Does it seem to you that the sun is seemingly getting brighter and you are finding it harder to see outdoors without sunglasses?
This may be an indication of weakness and degeneration of eye and visual health.
One of the reasons for this visual and light sensory susceptibility is our increased exposure to artificial light, which is an unbalanced spectrum of light hitting your retina, typically excessive amounts of blue light.
This is coupled with the rise of burying the sun from our lives, hence a deficiency in sun and day light exposure, both on our skin and eyes.
We Need a Holistic Spectrum of Light Hitting Our Eyes
As soon as we start manipulating the light that hits our eyes, that’s when diseases begin.
We want nature’s full spectrum of light hitting our eyes. This spectrum is extremely intelligent, diverse and comes with so many beneficial frequencies, most of which is modern science has not even fathomed.
But when we alter the spectrum of light hitting our eyes, for example by putting glass in-between our eyes and the sun/daylight, (glasses, contact lenses or windows), we alter the spectrum. These glasses remove the UV and the result is an altered and un-holistic spectrum of light hitting our eyes. This unharmonious and unnatural form of light is what creates disease.
Sunlight's Critical Effects On Our Hormones
Natural Light Hitting Your Bare Eyes Critically Effects Hormones
Morning sun exposure, when it includes natural daylight hitting your retina without glass in-between, will activate the pituitary gland in your brain behind your eyes, to secrete crucial hormones(1) such as:
- Thyroid-stimulating hormones (TSH) – tells the thyroid gland to produce its hormones.
- Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) – stimulates the gonads (an endocrine gland) to produce eggs in female and sperm in males.
- Luteinising hormone (LH) – stimulates the gonads to produce oestrogen’s in females and testosterone in males.
- Prolactin (PRL) – stimulates the mammary glands of the breasts to produce milk.
Other hormones activated by morning light:
- Estradiol (E2) – an estrogen steroid hormones and the major female sex hormone. Involved in regulating the mensural cycle, providing a women with her shakti (divine feminine energy).(1) Note that when melatonin is high, this negates the “bad oestrogen” that can contribute to cancer.
- Dopamine– Happiness, Bailey to think and recognise trends. The amino acid tyrosine, which is produced with sun exposure, is a precursor for dopamine.
- Adrelanin – Major determinant for metabolic health and homeostasis. The amino acid tyrosine, which is produced with sun exposure, is a precursor for adrelain..
- Non-Adrelanin – A key neurotransmitter for cardiovascular health and other internal processes. The amino acid tyrosine, which is produced with sun exposure, is a precursor for nonadrelanine.
- Serotonin – “Happy hormone.” The amino acid tryptophan, which is produced with sun exposure, is a precursor for serotonin.
- Melatonin – A powerful anti-oxidant and anti-cancer hormone. Healthy melatonin levels supports blood sugar, cravings, addictions and stress (cortisol). I like to call it “king of the hormones.” The amino acid tryptophan, which is produced with sun exposure, is a precursor to melatonin.
Furthermore, studies show how morning light exposure helps regulate reproductive hormones and ovulation by increasing the ovary follicle size(1) and improve the health of the skin pigment melanin.
Sunglasses Promote Mental Health Disorders And Depression (Tamas Guna)
According to Ayurveda, depression is classified under the emotional body type or state known as Tamas Guna.
Tamas Guna can be translated to “quality of inertia.”
When the Tamas quality is dominant in an individual, the following characterises prevail:
- Inertia – lack of zest for life, lazy, not wanting to go out, work, engage in relationships or move the body.
- Dullness – life is dull, actions and movements are slow.
- Resistance – resistant towards tapping into their potential and contributing to the greater good of society. Faithless and ignorant to the Divine aspects of life.
- Darkness – dark and depressed mental state, ignorant to a lighter state of being, blind delusion, sleeping in the morning or day, sorrow. Evil distorts their “inner world.” Intentions and actions may be destructive and harmful.
According to Ayurveda’s law, “Like Increases Like”, literal darkness will increase tamas, thus increase mental conditions such as depression.
Forms of Darkness That Increase Tamas (Inertia and Dullness)
- Sleeping in past sunrise or in the day.
- Lack of exposure to sunlight/daylight.
- Wearing black clothing.
- Engaging in movies, books or research associated with “dark” or evil energies.
- Wearing sunglasses!
Sattva Guna (Purity)
A comon way to mitigate tamas or depression is too literally “bring in the light.”
“The Light” in Ayurveda is known as Sattva Guna.
This is another one of the three emotional body types or three prime attributes of nature.
We want Sattva to dominate our body, and Tamas to be least dominant.
One way to bring Sattva to dominant your body type is light:
- Pure foods that are light and easy to digest.
- Lightness of Being – achieved through meditation.
- Literal light: get sunlight, see the sunrise, develop a relationship with the sun.
- Love others to lighten up your heart.
Show your eyes! Others want to see them and connect with you on a deeper level. Instead of hiding behind dark glasses, connect and relate on a more open and pure level. This greater connection allows for more inspiration and a greater experience of love (Sattva).
Sun Exposure Reduces Depression
Exposure to the sun, both on your body and daylight hitting your bare eyes create beta endorphins, which are natural opioids that boost your emotional and mental state.
A deficiency in these beta endorphins leads to drugs and alcohol abuse, as well as other dopamine deficient conditions like depression, anger, excess sugar/sweets/chocolate, lust, excessive marijuana intake and excess social media.
Misuse Of The Senses
A common root cause of disease according to Ayurveda is misuse of the senses.
This is known as Asatmya indriyartha – Samyog.
Mis-using the five senses can occur in three ways:
- Excessive use (Atiyoga).
- Deficient use (Hinayoga/Ayoga)
- Perverse use / Mis-use (Mithyayoga)
Wearing sunglasses when they are not required can be considered misuse. Unless it is really bright like in the snow or desert, then using it may contribute to physical and mental imbalance.
Use Sunglasses If You Need!
If you need to use sunglasses, use them!
Some people have medical conditions who are hyper-sensitive to bright light, which causes conditions like headaches, fatigue, inflammation etc.
Some other people just feel it is too bright for their eyes.
Whatever your situation, don’t strain your eyes by trying to align with nature.
Fix the issue of “weak eyes” or your underlying condition, then gradually transition your eyes to be able to expose to natural light.
It may take some people with deeper conditions and hypersensitivity a while to adjust.
Sunglasses May Have Carcinogenic Effects
Sunglasses filter natural light, which may produce possible carcinogenic effects.
When wearing sunglasses, the pineal gland then receives the light in a different, altered colour spectrum. UV is taken out.
Lack of UV hitting the eyes means the pineal gland doesn’t produce as much melanin, which protects the skin from skin disorders and skin cancers.
Altered spectrum of light hitting the retina reduces melatonin production, which is a powerful anti-cancer hormone.
Nurses that work night shift have approximately 2x the rates of breast cancer compared to day shift workers due to their disrupted melatonin patterns, amongst other serious issues with night-shifts.
When Dr. Albert Schweitzer started working in a hospital on the west coast of Africa, there was no cancer at all.
But later it became a problem. However, their simple surroundings had not changed or modernised.
The only thing different was that mostly all natives were wearing sunglasses as a status symbol of the civilised world. They could always be found wearing them “even when paddling their dugout canoes wearing no more than a loincloth.”
Sunglasses were so prized that these new adornments carried a higher barter value than beads or other trinkets.
Every cell communicates with every other cell through light. This is why the esoteric “aura” theory is not so esoteric anymore, because it has been proved my modern science.
Biological electro-magenetic fields manifests ones aura. These fields can be seen and measured with certain technology.
Get Outside and Look Up
Get at least 50 minutes a day of sunlight (or daylight if the sun is not out) on your skin* and eyes.
Expose as much skin as possible and don’t use glasses. Look at the sky or out into the open. Do not look directly at the sun.
Exposure in the early morning or near sunset it ideal, but eventually, you will be able to exposure for hours in a day.
*If the sun is too strong for you and your skin is not used to it, use protection like clothing, hats and shade and gradually increase your time limit until your skin can tolerate the sun with grace.
Applying oil on your skin helps improve and protect your skin physiology. You don’t want red (burnt) skin. Light pink is good as it means your blood circulation is activating to absorb UV energy into the bloodstream.
Note, some people with certain diseases like neurological disorders cannot tolerate the bright light and should consult a quality health practitioner before trying any of these recommendations.
Also note, when in a very bright environment such as the snow or desert, it is advisable to wear sunglasses/goggle. If you need sunglasses at your average beach on a sunny day, this is a sign of weak vision so it is wise to start to train your eyes again to cope with brighter light.
Choose Glasses Over Contact Lenses When Possible
For those who need glasses for their vision, firstly reduce using when you don’t need them.
Choose glasses over contacts since this will allow more oxygen to reach into the eye and allow some natural light frequencies to shine through the side openings of the glasses.
Wear Blue-Light Blocking Glasses After Sunset
Block the artificial blue-light which disrupts your hormones, circadian signalling and degrades eye health.
Blue-light blocking glasses are one of the most crucial appliances for the 21st century.
RA Optics are my favourite blue light blocking glasses since they effectively block the harmful frequencies of light. (Discount code: VITALVEDA)
Herbal Eye Nourishment
It is wise to strengthen your eyes with herbal wisdom by taking herbs internally as well as external eye drops.
I highly recommend Netra Amrit Eye Drops to mitigate dry, degenerating and fatigued eyes and to most importantly prevent eye disorders.
Internally, I recommend taking Shodana Vati daily for optimal eye health.
The classical Ayurvedic formula, Sapta Amrita Loha, can help for deeper eye issues, but for that herb you should consult a quality Ayurvedic practitioner.
Sniffing Ayurvedic medicated oil up the nose, a practice called Nasya that is considered a daily routine in Ayurveda, is also wise to strengthen all your sensory organs and prevent them from degenerating. I recommend to only allow high quality medicated oils like Nasika to enter the sensitive tissue inside your nose.
References:
- (1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1851732/
- Presentation images by Alexander Wunsch
- Dr. Jack Kruse for this knowledge