Medical News

Has sun exposure been something that you have come to fear? We hear all the stories of skin cancer and harm to our eyes and are bombarded with the need for sunscreen and sunglasses, but did you ever think that there might be certain healing power through sun exposure?

When we lived in Africa, one of our friends told us that his wife was wasting away due to an illness that had taken over her body. He asked us to come and see her to pray for her. When I entered the dark hut and my eyes adjusted, I could see Akosua on her cot – she looked like a skeleton with skin on. Her big, hollow eyes stared at me and I felt I was looking at death itself. My heart went out to her in her weakened state.

Akosua most likely had had a stroke – I don’t know. All I knew was that she needed help – but what did I have to give? I inwardly prayed for wisdom and then told her sisters and husband to bring her out into the sun every day for 30 minutes or so and to move her arms and legs each day very gently. Even to my untrained medical eye, I could see that her muscles were atrophying from not being used. I then prayed for God to have mercy on her and bring her back to health as only He can.

A few weeks later, I went to visit again. As Akosua laid there on her cot, I asked her caretakers how it was going. They said they were taking her into the sun each day and that they were moving her arms and legs like I had advised. I asked them if moving her arms and legs was hurting her and they replied: “Oh yes, she screams.” Scared me to death! I quickly back pedaled and said, “Remember to be gentle. Progress slowly.” On the other hand, they said she seemed to enjoy her time in the sun. I prayed again before I left, all the while thanking God again for the gift of health that we so often take for granted.

This made me think of the healing power that God has put into His great creation: the sun.

Here are some of the health benefits of the sun:

1. Helps You Process Vitamin D: “The sunshine vitamin is different from other vitamins in that it influences your entire body – receptors that respond to the vitamin have been found in almost every type of human cell, from your brain to your bones,” according to Dr. Mercola. “Vitamin D can positively impact heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, multiple schlerosis, and osteoporosis.” Now that is amazing!

2. Can Help to Prevent Cancer: Mercola further states: “Optimizing your vitamin D levels could help you to prevent many cancers including pancreatic, lung, breast, ovarian, prostate, and colon cancers.”

3. Can Improve Eyesight: Believe it or not, exposing your eyes to sunlight can improve your vision. (But don’t ever look directly at the sun – just in the direction of the sun without sunglasses on, for just a short time.) Some of the energy and health benefit your eyes can get from the sun are blocked by eyeglasses and contact lenses. Dr. John Ott states that when he exposed his eyes to sunlight his vision improved.

4. Helps to Boost Moods: Ever get the blues on a dreary day or during the long winter months? Could be that you need more light therapy! The sun is great for boosting our spirits.

Dr. Jacob Liberman, with doctorates in both optometry and vision science, says that humans were made to thrive under the light of the our sun and we potentially harm ourselves when we hide from sunlight. Dr. Liberman warns us not to look at the sun directly and to avoid exposure between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. But he emphasizes that light is a necessary nutrient for the body and advises that we should be outside in natural light, without sunglasses or sun screen, for at least one hour each day. Mexican pharmacy viagra

Soon after my second visit to Akosua, we left for furlough for a year. When we returned, I went to visit her, praying that she was still alive. When I got to the village, I saw a happy sight: Akosua was sitting outside and she was fat! I mean she really had some good bulk on her and best of all, she had a huge smile on her face! She was praising God for healing her.

Give your health a boost today – spend a little time in the sun – and put a smile back your face. God certainly used it to turn around Akosua’s health.