Nude sunbathing testosterone rises 200%

[raw-al]

Hmm, I've been trying to go out anywhere from 10am to 2 pm thinking closer to noon= more intense = better (within reasonable times).

So, I don't want that intense? Is it that my body can't utilize that high of intensity and it is actually doing damage? Is this just anecdotal or is there some science behind this?

What I have read and what makes sense to me is to avoid the strong UV section of the day. This is when burns occur. Although anecdotally based evidence only the last burn I got from heading out on my Hobie Tiger catamaran with only shorts and the trap harness from 11 AM till 6 PM gave me the impression (bloody awful burn) that it was not wise... grasshopper. I intend to grow up shortly.

Basically you can get a cheap UV meter and it will tell you when the UV is 5 or more at which point you should move to the shade. I suspect that persons with darker skin may be able to withstand more UV because of things that I have read about vitamin D deficiency being more prevalent in them when they move to latitudes away from the Equator.
As far as "scientific proof" I am a little bit allergic to that expression owing to the propensity of the persons utilizing it to be very engaged in hawking their wares. I always smell a rat when I hear someone say "The Latest Scientific; Studies, Research, Breakthrough, Data, Thinking". It is too easy to manipulate and science nowadays has reached into the domain of snake-oil salesmanship that supposedly brought on the need for science in the first place or so we were taught in school.

The books that I have read on the subject pretty much confirm what we all intuited in that the sun feels good and when it stops feeling comfortable your body is sending you a telegram.

When I was out on the boat I was having such a blast that I told the telegraph operator to take a hike.

[raw-al]

"Light -- Medicine of the Future" by Jacob Liberman
"The Healing Sun - Sunlight and Health in the 21st Century"  Richard Hobday

[maxscan]

So, I don't want that intense? Is it that my body can't utilize that high of intensity and it is actually doing damage? Is this just anecdotal or is there some science behind this?

From what I've read you do want that intense. Something to do with UVA & UVB - for vitamin d production you want UVB but this is much more easily blocked / scattered by atmospheric pollution - between 10am and 2pm the sun is more directly overhead so you get much more UVB. UVA can be dangerous if you get too much of it in isolation - there's some speculation that the rise in skin cancer is due to working behind glass - window glass blocks the UVB but the UVA gets through so you get an unbalanced dose and skin cancer...

[raw-al]

From what I've read you do want that intense.

Interesting as this is contrary to what I have read in the two books quoted. What is your source of info? Is it suggested to spend long periods of time in intense sun?

As I mentioned I tried it "once again" and all I got was two days of sleeplessness, followed by about three weeks of skin peeling. I was sailing on fresh water and apparently salt water is even more reflective.

When I am in very intense sun I start with losing strength and eventually will faint. It is dangerous for the majority of people. Since I started on the raw diet I notice the heat even more.

The problem with large generalizations about what people should and shouldn't do has to do with variations in metabolism or structure or other things that make one man's meat another's poison. I know people who can lay in the sun for hours like a snake, while one relative of mine has to be covered in cotton clothes, large brimmed straw hats and skin lotion or she has severe reactions. The person I know that can lay all day in the sun is grossly overweight like to drink alcohol, eat junk food and watch TV. So it's not that they are healthier and can therefore withstand it.

[maxscan]

Hi Raw-Al

Not entirely sure where I read this - I think possibly mercola.com but potentially other medical websites I read. You're absolutely right though, it does depend on the person but I think mainly down to skin type and pigmentation. There is a specific amount of sun you need depending on various factors such as skin type, time of day, latitude, cloud cover etc. in order to produce appropriate amounts of vitamin d - anything after that is not necessary. In some places, at some times of year, that could mean spending the whole day in the sun, in other places at other times of year it could be 10 or 20 minutes, even if you're dark skinned. Getting burned is bad for you but the easiest solution is to get out of the sun - the point about being in the sun when it's at its most intense is to do with getting balanced UVA and UVB rather than with getting really strong sun or large amounts of sun.

I came across a sun exposure calculator a while back, created by the Norwegian Institute for Air Research, that can help you work out how much time you need in the sun depending on where you are in the world, time of day, skin type etc. See my post here: http://www.rawpaleoforum.com/general-discussion/how-much-time-do-you-spend-in-the-sun-each-day-and-other-associated-thoughts/msg40650/#msg40650

[raw-al]

I was fascinated when a friend of mine went back to India for a month. He is a medium/dark I guess you would say average skin toned person of that area of the world. He was living in St. John's Newfoundland which if you don't know is 10+- miles from the most eastern point of North America. They have 3 types of weather there, rain, drizzle and fog. I remember seeing months where the amount of sun for an entire month of June (summer there) was reported as 90 hours in the local newspaper. He had been there for about 2-3 years, so he was starting to look like a honky 
Anyways when he got back to St. John's he was telling about his trip there and he went on about how he had a bad sunburn just after arriving there.
That was a shock to me that a dark skinned person got sunburns. Another theory shattered.

Getting back to the subject of sun exposure, this year I have been walking around in my shorts with no shirt and no shoes or socks. I started the raw diet last December and I started sungazing last July (year ago) so I am not sure which thing is the cause of the change, but for instance on my skin, I used to have spots up to slightly less that 1/4 inch. Not everywhere and it's a family tradition. They have been slowly disappearing. They almost fall off at times or if I scratch them they come off. It's quite amazing! I also had bumps on my skin here and there, most were not noticeable except to myself. They are slowly disappearing. (BTW I am 57)

In those books I quoted, the authors tell about treatment for TB that took place in Switzerland and Norway in the 1800s and early 1900s that was essentially exposure to sunlight and fresh air high in the Alps where it was felt that the sun's rays did not have to travel through the atmosphere as far so the rays were stronger in the appropriate wavelengths to  bring about the return of health to the patients. This treatment modality was prevalent right up to the start of the start of the use of antibiotics and vaccinations and was apparently quite effective if you had the money and time to travel to Switzerland, plus a spare pair of leather shorts. Course you buy the shorts and the long horn once you got there.  The patients were put into the sun in measured periods of time according to a treatment concept they worked up. Of course the nice sunny fresh air environment of the Alps didn't hurt either.

I strongly believe that sun exposure and raw diet are critical to health.

[wodgina]

I agree, I think lack of sun exposure is the reason for colds and flu. Whenever I feel a cold coming on I go sit in the sun. My colds/flu's only last about 4 hours on RPD.

[raw-al]

In one of the books that I mentioned there is a reference to an ancient battlefield somewhere in the middle East I believe, where the bones of the warriors were found by archeologists. Apparently the soldiers on one side in the battle shaved their heads as this was part of their practice. Apparently these soldiers had a much thicker skull. It would seem that the lack of hair exposed their skull to the sun which made their skulls stronger.

Maybe there is something to all the folks who refer to me as being thick in the head.    LOL

[raw]

Hi all, i just get an amazing result just for about 25 minutes of naked sun bathing. i'm a light skinned woman from south east asia. but my face and arms already burn from sun (i mean that's the only thing i expose being a Muslim woman. i never wear shorts or anything like that in the sun). i also write some topics about bleeding gums...etc. for past 3 months of straight simple raw paleo diet can't stop my bleeding gum. i tried everything until the other day i've decided to put myself naked under the sun (only my entire back part). i am amaized to see no blood in my gum and some toothache also has gone immediately. the worst part is i'm fasting and it's so difficult to go under the hot sun without drinking water for almost 24 hours. but i don't want to miss this strong sun for this summer. so i'm fasting all day long and sun bathing for 30 minutes. another thing i realize that if i stay more than 20 minutes, i feel that my breathing gets shorter or i can't breath. i'm so curious to know that, which parts of our body makes more vit D? anyone knows!!

[majormark]

... i'm so curious to know that, which parts of our body makes more vit D? anyone knows!!

I'd say the part where there the skin is more oily.

You can also try raw coconut oil to nourish the skin while in the sun.

[raw-al]

Hi all, i just get an amazing result just for about 25 minutes of naked sun bathing. i'm a light skinned woman from south east asia. but my face and arms already burn from sun (i mean that's the only thing i expose being a Muslim woman. i never wear shorts or anything like that in the sun). i also write some topics about bleeding gums...etc. for past 3 months of straight simple raw paleo diet can't stop my bleeding gum. i tried everything until the other day i've decided to put myself naked under the sun (only my entire back part). i am amaized to see no blood in my gum and some toothache also has gone immediately. the worst part is i'm fasting and it's so difficult to go under the hot sun without drinking water for almost 24 hours. but i don't want to miss this strong sun for this summer. so i'm fasting all day long and sun bathing for 30 minutes. another thing i realize that if i stay more than 20 minutes, i feel that my breathing gets shorter or i can't breath. i'm so curious to know that, which parts of our body makes more vit D? anyone knows!!

If you can arrange it I would suggest sunbathing in the early part of the day, or later in the day so the dehydration issue is not a problem. Less likelihood of a sunburn also particularly where you are not used to suntanning.
If you can arrange it I would suggest following HRM's sungazing suggestions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlCJPxxKoaY
He also has a website. He travels around and passes on his info for free.

[raw-al]

I think that the benefits of the sunbathing are local. In other words wherever the sun strikes the benefits are received.

If you sunbathe in the early morning or late in the afternoon you can get 45 minutes which is excellent.

I finally got around to trying it on my patio and it feels great. Too bad nudity is frowned on.

[KD]

i'm so curious to know that, which parts of our body makes more vit D? anyone knows!!

There was another thread about this a few months back that has some interesting opinions.

mine is that if one is really deficient (which is alot of folks), they would need to have year-round full body exposure including the back of the knees and a few other places that rarely/never get any exposure on a regular basis and between 10am-2pm. In other circumstances and climates, it might be enough to get benefits but not serious D production, as the sun can't penetrate the horizon or of course clothing. going in minimal clothing would be almost effective for those not extremely deficient but require more time in the sun between 10am-2pm. I havn't gotten out as much in the last month or so other than a few beach trips and a few lunch hours but prior to that I was getting 1-4 hrs in this time period in spring and early summer. Even so I'm considering supplementation of D3 softgels even though I have no symptoms or obvious medical tests. There are alot of benefits with having levels alot higher than those suggested, and probably detriments that are unknown for being at the recommended levels.

[raw]

THANKS A LOT for this wonderful video. sun gazing and sun bath  makes so much sense . i will be providing the further information after doing the sun gazing and nude sunbathing. i'm not sure for how long i can take this advantage using the sun when winter is coming. he also mentions the power of raw food over cooked food. overall excellent video!

[raw-al]

My GF and I have been doing the SG for a little over a year. We went up to the 45 minutes HRM talks about and then back to 15 minutes per day + walking barefoot on the dirt whenever possible. She has had a significant improvement in her last eye checkup, going back 10 years in reading glasses etc. Mine have improved also. We both eat significantly less and I feel stuffed if I try to eat more. Will be interesting if the other things he talks about happen. I tend to go whole hog if I try something, so I will find out if his story is true. It is so far.

The raw diet also adds into the equation in my estimation.

[MaximilianKohler]

I've heard the same thing maxscan was saying. That it's better to sun bathe in the middle of the day when the sun is strongest, but only stay in the sun until your skin starts to get pink - make sure to never burn! Because if you go when the sun is not strong then you will get very little UVB which produces vitamin D and you'll get a lot of UVA which actually decreases your vitamin D levels and can be cancer causing if you're not also getting enough UVB exposure.