Mood:
a-okHeal Yourself With Sunlight
By Andreas Moritz
Author of Timeless Secrets of Health & Rejuvenation
The time when one's immediate natural impulse on the first sunny spring day
was to get outside and enjoy it is long gone.
Only the very courageous or "careless" who defy the grim warnings from
medical mandarins and cancer specialists, wholeheartedly endorsed by the
sunscreen industry, dare to venture forth into the "dangerous" sun.
Unless they are covered head to toe with sun protection factor (SPF) 60,
they gamble with their lives, or so they are made to believe, by those who
serve their own vested interests.
Fortunately, this view is beginning to crumble in the blatant absence of
scientific proof that sunlight causes disease. What is being discovered
instead is that lack of sun exposure is one of the greatest risk factors for
disease.
Very few people know that not getting enough sun kills 50,000 people from
cancer deaths every year in the US alone. As shown later, these are deaths
that are easily preventable through the Vitamin D produced by the body in
response to regular sun exposure.
Unfortunately, it is the ultraviolet portion of sunlight that is the most
easily eliminated by windows, houses, spectacles, sunglasses, sun lotions,
and clothing.
Before antibiotic drugs were discovered in the 1930s - penicillin having
been the first one - the healing power of sunlight was favored by the
medical community, at least in Europe.
Sunlight therapy, called heliotherapy, was indeed considered to be the most
successful treatment for infectious diseases from the late 19th to the
mid-20th century. Studies revealed that exposing patients to controlled
amounts of sunlight dramatically lowered elevated blood pressure (up to 40
mm Hg drop), decreased cholesterol in the bloodstream, lowered abnormally
high blood sugar in diabetics, and increased the number of white blood
cells, which people need to help resist disease. Patients suffering from
gout, rheumatoid arthritis, colitis, arteriosclerosis, anemia, cystitis,
eczema, acne, psoriasis, herpes, lupus, sciatica, kidney problems, asthma,
and even burns, have all received great benefits from the healing rays of
the sun.
The medical doctor and author, Dr. Auguste Rollier, was the most famous
heliotherapist of his day. At his peak, he operated 36 clinics with over
1,000 beds in Leysin, Switzerland. His clinics were situated 5,000 feet
above sea level, the high altitude allowing his patients to catch a lot more
UV light than was possible at the lower levels of the atmosphere. Dr.
Rollier used the UV rays of sunlight to treat diseases such as tuberculosis
(TB), rickets, smallpox, lupus vulgaris (skin tuberculosis) , and wounds. He
followed in the footsteps of Danish physician Dr. Niels Finsen, who won a
Nobel Prize in 1903 for his treatment of TB using ultraviolet light. Rollier
found that sunbathing early in the morning, in conjunction with a nutritious
diet, produced the best effects.
The miraculous complete cures of tuberculosis and other diseases facilitated
by these doctors made headlines at the time. What surprised the medical
community most was the fact that the sun's healing rays remained ineffective
if the patients wore sunglasses. [Sunglasses block out important rays of the
light spectrum which the body requires for essential biological functions.]
Note: your eyes receive these rays even if you are in the shade.
By the year 1933, there were over 165 different diseases for which sunlight
proved to be a beneficial treatment. However, with the death of Rollier in
1954 and the growing power of the pharmaceutical industry, heliotherapy fell
into disuse.
By the 1960s, man-made "miracle drugs" had replaced medicine's fascination
with the sun's healing powers, and by the 1980s the public was increasingly
being bombarded with warnings about sunbathing and the risks of skin cancer.
Today, the sun is considered the main culprit for causing skin cancer,
certain cataracts leading to blindness, and aging of the skin. Only those
who take the "risk" of exposing themselves to sunlight find that the sun
makes them feel better, provided they don't use sunscreens or burn their
skin.
The UV-rays in sunlight actually stimulate the thyroid gland to increase
hormone production, which in turn increases the body's basal metabolic rate.
This assists both in weight loss and improved muscle development. Farm
animals fatten much faster when kept indoors, and so do people who stay out
of the sun.
Therefore, if you want to lose weight or increase your muscle tone, expose
your body to the sun on a regular basis.
The use of antibiotics, which has practically replaced heliotherapy, has in
recent years led to the development of drug-resistant strains of bacteria,
which defy any treatment other than the balanced use of sun, water, air, and
food. Cutting out or substantially reducing any of these four essential
constituents of life, results in disease.
Any person who misses out on sunlight becomes weak and suffers mental and
physical problems as a result. His vital energy diminishes in due time,
which is reflected in his quality of life. The populations in Northern
European countries like Norway and Finland, which experience months of
darkness every year, have a higher incidence of irritability, fatigue,
illness, insomnia, depression, alcoholism, and suicide than those living in
the sunny parts of the world. Their skin cancer rates are higher, too. For
example, the incidence of melanoma (skin cancer) on the Orkney and Shetland
Isles, north of Scotland, is 10 times that of Mediterranean islands.
UV light is known to activate an important skin hormone called solitrol.
Solitrol influences our immune system and many of our body's regulatory
centers, and, in conjunction with the pineal hormone melatonin, causes
changes in mood and daily biological rhythms. The hemoglobin in our red
blood cells requires ultraviolet (UV) light to bind to the oxygen needed for
all cellular functions. Lack of sunlight can, therefore, be held
co-responsible for almost any kind of illness, including skin cancer and
other forms of cancer. As you are about to find out, it may be highly
detrimental to your health to miss out on sunlight.
Can UV-Radiation Prevent and Cure Skin Cancer?
A major concern of our scientists today is the dramatic increase of skin
cancers around the world. There are three main types of skin cancer, two of
which, basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma (non-melanomas) , are
increasingly prevalent, whereas the third, malignant melanoma, is much rarer
but far more lethal. The most pressing question is why would the sun
suddenly become so vicious and try to kill scores of people after thousands
of years of harmlessness?
The medical community claims that ultraviolet light (UV) is the major cause
of skin cancers. This theory is based on the assumption that our thinning
ozone layer permits too much of the germicidal UV to penetrate to the
surface of the earth and causes destruction of all kinds, including damage
to our skin and eye cells. Yet the theory has major flaws and no scientific
backing. Contrary to general belief, there is no evidence that reduction in
the ozone layer, observed at the poles, has caused any increase in
melanomas.
The germicidal frequency of UV is destroyed or is filtered out by the ozone
layer in the Earth's stratosphere, and only small amounts--necessary to
purify the air we breathe and the water we drink-- actually reach the
surface of the earth. To that effect, a study of Punta Arenas, the largest
South American city close to the Antarctic ozone hole, showed no increase in
health problems related to depleted ozone.
In fact, UV measures were too small to have any noticeable effect. Actual
measurements taken in the United States since 1974 show that the amount of
UV radiation reaching the surface of the earth is decreasing and continues
to decrease slightly each year. This research was conducted to detect the
frequency of UV radiation that causes sunburn. UV radiation had dropped an
average of 0.7 percent per year over the period from 1974 to 1985 and
continued to do so afterwards.
The fact that the number of skin cancers in the United States had doubled
within this period of 11 years contradicts the theory that UV light is the
reason behind the skin cancer epidemic. The number of malignant skin cancers
(melanomas) discovered in 1980 in the United States was 8,000, and eight
years later it had increased by 350 percent to 28,000. In 1930, the
expectancy of developing melanoma was as low as 1 in 1,300 people. Since
2003, 45,000 to 50,000 new cases are diagnosed every year in the United
States. Melanomas, which account for 75 percent of all skin cancer deaths,
make up only 5 percent of all reported skin cancers. The most striking fact
about this lethal form of cancer is that it can occur in parts of the body
that are not necessarily exposed to the sun such as the eye, the rectum,
vulva, vagina, mouth, respiratory tract, GI tract and urinary bladder.
Overall, since the beginning of the new millennium, each year one million
Americans are being diagnosed with some form of skin cancer. There are
millions of sufferers now, all of whom have been made to believe that the
sun is the culprit for their skin diseases. But since UV radiation is
decreasing every year and skin cancers were extremely rare 100 years ago
when UV intensity was much higher and people spent much more time outdoors,
what other factor could be held responsible for causing skin cancer?
The More UV, the Less Cancer
Even if UV penetration to the surface of the Earth did actually increase by,
for example, one percent each year (which is not the case), such slight
increases would still be hundreds, if not thousands, of times less than the
normal variations which people experience because of differences in
geography.
Let's assume that you move from an area near either one of the Polar
Regions, e.g. Iceland or Finland, toward the equator, e.g. Kenya or Uganda
in East Africa. By the time you reach the equator, you will have increased
your body's exposure to UV light by a whooping 5,000 percent! If you live in
England and decide to move to Northern Australia you will increase your
exposure by 600 percent! Calculations show that for every six miles you move
closer to the equator, you increase your exposure to UV light by one
percent.
Today, millions of people around the world travel from low exposure places
to areas of high exposure near the equator. Many thousands of tourists
travel to areas that are located at much higher altitudes than where they
normally live. For every 100 feet of elevation there is a significant
increase in UV radiation. But this does not prevent people from climbing
mountains or living in countries like Switzerland or at the high altitudes
of the Himalayan Mountains.
According to the UV/cancer theory, most Kenyan, Tibetan, or Swiss residents
should be afflicted with skin cancer today. Yet this is not the case at all.
The fact is that those who reside at high altitudes or near the equator
where UV radiation is the most concentrated are virtually free of all
cancers, not just skin cancers! This shows that UV radiation does not cause
cancer; in fact, it can even prevent it.
The human body has a unique ability to become accustomed to all kinds of
variations in the environment. It is equipped with perfect self-regulating
mechanisms that protect it against damage from the natural elements.
Overexposure to swimming in the sea or in a lake can lead to extensive skin
swelling, shivering, and circulatory problems. Our body will let us know
when it is time to get out of the water. Getting too close to a fire will
heat us up and encourage us to move away from it. Rainwater is natural, but
standing in the rain for too long can drain our immune system and make us
susceptible to catching a cold. Eating sustains our lives, but overeating
can lead to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Sleeping recharges
our "batteries" and revitalizes the body and mind, yet too much of it makes
us sluggish, depressed, and ill. Likewise, sunlight has healing properties
unless we use it to burn holes into our skin. Why should any of these
natural elements or processes cause us harm unless we abuse or overuse them?
Wouldn't it make more sense to say that a preference for unnatural things
like junk food, stimulants, alcohol, drugs, medical intervention (unless it
is for an emergency), as well as pollution, irregular sleeping and eating
habits, stress, excessive greed for money and power, and the lack of contact
with nature, are more likely to cause such diseases as skin cancer and
cataracts than natural phenomena that have ensured continued growth and
evolution on the planet throughout the ages?
It is very encouraging to see that new treatments using light are
increasingly being recognized as breakthrough methods for cancer and many
other diseases. The US Food and Drug Administration recently approved "light
therapy" to fight advanced esophageal cancer and early lung cancer--with
fewer risks than are found with the use of surgery and chemotherapy.
Although it has been known for over 100 years that light can kill diseased
cells, it is only since a number of convincing research studies have been
conducted that there has been a sudden resurgence of interest in light
therapy. There is promising success with bladder cancer, infertility- causing
endometriosis, advanced lung and esophageal cancers, skin cancer, and
diseases leading to blindness, psoriasis, and autoimmune disorders. In one
study, light therapy eliminated 79 percent of early lung cancers. Regular
exposure to sunlight still seems to be one of the best measures one can take
to prevent cancer, including cancers of the skin.
Now Even Doctors And Scientists Say, "It's Not True!"
Like myself, there have always been some health practitioners who didn't buy
into the theory that the sun causes deadly diseases. It warms my heart to
hear that now even some of the top authorities in the field are standing up
for the truth, despite intense criticism from their colleagues.
In an article written in the New York Times in August 2004, a high-profile
dermatologist, Dr. Bernard Ackerman (a recent winner of the American Academy
of Dermatology' s prestigious, once-yearly Master Award), publicly questioned
the commonly accepted assumption about the sunlight/melanoma link.
According to Dr. Ackerman, who in 1999 founded the world's largest center
for dermatopathology training, there is no proof whatsoever that sun
exposure causes melanoma. To substantiate his arguments, he cites a recently
published article in the Archives of Dermatology concluding that no evidence
exists supporting the notion that sunscreen prevents melanoma, a claim the
mega-million dollar sunscreen industry and those in the medical mainstream
have falsely made for decades.
Dr. Ackerman didn't stop at exposing this decades-long deception of the
masses; he also cast doubt on the increase in the incidence of melanoma
cases medical mainstream doctors insist is happening. He found that an
expansion of the diagnostic definition of "melanoma" has allowed a much
broader array of symptoms to be classified as the deadly disease compared to
just 30 years ago. Melanoma has to a large extent "grown" to epidemic
proportions because of statistical manipulations. In other words, if the
same diagnostic definition applied 30 years ago were applied today,
melanomas would have increased only insignificantly.
Furthermore, this respected physician challenged the medical mainstream to
explain why nearly all cases of melanoma among certain races (black African,
Asian and South American) occur in areas of the body that are almost never
exposed to sunlight--places like the palms, soles of the feet, and mucous
membranes. Should it not raise doubts among physicians and patients alike
when even among pale-faces, the most common sites for melanoma (legs in
women, torso in men) get significantly less sunlight exposure than other
parts of the body?
To make a point, based on this and other evidence, your best chance of
avoiding melanoma is to move to areas of higher UV-concentration, such as
mountainous regions or the equatorial tropics and become a nudist! Since
sunlight boosts the immune system, you may find that such a move would also
help with many other health issues from which you may be suffering.
Naturally, all this data raises the question, what actually causes skin
cancer? The answer may surprise you greatly.
Andreas Moritz is a medical intuitive; a practitioner of Ayurveda,
iridology, shiatsu, and vibrational medicine; a writer; and an artist. He is the author of The Amazing Liver and Gallbladder Flush, Timeless Secrets of Health and Rejuvenation, Lifting the Veil of Duality, Cancer Is Not a Disease, It's Time to Come Alive, Heart Disease No More, Diabetes No More, Simple Steps to Total Health, Diabetes -- No More, Ending the AIDS Myth and Heal Yourself with Sunlight.
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