Can sunlight Allow you to Avoid MS?

Over the last few decades we have all been bombarded with messages about how essential it is to keep out of the sun. We completely understand the risks associated with it and do everything we can think of to keep it away from us. We don many layers of the highest SPF sunscreens that we can buy. We have on big floppy hats. We put on long pants and also sleeves even during the hottest months of the year. We try to stick to the low light areas-some individuals have even taken to carrying parasols around with them to keep the sun from ever making contact with their skin. Now we’re starting to see that sunlight can sometimes be pretty helpful. Can direct sunlight actually help you?

A new study has been performed and it shows that people who allow some time in direct natural light aren’t as likely to get MS as the people who do everything they can to keep out of the sun. Originally the study was to see how Vitamin D affected the symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis. It quickly became apparent, though, that the Vitamin D generated in our bodies as a reaction to sunshine is what is really at the root of things.

It’s been acknowledged for a very long time that Vitamin D and the sun’s rays can impact the way the immune system works and how it can contribute to Multiple Sclerosis. This study, however, deals primarily with the effects of the sun’s rays on the people who are just starting to experience the very earliest symptoms of the disease. The true objective is to see how sunlight and Vitamin D may affect the symptoms that are now known as “precursors” to the actual disease symptoms.

Sadly, right now there aren’t truly very many ways that actually prove whether or not the hypothesis of this study are true. The purpose of the study is to determine whether sunlight can actually prevent the disease. Sadly, scientists have realized that the only method to prove this definitively is to monitor a person for his entire life. This is just about the only way to really assess the levels of Vitamin D that are already present in a person’s blood before the precursors to MS start to become apparent. The way it stands these days, and has stood (widely recognized) for years is that people who live in warm and sunny climates and who get more exposure to direct sunshine are less likely to develop MS than those who live in dark or cold climates and get very little exposure to the sun.

There is also the very significant issue that spending a lot of time in the sun greatly increases a person’s chances of developing skin cancer. So, in an attempt to stave off one disorder, you could be causing yourself to produce a different one. Of course, when it gets found early on, skin cancer is very treatable and can even be cured. This is not true for MS.

So what should you do: risk skin cancer or risk MS? Your physician will help uou determine whether or not this is an option for you. Your doctor will consider your current state of health, your health history and even into your genetics to help you figure out if you even sit at risk for the disease at all. From here a family doctor should be able to help you choose the best course of action.

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