Gut health can be helped tremendously by sunning the belly with no sunscreen for short, nonburning periods at midday. These deeply penetrating, near-infrared waves have the potential to kill candida and other gut pathogens to help restore intestinal balance.
Can the simple act of sunning the belly actually be beneficial to health even to the extent of helping to resolve gut problems? Yes, it can and here’s why…
When I was pregnant with each of my three children, I experienced extremely strong urges to sit in the sun with my belly uncovered. I did this as often as I could, typically 2-4 times a week depending on weather conditions.
This urge to sunbathe my belly was pretty much a constant thing from the very early part of the pregnancy right through to when labor started.
Why Belly Sun is So Beneficial
I didn’t understand at the time why I was wanting to sunbathe my belly, but sometimes you don’t need to understand all the ins and outs about something to do it. You just figure that you instinctively know what you need and that the answers will come later.
My husband used to tease me a lot about my belly sunning habit.
“There she goes flashing the neighborhood again!” he would joke.
We would both laugh and scratch out heads and wonder about this strange obsession.
Once I learned about the importance of the fat-soluble vitamins and Vitamin D in particular through the teachings of Dr. Weston A. Price, I figured the belly sunning thing might be simply a primitive urge to increase my Vitamin D levels for the benefit of the fetus.
However, I never fully bought into that notion as sitting in the sun with plenty of skin exposed but my belly covered did not feel the same.
It just felt so good to get that belly in the sun. It just wasn’t the same as my legs in the sun though that was certainly nice too.
What I was getting from the sun was much more than just Vitamin D as it turns out…
Gut Problems Helped by Sun on the Belly
I believe I have finally gotten an answer to this long-held question at the International Wise Traditions Conference. It came unexpectedly while chatting with Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride MD, author of the groundbreaking book Gut and Psychology Syndrome.
Dr. Natasha was telling me about some very new research that indicates that certain wavelengths of the sun that have not been studied before actually pass right through the human body and have an energetically balancing and overall beneficial effect on the human physiology even helping to resolve longstanding gut problems.
And, in the case of a pregnant woman, these rays could energetically benefit the fetus as well when the belly is exposed to full-spectrum sunlight.
What’s more, Dr. Natasha suggested that these deeply penetrating sun waves have the potential to kill candida and other gut pathogens so as to help resolve gut problems and heal the gut environment as a whole! (1)
This gut balancing effect would have especially positive implications during pregnancy when the immune system is depressed due to pregnancy hormones giving any gut pathogens an easy opportunity to potentially take over dominance from beneficial flora.
Animals Sunbathe their Abdomens
Animals seem to instinctively know that belly sunning is beneficial. My two cats above roll onto their backs to sun their bellies quite often! I’ve seen many other animals including my backyard free ranging chickens do it too!
Here’s a quick video of one of my cats sunning her abdomen. She does this regularly for several minutes pretty much any day it’s clear with direct rays. After I turned off the camera, she continued on her back in the sun for about another 5 minutes.
Interestingly, she typically does it at midday as well, when the sun’s rays are strongest and most direct.
Near Infrared Saunas Do the Same Thing!
Dr. Mercola touched on this exciting area of research during his keynote address at the same Wise Traditions Conference when he said that the sun has an antiseptic effect on the human body. (2)
For example, he suggested that sunlight was a natural way to clear toenail fungus. Simply getting the affected foot out in the direct sun for a few minutes each day for a period of time would clear the infection!
He even went on to say that sunbathing the armpits would go a very long way toward eliminating body odor from that part of the body!
Incidentally, infrared sauna therapy does basically the same thing. 45% of the total energy received from the sun is in the near infrared range. I recommend and use this near-infrared sauna because it has zero EMF exposure.
None of the rays of the sun are in the far-infrared range, which is why only a near-infrared sauna mimics the sun’s energy. According to scientific studies, these healing rays penetrate up to 9 inches into body tissue beneficially stimulating the mitochondria of every cell that contacts it. (3)
The implications of using the sun (or a zero EMF near-infrared sauna!) as a simple and inexpensive way to resolve gut problems by helping rebalance gut flora and improve health is nothing short of astounding and very encouraging to those who have long struggled with gut imbalance issues.
Even persistent body odor that requires the use of deodorants or antiperspirants is frequently a sign of gut problems and overall imbalance and could be improved with regular jaunts in the sun.
So get outside and let the power of the sun go to work for you today! Don’t forget to skip the sunscreen and flash that belly for sensible nonburning exposure while you’re at it!
Sources
(1) Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride Lecture, Wise Traditions Conference
(2) Dr. Joseph Mercola Keynote Address, Wise Traditions Conference
(3) Effect of NASA light-emitting diode irradiation on molecular changes for wound healing
More Information
Heliotherapy: Benefits of the Sun Far and Beyond Vitamin D
Using Heat to Heal
When I saw this post title, that’s exactly what I thought of — I sat in the sun and exposed my belly all the time when I was pregnant this past summer. I would go sit outside wearing as little clothing as I felt I could (in my own yard) and sun my legs, arms, and belly. I had to do it. Crazy compulsion. I also had no idea why I needed or wanted to do this, but I just did. Apparently that’s a good thing, lol.
I been sunning as much skin as I can depending on where I live (house after house as growing up , in swimsuit. now in woods and hiddin, bare to almost bare. watch for low fling planes and have blanket read.lol) sense I was little. Mom always said, get a tan it’s good for you. Don’t believe the hogwash you here. So now when my kid is born, that kid will start tanning as soon as i see sun out and we can go out and sit in it for 10 to 15 min. for first few days and more as tan develops. I’m sure people will see my baby has a GOOD tan and start in on me. I have many web pages and books to hand them to enlighten them to the truth. as well as, God made the sun, man made sunscreen. Who do you think knows best, man or God.
i like especially like that last sentance of yours. Although truth, the other end of that truth is that mankind has messed up the ozone layer that God created as well. Therefore the balance of what is good for us and now what is harmful is messed up too. 🙁
Sarah! Good for you getting this down. I remember them both speaking of this at the conference and wanting to get more information. Thanks!
To go along with this, I’ve recently been researching the sun’s amazing affects on our eyes. Supposedly, staring into the sun when it is low in the sky (at sunrise or sunset) can have a healing effect on eyes and improve eyesight. During the day when the sun is high, we can’t look directly into it, but the rays bounce off of everything and into our eyes, keeping them well. With all of our sunglasses wearing, we don’t get a chance to absorb those rays very often into our eyes. Maybe a new blog post for you to research about? 😉 All I know is that I”m getting rid of my sunglasses and letting those rays into my eyes.
I go without sunglasses as much as I can as well. As my adrenals have gotten stronger over the years through following a Traditional Diet, my need for sunglasses has profoundly decreased. Weak adrenals and intolerance for bright sun are linked.
Interesting! Didn’t know that connection between weak adrenals and bright light intolerance.
Pleeeeaaaase elaborate on this!!! Perhaps another blog/discussion? I MUST wear sunglasses throughout the year when there is no cloud cover. If I dont, the glare will give me extreme eye strain and trigger a migraine. I am VERY curious.
((Sorry Jami, i thought i posted under Sarah’s comment.))
I only wear sunglasses if on the water in a boat as the reflect will cause me a headache. I read somewhere (maybe mercola.com not sure) that because we are sunglasses lovers in America we have problems with the sun in our eyes. Our eyes are suppose to adjust to the sun. WOW, they did for 6000 yrs before us. so why do we keep messing with what always was and thinking the new ideas of less then 100 years are better. people are so blind
I had the EXACY SAME urge when I was pregnant, Sarah!
Also, I just wanted to mention regarding melanoma, that I have been on a leaky gut/GAPS type diet for about a month now. There had been a funny, rough, dark patch of skin on my face (for about 1.5 years) that I was getting worried about because it seemed to fit the criteria for a skin cancer-ish type growth. Well, guess what? It’s gone now. About 1 week (seriously, 1 WEEK) into this diet (not to mention the ‘spontaneous remission’ of the chronic idiopathic urticaria (giant hives with ‘no cause’ ;). Of course I never had it diagnosed but now I don’t have to worry about it. So break out the ferments and the broth and get to work healing your gut. And be sure to get some sunshine while you are at it 🙂
Interesting! I had this urge yesterday because I was having bad belly cramps!
Oh my goodness! I had no idea that melanoma was an auto immune issuse! I have always loved being in the sun. I am like a wilting flower without the sunshine. Even on cloudy days like this, even though the temperature isn’t cold, I just want to hibernate. I have never really bought into the “sun is bad for you” thinking, but I always felt a little guilty if I spent too many hours in the pool. I only wear sunscreen on my face an no where else. Now I know that my desire for sun on my skin is natural and healthy!!
I do wonder about the sun prematurely aging our skin though…what do you think, Sarah?
Like anything, too much sun will indeed age the skin. I got TONS of sun as a child doing outdoor sports with no sunscreen .. but I never had a bad burn. I don’t think my skin looks any older than it would if I lived up north. The cold weather has its aging effects as well so it’s a bit of a trade off there. I think moderation in the sun is key.
Cool! I too have many lovely memories of belly-baring pregnancies. I also discovered on 2 occasions when I was sick with a flu-type thing, achy joints, etc. in the late summer, early fall when it was still warm and sunny out, I laid out on my grass, exposing as much skin as possible, and unbelievably it worked as a pain reliever! The effect lasted for awhile even after I came inside. Unfortunately, this isn’t an option in the dead of winter, but I just thought that was very interesting how the sun worked on my body.
Funny, I did the exact same thing with my pregnancies!! I remember worrying about the heat of the sun affecting my unborn children but just could not help myself from basking in the sun!!! Maybe that is another reason neither of my teens have ever had cavities, lol!
I frequently sunbathe in my backyard, for about an hour at a time, and I always uncover as much of my body as I can, including my belly. Of course now it’s cold and cloudy here in ID. But you can bet that this summer I was out as much as possible to try to build up some stores for winter time. Even now in the cold weather I go hiking with my dog everyday in the foothills near my house, and when the sun peeks out, I take off my coat, roll up my sleeves, and if it’s warm enough like it was on Sunday, sometimes I take off my shirt and just wear my tank top that’s always on underneath. Great post Sarah! 🙂
being that I am in Chicago…this seems unlikely from November until March. But I no longer use sunscreen, as my Vitamin D tested in the 30s during the summer. Yes, I have a damaged gut! We are starting GAPS quite soon…
🙂 Wish I were in California. One day.
Don’t move to San Francisco if you want sun 🙂
This means I’m not crazy! I always loved the feeling of the sun on my belly, pregnant or not. After many, many years of covering up with clothing and sunscreen I can now go back to being “normal.” LOL!
Welcome to the Belly Flashers Club, Sherri! 🙂