Saturday, January 21, 2012

Sunny side up



They say sunlight is the best disinfectant. And if you ask my Mom, she would say Sunlight is the best detergent, referring to the world’s first branded laundry soap. But this post is about the real thing, not the detergent variety.

Sun has a special place in Asian culture. Some of us see it as God, Sun is at the core of feng shui and vasthu techniques, we have a land of rising sun in here and even have an yoga exercise routine named after the Sun – Surya Namaskar.

Yet we as Asians, yours truly included, has overtime developed a pathological aversion to sunlight. We give all kind of excuses to get away from the sun – tanning, sun-burns, allergy, headaches and the list goes on.

It turns out that even in the sunny Dubai, ‘photophobia’ is prevalent. I was recently at the Doctors for routine check up and it so happens that my Vitamin D levels were less than adequate.  The only consolation was that I am not the only one, she reckons half of Dubai needs to go out in the sun more often – the only natural source of Vitamin D.

Deficiency of the Sunshine Vitamin at the very least could give you occasional moods swings or depression and at its worst can cause horrible things like diabetes and cancer. And for most part this can be cured by being in the sun for a reasonable amount of time.

In today’s ‘car to carpet’ culture it is so easy to skip the sun.  But we are missing more than outdoor fun when we choose the call of the mall over the time in the sun. As Sheryl Crow once sang, I'm gonna soak up the sun while it's still free……

30 comments:

  1. Hey Great Post, loved reading every bit of it :)
    New to your blog..

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    Replies
    1. Thanks shruti .. i am glad you've enjoyed reading it .. I hope to see you here more often :D ..

      P.S. - i loved your blog too .. i am surely going to a regular on it ...

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    2. Sure :) Thanks ,so sweet of you
      Love
      Shruti

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  2. Replies
    1. I didn't know of this myself .. came to know of it only when I was detected with the low levels of Vitamin D .. think we all should spend more time outdoors in daylight.

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  3. wow !
    interesting and enjoyable lines..
    loved it !
    DeepaK

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  4. This was most instructional, since the present trend is to avoid sunlight for the reasons you mentioned. I was not aware of the dangers of vit D deficiency exactly till I read this post. Thanks,

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    Replies
    1. Subhorup - I know of this from my own personal experience and I am glad it could have been of some help to you ... thanks for stoppping by

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  5. so simple yet so elegant! its beautiful to say the very least!

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  6. Love the post. Really interesting.
    would love to come here again.

    http://vivaciousblog17.blogspot.com

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  7. Not only Sun...we are moving away from nature itself. I like the phrase 'car to carpet'. Good post. Enjoyed reasing.

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    1. Absolutely agree, Hariharan - we are moving farther away from all things natural and I have a strange feeling it is going to come back and bite us...

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  8. nice post and well said - car to carpet :) I am the heavy sun-block SPF 75 kind and HATE getting tanned:)

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    1. Gayatri - even i hate .. unfortunately in summers my skin burns very quickly .. and hence I hate it ..

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  9. Nice Post:- outta context wanted to share wat i read coupla days ago
    A disciple went to Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav:
    – I shall not continue with my studies of sacred texts – he said. – I live in a small house with my brothers and parents, and never have the ideal conditions for concentrating on that which is important.
    Nachman pointed to the sun and asked his disciple to place his hand over his face, in order to hide it.
    The disciple obeyed.
    – Your hand is small, yet it can completely cover the power, light and majesty of the great sun.
    “In the same way, the small problems manage to give you the excuse you need in order to hinder your progress along your spiritual journey.
    “Just as your hand has the power to hide the sun, mediocrity has the power to hide your inner light." Source: http://paulocoelhoblog.com

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    1. This is beautiful Nuktaa - thank you for sharing this ..

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  10. Nice post.. we all need the light ..don't we? your newest follower and now a regular visitor:)

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  11. Hi Sangeeta

    Thats so true about the life here. I live in Dubai too...but unluckily my condition is just the reverse, I was diagnosed with sun allergy and sun burns that I was asked not to get out in the sun too much:( I do take my morning walks though:)

    Regards
    Deepa

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    Replies
    1. Deepa - sun in this part of the world is very harsh .. soak it in while the weather is still good..

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  12. i make sure i lie down for a while and re-fuel my Vitamin D soon after my morning jog!!!

    i guess people who prefer to walk early morning can stay out of their huts before 8 and consume some natural vitamin D from Sun...

    regards
    rahul

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    Replies
    1. Rahul - that's what i've started doing now .. and it actually feels good to be out early in the morning ..

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  13. It is an European deficiency. ;)

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    1. Very true .. you will be surprised to see the western expats here in Dubai making the most of it while Asians like me runaway from the sunshine ...

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  14. I live in Scotland....could do with a little bit more of it here :)

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    1. Wish I could put some shine in a box for you to be delivered ..

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  15. Nice post :)
    I've nominated you for Versatile Blogger Award. Please check the following link - http://hobbyofphotography.blogspot.in/2013/11/versatile-blogger-award.html

    ReplyDelete

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