Light as a nutrient and as medicine

There are not enough words to highlight the benefits of sunlight, which has finally been considered a NUTRIENT.

Exposing yourself to sunlight is one of the most powerful and important things you can do for your health, especially to prevent disease. Unfortunately, the media has taken it upon itself to fill us with fear and suspicion towards this essential practice for our lives.

Many studies and experiments show how overexposure to UV rays induces melanoma, DNA damage and cancer formations. Moreover, when comparing people who are regularly exposed to the sun with people who are not exposed, no higher rates of melanoma have been detected in the former. What makes the difference with respect to the first group is the exaggerated exposure without any kind of precaution or gradual adaptation .

Studies comparing melanoma rates among people who work outdoors and people who work indoors show that outdoor workers have lower rates of melanoma, even though they have 3 to 9 times more exposure to sunlight. ( report )

According to observations by Ari Whitten MS in Nutrition and Functional Medicine, author of The Ultimate Guide to Red Light Therapy , there are two elements that may explain why there is a lower incidence of skin problems in people who spend a lot of time outdoors:

• People who work indoors are exposed to fluorescent lights that are filled with dirty electricity or sudden voltage changes that cause biological damage. So not only do these people not get enough sunlight, they are also exposed to dangerous electromagnetic fields and unbalanced light spectrums.
• Intermittent or occasional exposure followed by many days of little or no sun exposure tends to be more problematic than frequent sun exposure as it is very possible to get sunburned and damage the DNA of the skin, promoting the development of melanoma and skin cancer.

Light as a nutrient

Frequent, but not excessive, exposure to the sun improves the body's ability to withstand light because it involves innate body adaptation systems in the skin, such as melanin, which are specifically designed to prevent damage caused by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays.

Although sunlight is out there for everyone, most people are not getting even the minimum required to supply their vitamin D3 needs.  Your blood samples must show levels of at least 60 nmol/L.

UV rays from the sun help the body produce this nutrient, which is important for bones, blood cells and the immune system. It also helps absorb and use certain minerals, such as calcium and phosphorus. Some foods contain vitamin D, such as eggs, but the amounts to obtain healthy levels would be higher. ( article )

The synthesis of vitamin D in our skin is considered a photochemical reaction.  The power density of the sun is only 105 mW/cm2, but when ultraviolet B (UVB) rays hit human skin, it is converted from a universally present form of cholesterol (7-dehydrocholesterol) to vitamin D3.  We experience this through our eyes, which are photosensitive because our vision is achieved thanks to the light that hits our retinas, creating the chemical reaction that allows us to see.

 

The 5 types of “bioactive” light and their function in the human body

Blue light:  adjusts the circadian rhythm in our brain which in turn regulates numerous different transmitters and hormones.

Ultraviolet (UV) light:  allows us to synthesize vitamin D from the sun.

Red light:  It acts on the mitochondria, inside our cells, to stimulate greater production of cellular energy or ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate).

Near infrared:  It promotes cell regeneration. Infrared light is emitted at the site of injury or inflammation at certain wavelengths, promoting cell repair.

The key feature of infrared light is its ability to penetrate even the deep layers of the skin, providing better pain relief. Moreover, infrared light is safe, natural, non-invasive and painless. Therefore, it can provide a wide range of health benefits. ( 1 )

Far infrared:  Far infrared, currently considered one of the main heat sources for contemporary therapeutic saunas, works similarly to near infrared, but differs in terms of wavelength. This system heats the body from within and produces the type of profuse sweating typically only seen with traditional wet-dry sauna systems.

Additional benefits of far infrared saunas are detoxification, increasing your metabolism, weight loss and stress reduction just to name a few.

The difference between red and near-infrared light is the ability to penetrate the skin. Red light wavelengths penetrate the surface and are absorbed more quickly into the bloodstream which in turn produces collagen which slows down the production of wrinkles, also providing smoother skin, fading of scars, stretch marks, cellulite, wound healing, and even hair growth. Near-infrared light, on the other hand, can reach deeper into the tissues, relieving inflammation, pain and muscle recovery, as well as better athletic performance.

Using light as an anti-aging factor

The aging process is natural and if you don't help preserve it by stimulating your body's mitochondria through hormetic stressors, those mitochondria shrink and wrinkle. 

( Hormetic stress factors :  exercise, sauna, fasting, for example.)

If you add to that, however, the stress factors of the modern world such as poor diet, lack of sleep, altered circadian rhythm, environmental toxins and also poor exposure to sunlight, you would be promoting a system that has lost its resistance and ability to respond to these environmental stress factors, causing premature, or if you will, accelerated aging.

For Whitten, “ the resilience of the body , that is , the ability of the body to tolerate environmental stressors, whether due to poor nutrition, psychological stress, environmental toxins or another environmental factor that is stressful to the body .   “As well as maintaining health homeostasis and high energy levels, it directly depends on how robust your mitochondrial system is. This is expressed in how many mitochondria you have, how big and strong they are.”

 

Red light therapy

Sunlight contains the red light component and it is this wavelength of light that contributes to the feeling of well-being we feel after spending a few hours outdoors.

These wavelengths are called bioactive in humans and affect the function of our cells.

On the other hand, what is currently called photobiomolding is a biophotonic therapy or polarization induced by light stimulation, used for a wide range of human conditions.

According to Whitten, “There have been improvements in aspects such as strength adaptations, protein synthesis and the amount of muscle mass gained; fat loss; greater insulin sensitivity (when combined with exercise compared to exercise alone). ”

Another interesting fact that Mr. Whitten mentions is that,

“ Research has been done on people suffering from Hashimoto’s hypothyroid syndrome showing a profound reduction in thyroid antibodies as well as thyroid hormone levels. Likewise, multiple studies have been done on different topics such as helping people with diabetic ulcers… combating arthritic pain and chronic pain, joint health, accelerating the healing of fractured tissues and bones… ”

There are several ways to apply biophotomodulation therapy, one is with a light panel and is used to treat conditions such as fatigue, muscle pain, dermatological problems, inflammation and others. The second is with an intranasal device to bring light to the brain, which is very complex under normal conditions since a lot of light is absorbed by the skin and fatty tissue. Then the muscle tissue manages to absorb a little and does not reach the brain. Thus, the intranasal device achieves this and is used to help treat Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD), traumatic brain injury and more.

 

How you can benefit from near infrared

According to the opinions of several experts, there is no such thing as an overdose of red or near-infrared light therapy. Normally, in the institutes where they are applied therapeutically, the exposure times vary between 1-5 minutes for each affected area, such as wound healing, muscle injuries or improving circulation, with eventual increases up to 15 minutes, but it really depends on the resistance of the person treated.

 

Infrared saunas

Infrared saunas are currently on the market that provide temperatures of 43-50ºC. Mr. Whitten thinks that higher temperatures, such as those provided by a normal sauna (between 80-93ºC), are required because there have been animal experiments which indicate that exposure to elevated temperatures for short periods of time increases life expectancy by stimulating all kinds of mechanisms involved in longevity, autophagy and resistance to environmental stressors. So there must be a degree of discomfort.

Heat Stress Benefits You Can Access

The truth is that heat stress that you subject your body to provides benefits such as:

• Preservation of muscle mass and prevention of muscle loss if you are unable to train for a certain period of time.
• Reduces your risk of infections.
• Improves your detoxification capacity.
• Reduces the risk of depression, neurological and cardiovascular diseases.
• Reduces all causes of mortality.

 

Therapeutic products containing far infrared 

Nikken gloves.  Learn about its features and functions here

 

Kenkotherm Duk Tape.  Learn about its features and functions here

 

Band with support to maintain muscle and joint balance during physical activities.  Learn about its features and functions here