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Since the beginning of human history people have lived, worked and played outdoors during the light of day, active and vibrant, absorbing the full spectrum of light from the sky. An average of 10 hours each day, 70 hours weekly, was common for eons. But in less than just 200 years, millions of people have unwittingly become “contemporary cave dwellers” living and working indoors. This dramatic reduction of natural light exposure was coined “mal-illumination” by the late Dr. John Ott, the father of full-spectrum light technology. And it is silently, and negatively, affecting our health.

The full spectrum of sunlight energy, that our genes are programmed to respond to, is essential for the development, growth, and maintenance of not only a healthy body, but critical for a healthy mind as well.

Mal-illumination is brought about by limiting our daily intake of full-spectrum daylight and supplementing it with too much artificial limited-spectrum indoor light, especially blue light at night, and by shielding ourselves from the sun with such things as tinted windows, windshields, sunglasses and sunscreen lotions. Mal-illumination silently contributes to many adverse health issues and some are quite serious — obesity, depression, fatigue, sleep & eating disorders as well as breast, prostate and colon cancer. Like malnutrition, mal-illumination causes deficiencies by depriving us of the sun’s vital "energetic nutrients" which enter the body through the eyes and skin. Sunlight striking the skin produces natural vitamin D while light entering the eyes regulates vital circadian rhythms that control appetite, energy, mood, sleep, libido and other body-mind functions.

The fact is, humans are photobiotic "solar beings," and all of us are absolutely dependent on the absorption of radiant, solar energy. Every metabolic process, every enzyme reaction, muscular movements, the digestion of food and the burning of fat are all biological processes that are augmented by sunlight energy. A reduction of "natural light energy" causes a slowdown in these processes that leads to decreased metabolism, reduced burning of fat, reduced vitality and compromised immunity.

The human body functions much like a green plant, collecting energy from the atmosphere. The nervous system may be described as a network of electrical wires which conduct photons of light energy. Light energy is collected by the skin and eyes, converted into photocurrent and channeled throughout the entire nervous system. This photocurrent is then distributed to the internal organs and cells via the individual nerves. In addition to activating sight in the visual cortex, photocurrent also travels to the brain’s main control center, the hypothalamus. Informed by photocurrent, the hypothalamus then helps regulate brain chemistry, essential hormones and circadian rhythms.

The current Age of Information has caused a radical shift away from nature’s health regulating solar energy. Unwittingly, millions of people are now starving for the sun’s life energy and suffering from Mal-illumination.

Are you at risk of Mal-illumination? 

• Indoor worker
• Shift worker
• Housebound
• Elderly
• Spend time daily in front of computers and TV screens
• Winter where sunlight is seasonally reduced.

Interested in more information about biologically beneficial light and your health? Visit Science of Light (SOL), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that works to raise awareness of mal-illumination. SOL provides a free e-Book: MAL-ILLUMINATION… the silent epidemic and an enlightened weight loss MP3: The Secret to “Light” Your Metabolic Fire.