Relaxing In the Sun: Good Preventative Medicine

Vitamin D has been in the news quite a bit lately, with a variety of studies publicized that link a number of serious health issues to vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D has been long established as a critical factor in bone strength and calcium absorption, its benefit proven years ago when it's deficiency was definitively linked to the childhood disease rickets.

However, further studies have indicated that vitamin D deficiency can contribute to a long list of other ailments, many more than previously thought. Evidence has emerged that suggests links between insufficient levels of vitamin D and autoimmune illnesses, chronic pain, cancer, depression, diabetes, neuromuscular disorders, autism, heart disease, high blood pressure, hyperthyroidism, and many others. Vitamin D deficiency has been shown to severely weaken the immune system, factoring in the spread of viral illnesses like influenza and the common cold.

Most vitamin D in the body is produced by exposure to sunlight. Many people, heeding warnings by health care professionals about skin cancer prevention, are restricting their exposure to the sun with the use of sunscreen or by remaining indoors. This trend has made maintaining an adequate level of vitamin D in the system difficult, resulting in deficient levels in approximately 40% of adults. Deficiency rates are highest among people of color, as skin pigmentation blocks a portion of the ultraviolet light to which it is exposed, but is a prevalent problem in all segments of the population.

While preventing skin cancer is certainly important, evidence is mounting that a moderate amount of sun exposure is critical to good health, and supplements may be wise in the winter months when sunlight is weakest. Some experts suggest that just an hour of sunshine a day can be enough to prevent deficiency in the summer months.

There is a lot more information on the subject available, with some of the articles and studies I found most interesting and informative linked in the text....but be sure to step away from the screen for a few minutes to enjoy a bit of sunshine, guilt free...

Welcome To Natural Health and Alternative Medicine Information

My name is Sharon Secor and I am a freelance writer and single parent, which means I definitely understand the effects of the high cost of health care today. It was the high cost of care and being poor that pushed me into the study of natural health and alternative medicine many years ago, long before I became a single parent.

From there, I began to learn about the history of Western medicine, the dangers associated with many of the treatment and pharmeceutical fads Western medicine went through and is still experiencing, and the value – not only to the pocket – of learning about how to use herbs and other natural remedies. I also began to study nutrition as a means of achieving and maintaining health, as well as its role in fighting and healing disease.

However, I do not discount the value of Western-style modern medicine. I have three children that were born prematurely, two of which would not be here without the seemingly miraculous feats accomplished by modern Western medicine.

With this blog, my sister, Melinda Secor – who spent more than 15 years working in health care before she made the shift into freelance writing – and I plan to offer practical, useful information as we explore the issues and subjects associated with natural health and alternative medicine.