Vitamin D is known as the ‘Sunshine’ vitamin but with most of us spending 95% of our time inside in artificial lighting it isn’t surprising that many of us are dangerously low in it. Without vitamin D your immune system cannot protect you properly. This leaves us open to colds, flu (COVID) and other infections.
Vitamin D is formed naturally when the ultra violet in sunshine interacts with the cholesterol under the skin…
Artificial light from domestic LEDs is lacking in the red part of the spectrum (IR/NIR) – the greatest part of natural sunshine. Research shows that our cells respond to light and different cells respond to different wavelengths. Shorter wavelengths like UV (Ultra Violet) stop just below the skin and are responsible for creating melanin-a natural sun block (i.e. suntan).
Red light is far more penetrative and can reach several centimetres into our body tissues where it energises our cells and stimulates the mitochondria-the organelles inside every cell responsible for energy production. The effect of IR (Infra Red) and NIR (Near Infra Red) is to drive oxygen into the cells and and restore the electrical potential of the cell membrane. Large amounts of melatonin is made in the cells – a major anti-oxidant. This is what gives us the ‘feel good’ factor after a few days in the sunshine.
The Health Hub in Quarriers Village is the first in Scotland to offer broad spectrum light therapy (IR+NIR+UVB) to boost vitamin D and energise the entire body.
