Light and Dark

by Namaste Publishing Staff

“Stay out of the sun,” we’ve been warned for a generation or more now. The sun is blamed for skin cancer, especially the deadly melanoma.

Recent research has been throwing a little light on the topic of sunlight, however—and it doesn’t conform to the traditional advice.

The fact is, we need sunlight, and we need it in its unfiltered form, unblocked by suntan lotions. Apart from the fact that lotions can be harmful because they can be toxic and are absorbed through the skin, they block out the vital light that is actually a preventative against many cancers.

There’s a difference between tanning for the sake of appearance, and getting enough sun to promote health. Says health researcher Ron Garner in his book Conscious Health, “Moderate exposure of skin to the sun is healthful in many ways, but must not be overdone.” You don’t want to burn your skin.

Ron suggests the use of hemp oil if you have had sufficient exposure and need protection. This oil has a natural protective factor of 15. It’s also beneficial to the body.

Vitamin D is emerging as a major weapon in the arsenal of anticancer agencies. Sunlight is the best source to obtain this vitamin. But if you receive an inadequate supply of light, in Conscious Health Ron shows how you can supplement through diet.

Just as we need sunlight each day, we also need complete darkness at night. Our bodies manufacture melatonin at night, which is a known cancer preventative, as well as performing many other restorative tasks. We also rest more deeply in a truly dark room.

But it seems that in the modern home, achieving a completely dark sleeping environment can be difficult and requires a little effort. Clocks, computers, night lights, skylights, stray light through an inadequately curtained window—all of these disrupt the body’s rest and lessen the benefits derived from sleep. Cover sources of light or pull plugs out of electrical sockets so that your room is dark. Especially don’t leave your computer running with a screensaver if it’s in your sleeping quarters.

If you have children, it may be a challenge to get them to sleep in a completely dark room because we have become so accustomed to artificial light in our culture. But especially during the first two years of life, light at night is known to damage an infant’s eyesight. Gradually lowering the lights over a period of days or weeks is an approach that may work, until the room is dark.

It’s also a good practice to begin lowering the lights as the evening moves toward bedtime, signaling to your own body that it is approaching the time for sleep.

It’s especially important, if you are a shift worker, to ensure that when you are asleep during the daytime, your room is thoroughly darkened. The body’s circadian rhythms are governed by light.

Light and dark—we need both. But in today’s society, we too often receive neither in uncompromised form. So enjoy the sun in moderation, and turn out those artificial lights at night. Light and dark are important factors in promoting good health and the ability to function well.