an essential part of health

With the nhs unable to take health and cleanliness as an essential part of health care it is essential to be involved in your own health ,cleanliness of the mind and body may involve change or modification to habits ......plenty for you to mull over !come to your own conclusions , get involved ! now you are aware ,                                    you are involved ,  

16 December 2010 Last updated at 18:29

New guidance on vitamin D recommends midday sunshine

By Jane Dreaper Health correspondent, BBC News

Short spells in the sun boost vitamin D levels

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• Pregnancy vitamin supplement call

New health advice recommends short spells in the sun - without suncream and in the middle of the day.

Seven organisations have issued joint advice on vitamin D, which the body gets from natural sunlight.

The nutrient keeps bones strong, and protects against conditions like osteoporosis.

The guidance was drawn up because it is thought fears about skin cancer have made people too cautious about being in the sun.

Cancer Research UK and the National Osteoporosis Society are among the bodies which agree that "little and frequent" spells in summer sunshine several times a week can benefit your health.

The experts now say it is fine to go outside in strong sun in the middle of the day, as long as you cover up or apply sunscreen before your skin goes red.

'Too negative'

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“Start Quote

A good diet and sensible sun exposure will be adequate for most people to minimise their cancer risk.”

End Quote Professor Peter Johnson Cancer Research UK

Professor Rona Mackie, from the British Association of Dermatologists, said: "Total sun protection with high factor suncream on all the time is not ideal, in terms of vitamin D levels.

"Even Australia has changed its policy on this. They're now producing charts showing parts of Australia where sun protection may not be required during some parts of the year.

"Some of the messages about sun exposure have been too negative. UK summer sunshine isn't desperately strong. We don't have many days in the year when it is very intense.

"What's changed is that we're now saying that exposure of 10 to 15 minutes to the UK summer sun, without suncream, several times a week is probably a safe balance between adequate vitamin D levels and any risk of skin cancer."

Official government advice already recommends vitamin D supplements for pregnant women and children aged under five.

But the experts who wrote the joint statement say mothers often are not made aware of this recommendation. They suggest women consult their GP.

Winter levels of vitamin D can be helped by a break in the tropical sun - or by eating oily fish, liver and fortified margarine.

'Complex area'

Cancer Research UK's chief clinician, Professor Peter Johnson, said: "A good diet and sensible sun exposure will be adequate for the great majority of the UK population to minimise their cancer risk.

"The area of vitamin D and cancer is complex.

"There's some evidence, which is strongest in bowel cancer, that low levels of vitamin D in the blood correlate with the risk of developing cancer.

"But that doesn't mean those low levels cause bowel cancer.

"We think overall that low levels of vitamin D are unlikely to be major contributors to the chances of developing cancer in the UK population."

The joint statement also highlighted questions about vitamin D that warrant further research.

These include finding out the optimal levels of vitamin D, and more detail about the role of dietary sources and supplements.

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• Pregnancy vitamin supplement call 03 JULY 2010, HEALTH

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• National Osteoporosis Society

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A solstice is an astronomical phenomenon

Astronomical Solstice

Last Updated: Dec 21, 2009

A File Photo of Winter Solstice, December 22, 2004. Image Credit: NASA/Takmeng Wong/CERES Science Team at NASA Langley Research Center.

A solstice is an astronomical phenomenon which occurs twice a year and is based on the position of the Earth in relation to the sun. The term is derived from the Latin sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still).

The Earth revolves around the sun once per year. The seasons on Earth are caused by the tilt of the Earth on its axis, which is approximately 23.5 degrees. As the earth revolves around the sun its axis is continually tilted in the same direction. If one extended the line of the axis into space it would touch Polaris, or the North Star. As the earth rotates around its axis Polaris appears to remain in the same place while all the stars rotate around it.

Twice a year the earth is tilted directly toward or away from the sun. These days are called Solstices – the longest and shortest day of the year. In the northern hemisphere the longest day of the year falls on June 21st. This is the day when the sun illuminates the largest area of the northern hemisphere, resulting in more hours of daylight as the earth rotates. The shortest day of the year is December 21st. This is the day the sun illuminates the least surface area and the northern hemisphere receives the fewest hours of daylight.

During the summer solstice, the sun is overhead at its nearest point, above the Tropic of Cancer. At the time of Winter Solstice, the sun is furthest away, over the Tropic of Capricorn.

On Winter Solstice, the polar North receives no energy from the Sun. In contrast, the amount of incoming solar energy the Earth receives on June 21, Summer Solstice, is 30 percent higher at the North Pole than at the Equator.

Twice a year the earth’s tilt is neither towards nor away from the sun, it is perpendicular to the sun. These days are called Equinoxes – meaning equal day and equal night. All areas of the northern and southern hemisphere are equally illuminated. On these two days of the year there are 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness everywhere on earth. The autumnal, or fall, equinox occurs on September 22nd, and the vernal, or spring, equinox occurs on March 20th.

The solstices, together with the equinoxes, are connected with the seasons. Therefore most cultures and religious traditions honour these days with celebrations and festivals of various kind. For the June solstice, Christian and Pagan cultures observe the feat of St. John, St. John's Eve, 1 Ivan Kupala Day or Midsummer. The December solstice marks a holiday season cultures honour. Christmas, Yalda, Saturnalia, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Yule, Karachun are the most notable. The equinoxes also have their spring and autumn observances, and in some cultures the midpoints between these - called cross-quarter days - are also celebrated.

Brief Summary

Summer solstice - the longest day of the year, when the Sun is at its most northern point in the sky.

Autumn equinox - day and night are each 12 hours long and the Sun is at the midpoint of the sky.

Winter solstice - the shortest day of the year, when the Sun is at its most southern point in the sky.

Spring equinox - day and night are each 12 hours long and the Sun is at the midpoint of the sky

Seasonal Affective Disorder

/ that time of year again in Britain , 6.00 a.m. in the morning and it is still very dark. The autumn equinox has passed
and the hours of daylight are decreasing rapidly, this will continue until December 21st the shortest day of our year ,
after that the light will increase gradually peaking on June 21 next year.
Enter SAD seasonally affected disorder, or lack of daylight,
SAD () is a type of winter depression that affects an estimated
7% of the UK population every winter between September and April, in particular during
December, January and February.
It is caused by a biochemical imbalance in the hypothalamus due to the shortening of daylight hours and the lack of sunlight in winter.
For many people SAD is a seriously disabling illness, preventing them from functioning normally without continuous medical treatment.
For others, it is a mild but debilitating condition causing discomfort but not severe suffering. We call this subsyndromal SAD or 'winter blues.'
It is estimated that a further 17% of the UK population have this milder form of condition.