Energized by the Sun

By Dr. Clif Steinberg

As we round the calendar bend into darker days in the north It is a good time to consider some of the many benefits of ample sunshine. I speak not only of things like the sun’s role in vitamin D production (which enhances resistance to infections such as cold, flu, and COVID-19), or the production of melatonin in the pineal gland. There is even a common malady termed Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) that is essentially a deficit of sunlight that leads to a kind of depression. Those are interesting findings from modern medicine, and important in their own right.

The benefits from the sun do not need a medical or scientific rationale such as those just mentioned. There is a different kind of knowing, or a different frame of reference that we can turn to that tells each of us that sunshine on our shoulders feels so lovely (thank you John Denver). Tap into that knowledge within you and you will likely thrive, whereas listening to some other authority may well have you fearing and avoiding the sun, or at the least, not seeking it out for its many gifts. Staying indoors and hidden from the sun is counter-intuitive and SAD, so get outside and soak up the sun’s rays, even when cloudy. It will help you every day and brighten all the way if you keep on the sunny side!