Sunshine. Just the thought of sunshine brightens our spirits. A day out in the sun can make everything good for a week. It is no wonder that sunlight is one of the 8 foundational healers: nutrition, exercise, water, sunlight, moderation, fresh air, and trust in divine power. Since it is a metaphor for God in just about any culture, one would think that it would have super powers—and it does.
Healing from the Sun
When we think of sunshine it seems like vitamin D gets all the press. Perhaps it should. The sun, in initiating the production of vitamin D in the skin, is responsible—among other things—for better immune response, lower levels of inflammation, lower blood pressure, improved brain function, and protection against cancer. Yet vitamin D isn’t the only substance the healing sun generates in the body. The body produces a whole litany of health benefits when we soak in the sun. Sunlight stimulates the production of:
- Serotonin, to improve our mood and help us to sleep better.
- Nitric oxide and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), both which work with vitamin D to lower blood pressure.
- Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), which decreases inflammation.
- Alpha melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH), that fights autoimmune dysfunction in the body and limits free radical damage. UVA and UVB radiation from the sun can also prevent autoimmune diseases.
- Neuropeptide substance P, which joins CGRP in increasing lymphocyte proliferation, thus regulating immune response, increasing antibody production, removing virus-infected cells, and defending against fungi, protozoans, cancers, and intracellular bacteria.
- Endorphins, that minimize discomfort and bring feelings of euphoria and well-being.
And last—though by no means least—a recent study showed that sunlight can directly increase the movement and efficacy of the T cells that are so crucial in the immune system. The study’s senior author, Gerard Ahern, had this to say:
We all know sunlight provides vitamin D, which is suggested to have an impact on immunity, among other things. But what we found is a completely separate role of sunlight on immunity. Some of the roles attributed to vitamin D on immunity may be due to this new mechanism. T cells, whether they are helper or killer, need to move to do their work, which is to get to the site of an infection and orchestrate a response. This study shows that sunlight directly activates key immune cells by increasing their movement.
The True Power of Sunshine
The true power of the sun against pathogens isn’t in a direct battle between the sun and germs clustered in the air or on surfaces. Sunlight kills some pathogens that way, but overall it’s pretty weak. The sun’s veritable superpower against death and disease is the formidable defense that it can generate within the human body. Consequently, it is crucial that we spend plenty of time soaking up the sun. Our very health depends on it.