THE SUNSHINE FACTOR

So, it's August. And, it's been a while since I posted to my blog. It's just that time has been passing by an incredible (to me, anyway) speed. It seems that I get up from a good night's sleep and it's time for lunch !

Having a new job (doing elder care) and as a single mom with a disabled child a-n-d an elderly mother to keep tabs on, the 24 hour day just doesn't work for me.

I've tried sleeping less (bad idea) and eating less (better idea) to make more time for those things that simply need-to-be-done each day. One thing I have made time for is walking. I'm going out and doing a lovely 2 mile face-paced walk twice a day.......once with my son and later on I'll walk either by myself or with a friend.

We have a lovely bike path and since apartment living is new to me, this walk makes for a wonderful change-of-pace and helps with the SUNSHINE FACTOR, which I have been reading much about lately. Seems alot of humanity's ills could be cured by spending more time outside. Vitamin D is absolutely essential for good health.

By the way, whoever started the rumor that the sun was bad for us??? Read this article and maybe, if you've been avoiding the sun (you know, with lots of suncreen and sunglasses) you'll let your skin, the largest organ on your body, get what it needs and deserves. Anyway.......................here's one article from Dr. Mercola's sight:

www.mercola.com/

"VALUABLE INSIGHTS INTO THE IMPORTANCE
OF VITAMIN D AND SUN"

Vitamin D deficiency is a major problem in the United States but many Americans are not aware that they may be lacking this important nutrient. Although word is beginning to leak out even among the traditional medical community, testing for vitamin D will not skyrocket like cholesterol or other testing because there is no expensive drug to push, thus making the public more aware.

It is essential to understand that in order to know how much vitamin D you should be taking, you should get your blood level checked. Unfortunately, very few doctors do the blood test for vitamin D. You can't rely on the media to expose the issue. If and when they do, it will be too late for most of you and you will have suffered decreased bone density and an increased risk of many cancers. But you don't have to wait for the media.

You can read my article on vitamin D testing and get up-to-date on this important topic before it is too late. Unless you are getting significant sun exposure on large amounts of your skin, in fact, I would advise reading the article right now.

Vitamin D is such an important topic that we recently conducted an exclusive interview with one of the top vitamin D researchers in the world, William B. Grant, Ph.D. Here you will get the insights of someone who is on the cutting edge of vitamin D research and knowledgeable about the importance of sun exposure for health. Taking a few minutes to read through the information below will broaden your understanding of this important issue to help you reach higher levels of health.

also, you can go to this article:

http://www.signs-of-the-times.org/articles/show/137333-Sunshine+%27protective%27+against+ms

or this article:

http://www.mercola.com/2005/jul/5/sunshine_vitamin_d_htm

and this:

http://www.mercola.com/2005/jun/7/sun_vitamind.htm
which says in part:


"CRITICS NOW ACCEPT THE SUN AS YOUR HEALTHIEST
SOURCE OF VITAMIN D"

Evidence continues to mount in support of the obvious link between vitamin D and getting the right amount of sunshine so the body can naturally produce it. And unlike other medical fads that boomed and bombed, this evidence is strong and keeps growing.

In fact, the concept questions the longstanding conventional belief that people need to coat themselves with sunscreen whenever they're in the sun.

The "Sunshine Vitamin"

Vitamin D bears the nickname the "sunshine vitamin" because the skin produces it from ultraviolet rays. Researchers believe slapping on sunscreen may actually contribute to far more cancer deaths than it prevents as doing so blocks this vital vitamin production.

Thus, while dermatologists and health agencies have long touted that such lotions are needed to prevent skin cancer, some scientists are now challenging that advice. Their main argument: Vitamin D is important for preventing and treating many types of cancer; studies have found it helped protect against lymphoma, as well as cancers of the:

Prostate
Lung
Skin
Colon

In fact, one Harvard professor offered such compelling evidence in a recent study -- vitamin D may prevent 30 deaths for each one caused by skin cancer -- that the American Cancer Society is now reconsidering its own sun guidelines.................


So, if you've read this far, hopefully your interest has been stirred up a bit to check out more on sunshine and vitamin d.

And, here's to your good health.

~ The Mediator