Mal-Illumination

The light deficiency health epidemic may be the source of our physical and emotional ailments

By Chellee Unruh

Scientific experts believe there is a new health epidemic emerging caused by the deficiency of sun exposure due to a modern indoor lifestyle. Dr. John Ott, a founder of the Environmental Health and Light Research Institute, coined the phrase “mal-illumination” as a definition of this emerging health epidemic. Mal-illumination is brought about by the unintentional limiting of our intake of full-spectrum daylight by shielding ourselves with such things as tinted windows, windshields, and a predominately indoor lifestyle. John Ott’s theory of mal-illumination as the next indoor epidemic is detailed in the book by best-selling author Ari Whitten: The Ultimate Guide To Red Light Therapy: How to Use Red and Near-Infrared Light Therapy for Anti-Aging. “Human cells require nutrients from food to function properly. Similarly, light also provides nutrients that help human cells function. Varying intensities of light can help fuel our cells and can influence hormones, balance our mood, enhance physical performance, speed up recovery from stress, improve sleep and alertness when awake. Most importantly, you need to grasp that the human body needs light to be healthy,” best-selling author Ari Whitten writes.

Most people suffer from chronic mal-illumination and do not even realize it. It is not just about the lack of UV exposure, there are four other types of light from the sun that impact human health. Not widely known is the fact that many distinct types of light are “bioactive” in humans (which means they affect the functioning of human cells), and that our health is influenced by the dosage of these different types of light that we get each day. These are the five types of bioactive light in humans:

1. BLUE LIGHT – sets the circadian rhythm in our brain, which in turn regulates numerous different neurotransmitters and hormones

2. UV LIGHT – allows us to synthesize vitamin D from the sun

3. FAR-INFRARED – acts to heat up our cells (this is the part of the sun’s spectrum that you feel as heat) which stimulates changes in cell function, as well as circulation changes

4. RED LIGHT – acts on the mitochondria in our cells to stimulate increased cellular energy (ATP) production (among other mechanisms discussed in this book)

5. NEAR-INFRARED (NIR) – acts on the same pathways as red light—particularly in the mitochondria in our cells to stimulate increased cellular energy (ATP) production

Research has proven that light is an essential nutrient for human cells and our overall health is dependent on getting the right dose of these five types of light. Our conversion over time to more of an indoor lifestyle has resulted in a reduction of our ability to consistently get the natural light sources we need to obtain optimal health. Modern advances in technology have led to the creation of manufactured artificial lighting systems that provide precise, higher-intensity exposure. Scientifically, UV light from tanning equipment is very much the same as UV from natural sunlight, and equipment that includes other spectrums is no different. Our bodies have evolved to be capable of utilizing red and near-infrared light that originates from the sun to fuel our cells enhancing the function of our mitochondria and cell energy generations.

With these advances in technology, people can now regulate their daily exposure to light to enhance their cell function which will lead to increased immunity and a reduction in health risks. n

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