Let The Sun Shine

May 1, 2011
Looks like the sun has decided to make an appearance today! We had such a long cold and dark winter; I’m more than ready for summer this year. The day before Easter was so nice and it put me in the best mood, maybe I have a bit of that seasonal thing they talk about when not having much light can affect your mood. Who knows, I do know that when the sun shines it seems to make things brighter and put everyone in a better mood.

Seasonal Affective Disorder also called SAD is a type of depression that occurs at the same time every year. People that have this disorder have symptoms that start in the fall and continue into the winter months. I myself love the fall when the leaves start to change colors and you can feel a nip in the air. Right now I’m not at all interested in thinking about the fall; I’m much more interested in the blooming flowers and warm summer sun.

When I was a kid I would spend hours at the beach basking in the sun, I never had the type of skin that would tan; I always ended up with the worse sun burns and never thought a thing of it.

Now days all we hear about is the dangers of the sun and to use lots of sun screen. The sun is our main source of vitamin D so it is so important that we get whatever we can and to let it shine on us without sunscreen so that it can penetrate our skin and release some good O” vitamin D.

So when I was diagnosed with breast cancer they checked my vitamin D levels and my count was at a 9! What was it suppose to be? Seems it should be at least 30 but even better would be 50 to 60. I then learned that many deceases may be caused from lack of vitamin D, like MS, breast cancer and many more. People living in beautiful Washington State should all have their vitamin D levels checked.

Now we have to do a juggling act to make sure we protect our skin from the damaging rays from the sun at the same time making sure to get enough sun to make some vitamin D. They say 15 minutes will do the trick, so before putting on that sunscreen sit or play in the sun for at least 15 minutes every day. You can even get sun rays when we have clouds but most people living in this neck of the woods should take a vitamin D supplement. At your next doctor’s appointment I would ask him or her to check your vitamin D levels just to be on the safe side.

Today with spring in the air and summer just around the corner I look forward to lots of fun in the sun!