-by Sheela Rani Chunkath
I have been intrigued by the fact that urban middle class and upper class Indians seem to have higher incidence of cancer than poorer people living in rural areas.
Every time a friend or relative has been stricken by cancer, I have made it a point to have detailed discussions with them as to the probable cause. Discussions with allopathic doctors have been fruitless as most attribute it to genetics or pure random chance. So, according to them, you can’t do much about it; so just relax! I have been going through the literature and having discussions with Ayurvedic Vaidyars and Siddha doctors who attribute cancer, as all diseases, to the vitiation of doshas. They say that our diets especially modern processed foods could be one of the culprits. So I thought, yes they could be right because less affluent people are less likely to eat processed foods and probably prepare everything from scratch and so could be less exposed to preservatives and chemicals. But I was still not satisfied and wondered whether it could be the air conditioners or too much TV viewing or microwave cooking. While these may be contributory factors, I found one important difference between rural Indians and urban Indians. Rural Indians are routinely exposed to the sun whereas affluent urbanites are experience minimal exposure to the sun.
Ayurveda and Siddha practitioners of yore perhaps never contemplated a day when many of us would not be exposed to the sun for any length of time. Cars and air-conditioned offices have ensured that many of us do not really have to see the sun.
The sun is responsible for Vitamin D production and you need sunshine on your bodies to keep healthy. We in India are lucky that we have sun throughout the year. Leading alternative medicine practioners in U.S who are themselves allopathy doctors have recommended that at all of us should get at least 20 minutes of sun between the hours of 9.30 AM and 2.00 PM. As we move away from the equator hours of sunshine is less and less available. According to Vitamin D experts, it is the UV-B rays rather than the UV-A rays which help produce Vitamin D and the UV-B rays are most pronounced when the sun’s rays are at 50 degrees to the horizon.
Walking around in the sun during the time we would consider really hot is when the UV-B rays are most available. So if you expose yourself to the sun during 9.30 to 3.30 for about 20 minutes or so, for a fair shinned person, is generally considered sufficient. People with darker pigmentation can expose themselves longer. Be prudent, don’t get a sunburn or sunstroke; wear a cap and sunglasses to protect your face and eyes. Also wear shorts and a sleeveless blouse or T.Shirt to maximise exposure to the sunshine.
If you look at agricultural workers while weeding a field, you will find that most of them fetch their saree well up and expose most of their legs. Their blouses ensure that quite a bit of their shoulders, midriff and arms are also exposed to the sun. Since these workers are quite used to the sun, they wear no caps or goggles and so their faces also get exposed to the sun. This probably ensured that their bodies were synthesizing quite a bit of Vitamin D every day.
International experts say that the Vitamin D serum level is our blood should be 40 – 70 nanograms/ml. Higher levels are better. The experts say that you cannot get Vitamin D toxicity by exposing to the sun. Supplementation is recommended by allopaths. Some even recommend megadoses but I prefer to get my Vitamin D through sun exposure. Walking in the sun not only gives you Vitamin D, there are other unexplained benefits. If you must have Vitamin D supplementation consults a physician who will recommend the correct dosage for you.
In the meantime, try walking sensibly in the sun. I know a health freak who has shifted his residence to Florida so that he could get enough Vitamin D through proper UV-B rays from a strong sun. Enjoy the sunshine we have in abundance. Chennaiites, you are lucky as the 8 degrees latitude ensures that you have one of the most powerful ways to get healthy bones, prevent cancers, osteoporosis and a whole host of other ailments.
--- The writer was earlier Health Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu and is currently Additional Chief Secretary and Chairman & Managing Director, Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Development Corporation. She can be reached at Sheelarani.arogyamantra@gmail. com. Earlier articles can be accessed at http://arogyamantra.blogspot.com/