There are a lot of different theories about what causes autism, but not much consensus of opinion. In recent years, vaccination has been mooted as a potential cause of this condition, but so have lots of other things including pre-natal ultrasounds, wireless technology and certain environmental toxins. This week another potential cause of autism was [...]

Earlier this month I wrote a blog highlighting the need for adequate sunlight exposure for maintaining mood and vitality in the winter months, even perhaps for people not suffering from ‘seasonal affective disorder’ (AKA winter blues). Quite how it is that sunlight that exerts a mood modulating effect is not known for sure, though there [...]

I had a press release the other day from the PR people of a department store here in the UK telling me that sales of sunlight simulating lamps are up 80 per cent on last year. The proposed explanation but this surge in sales has been the dismal, largely sunless summer we’ve had in the [...]

When judging the effects of any factor on health, there is a tendency by scientists and the medical profession to focus on it’s effect on defined conditions. For example, we hear a lot about the supposed ability of a raised blood cholesterol to increase the risk of heart disease or the link between cigarette smoking [...]

The summer weather in the UK has been a bit stop-start, though personally I am delighted that the last couple of days at least have been very much ‘start’ as far as sunshine is concerned. So, perhaps with perfect timing, the National Osteoporosis Society (NOS) here in the UK has just highlighted the value of [...]

I have written more than once about the benefits of sunlight. There is, for instance, quite a body of evidence which links sun exposure and the heightened vitamin D levels in the body this tends to bring with a reduced risk of cancer. It’s one major reason why, although I avoid burning, I seek the [...]

I am a big believer in the therapeutic properties of sunlight, at least some of which is related to its ability to stimulate vitamin D production in the skin. Sunlight exposure and/or heightened vitamin D levels have been associated with a range of health benefits including a reduced risk of several forms of cancer and [...]

Regular readers of this site will know I tend to give my blog posts quite literal and descriptive titles: “Why is the dietary advice given to diabetics so often so woefully inadequate?”, that sort of thing. So, I promised to write about sunlight and beta-carotene today (which I will, give me a moment…), but thought [...]

As a big believer in the health-boosting potential of sunshine, I do what I can to get my fair share of this free commodity. One a recent trip to the Algarve in Portugal, I made being out in the sun a priority. I have olive skin, which means, as long as I don’t go mad, [...]

For almost as long as I can remember, we have been cautioned about the need to avoid excess sunlight exposure lest it trigger potentially lethal skin cancer, particularly what is known as ‘malignant melanoma’. Yet, there as for some time been amassing evidence that sunlight exposure is also associated with a decreased risk of several [...]

The cold winter months (many of us will be experiencing these right now…) bring with them a risk of vitamin D deficiency – something which I have written about before (see article from 29th November 2006 pasted below). Low levels of vitamin D may predispose to a variety of conditions including seasonal affective disorder (winter [...]

When I was at medical school and subsequently once I started working as a junior doctor, I encountered a number of patients who complained of ‘hurting all over’. These individuals were almost always of Indian subcontinent heritage, and were usually female. On examination, these patients generally claimed to feel pain wherever you touched them. In [...]

Here in the UK the weather has turned distinctly autumnal, and the drop in temperature will no doubt herald an upsurge in the risk infections including those affecting the ‘respiratory tract’. There is some thought in natural medicine that certain nutrients have a particular part to play in ensuring a healthy immune response, and may [...]

Just last week I highlighted the apparent association between higher levels of vitamin D and reduced risk of a variety of conditions including cancer, cardiovascular disease and multiple sclerosis. All of this research has some merit, but until recently I had not been aware of any attempt to specifically assess the link between vitamin D [...]

Previously, I have written about the health benefits of sunlight, and in particular the role of vitamin D in promoting and preserving the wellbeing of both body and brain. For instance, in recent times I have highlighted research which links vitamin D with relative protection from cardiovascular disease, improved physical function in the elderly (here [...]