Herbert Ross, DC with Keri Brenner, L.Ac.
See book keywords and concepts |
 Individuals who receive little natural light during the day often experience an imbalance in their serotonin and melatonin levels—specifically, a rise in melatonin and a corresponding decline in serotonin. When low exposure to natural light is chronic, it can lead to SAD. Often called "winter depression," SAD frequently occurs during the fall and winter months, when days grow shorter and natural light is limited. (For a thorough discussion of SAD and how to combat it, see "Beating the Winter Blues," page 123. |
Andreas Moritz
See book keywords and concepts |
 The amount of melatonin made available to the body in response to the darkness of the night depends on the concentration of serotonin secreted in response to the amount of natural light we are exposed to during the day. As daylight diminishes, serotonin is automatically broken down into melatonin.
If your body makes a good amount of serotonin from natural light, it will also produce sufficient amounts of melatonin during the nighttime, provided your eyes are closed. (When exposed to light, the pineal gland does not secrete melatonin in sufficient amounts. |
| If you wear sunglasses, expose your eyes to natural light for as long as it is comfortable. Gradually you will wean yourself from sunglasses and no longer require them. To avoid dehydration of the skin, drink fresh water before and after exposure to the sun.
Sunlight Prevents Cancer, MS, Heart Disease, Arthritis, Diabetes...
According to a study published in the prominent Cancer journal {March 2002; 94:1867-75) insufficient exposure to ultraviolet radiation may be an important risk factor for cancer in Western Europe and North America. |
Paula Begoun and Bryan Barron
See book keywords and concepts |
 Although the ampoules ate well sealed, the clear glass packaging will render the antioxidants ineffective if they are exposed to natural light for any length of time.
© $$$ Mimical Control Cream + Q10 ($75 for 1.7'ounces) is similar to almost every other Babor moisturizer. It's a good emollient option for someone with dry to very dry skin, but any potential benefit from the many antioxidants is stopped shorr by the jar packaging. This option contains peptides, which have water-binding and, theoretically, cell-communicating ability.
© $$$ Moist & Vitality Fluid ($38 for 7 0. |
| The ampoule packaging is unnecessary, but if you want to keep the single antioxidant, in this case pomegranate extract, stable they should be kept away from natural light.
© $$$ Moist Intense Cream ($37 for 1.7 ounces) is a good moisturizer for normal to slightly dry skin, but again the jar packaging poses a problem for the antioxidants.
© $$$ Multi Active Vitamin Fluid ($50 for 14 0.07-ounce ampoules; total of 0.98 ounce) contains a few antioxidant vitamins in a water-based fluid whose ampoule packaging is unnecessary, although it may make you think you're getting something extraordinary. |
| The problem in this case is that the translucent glass packaging won't keep the antioxidants stable unless the product is stored away from natural light. If you're willing to store this properly, it is recommended for normal to dry skin, but there are better sunscreens available from Estee Lauder and Clinique. By the way, Bobbi Brown claims the bamboo exrract technology in this product provides antioxidant benefits, but there is no research substantiating this claim.
© $$$ Hydrating Eye Cream ($35 for 0. |
| It contains some noteworthy antioxidants, skin-identical ingredients, and cell-communicating ingredients, but its translucent glass bottle packaging means the vitamin C and other antioxidants are subject to deterioration unless rhis is kept stored in a dark place and away from sources of natural light. It is suitable for normal to slightly dry skin not prone to breakouts.
© $$$ Arovita C Line Response Fluid ($110for 1.7ounces) is very similar to the Arovita C Line Response Firming Serum above, and the same review applies. |
| The colors have been improved, and are not as yellow and orange as they once were, though Golden Orange is still one to check in natural light and carefully consider to make sure it doesn't look too bright. The © $$$ Pressed Powder ($30) is virtually identical to the loose powder, with the same colors and same caution about the Golden Orange shade, and, in this case, avoid Sunny Beige, which is too orange. © $$$ Bronzing Powder ($32) shows Brown knows what she's doing when it comes to creating believable tan shades for fair to medium skin tones. |
Brenda Watson and Leonard Smith
See book keywords and concepts |
 Spending time each day outside in the natural light is the key to keeping your body's rhythms aligned (it will also get you out of the more polluted indoors). You can also consider installing full-spectrum lighting in places where you spend the most time in your home. These lights can be purchased at home improvement and hardware stores.
EAT ORGANIC WHENEVER POSSIBLE
"Organically grown" food is grown and processed using no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. But this doesn't mean that "organic" equates with "100 pure" as we'd like to think. Pesticides derived from natural sources (e.g. |
Andreas Moritz
See book keywords and concepts |
| If your body makes a good amount of serotonin from natural light, it will also produce sufficient amounts of melatonin during the nighttime, provided your eyes are closed. (When exposed to light, the pineal gland does not secrete melatonin in sufficient amounts.) The pineal gland starts secreting melatonin between 9.30 and 10.30 p.m. (depending on your age). Unless you use stimulants such as caffeine or food at that time, melatonin naturally induces sleepiness or drowsiness. |
Paula Begoun and Bryan Barron
See book keywords and concepts |
| Actual color correction is almost zilch, but that's good because the concept, though well-meaning, rarely looks convincing in natural light. Think of the three shades as highlighters with shine and try blending this with your foundation for a touch of evening glamour.
© $$$ Blotting Papers ($21 for 150 sheets) are standard, nonpowdered blotting papers that absorb excess shine, but so do many other versions that wouldn't dare charge this much for what amounts to tissue paper. What you're paying for is the elegant Dior-embossed carrying case that includes a built-in mirror. |
Andreas Moritz
See book keywords and concepts |
| Since serotonin is closely linked to happiness, and happiness is the most essential prerequisite of good health, it is obvious that exposure to natural light from dawn to dusk is one of the most important health-promoting factors.
Benjamin Franklin aptly summarizes the reason why all ancient cultures in the world have always adhered to the circadian rhythms: "Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise." Even the Bible in the first chapter of Genesis mentions "and the evening and the morning were the first day. |
| The major cause of vitamin D deficiency among babies is keeping them in dark rooms with little or no natural light. But even with less than adequate sun exposure, they are still capable of absorbing sufficient amounts of calcium from the blood necessary for the building of healthy bones. While being breast-fed, an infant receives plenty of milk sugar and phospho-caseins, both excellent transporting agents for calcium. If there is anything that could cause rickets in babies, it is lack of mothers' milk and underexposure to sunlight. |
Marshall Editions
See book keywords and concepts |
 TIP: GO IN THE SUN EVERY DAY
Get 15-30 minutes of natural light daily, especially in the morning so that your body stays in tune with its normal biological rhythms. Studies of patients with SAD indicate that bright light therapy in the morning has a greater therapeutic effect than evening light therapy.
Essential oils: Various essential oils can be used to reduce stress and promote relaxation. Use 5 drops of all or some of the oils below in a steam inhalation, add them to your bath water, or incorporate them into a massage oil, using almond or apricot oil as a base. |
Devra Davis
See book keywords and concepts |
 The nurses and staff who work in the building love the natural light, the plants that soak up pollutants, and the grand sense of space. The largest green building in the Southwest, the $42 million structure features a bookstore with cafe, a large auditorium, and state-of-the-art modular movable labs and teaching space for close to a thousand people. |
David Steinman
See book keywords and concepts |
 DePree instated several policies that are in effect for today, including a mandate that all Hermann Miller buildings, including manufacturing sites, include windows so that the employees could benefit from natural light, and a commitment that 50 percent of any Hermann Miller corporate site will be set aside as "green space. |
Herbert Ross, DC with Keri Brenner, L.Ac.
See book keywords and concepts |
| Often called "winter depression," SAD frequently occurs during the fall and winter months, when days grow shorter and natural light is limited. (For a thorough discussion of SAD and how to combat it, see "Beating the Winter Blues," page 123.)
Sleep Disorders and Their Causes
If you're tired as you read this, you're not alone. In a 2005 survey by the National Sleep Foundation, about 30% of adults admitted to experiencing daytime sleepiness at least three days a week and driving when drowsy at least once a month.1 Sleep deprivation is usually to blame. |
Brenda Watson and Leonard Smith
See book keywords and concepts |
| Light It Up Naturally
For all your house's rooms, try to bring in as much natural light as possible so you don't have to resort to so much artificial lighting. Both fluorescent and incandescent lighting lack the full spectrum of wavelengths that exist in sunlight. Depriving yourself of natural sunlight has known health consequences, from chaotic circadian rhythms to depression. Circadian rhythms are the patterns of repeated activity associated with cycles of day and night. |
Andreas Moritz
See book keywords and concepts |
| And, provided your eyes actually see the natural light of day, the brain increases its production of the powerful hormone serotonin, which helps you to generate enough happiness and enthusiasm to experience a stress-free, joyful day. Since Kapha is composed of the heavier elements of earth and water, we exhibit more of the qualities of "earthiness" and "liquidity" (such as feeling grounded and easygoing) in our mind and body during the early morning hours than, for example, during the afternoon.
The First Pitta Cycle
At 10:00 a.m. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
See article keywords and concepts |
 Part of that is because most of us work indoors, and so we sit under artificial light rather than getting the natural light nature intended our bodies to have.
There are some interesting issues here as far as workplace health, and what employers could do to help their employees receive some healing natural sunlight. There are also some widespread health implications in this. Imagine if people went outside in increasing numbers... think of what we could do as an entire nation in terms of preventing disease and reducing health care costs. |
Alex Steffen
See book keywords and concepts |
 Living here isn't just greener, it's better: homes have abundant natural light, private gardens, and rooftop terraces. These features, in addition to the shared community transport programs, all lured prospective buyers and tenants.
BedZED is the brainchild of Bill Dunster architects, BioRegional Development Group, and the Peabody Trust for charitable housing. On the coattails of BedZED's success, BioRegional plans on building a kindred development, Mata de Sesimbra, near Lisbon, Portugal. |
| There are even ways to bring natural light into the unlit rooms of older or much larger buildings, by channeling real sunlight from rooftop collectors into dark interior spaces many stories below. We can sit in a patch of sun in a basement room and watch as the light shifts with the cloud cover.
Though Transmaterial focuses on small, improved material and energy efficiencies, it touches briefly on almost every entry's environmental qualities. Alulight, for example, is a strong and rigid foamed aluminum that's five times lighter than pure aluminum. |
| Sunlight Table"
The "Sunlight Table" concept by Random International emits natural light via a grid of fiber optics contained in the table's surface. An input device (which can be placed near any window) collects the sunlight, and a few cables carry the light to the table. Not only do we get the benefit of the light itself, but we also get to watch the light fluctuate as birds or falling leaves brush by, giving us the sense that we aren't quite so disconnected to the movement and the life right outside our windows. |
| Ideally every space would be designed for maximum natural light, but the fact is we have a lot of dismal existing space to deal with, from dreary cubicles and windowless offices to basement apartments.
Full-spectrum lightbulbs are the most common (and affordable) tool we have to mimic the benefits of natural sunlight. But some ingenious designers have taken a more direct approach, letting sunlight flow right into furniture and dark rooms through fiber-optic cables. |
| You can access information on how to buy the most efficient washer, dryer, dishwasher, refrigerator, furnace, air conditioner, or hot-water heater; how to light your home with natural light and compact flourescents; how to insulate and weatherize your home and cool your roof; and how to save water using ultra-low-flow showerheads and toilets. And that's not all. You can also learn how to find and qualify for rebates and tax credits; how to get a home-energy audit; how to get free project design assistance; and how to find demonstration models in your area. |
| Additional green-building features at the facility include abundant natural light and views of the river, natural ventilation and operable windows to eliminate air conditioning, and well-planned vent systems in the lab for the protection of workers' health. But it is the highly successful use of junk as construction material that makes this building a great model for future Vancouver projects—and building projects everywhere. |
Mike Adams
See book keywords and concepts |
 Turn off all the lights, sleep in the dark, and let natural light slowly awaken you in the morning. Most people need 7-8 hours of sleep each night to be healthy.
Keys to addressing principle 2, excess / toxins:
<** Eliminate all processed / manufactured foods from your diet. All such foods contain toxic synthetic chemicals, and many aren't even listed on the ingredients labels.
•* Eliminate all conventional home care and personal care products from your life: Shampoo, deodorant, soap, cleaners, detergents, dryer sheets, air fresheners, hair spray, hair dye, cosmetics, etc. |
Mary-Ann Shearer
See book keywords and concepts |
 This bonding is made possible by photosynthesis (the effect that natural light and sun have on plants) and cannot be duplicated in a laboratory (one of the many reasons I am not keen on vitamin and mineral supplementation). In this bonded form the nutrients are 100 percent usable. In supplements, vitamins and minerals are not bonded to a carbon molecule and, as such, are in an "inorganic" form and therefore only 4-10 percent usable. |
| Making sure that you have a minimum of twenty to thirty minutes a day of natural light helps you feel good and sleep well. I have felt the side effects of staying indoors when it is wet and cold. You find you feel tired during the day and sleep poorly at night, either being unable to fall asleep or waking up regularly. This has become a very common problem over the years. We wear sunglasses or shades every second we are outdoors (and some cool dudes even wear them indoors! |
Email this page to a friend
