Heliotherapy (sunlight therapy)

Heliotherapy (sunlight therapy) has ancient roots that can be traced back to many cultures. The ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians, among many others, recognized the healing properties of sunlight. Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, systematically practiced it. The modern practice of heliotherapy gained popularity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1903, Dr. A. Rollier opened the first heliotherapy clinic for surgical tuberculosis at Leysin. Many other clinics were opened around the time across the globe.

To illustrate how wise practitioners were back in the day, here is an excerpt from ‘The Advance of Heliotherapy’ by Dr. C. W. Saleeby. I quote, “Dr. Rollier insists, as ever, upon the superior value of the early morning sun. This point needs perpetually to be made.” “In Canada, according to my own observation there, it is the combination of light and cold that contributes to the superb Canadian physique and vitality. In Switzerland, the same is true, and Leonard Hill has shown us the physiological basis of this valuable combination.” “It is certainly high time that the fundamentals of the biology and physiology of light should be well and truly laid.” What year was this written? 1922

Sunlight for Babies

Let’s take a little excursion into the Department of Labor Children’s Bureau’s 1931 sunbathing recommendations for babies. Their recommendations were incredibly wise and ahead of their time. Diving into the intricacies of glass, the full light spectrum, UV, seasonality, and building a solar callus. I was shocked when I first read it. ‘Sunlight for Babies’ from the Children’s Bureau of the U.S. Department of Labor. Keep in mind, this was 1931. A time that most practitioners today would scoff at since they seem to think that people back then were scientifically illiterate.

It states, “The sun that tans the child’s skin helps him to grow naturally. If the sun’s rays are to help the baby grow properly and to prevent rickets, they must fall directly onto the skin and tan it.” This statement shows an intuitive understanding of melanin production and solar callus.

“The rays that tan the skin and prevent rickets – the ultraviolet rays – do not pass through clothing nor through ordinary window glass”. This shows an intuitive understanding that clothing blocks UV-A & UV-B, hence preventing vitamin D3 production, and that glass artificially manipulates natural light and turns it into artificial light. “Begin Sun Baths Early” is an incredibly powerful motto. Yet how many people would reflexively be against such a recommendation today?

“The baby should get tanned all over, but the tanning should take place gradually. Care should be taken not to burn him. Some babies tan more quickly than others; some burn more easily.” This shows a deep understanding of building the solar callus based on skin type that people nowadays have forgotten.

“Dark skinned babies need more sun to tan them and to protect from rickets than fair-skinned babies.” It even recommends focusing more on AM and late PM sunlight during summer. Along with more midday sunlight during winter. All due to the difference in UV intensity.

They explicitly lay out a perfect plan to progressively build a child’s solar callus. Most of these recommendations are pure gold and, unfortunately, in stark contrast to today’s preposterous advice of sun avoidance.

The beginning of modern heliotherapy

Let’s introduce Niels Ryberg Finsen, a Danish physician born in 1860. He made significant contributions to the field of heliotherapy, earning him the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1903. His work is what inspired heliotherapy clinics to spring up across the world.

What did his work focus on? The therapeutic use of sunlight in treating various diseases, with a notable emphasis on lupus vulgaris (tuberculosis that affects the skin). He hypothesized that certain wavelengths of light, especially ultraviolet (UV) light, had bactericidal effects and could help combat the bacteria causing tuberculosis. Since the 1870s, it has been known that ultraviolet light had an inhibiting effect on bacteria. Finsen designed and built a specialized lamp known as the Finsen lamp. This device emitted UV, likely UV-B to penetrate the skin and have a therapeutic effect.

Finsen’s work had positive clinical results, especially in the treatment of lupus vulgaris In 1896, he established the Finsen Institute in Copenhagen, Denmark It serves as a center for research and treatment, focusing on heliotherapy and using light in medical applications.

Many conditions respond to heliotherapy, especially skin conditions like psoriasis, eczema and vitiligo.

Knowing what we know about human biology, the applications reach way further than the skin. The proopiomelanocortin (POMC) system shows great promise for ending the obesity, diabetes, heart disease, neurodegenerative, and cancer crises. POMC is a precursor polypeptide that is cut (cleaved) into multiple neuropeptides and hormones (α-MSH, β-MSH, γ-MSH, ACTH, CLIP, β-endorphin, [Met]Enkephalin, β-Lipotropin, γ-LPH) that have an enormous influence on health. More on this another time.

Dr. Edward Podolsky, in his book, ‘How to Charm with Color,’ mentions:

“That with the influence of sunlight, pain, fever, and chills disappear readily, and the condition of the blood is often improved.”
“Anemic, chlorotic and scrofulous patients have been found to derive immeasurable benefit from sun-baths.”
“Sun baths have shown to help with sinus infections and ulcers, which, after exposure, start with a profuse discharge that occurs, followed by sloughing, the formation of healthy tissue, and a gradual drying and healing of the sinus infection or ulcer.”

The Sun Doctor

Dr. Auguste Rollier (The “Sun Doctor”) developed the method of heliotherapy for the treatment of tuberculosis. In 1903, he began practicing his ideas one valley over from Villars-sur-Ollon, at Leysin, Switzerland. By 1927, Rollier offered “the most improved treatment of extra-pulmonary tuberculosis” in Western medicine. He oversaw 36 sanatoria in the Vaudois Alps, treating over 3,000 patients. His cure rate was exceptional and he saved the limbs of many patients who were scheduled for amputation. Dr. Rollier (middle) treating a patient with exposure to the sun’s rays.

This messaging is at odds with Big Pharma because it gives people an alternative, cost-free path to health. Centralized MDs, dermatologists, and ophthalmologists rely on antiquated research that’s observational. They don’t actively educate themselves on the latest research. If you understand how to utilize light properly, then you can heal yourself in a number of ways. This only sounds ridiculous if you don’t understand the full scope of human biology, especially at the quantum level.

Every light wavelength from the sun evolved in accordance with biology to benefit you:

Red light = regenerative
UV-A = nitric oxide & POMC
UV-B = vitamin D3 activation
Violet = eye regeneration
Blue = stimulatory & fat burning
Red & near-infrared (NIR) = ATPase nanomotor food
NIR = mitochondrial melatonin

Look at the absorption spectrum of various things in your body. Every aspect of your system evolved to soak up and utilize natural sunlight.

It’s 2024. Our understanding of sunlight and health should be a lot more up-to-date and comprehensive. You cannot rely on doctors or most medical professionals for this quality of information. They have yet to figure this out.

Heliotherapy archives

Now enjoy a host of archived pictures from Auguste Rollier’s heliotherapy clinics. A key clinic was in Leysin, Switzerland. This is an ideal location for heliotherapy in the heart of Switzerland at a high altitude that allows for more UV light. Your dermatologist doesn’t know about this. It’s another piece of evidence to prove that the sun doesn’t cause skin cancer.

Children routinely walk around with skin and eyes in the game, only with boxers and bucket hats on.

Sunbathing beds were a key feature of Auguste Rollier’s clinics.

Those who were using therapeutic sunbathing were also set to specific tasks like painting, sowing, etc

Everybody is incredibly happy in these photos (opioid peptide hormone production such as beta-endorphin via POMC from UV light). Who wouldn’t be happy when you’re sunbathing with these kinds of views?

Due to their consistent approach to building the solar callus, and high altitude, the tans they would achieve were incredible. Melanin production is at an all-time high to stimulate the regeneration of the organism.

More tasks with skin in the game. Gotta stay busy and level up.

Impeccable location and young men being put to work while being grounded because they’re either barefoot or using leather shoes which are conductive.

Movement, dance, sun salutations, the whole 9 yards to stimulate the body (also while grounded).

Classrooms, sunbathing beds, fun. Everybody is in great spirits.

Some awesome pictures of the craftsmanship and flare these people possessed.

You’ll see many pictures of children in the snow with skin in the game. Cold thermogenesis + high UV light exposure due to altitude is a superpower for the mitochondria, melanin, and all of biology. Now what stands out are the sunglasses. During Rollier’s heliotherapy clinic in the early 20th century, the sunglasses were typically made of materials like smoked or tinted glass to protect the eyes from the sun’s glare. If you are in a high-glare environment, like the mountains of Switzerland, these can be used in moderation to protect the eyes from glare. These early sunglasses often had metal frames. The primary purpose was to filter out UV rays and reduce glare, allowing patients to receive the therapeutic benefits of sunlight without damaging their eyes. This is where I disagree with Rollier’s framework because we now know how sunglasses can disrupt the overall process with a-MSH and the non-linear nature of UV light. Only a handful of people are wearing these sunglasses, with most people choosing to go without them. Goes to show they’re not needed, or only temporary.