I was inspired this morning by my daily Mark Nepo passage from his book titled The Book of Awakening. It concluded with the statement "Being alive takes time." In my quest to slow down and make more space for the miraculous, this statement struck me to the core.
So I got on my bike....to attend a meeting, deposit a check at the bank and to do some grocery shopping. Fortunately I live in a place that allows me the option to bike ride safely about my little town. Without getting obsessive about it, I'm going to see if my current tank of gasoline will suffice until my daughter and I head out on her Spring Break around April 10th. First, to save money on gasoline; secondly, to spare the planet of toxic fumes; and thirdly, to function at a slower pace. Oh, and fourthly, to get some more exercise!
As you know, I just recently enrolled in school for a PhD in Holistic Health and Healing. As I mentioned, Phil McGraw's book, Self Matters, had the effect of a mild sedative. Well, this school must have known that people such as myself would breeze through the book and toss it aside. Well....Exam 1 has three parts. The first part contains 41 in depth questions about the material in the book, the second part is a 115 True or False test and Part 3 is a 2,500 word essay about how the principles in the book have played and are playing out in my life. So much for squeaking by this one!
I'm much more enthralled by the course's second book, Blueprint for Health. Since Spring is soon upon us and our exposure to sunlight will increase, I want to share with you some notes from Chapter 5.
• Dr. Felix Oswald in Nature's Household Remedies (1890) concluded that "nearly all species of plants and animals attain the highest forms of their development in the neighborhood of the equator." (Must be why everyone seems to be visiting and relocating to Costa Rica and Ecuador!)
• During the third century AD, Mithraism (sun worship) almost became the universal religion. (I think this should be revisited!)
• Arnold Rikli (1810-1907) a Swiss Physiotherapist taught "Baths of water are good, baths of air are better, baths of light are best."
• Dr. Russell Trall (1812-1877) reported that during epidemics, the shaded sides of urban streets accounted for the highest ratio of deaths.
• Dr. Shelton (1895-1985) wrote in Human Life, Its Philosophy and Laws that sun "enables the body to assimilate calcium. It is through this that it is of value in the prevention and cure of rickets and tuberculosis, in both of which there is a lack of calcium. A few minutes exposure daily to the sunlight will double the quantity of phosphorous in a baby's blood in a fortnight.
Sun rapidly increases the number of red-blood corpuscles and is indispensable in overcoming anemia. The hemoglobin in the blood is increased. This increases its oxygen carrying power. The circulation of the blood itself is improved. The blood's power to build and repair tissue is increased. The growth of hair is stimulated. Ulcers, sores, skin diseases, etc. heal more rapidly under its influence. The muscles grow larger and firmer and acquire greater contractile power, even without exercise."
• Dr. Zane Kime in his book Sunlight (1980) gives particular emphasis to the effects fats and oils have in the production of free radicals, contributing to the aging of the skin and the increased incidence of skin cancer.
"Unless one has a proper diet, sunlight has an ill effect on the skin. This must be emphasized: sunbathing is dangerous for those who are on the standard high-fat American diet or do not get an abundance of vegetables, whole grains, and fresh fruits. Those on the standard high-fat diet should stay out of the sun and protect themselves from it; but at the same time they will suffer the consequences of both the high-fat diet and the deficiency of sunlight."
• Dr. Kime believes that most suntan lotions, when used in the sun, can stimulate the formation of cancer cells, because of the fat in the lotions. He does not recommend sunscreens which contain PABA (para-aminobenzoic acid). Even the FDA concluded that 14 of 17 suntan lotions containing PABA can be carcinogenic when used in the sun.
Clean up your diet (no partially or fully hydrogenated oils), eat more produce and become less fearful of the sun. A healthy dose of safe, unprotected sunlight each day could mean the difference between decent health and optimal health. Ten to fifteen minutes exposure in morning and/or afternoon sun should do it.
Those with fair skin and those taking medications that cause photosensitivity should exercise extra caution. Check this long alphabetical list of photosensitive medications to see if your birth control pills, antidepressants, antibiotics or even your acne treatments are listed. Common over-the-counter remedies such as ibuprofen, Tylenol allergy and St. John's Wort are listed. You'll be astonished to see Solercaine, Vaseline and Chapstick products on the list too!
Light Light, xo-C.
Jane, read no further......
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