Are you suffering from mal-illumination? Many years ago, playing out in the sun was something we never thought much about. Children would play outdoors with other children until they were called in by their parents. Beach going was done with little or no sun block and working outdoors was something many of us just did. Over the years, we have learned that sun exposure like what we did years ago may have a side effect; skin cancer. As our generation has gotten older, visiting and being checked by a dermatologist has become a right of passage as many of us developed skin growths due to the exposure years ago. Little by little, we as a society began to cover up, either with clothing, or with suntan lotions and we were advised to limit our sun exposure. One of the effects of this behavior has been a large amount of us who are now vitamin D deficient, since our sun exposure also had us manufacture our own vitamin D. Apparently, there are also other side effects from a lack of sun that can affect our moods and behaviors as well. The idea of mali-illumination was borne out of what happens when we do not get enough sun. There needs to be a balance, since too much is dangerous but too little causes many health problems. Read more about this interesting phenomenon here Do you have mal-illumination? Our bodies’ many cries for sunlight by Linda Moon Once revered as Ra by the Egyptians, and prescribed as a health tonic in the mid 1900s, today many of us fear the sun – thanks to the hole in the ozone layer, global warming, skin cancer and the ‘Slip, Slop, Slap’ campaign. However, experts such as Dr Jacob Liberman, an international pioneer in the field of light, say we need to balance this caution with moderate, regular sunlight exposure. “Everything on this earth has evolved for millions of years under the full spectrum of sunlight,” he says. “We all need a minimum requirement of light. It’s the most powerful nutritional source we have.” Dr Liberman warns chronic “mal-illumination” can create major imbalances in our mental, emotional and physiological health. Read more