Posts tagged UV
My Morning Routine: Humorous, but Healthy

I have a morning routine that I've been doing for years, but I only recently shared it with a stranger while we were discussing our daily habits. It occurred to me that my routine is quite ritualistic and resembles a luxurious spa treatment. As I was describing my routine, I thought about how I sounded like Christian Bale's character, Patrick Bateman, from the movie American Psycho, when he described his morning routine and saw the humor in it. As much as I see the benefits to doing it, it also sounds comical, so I am going to share it in this post in hopes of amusing most of you and, maybe, enlightening some of you to some lesser-known health interventions. I hope you enjoy it.

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Functional Medicine, Diet, General Health, Movement, Pain ReliefScott Solomons, DDSMorning Routine, Christian Bale, Patrick Bateman, American Psycho, Sleep, PEMF, Puled Electromagnetic Frequency Mat, Grounding, grounding, dogs, hot tub, red light therapy, near infrared, Far Infrared, Sauna, Tanning, Tanning Booth, Tanning Bed, UV, Vibration Platform, Lymph, Sympathetic Nervous System, Parasympathetic Nervous System, Bone Health, Red Blood Cells, Antio, DNA, Pain Relief, Inflammation, Blood Flow, Heart Rate Variability, Cartilage, Stress Reduction, NIR, Cognition, Skin Health, Muscle Recovery, Weight Loss, SPF, Balance, Blood Pressure, Exercise, Colon Cancer, Blood Lipid Profile, Glucose Metabolism, Bone Density, Back Pain, flexibility, Aerobic Capacity, Heavy Metals, Growth Hormone, Gastrointestinal Transit Time, sauna, Nutrient-dense, Processed Carbohydrates, Seed OilComment
Nutrition and Skin Tanning

There are specific nutrients required to make melanin. Lacking them could lead to difficulty tanning. I had a period in my life when I lost the ability to tan, that I attributed to a poor diet. Once I added the nutrients I needed, I could tan again. This post covers the key ingredients needed to produce melanin, the pigment that causes us to look darker.

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Diet, General HealthScott Solomons, DDSFood Pyramid, Suntan, Tan, Tanning, Melanin, UV, Tyrosine, COpper, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin A, Retinol, B Vitamins, Zinc, Iron, Omega-3, Hydration, Skin HydrationComment
How And Why We Tan

As summer progresses, I find myself spending more time outdoors and have naturally acquired a slightly darker complexion than during the colder months. While at the beach with family, we discussed our varying abilities to tan. Some of us had yet to achieve a noticeable tan, while others were well on their way. We all agreed that with more time in the sunshine, we would soon have a deeper tan. It made me curious about the science behind tanning and why our skin changes color in the first place.

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General HealthScott Solomons, DDSSunburn, Sun tan, Tanning, UVB, UVA, UV, Ultraviolet, DNA, Genetic Mutation, Reactive Oxygen Species, Oxidation, Skin types, Skin, Canstitutive Skin Color, Facultative Pigmentation, Fitzpatrick Skin Type, Phototoxicity, Eye Color, Melanocyte, Melanosome, Melanin, Eumelanin, Pheomelanin, Keratinocytes, Suptanuclear Caps, Melanin Dust, Immediate Pigment Darkening, IPD, Persistent Pigment Darkening, PPD, Delayed Tanning, DT, Hormones, Cytokine, Epidermal, Basal Cell Carcinoma, Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Malignant MelanomaComment
The Vitamin D, Statin, and Cholesterol Paradox

The major precursor of vitamin D is cholesterol. Without cholesterol, we cannot make it. Some people may find this shocking because vitamin D is highly praised, while cholesterol is demonized. Since vitamin D and cholesterol are so closely related, they have an interesting interplay. Statin drugs, which lower cholesterol, also take part in the interplay. The enzyme statins block is active at step two, so we would expect less production of all molecules in the cholesterol pathway, like CoQ10. Statins should block vitamin D production, but they don’t. Statins are supposed to lower your risk of heart disease. But by how much? You may be surprised by the answer. This post will cover the synthesis of cholesterol, vitamin D, and Co Q10 and discuss how statins alter the pathways.

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Scott Solomons, DDSCholesterol, Vitamin D, Coenzyme Q10, Co Q10, Smith-Lemli-Opitz Syndrome, Bile, Membranes, cardiovascular disease, heart disease, Statin, 7-Dehydrocholesterol, Kandutsch-Russell Pathway, UV, Vitamin D3, Cholecalciferol, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, Calcidiol, Calcitriol, 1, 125, 25-Dihydroxycholecalciferol, Vitamin D Deficiency, HDL, LDL, triglycerides, Triglyceride:HDL Ratio, Minnesota Coronary Experiment, Sydney Diet Heart Study, Statistics, Relative Risk, Relative Risk Reduction, Upton Sinclair Comments
The Optics of the Body: How Sunlight Massively Boosts Total Body Antioxidants

We hunted and gathered food found exclusively in the outdoor environment. As such, we evolved to be outdoors in the Sun for much of the day. Therefore, the advice given by dermatologists to avoid the Sun runs contrary to the evolutionary evidence. New information about the human body's optical qualities is reshaping our stance against sunshine. Near-infrared (NIR) light penetrates deeply into our body, unlike UV and visible light. Evolutionarily, the human body has developed optical mechanisms to gather and localize NIR photons in the most sensitive areas of the human body: blood vessels, retina, brain, skin, and even the womb. Research has demonstrated that NIR stimulates the production of antioxidants deep within our cells at the sub-cellular level. We use the reservoir of antioxidants to enhance the body's ability to contend with changing conditions throughout the day. I will cover some amazing things light does for our health and how you can maximize your light exposure.

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Scott Solomons, DDSEvolution, dermatologist, Sun, sun exposure, UV, Visible Light, infrared, near infrared, electromagnetic spectrum, Ultraviolet, NIR, Melatonin, Antioxidant, Circadian, Circadian Rhythm, Pineal Gland, Hormone, Blue Light, HEV, High Energy Visible Light, Free Radicals, Sunscreen, Cancer, Blood Preddure, Sleep, photobiomodulation, red light therapyComment
What Do Sunspots Have to Do With Pandemics Like Influenza and Covid-19?

As Covid-19 is dominating this respiratory illness season, the flu season has disappeared. It turns out that the flu virus does not conform to many known properties of infectious diseases. It can appear simultaneously around the globe and disappear just as quickly. Additionally, there may be a relationship between Covid-19 and influenza activity as well. Lastly, there is a link to solar activity, sunspot activity, and pandemics that I explore in this post.

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Scott Solomons, DDSCovid-19, coronavirus, Pandemic, Epidemic, Infuenza, Flu, R. Edgar Hope-Simpson, Ivor Cummins, Epidemiological Studies, Seasonal Trigger, Vitamin D, UV, Solar Cycle, Solar Minimum, Grand Solar Minimum, Cosmic Radiation, Sunspots, Flu SeasonComment
Sun Exposure and Plaque: More Sun and Healthy Plaque Lead to Longer Life Spans

The literature is replete with the adverse health effects of incorrect sun exposure, and I don't dispute them. These include sunburn and increased risk of skin cancer and eye diseases. However, summer is in full swing, and I love the additional sunlight it brings in the northern hemisphere. I crave sun exposure and feel much better when I can get it regularly. Some people have noticed that I am very tan (at least for me) and warned me that I might be jeopardizing my health. My skin type allows me to spend up to two hours in the sun, which is not enough for me to burn, even though I don't use sunscreen. I want to explain why the risks are exaggerated and why it is essential to get regular non-burning sun exposure.

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Scott Solomons, DDSSunburn, sun exposure, UV, cancer, Vitamin D, nitric oxide, life expectancy, mortality, heme-oxygenase, systemic inflammation, obesity, High Blood Pressure, Obesity, Diabetes, PlaqueComment