How to Sunbathe Responsibly (and Powerfully) This Summer

 ☀️ To our VivaLight Family,

You already know that light is not just illumination – it’s information. It tells your body when to wake up,  when to fall asleep, which hormones to release. It controls every aspect of your biology.

Here at VivaRays, we don’t see the sun as something to avoid. We see it as a daily gift from nature that has guided human biology for millions of years.

Yet for many in our modern world, sunlight has become something feared or forgotten -replaced by artificial light, sunglasses, chemical sunscreens, and misinformation.

This summer, we invite you to come back to the light - not recklessly, but with reverence and wisdom.

Let’s return to the practices of our ancestors and the protocols of great light doctors like Rollier and Finsen, whose patients healed with nothing but fresh air, real food, and gradual, intelligent exposure to the sun.

This blog is for you, our tribe of health seekers, circadian explorers, and light warriors -who are ready to reconnect with nature’s rhythms and reclaim your body’s brilliance.

☀️ FORGOTTEN MEDICINE: WHEN DOCTORS PRESCRIBED SUN

In the early 1900s, at the height of tuberculosis and rickets epidemics, pharmaceutical options were scarce (thankfully....)
So pioneering physicians turned to nature’s light.

💜  Dr. Auguste Rollier’s Alpine Clinics (1903–1940s)

At 5,000 feet elevation in Leysin, Switzerland, Rollier treated over 2,000 patients with full-body sunbaths.

• Patients began with 5 minutes of sunlight on their feet.

• By Day 5, many were sunbathing their full body for over an hour, without burning.

• By Week 2, they were often outside for several hours per day.

• His reported cure rate for tuberculosis: over 80% - a figure modern medicine finds staggering.

Patients weren’t lounging. They were healing - with fresh air, nutrient-dense food, and long, progressive exposure to sunlight.
And they weren’t the only ones.

His work was described as transforming “sick, weak children into strong, tanned, healthy individuals”

 💜 Dr. Niels Finsen’s Nobel-Winning UV Therapy (1890s)

Before Rollier, Dr. Niels Finsen used concentrated UV light to treat lupus vulgaris - a devastating skin disease caused by tuberculosis bacteria.

• He exposed affected skin to focused UV for 1–2 hours per session.

• Each lesion received this treatment daily until healed.

• No antibiotics. Just ultraviolet light - and hundreds of documented recoveries.

He won the 1903 Nobel Prize in Medicine for this work, cementing the legitimacy of light therapy in mainstream science.

💜  Sir Henry Gauvain in England

Across the channel, Dr. Gauvain created open-air hospitals where children with tuberculosis and rickets( a deadly disease of that time) received sun for up to six hours a day, gradually increasing as skin adapted. He emphasized:

“Burns must be avoided. But long, daily exposure, once acclimated, is essential for recovery.”

His work proved UV light could kill tuberculosis bacteria and regenerate diseased tissue

💜  Solaria and Sun Schools in the 1920s–30s

Across Europe and North America, schools, hospitals, and homes added solaria -sunrooms with open rooftops and glass ceilings, so children could absorb healing light even in winter.

In Germany and Scandinavia, sunlight was required during school hours. Some schools had mandatory shirtless sunbathing sessions during recess!

Can you imagine today’s schools doing the same?

☀️ MODERN CONFIRMATION: THE SUN STILL HEALS

These old doctors were ahead of their time. Today, science validates what they saw with their eyes.

✔️ Dead Sea Climatotherapy (2000s–Today)

Patients with psoriasis travel to the Dead Sea for 2–3 weeks of healing sun exposure.

• They start with 15 minutes/day and gradually increase to up to 3 hours daily.

• After two weeks: massive clearing of symptoms.

• Studies report minimal side effects and long-term remission.
  

✔️ Long-Term Sun Exposure = Lower Mortality

A landmark 20-year study of 30,000+ Swedish women found:

• Women who avoided sun had double the mortality rate of women who received regular sun.

• Their lifespan was 0.6 to 2.1 years shorter - comparable to smoking.

Sun isn’t the enemy. Avoiding it is.

☀️Why More Sun (Done Right) Is Better Than You Think?

Beyond vitamin D, sunlight:

✔️ Releases nitric oxide, reducing blood pressure

✔️ Stimulates beta-endorphins, enhancing mood and resilience

✔️Regulates your circadian rhythm, improving sleep and hormone balance

✔️ Supports a healthier skin microbiome, increasing UV resistance

✔️ Activates cellular repair with infrared and visible light

These effects do NOT max out at 20–30 minutes. They scale with smart, gradual exposure - just like Rollier prescribed.

☀️ HOW TO REINTRODUCE SUNLIGHT SAFELY: THE VIVARAYS METHOD

Step 1: Start Slow - Build Resilience During UVA/UVB Windows

Your body adapts to the sun not just through warmth, but through UVA and UVB rays, which stimulate melanin production, vitamin D synthesis, and cellular resilience.

• Day 1: Expose just your feet to direct sunlight for 5 minutes during the UVB window (typically between 10 AM–2 PM, depending on your location)

• Day 2: Add lower legs or forearms for another 5–10 minutes

• Day 3 and beyond: Gradually increase exposure time and body surface area each day
  

Think of this as solar training—just like building strength or endurance, your skin and mitochondria need progressive exposure to adapt safely.

 Step 2: Leverage the Healing Power of Light Timing

Different wavelengths appear at different times of day—and your biology responds uniquely to each.

• Sunrise & sunset: Go outside during sunrise and sunset as the sun is rich in infrared and red light - great for skin repair and priming your skin to absorb more UV without burning.

Step 3: Let Natural Light Into Your Eyes

Your retinal photoreceptors aren’t just for seeing—they regulate your entire circadian rhythm: sleep, hormone cycles, metabolism, immune responses, and mood.

• Avoid sunglasses/ contact lenses :Let full-spectrum light enter your eyes—indirectly (do not directly at the sun)

• If sensitive, use a wide-brim hat to reduce glare without blocking key frequencies

PS: If you wear prescription glasses and can’t take them off while outside, consider using VivaRays UV prescription lenses, which allow about 60% of natural UV light to enter your eyes. This helps your brain accurately register sunlight and activate protective responses like melanin production.

Regular prescription glasses, on the other hand, block 100% of UV light to your eyes which increase the risk of sunburn. 

Step 4: Block Artificial Light & Embrace the Dark

Sunlight heals by day. Darkness heals by night.

True regeneration doesn’t happen in light only—it happens in the absence of light, when melatonin floods your system and turns on deep repair mechanisms:

• After sunset, block artificial blue and green light (from screens, bulbs, overhead LEDs)

• Use VivaRays Evening and Night lenses to protect your circadian rhythm and maximize melatonin

• Sleep in total darkness—or use an eye mask if needed

• Darkness is not passive—it’s the most active repair window of the day

Without darkness, your mitochondria can’t rebuild. Your skin doesn’t repair. And paradoxically, you become more prone to sunburn.

To Our Community of Light-Seekers: You Belong to the Sun

You are part of a global movement - a reawakening of wisdom that honors nature’s cycles, not overrides them.

In a world that sells fear, you’re choosing trust.
In a culture addicted to screens, you’re stepping outside.
While most people block the sun, you’re learning to build a relationship with it.

And that matters.

At VivaRays, we’re not just here to sell glasses. We’re here to help you remember what your biology already knows:

💜 That light is medicine

💜 That your body is wise

💜 That healing happens in rhythm with nature - not in resistance to it

So this summer, we invite you to practice sunbathing as a sacred ritual.
Start small. Stay curious. Stay consistent.

And know that every time you face the sun, you’re not alone.
You’re part of a family that’s rising with the light.

With love and Light ☀️
The VivaRays Team

PS: Please drop your comments/questions in the comment section below and we will answer them in our next blog.

 

Reference: https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/8A22D374344BE18218FFF37F46591C82/S0025727300063043a.pdf/sunlight-therapy-and-solar-architecture.pdf