The Benefits of Heliotherapy
What is Heliotherapy?
Heliotherapy is medical therapy involving exposure to sunlight. It’s a method of treating illness by exposure to the rays of the sun.
How does heliotherapy work?
The ultraviolet (UV) part of the sunlight spectrum has beneficial effects in small doses.
Short wavelength UVB and longer wavelength UVA induce vitamin D production and other chemicals that protect skin cells.
The UV radiation is anti-inflammatory, immune suppressing, and anti-proliferative.
The sun emits a huge amount of energy which includes cosmic rays, gamma rays, x-rays, ultraviolet (UV) light, visible light and infrared (IR) light. Most of the light that reaches earth is visible (about 45%) and infrared light (about 50%). Very little UV light reaches the earth. UV light is present during the middle part of the day, followed by visible light which is present most of the day then infrared light which is present all day. Infrared light is divided into near-infrared or infrared A (IRA), mid-infrared or infrared B (IRB), far-infrared or infrared C (IRC), but most of the infrared radiation that we are exposed to is IRA (700 to 1400 nm). Infrared radiation (and visible light) can penetrate deep into tissues and organs. Infrared is present all day and there are higher IR to UV ratios closer to sunrise and sunset, during the morning and later afternoon/evening. UV light transmission depends on many factors. Time of day, season of the year, geographical location (latitude and altitude), weather conditions and air pollution all affect the transmission of UV light (2). The UV spectrum ranges from far-UV or UVC (200 to 280 nm) which does not penetrate the atmosphere due to the ozone layer to mid-UV or UVB (280 to 320 nm) to near-UV or UVA (320 to 400 nm) which has the longest wavelengths compared to the other UV ranges. It is estimated that about 5% of UVA and less than 1% of UVB from the sun reaches earth (6) and of this approximately 90% to 95% of UVA and 5% to 10% of UVB in solar radiation reaches human skin under ideal conditions (noon time in the tropics). It is UVB radiation that is responsible for the production of vitamin D in the body.
For ages, people have worshiped the sun for its numerous uses, so it’s no surprise that heliotherapy has become a popular treatment. This therapy works in several ways, but is best known as a conveyor of vitamin D. When the ultraviolet rays of the sun make contact with the skin, they help the body produce this vitamin, which, in turn, is said to help in the formation of bones, treating rickets disease, and lowering blood pressure. It is also said to enhance the immune system, which can help the body fight off numerous bacterial, viral, and fungal infections. Most are well aware that sunlight exposure is a means to increasing vitamin D levels, yet at the same time we are told to avoid sun exposure especially at midday as it has been implicated in skin cancer, skin damage and premature aging.
However just like any health regimen, there is a smart way and a less smart way to implement light as medicine variables that affect how much sun you can handle include skin type and diet. While you get max vitamin D mid day when the sun is overhead, IRA Light is available at sunrise and sunset. This is called the “golden hours” as it prepares and repairs your skin from UV radiation. Our ancestors would have been outside much of the time, so their skin would have been primed for you UVB exposure by infrared light in the a.m., and healed by the IR light at sunset.
According to history, the first recorded instances of sunbathing were found in ancient Greece, Egypt, Rome, Babylon, Assyria, and Persia. The physicians of this time considered the sun to be “the best food and medicine in the world”.
Beginning in the late 1800s, heliotherapy became a large part in the treatment for tuberculosis (of the bones- due to lack of vitamin D), and many conditions for joints and skin. In 1903, Niels Ryberg Finsen discovered that UV radiation benefited those who had been diagnosed with a skin condition, lupus vulgaris. He was awarded a Nobel Prize in treating a disease using concentrated light radiation, advancing treatment for medical science. He believed that the UV radiation killed the bacteria which created the disease, which is exactly what sunlight has the ability to do.
We can’t ignore the fact that compared to all past generations, today we are extremely limited to the amount of time in the open air and sunshine. Up until the past two-hundred years, people lived and worked outdoors under the sunlight for hours at a time. Today, we wake up to the sound of our alarms instead of the natural light. We then drive to work in our car and stay in our offices for the next 8 hours, only to leave when the sun is setting, and by the time we make it through traffic and get home, it has set. It’s no wonder why more than half of the general population is vitamin D deficient. This is a statistic according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Heliotherapy Benefits
Acne, psoriasis and other skin disorders
Muscular stimulation and relaxation
Seasonal Affective Disorder
Reducing body odor
Boosting the body’s immune system for the treatment of AIDS
Reducing bacteria count by as much as 50% from infections
Decontaminating blood transfusions
DNA repair
Irradiating the blood of cancer patients
Hyperbilrubinemia (neonatal jaundice)
One Research revealed that in bright light therapy, may ease Parkinson’s disease by reducing patients’ tremors.
Also in Alzheimer’s disease, positive impact of light therapy on overall cognitive function found.
Beat Depression and Insomnia:
Sunlight also helps boost a chemical in your brain called serotonin, and that can give you more energy and help keep you calm, positive, and focused. Doctors sometimes treat seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and other types of depression linked to low levels of serotonin with natural or artificial light.
Better sleep is another benefit. Our pineal gland controls our sleep/wake cycles secreting the hormone melatonin which stimulates our body to sleep. Your eyes need light to help set your body’s internal clock. Early morning sunlight in particular seems to help people get to sleep at night. This may be more important as you age because your eyes are less able to take in light, and you’re more likely to have problems going to sleep.
Boost Immunity
The sun broad immune-boosting effect. It stimulates our pituitary gland – the master switch of our endocrine system. This produces hormones which determine the strength and speed of our body’s immune responses. Researchers found evidence that more sunlight can help reduce flu infections along with other viruses. This study contributes to a growing body of research that links vitamin D to influenza risk. When ultraviolet radiation in sunlight hits bare skin, it triggers the production of vitamin D. In recent decades, several research teams have studied the potential effects of vitamin D supplementation on the risk of influenza and other acute respiratory tract infections.
How to Sun Bathe
Sunbathing properly isn’t as simple as just going out and laying in the sun. There are important things to consider to ensure you sunbathe only to receive benefits and not do yourself any harm in the process. Oh, and toss out that sunblock, you wont be using it.
Just as you would with any treatment, sunshine needs to be absorbed in moderation. Even the healthiest of things can be detrimental if taken in excess. The sun is extremely powerful and must be used with precautions set in place to protect your body from overexposure.
If you are very old, fair skinned or in bad health, a small amount of sunlight will have a more profound effect upon your body than someone who is young and darker skinned. Working up on your sun exposure needs to be done gradually, adding a few more minutes each session so you will not end up getting a sun burn.
It is best to sunbathe in the morning sunlight as opposed to the mid-afternoon sun. This is because there is much more beneficial ultraviolet rays in the morning, and by the time afternoon hits, the sunshine has changed to be mainly infrared rays which is very hot and doesn’t do nearly as much good.
Do not wear sunglasses while sunbathing, you need to close your eyes and let the beneficial lights seep in through your eyelids. This is very important in using sunbathing for health purposes.
Sunblock or Sunscreens should also never be put on your body. They do much more harm than good. The chemicals in these lotions cause damage and disease to develop in the skin when exposed to the sun. One of the worst of these ingredients is PABA.
As far as duration goes, work your way up and let your body get used to the sun. Maybe start with 5 minutes the first day, 10 minutes the second day and so on, working up to about an hour per session.
Caution:
The same invisible ultraviolet radiation that treats psoriasis is also responsible for many undesirable skin changes as well. These same wavelengths of light can also cause skin aging, wrinkling, tanning, burning and skin cancer. Please do more research and talk with your doctor before practicing Heliotherapy.