The Healing Sun: Sunlight and Health in the 21st Century

by Richard Hobday

The human race evolved under the sun, and for thousands of years lived in harmony with its heat and light. Yet over the last fifty years we have lost this close contact with the sun and its healing powers. We have become afraid of it. However the sun is central to our well being and health.

This book explains how and why we should welcome sunlight back into our lives safely! It shows how sunlight was used to prevent and cure diseases in the past, and how it can heal us and help us in the future.

Genres: Health

182 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1999

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Especially now with the FDA having recently decided that we don't need Vitamin D after all. I'll be out there as soon as the weather's decent (in 4 or 5 months) getting me some, so I can stock up for next winter!

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

The health benefits of heliotherapy or light therapy were known to ancient people and re-discovered more recently. Overall an excellent read showing the link between natural sunlight and good general health.

[Michele Baird · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some really interesting info, & then a lot of repeats & irrelevancies. But it was worth reading.

[Jarmo Larsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An insightful book about the health benefits of sunlight. To be a book written i 1999 this is one of the better I've read, since it unlike the others, emphasizes more on the importanse of morning sun/ sunrise as an important health aspect. Richard Hobday digs deeper into the history of sunlight therapy as a medical treatment that has been mostly secluded by todays medical practioners. As an building designer and specialisez in solar design to promote more "sunhealthy" buildings and enviroments Richard Hobday gives us a bit different approach on sunlight than other authors and experts, but on the other side the book contains pretty much the same health benefits mentioned in later books that although gives insight into more recent and repeated research around the myriads of benefits with sunlight.

[Claire Lewandowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative and really enjoyed the read. Unfortunately, it was poorly edited and quite repetitive.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good look into what the sun can do to help our bodies stay healthy. I will be implementing morning walks to get a little more sunshine and fresh air. ❤️

[Aravind · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sunlight has gone into disrepute due to recent media blow ups of it's possible link to a lethal form of skin cancer.
While there is a tiny tiny possibility of skin cancer from improper sunbathing, the good effects of sunlight are far far more. In fact, there is more correlation to the use of sunscreens with the increase in incidence of skin cancer. This is because these sunscreens prevent UV-A(a wavelength range of UV), which actually makes vitamin D secretion. So it is not sunlight in itself that causes skin cancer, but rather improper sun bathing that causes skin cancer.
Sunlight helps synthesise Vitamin-D which helps build our immunity. Vitamin D can be taken as oral supplements too, but the oral supplements aren't as effective.
Early morning sun is very good - as the light shock(from darkness to sudden sunlight) helps trigger more vitamin D creation than under daylight.
Buildings are not built taking into consideration sunlight and ventilation. This are serious issues related to this, this is why there are so many people picking up infections from hospitals. Sunlight has an amazing ability to kill bacteria. Sunlight has been used in the past as an exclusive treatment for many many health issues including tuberculosis.
New born babies who are not given sunlight pick up jaundice. These cases are so common these days. This is easily avoidable.
There are special lamps that are used for elderly people who cannot go out in the sun. These lamps are not like fluorescent lamps(which only light in a small wavelength range), they try to mimic the natural spectrum of light.
Sunlight therapy needs to be done in places where the temperature is cool. cool ambient temperatures make the body generate enough heat it needs, which in turn kills the bacteria inside our body.
One thing that's very bad about indoor living is that we are inhibiting the adaptability of our body to varying temperatures, humidity etc, by being in the same controlled temperature each day. This is bad for our body. Human species has evolved under the sun, where the body was adapting to varying climates. We do not as yet know the adverse effects of us spending so much time indoors.
Diet also plays an important role in the ability of our body to respond and use sunlight.
A diet rich in grains is better than a diet rich in fat.
Exercise is very important even in old age. Chinese health therapies focus on sunlight, exercise to improve overall immunity of the person rather than try to defeat a specific disease with targeted medicine.
We are so used to treating a specific disease, but think of this, the reason you got a disease was because your body's immunity system could not defeat that virus/bacteria when it was just few in number. Yes, you can defeat the virus or bacteria by medicines, but isn't the more important long term solution to improve your immune system? Why are no doctors doing this??? Our instant gratification has led us to instant band-aids that tear off over time causing more harm than good. Diseases are signals that our body needs our attention and help. We should not point fix our diseases. This is an important insight I got from this book.

[Sashi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice book with a content that a very few people know about the magic of sun and breaks the mith about the time it takes to get the skin tan and the times when the vitamin D comes to the skin