Why I don't wear sunglasses anymore?

HUN Blog from 17/12/2015

They say there are no coincidences. One day, I carelessly threw my favorite pair of sunglasses in my bag, and the next time I wanted to take them out, I was sad to find that they were broken… Needless to say, I wasn’t too happy, because I loved them and they didn’t cost a penny. Then, after a few weeks, the tables turned: it’s better this way, because I wouldn’t wear it from now on anyway! But what is this new fad?

I read the articles of Dr. Jack Kruse, an American neurosurgeon who describes the biology of human (and indeed the whole living world) in the language of quantum mechanics.

In short, this means that he is not satisfied with biochemistry, but thinks in terms of particle physics, i.e. the laws and interactions of electrons and photons.

Sunlight is also made up of photons, which our eyes and skin can detect, and DHA omega-3 fatty acid molecules play an important role in the transmission. (That’s where seafood comes in, it’s good to keep our cells well supplied!)

He has done a lot of research in his recent writings, but what he has found is simple: get outdoors as much as possible (even in cloudy weather)! Today’s modern man suffers from a virtually constant lack of sunlight. Of particular interest are a few specific wavelengths: infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV).

The spectrum of sunlight and some indoor lighting

We wear clothes, live indoors in closed buildings for most of our lives, and when we do venture out, we are forbidden to sunbathe at midday. Apply sunscreen, wear UV filtered sunglasses. It’s crazy, isn’t it? And the monkeys on the Savannah laugh at us in the blazing sun because they don’t want to be left out of nature by any artificial means, they don’t have any of the civilization’s illnesses that humans have.

UV light has always been on Earth during man’s evolution, what has happened now that we need to guard against it? Maybe the receptor system in man is bad because we have destroyed it with unnatural lifestyles. This should be corrected with the right lifestyle, seafood, proper hydration, more sunlight and less artificial lights.

Window glass doesn’t let UV through, nor does the windscreen of a car, nor do most contact lenses and glasses. The retina-SCN-hypothalamic-pituitary system (our internal clock) also needs the UV wavelength range 290-415 nm in the morning to function optimally! Incandescent bulbs, LEDs, fluorescent lamps do not contain it and even with the aforementioned (eye) glasses we block UV!

Of the evening lights, the traditional incandescent is probably still the best because it has relatively few blue light components (about 420-490 nm), but the other two on the picture above have nice little blue peaks that interfere with evening melatonin production.

In the absence of UV-B, vitamin D levels will be low, which is known to be a breeding ground for almost all diseases. Lack of light is also associated with low brain dopamine levels, which may explain why many people nowadays try to boost this important neurotransmitter with chocolate, carbohydrate bombs and other stimulants.

Today’s man is practically constantly seeing an alien sun in an enclosed space with artificial lighting, staring at screens. It is as if we have moved to an alien planet in another solar system, not sure we can adapt so quickly. It’s worth fantasizing a little about how this affects our behaviour, our choices… perhaps that’s why they are often out of step with the natural order.

So, in hindsight, I’m actually glad I broke my sunglasses, as they inspired this article and it seems I won’t need them for the rest of my life anyway. In the end, it turns out that the most important factor in one’s health is not nutrition, but proper lighting…

In the words of dr. Kruse: “We need more light gurus and less food gurus.” So get out in the sun, especially at the sunrise and in the morning hours, with as much skin as possible, with your eyes open! Like yogis, let’s have a proper sun salutation every day!

So it happened that I also stopped wearing sunglasses, even on hot summer days. Gradually, I managed to get used to this, as well as the cold. I would wear them in exceptional cases where it is important to see well: for example, when driving in winter, when I am blinded by the low sun and the reflection of white snow. Or skiing, for that matter. Or, for example, last year I tried kite surfing, where you have to look up a lot on the chute and get full daylight…

By the way, at sunrise and sunset (also gradually getting used to it) it’s safe to look straight into the sun disk. During daylight hours, however, it is not recommended, because you would get too strong a dose directly.

Overall, I think it is better to gradually accustom your eyes to the natural sunlight outside, all year round, rather than protecting them by any means. That way we will get the right UV dose for our eyes.

Enjoy the sun!