Are your sunglasses doing more harm than good, a health & wellness memedown, and focus your energy on what truly matters.
Well, most of the time.
What I’m about to say, may burst some bubbles…
Your sunglasses, oftentimes, might be doing more harm than good.
But let’s be honest, many of you aren’t wearing sunglasses thinking first of the eye protection, rather, for many of you who wear them regularly, I’m willing to bet, they’re more a fashion accessory first.
Or at minimum, you want to wear something fashionable, and heck, can justify it by also thinking they are protecting your eyes from harmful UV radiation.
We, as human beings, evolved with the natural light waves of the sun…all of them.
It wasn’t until around the 1950s where UV protection for our eyes was even a thing.
To the best of my knowledge, we didn’t have an entire population of people going blind for centuries upon centuries because of UV radiation from the sun, prior to UV “protectant” sunglasses saving our eyes.
To think certain light waves when exposed to the eyes generally are bad for your eyes, doesn’t make sense.
Now, I admit, a lot of what I’m about to say is drawing correlations and conclusions based on how the body works functionally, as there’s not a ton of research to back these statements up, so take from it what you will.
That said, do keep in mind, there is a massive industry that makes money off sunglasses, and there’s even more money in making you afraid of sun exposure in general, so there’s not much incentive to do research that proves that a healthy, moderate amount of sun exposure is very good and healthy for you.
The light waves in question when it comes to protecting the eyes are UVA and UVB. These are the light waves that good sunglasses block.
Here’s the rub, and why I think they do more harm than good when worn regularly, or instinctually whenever outside; UVA and UVB waves are also the waves that cause the melanistic response from your skin when exposed to the sun.
When you block these waves of light from the eyes, you are thereby blocking the direct transmitter of these light waves to the brain, which means, the brain doesn’t recognize their presence.
This has two quite negative side effects:
1️⃣ UVA and UVB (especially UVB) are the light waves that increase the production of the critical immune boosting, disease fighting hormone, D3 in the body. If your brain doesn’t recognize the presence of these waves because you’re literally blocking them from your eyes, it won’t produce nearly as much D3 when exposed to the sun.
2️⃣ Since these are the light waves that also cause the melanistic response, (that cause you to tan) in your skin, if you block the reception of them from the eyes to the brain, your body doesn’t respond as properly, and you are actually more likely to get a sunburn when wearing sunglasses outside. If you want to avoid burns, and get a better tan, ditch the sunglasses.
Think about it like this, we know for certain, that getting 15-20 minutes of natural light exposure to start your day, meaning, eyes exposed to natural light outside, sets your circadian rhythm, and also sets off a cascade of positive, beneficial hormonal and endogenous chemical pulses in the body, like testosterone, estrogen, serotonin, oxytocin, and also jumpstarts your metabolism for the day.
So if you get all these beneficial effects from getting your eyes exposed to natural light to start your day, meaning, your eyes are the signaling agent to your brain that then sets off this cascade of positive responses inside the body, it would then make sense that blocking light waves from the eyes could mess with some necessary, beneficial hermetic responses, like your melanin response.
Do sunglasses have any actual utility?
Yes, but not as general eye protection that you put on immediately, and instinctively when you go outside.
They are very useful when dealing with a glare.
When you are fighting a glare with your eyes, you are no longer observing a natural lightwave, and using sunglasses to help block a glare is useful and beneficial.
✔️ On bright, sunny winter days, when the sun is reflecting off the snow.
✔️ Whenever dealing with a glare when driving.
✔️ When out on the water, and the sun is reflecting off the water and creating a glare.
These are all great use cases for sunglasses, but outside of situations like these, ditch them, as they can dramatically reduce some of the benefits you get from the sun.
Final Thoughts
As mentioned above, take from this what you’d like, as I’m just trying to share an alternative perspective from a functional standpoint.
I try to be a living, breathing, walking example of the things I share perspective on, and I can say I ditched sunglasses entirely about 5 years ago, I’m now 41 years of age, and still do not wear contacts or eye glasses.
I’m not actually trying to convince you to ditch sunglasses entirely (heck, I’m not trying to convince you of anything, just trying to shed more light on topics), as again, I do think they have a place, however, I do think it’s worth considering just how much you use them.
It’s pretty reasonable to think that just like for the skin, a moderate amount of natural sunlight exposure is actually good for the eyes.
You could treat it almost like excess sun exposure to the skin.
I wouldn’t recommend applying sunscreen immediately upon going outside, I would recommend applying it when it feels like the sun exposure is getting a little excessive for the skin, and a burn could set in, as you do want to avoid sunburns.
(And on that note, I would recommend ONLY applying an all natural sunscreen, as traditional sunscreens are LOADED with synthetic chemicals that are harmful for you and actually cause cancer themselves.)
It’s worth considering maybe the same approach to UV protectant eyewear, or sunglasses. Have them on hand, let your eyes soak up a healthy, moderate amount of natural light, which should engage a more healthy melanin response, and if you feel like the sunlight is getting to be excessive for your eyes, throw on the sunglasses.
This is a segment that may become a reoccurring segment from time to time.
I’m always coming across infographics, or “memes”, that tell a pretty solid story, or shed light on a topic related to health & wellness in a very visual, digestible format.
I tend to try to drop hard science and further thoughts on said research in this blog, however, I think breaking that up from time to time with some perspective on some good infographic style memes can also be a great way to learn more about this magical, wildly intelligent, complex organism known as “the human body” that we’ve all been blessed with.
Each Individual Tooth is a Tiny Organ
Did you know that your individual teeth are actually all individual organs?
Pretty wild to think about, and if you truly apply that to treating your oral health like you would the rest of your body, and other internal organs, it could transform your view of what true, functional oral health means.
To start, here’s a bit more on why your teeth are actually individual organs:
Definition of an Organ: In biology, an organ is a collection of different tissues that are structurally organized and work together to perform a specific function.
Different Tissues in a Tooth -
Each tooth is composed of several distinct tissues:
✔️ Enamel: The hard, outermost layer, protecting the tooth.
✔️ Dentin: A bone-like tissue beneath the enamel and cementum.
✔️ Cementum: A bone-like tissue that covers the tooth root and helps anchor it to the jawbone.
✔️ Pulp: The innermost core, containing blood vessels, nerves, and connective tissue, which provides nourishment and sensation to the tooth
Specific Function -
Teeth have a crucial and specialized function:
✔️ Digestion: They are the first step in the digestive process, responsible for mechanically breaking down food (cutting, tearing, crushing, and grinding) to make it easier to swallow and digest.
✔️ Speech: They also play a role in speech articulation.
Because they meet the definition of being a collection of different tissues working together for a specific purpose, individual teeth are classified as organs, specifically ectodermal organs, like hair, skin, and sweat glands.
This infographic also shows that your teeth have connections, most likely via nerves, to other organs, and don’t forget, the gums in your mouth are a direct entrance to the bloodstream, and they’re very permeable, so if you have a tooth that has bad bacterial buildup, is in poor health, or gets pulled, that could directly impact the health of your other organs.
The short of it is that true oral health goes beyond just brushing your teeth, and should be viewed as an integral part of a disease preventive approach to your health, as your mouth has its own microbiome, and all your teeth are actual individual organs.
And just like sunscreen, and why you shouldn’t apply toxic products to your skin (also a very permeable organ, and known as your “second mouth”) like synthetic sunscreen, neither should you use synthetic oral care products.
A little over a year ago I did a deep month long dive and series on oral health, and I think it’s more relevant and important than ever, so I plan to reissue that series in the next month in special edition “Weekly Thread” releases, on top of the normal weekly release.
Choose “Hi-vibe” Fabrics
Everything in this world has a vibrational frequency.
I know it sounds a little “woo woo”, but we are surrounded by vibrational frequencies everywhere.
We know because there is hard science backing this up, that simply connecting your bare feet to the Earth (getting your feet in the grass), or grounding, connects your body to a frequency that actually charges up your body, and reduces inflammation and boosts your immune response.
It shouldn’t be much of a surprise that synthetic, non-living fabrics, don’t carry a natural frequency, on top of having varying levels of toxicity.
I think this infographic does a really nice job of showing the frequency of different fabrics.
Do I think you should wholesale ditch all your clothes for wool or linen? Probably not, as that’s most likely not super practical for you.
Although if you live a life where that’s possible, it would probably benefit your overall well-being.
Is it maybe worth working more natural, living fabrics into your life as one part of a more well rounded health & wellness lifestyle?
For sure.
I think the easiest and best place to start is your bedding.
Think about it.
You lay in bed for probably 6-9 hours every night, and the goal of that time in bed is to get the best, most restorative sleep possible.
That’s a big chunk of your life, and a chunk you are dedicating to recovery.
It’s a pretty easy switch to ditch any synthetic fabric sheets and swap them out for a natural, living fabric.
We personally use linen sheets on our bed, on top of a mattress made of all natural materials, and it’s all very comfortable, so there’s no sacrifice of comfort to switch to a natural, living fabric.
Grass Fed Red Meat: The Most Nutrient Dense Food in the World
Two weeks ago I broke down my most cost effective, nutrient dense foods, and my thinking behind that list.
At the top of that list was grass fed ground beef. Ground beef beat out something like a ribeye cut, because of its cost effectiveness, but in general, grass fed meat is a nutrient dense powerhouse.
For me personally, there is nothing I enjoy more in the world than a grass fed ribeye, slow cooked in a skillet with lots of high mineral salt and butter, and then seared in tallow.
And that ribeye, just on its own, is an entire meal complete with lots of high quality protein, fat, and a multivitamin/mineral; as is ground beef, just in a more cost effective source.
First and foremost for grass fed red meat, is that it’s rich in high quality fat and protein, which are your two most paramount macronutrients, and then this infographic does a great job of showing you just how micronutrient dense it also is.
Because it’s red meat, you get all the natural iron, and blood boosting nutrients like b vitamins, and then because of all the healthy fat, you also get all the fat soluble vitamins that grass fed cow was holding.
"The ultimate measure of our lives is not how much time we spend on the planet, but rather how much energy we invest in the time we have."
-Tony Schwartz
We only have so much energy we can give in a day.
Although, I would also argue that you can harness more and actually grow your “available” energy with focus and a whole lotta gratitude.
Where are you placing your energy?
It’s not about not having enough energy.
It’s about placing our energy where it matters, on people and things that matter.
Go ahead and make a list of who those people are, and what those things are in your life and for you personally, and make an effort to focus more of that amazing energy that you have on those people and things.
