Sunlight Solution: Why More Sun Exposure And Vitamin D Are Essential

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Laurie Winn Carlson.

My family members suffered from lack of vitamin D, and so did I, we just didn’t know it. As a historian, I linked our symptoms to the health problems people endured during the Industrial Revolution, when skies were thick with smoke and diets were lacking basic nutrients. Rickets, that deficiency disease of children like Charles Dickens’ nineteenth century character Tiny Tim, is back. Physicians now report an increasing number of children with vitamin D deficiency and adult diseases are consistently being connected to deficiency of vitamin D. Study after study affirms that sunlight and vitamin D are essential in both prevention and treatment of diseases as serious as cancer, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and more.

For those of us living at higher latitudes, sunlight is fleeting and appreciated. I argue it is the most important element needed for good health. We live, work and play indoors, and seldom bask in sunlight as our ancestors did. Most importantly, we live at a latitude that endangers our health, especially if we have dark-toned skin. In places like Boston and Seattle, we can never get enough sunlight in winter due to the sun’s position in the sky. Supplementation is a must, either dietary or from ultraviolet radiation.