Sunlight, Multiple Sclerosis and Vitamin D Deficiency

The results of a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on the 20th December show that people with high levels of vitamin D - especially those under the age of 20 - have a two-thirds lower risk of developing MS compared with those with the lowest levels measured. As with other auto-immune diseases, MS is much more common amongst people who live in regions distant from the equator, where there is less sunlight. This study highlights the importance of sunlight exposure in regulating the immune system. It also confirms that vitamin D deficiency is an epidemic in the United States.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16284822

Winter Sun

So how much sunlight should a building receive in the winter? According to BS 8206-2, the British Standard on Lighting for Buildings, interiors in which occupants have a reasonable expectation of sunlight should receive a minimum of 5% of probable sunlight hours in the winter. That is, between the 23rd of September and the 21st of March.

BS 8206-2 points out that the controlled entry of sunlight is especially valued where occupants have little direct contact with the outside world. Provision should be made for it in rooms occupied for long periods during the day, such as those for the elderly. Unfortunately, there is no obligation on anyone to do so. The health benefits are largely ignored, especially in hospitals. However, if too much sunlight is let into wards there can be health risks. One recent example of a hospital designed for sunlight illustrates the point.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/07/21/nheat121

Sunlight, Multiple Sclerosis and Vitamin D Deficiency

The results of a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on the 20th December show that people with high levels of vitamin D - especially those under the age of 20 - have a two-thirds lower risk of developing MS compared with those with the lowest levels measured. As with other auto-immune diseases, MS is much more common amongst people who live in regions distant from the equator, where there is less sunlight. This study highlights the importance of sunlight exposure in regulating the immune system. It also confirms that vitamin D deficiency is an epidemic in the United States.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16284822

Code for Sustainable Homes and the Sun

On Wednesday 13 December the British government unveiled its Code for Sustainable Homes. This follows Chancellor Gordon Brown’s Pre-Budget statement that the government intends to encourage the market for new zero-carbon houses by exempting them from stamp duty. The Code for Sustainable Homes has a green `star rating' with a maximum of six stars going to homes considered to be zero-carbon. There will requirement for planners to design low-emission communities; and a major tightening in building regulations to enforce energy efficiency. Copies of the Code can be downloaded from http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/england/professionals/en/1115314116927.html.

The only reference to sunlight in the Code concerns limiting solar gains in summer. There is no requirement to provide sunlight in the winter.

The Code for Sustainable Homes was published in a week when two people died at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, from a strain of MRSA known as Panton-Valentine Leukocidin (PVL). This strain has claimed lives in the UK before, but in the wider community rather than in a hospital. PVL attacks white blood cells, and can leave its victims unable to fight infection, irrespective of age or state of health. If PVL becomes resistant to antibiotics, then designing for the sun will be more important than ever. Homes could become reservoirs of the pathogen just as readily as hospitals. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/staffordshire/6202167.stm

Superbugs and Sunlight

For anyone concerned about superbugs (MRSA, C. Difficile....) and the lack of fresh air and sunlight in hospital wards, Grace Filby's website has some very informative correspondence on the subject. http://www.relax-well.co.uk/good_luck.html

Grace has written the first review of The Light Revolution and it can be ordered from her. http://www.relax-well.co.uk/Light_Revolution.pdf