When used wisely and as a treatment, the sunbath can be very helpful as a natural remedy to aid the body. Safe sunbathing has been shown to help alleviate a host of problems ranging from chronic skin conditions to building strong bones and teeth, lowering cholesterol levels, preventing heart disease, warding off depression, improving the immune system, helping regulate blood sugar, speeding wound healing, reduction of arthritis symptoms, increased production of red and white blood cells and may even prevent some forms of cancer. The sunbath described here is an exposure to natural sunlight and not the use of a sunlamp.
The importance of the sunbath in the role of lowering body cholesterol, blood pressure, and heart disease will be discussed. One component that contributes to elevated blood pressure and heart disease is elevated blood cholesterol, specifically LDL cholesterol. LDL cholesterol is a fatty substance that is carried in the blood stream and can be deposited in the artery walls leading to narrowed, hardened, and plaque filled arteries. All of this can result in major health problems. A component of body fat absorbs the ultraviolet rays of the sun and is then converted into vitamin D. This vitamin has many benefits, including lowering cholesterol, assisting in the absorption and regulation of blood levels and prevention of excretion of calcium and phosphorus.
The procedure for having a healthy sunbath must include enough caution so that the participant does not burn. This is very important to avoid the harmful effects of the sun. Care should be taken to consider the ease with which a person burns (fair skinned, blue eyed, blonde, red haired or diabetic), the environmental elements which encourage burning (midday sun, temperature, cloud or snow cover and altitude), diet, and some pharmaceuticals. With this in mind:
Start by sunbathing for 2 to 3 minutes on each side of the body. This should be done in a private place with as much of the body surface being exposed to the sun as possible. The head and eyes should be protected from the sun at all times.
This time should be gradually increased each day by 2–5 minutes to avoid sunburn. This should continue until the person is exposed to the sun for 30 minutes on each side of the body, for a total of one hour per day.
A feeling of giddiness, fatigue or discomfort experienced during a sunbath, or a burning sensation in the skin, is an indication of excessive exposure to sunlight.
After the sunbath, a cold-water bath should be taken, or the body wiped with a piece of cloth which has been wrung out in cold water.
If you are unsure, consult your health professional before beginning your sunbathing routine to see if you have any medical contraindications to a sunbath.
Take advantage of the healing gift of sunlight, until “the sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.” Isaiah 60:19.