Can People Prevent Multiple Sclerosis with Sunlight

For the last few decades we have talked about little else besides why it is important to stay away from sunlight. We completely understand the risks connected with it and do every little thing we can think of to keep it away from us. We choose the highest SPF sunscreens we can locate and then slather on layers and layers of it. We put on giant hats. We wear long sleeves and also pant legs even in the warmest of heat. We tend to stick to the shade–some folks may even carry parasols and umbrellas just to make sure they have exactly no contact with the sun. Now we’re discovering that the sun can sometimes be beneficial! Can you truly be helped by the sun?

A new study has found that individuals who allow themselves some sun exposure are less likely to develop MS than those who try to minimize their sun exposure. Originally the analysis was to see how Vitamin D impacted the indicators of Multiple Sclerosis. It didn’t take much time for them to realize that it is the Vitamin D our bodies produce after exposure to sunshine that is at the center of the issue.

It’s been recognized for a very long time that Vitamin D and the sun’s rays can effect the way the immune system works and how it can contribute to Multiple Sclerosis. This study, on the other hand, deals chiefly with the effects of sunlight on the people who are just starting to experience the very earliest symptoms of the disease. The target of the study is to see how sunshine and Vitamin D might have an affect on the symptoms doctors call “precursor” to actual symptoms of the disease.

Sadly, right now there aren’t actually very many ways that actually prove whether or not the hypothesis of this study are true. The study really wants to indicate whether or not exposure to the sun can actually prevent MS. Unfortunately, the researchers discovered, the only way to that is to observe people over the course of their lives. This is only way that it is possible to measure and comprehend the levels of Vitamin D that can be found in a person’s blood before the precursors of the disease show up. The way it appears now, and has stood (widely recognized) for a long time 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.

The fact that the chance of developing skin cancer increases proportionally to the amount of time you spend in direct sunlight (without protection) is also a problem. So, if you try and avoid one disease, you may be helping to induce the other one. Of course, if it gets caught in early stages, skin cancer is very treatable and can even be cured. This is not true for MS.

So should you get more sunlight to counteract MS from setting in? Talk to your doctor to figure out if this is a good idea. Your physician can look at your current health status, your medical history and even your genetics to determine if you are even at risk for the disease in the first place. This will help your physician figure out just what the best thing for you to do is.

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