You may have recently found out that you are having muscle pain, morning sickness or uneasiness while standing after sitting for quite some time or know someone who is observing such symptoms. It’s shocking for most people when they have never had a problem before and believe nothing has changed to make it a problem now. The truth is that a lot has changed, and vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency is now a global public-health problem affecting an estimated 1 billion people worldwide.
Yes, deficiency of vitamin D can cause bone pain and muscle weakness. However, mild vitamin D deficiency is not necessarily associated with any symptoms. Vitamin D has been referred to as the “sunlight vitamin” because it is made in our skin when we are exposed to sunlight.
Vitamin D promotes calcium absorption in the gut and maintains adequate serum calcium and phosphate concentrations to enable normal mineralization of bone and to prevent hypocalcemia tetany. It is also needed for bone growth and bone remodelling by osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Without sufficient vitamin D, bones can become thin, brittle, or misshapen. Vitamin D sufficiency prevents rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. Together with calcium, vitamin D also helps protect older adults from osteoporosis.
Lifestyle factors such as indoor versus outdoor work and time spent in outdoor recreation play an important role. In today’s hectic schedule very rare people care to take sunbath hence getting prone to Vitamin D deficiency. Poor, Unhealthy diet also contribute to Vitamins deficiency in body.
Taking pill is not a solution when we are provided with the ocean full of VITAMIN D. A Few minutes not more than 15 minutes’ walk or exposure to sunlight can easily cope up with Vitamin D deficiency in one’s body.
Besides VITAMIN D Reservoir, Sunlight comes up with many other benefits:
- Sunlight has a beneficial effect on skin disorders: such as psoriasis, acne, eczema and fungal infections of the skin.
- Sunlight builds the immune system: The white blood cells, which increase with sun exposure, are called lymphocytes, and these play a major role in defending the body against infections.
- Sunlight treats jaundice in new born babies: Generally new born babies are prone to jaundice. Exposure of new born babies in mild sunlight treats jaundice.
- Sunlight kills germs of surroundings: It is necessary to open curtains of the house during daylight as Sunlight kills all the germs affecting health. Often it is noticed that we live in closed doors without any exposure to sunlight. Sunlight is a natural disinfectant.
- Sunlight lowers cholesterol: The sun converts high cholesterol in the blood into steroid hormones and the sex hormones we need for reproduction. In the absence of sunlight, the opposite happens; substances convert to cholesterol.
- The sun’s rays lower blood pressure: Even a single exposure significantly lowers blood pressure in individuals with high blood pressure.
- Sunlight can cure depression: The noon sunshine can deliver 100,000 lux. When we sit in offices for the best part of the day, out of the sun, under neon and artificial lights (150-600 lux), we are depriving ourselves of the illumination of nature. Sunlight deprivation can cause a condition called seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a form of depression. It is more common in winter months, but also common in people who work long hours in office buildings.
Tips to Ward off the Dangers of Sunbathing:
Needless to say that anything done in excess can be detrimental to health. The same goes with sun bathing; while this could be one of the most beneficial treatment options, it can also be one the most dangerous and therefore care should be taken.
- Avoid too much exposure to UV that causes Skin Cancer: Excess exposure to the sun’s UV rays can increase the risks of developing skin cancer. This is a major concern now mainly because of the polluted environment causing harm to the ozone layer that protects the earth.
- Use Suntan Lotions: While a little tanned skin can be aesthetic, you should avoid getting your skin burnt or damaged. Air skinned people are more prone to sun burns as compared to those with darker skin.
- Eat Right: Avoid adding toxins to your body through the foods that you eat. Eat healthy nutritious foods as it works well in capturing the complete benefits of the sun. Cooling foods like cucumbers, fruit juices, tomatoes and so on work well. So open the doors and windows and let the light shine through; go ahead and bathe in the glory and brightness of the summer sun.
TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOURSELF !
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