health.
SUN FIGHTS DISEASE
The great American prophet Edgar Cayce preferred natural food over man-made sources of vitamins. Through the natural process of assimulation sunlight, Vitamin D, is absorbed through the skin with UV rays that benefit your health and on which the body depends to defend itself from infection. A good daily dosage of sunlight boosts your metabolism and can ward off depression and insomnia. At the same time, light signals also enter your eyes to regulate a healthy system. Cayce cautioned, “Let there not be too much activity in the middle of the day, or too much of sunshine. The early morning and the late afternoon are the more preferable times.” (934-2) Sunlight or sunbathing, where it is possible, energizes, rejuvenates and strengthens the body.
ANIMAL WISDOM
Animals instinctively seem to know about the benefits of sunlight. Even my little dog Colby seems to have a sage need for the sun and he didn’t need medical advice to tell him about sunlight’s benefits. On any day I can find him sitting in any very sunny spot basking in the sun’s warmth and nutrition. Sunlight and the penetration of its rays sustain the planet and directly play a part in our mental, emotional and spiritual well being.
SUNLIGHT HEALS
The ancient physicians knew about the power of sunlight. In ancient Greece patients were sent to healing temples in the “sun city” of Heliopolis. Extended sunbathing was a remedy for a host of ailments and when tuberculosis was at its height patients were sent to sanatoriums in the mountains in upper New York State and in Austria and Switzerland to bask in the open air. On a similar note Cayce recommended, “Keep in the sunshine as much as possible, with as few clothing as possible, would be well for the body.” (137-86)
REFLECTIVE RAYS
Standing outside at lunchtime by the concrete of an office building, shoveling or playing in the snow, basking at the beach on the sand can unexpectedly cause excessive sun exposure. That’s because the rays of the sun refocus and bounce back onto the surface of your body? You’ll get less of a burn or tan if you would go to a park than you would in these locations. The sun is at its peak of penetration in the summer months, whereas a midwinter day will affect significantly less damage than a July afternoon.
SUNLIGHT FOR LIFE
Protecting your skin from over exposure is of major concern, but sunlight is a life giving force that should not be denied. For individuals who seek to protect their skin the best choice is a non chemical sun block which is available at health stores. It will form a physical barrier to block out UV rays. After sun exposure it is best to soak in a cool tub to remove accumulated oil, sweat, and suntan lotion and restore the moisture to the skin. Although we are wisely advised that overexposure to the sun can be potentially damaging, the good news is that with controlled exposure to sunlight generates good health and a happy countenance.