The healing power of full-spectrum light

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, Jan, 2004 by Joseph G. Hattersley

is supposed to be on the increase because of ozone depletion--that of senile cataract."

Note that even low exposure to UVB significantly increases the risk of cataracts, (14) but only with the consumption of a Western junk food diet rich in unsaturated fats and their oxidised products. (15) (16) Those who consume a more sensible diet, and supplement it with vitamins C and E, do not get cataracts even from lengthy sun exposure. (17), (18)

Photobiology

Starting from a high-school hobby of time-lapse photography, the late John N. Ott, DScHon, (19) founded the new science of photobiology. He was active into his tenth decade.

Dr. Ott's last book, one of many publications, is Light, Radiation and You: How to Stay Healthy (1990). (20) In it he wrote: "Mankind adapted to the full range of the solar spectrum, and artificial distortions of that spectrum--malillumination, a condition analogous to malnutrition--may have biologic effects." In an interview published in 1991, he noted: "There are neurochemical channels from the retina to the pineal and pituitary glands, the master glands of the whole endocrine system that controls the production and release of hormones. This regulates your body chemistry and its growth, all organs of your body, including your brain, and how they function." (21)

The critical reader will ask: where are the controlled, scientific tests supporting Dr. Ott's statements? The answer to that question is: who can make money promoting sunlight? Think about it.

Ultraviolet Deprivation Health Effects

Indoor Lighting and Melanoma

Malignant melanoma is often alarmingly but wrongly blamed on sun exposure. The dangerous kind, called skin cancer, is ultimately fatal if not corrected. A study by the US Navy found the most melanoma in people who worked indoors all the time. Those who worked both outdoors and indoors some of the time had the lowest incidence. Also, most melanomas appeared on parts of the body that are seldom exposed to sunlight. (23) The inference is that both very high and very low exposures to UV light can be harmful--and moderate exposure is healthful. (24)

Sunscreens and Melanoma

Sunscreens block out only UVA and UVB, which we all need in trace amounts, but not the potentially dangerous, germicidal UVC. No commercial sunscreens have been proved safe. (25) Their chemicals penetrate the skin into the circulation and add to the burden of toxins to be detoxified. (26) Commercial sunscreens increase the risk of melanoma by causing mutations when the cells' chromosomes interact with the chemicals and the light. (27) Natural sunscreens, as well as commercial ones, curtail needed uptake of vitamin D3 from UVB, increasing the risk of the bonethinning disease osteoporosis.

Moreover, Lita Lee, PhD, notes: "Mounting evidence indicates that many of them [sunscreens] contain carcinogens and that the rise of skin cancers parallels the increase in sunscreen usage. The only sunscreen I recommend is coconut oil, although, believe me, you cannot slather this oil on your skin and bake in the sun all day. Adding a little iodine to the coconut oil for the first week of summer gives added protection; however, do not use the iodine for more than a week, as continued use will inhibit your thyroid function. In my opinion, the only other safe (non-carcinogenic) sunscreen would be one containing titanium dioxide." (28)