We’ve invested the past few decades discussing how important it is to stay out of the sun. We thoroughly understand the risks regarding it and do everything we can think of to keep it away from us. We choose the highest SPF sunscreens we are able to find and then slather on layers and layers of it. We wear gigantic hats. We put on long sleeves and pant legs even in the warmest of heat. We do our best to remain only in the shady areas–some have even started carrying parasols and umbrellas all over so that their skin never comes into contact with direct sunlight. Now we’re discovering that the sunlight can sometimes be beneficial! Can you truly be helped by the sunshine?
There is a new study that demonstrates people who let themselves get some exposure to direct sunshine aren’t as prone to come down with MS as people who take steps to minimize sunlight contact on skin. The study was actually done to find out how Vitamin D affects the progression of Multiple Sclerosis. It didn’t take long for them to realize that it is the Vitamin D our bodies make after exposure to the sun’s rays that is at the center of the issue.
We’ve known for a very long time that sunlight and Vitamin D can slow down the way the immune system plays a role in MS. This study, however, focuses on the affects of the sun’s rays on people who are experiencing the very earliest symptoms of the disease. The real purpose is to see how sunlight and Vitamin D may affect the symptoms that are now known as “precursors” to the actual disease symptoms.
Unfortunately there are not really a massive amount of methods to really quantify the hypothesis of the study. The study would like to show whether or not exposure to the sun can actually prevent MS. Sadly, the only real way to quantify if this is correct is to monitor a person over his or her entire life. This is just about the only way to actually evaluate the levels of Vitamin D that are already present in a person’s blood before the precursors to MS start to become apparent. As it appears today, people with normal sun exposure seem to have fewer MS symptoms, specifically in the beginning, than those who live in darker and colder climates-but this was already widely known.
The fact that the danger of developing skin cancer goes up proportionally to the amount of time you spend in direct sunlight (without protection) is also a problem. So, in an attempt to keep one disease from setting in, you’ll probably be inadvertently causing another. Of course, when it gets caught quickly, skin cancer is very treatable and can even be cured. This is not true for MS.
So should you improve your exposure to the sunshine so that you don’t get MS? Your physician may help you figure out whether or not this is a plan for you. Your physician will look into your current state of health and fitness, your health history and even into your genetics to help you figure out if you even sit at risk for the disease at all. From here your physician should be able to help you decide the best course of action.
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