The Optimise Health Blog

Forest Sunrise ©Ben Sinclair 2012 I've been looking into the Japanese practise of  Forest Bathing  which is a fascinating therapeutic activity. This is when individuals spend deliberate mindful time in the forest while allowing the environment to have effects on the body and senses.  A session of forest bathing may be made up of:  - seeing green trees and plants, taking time to note natural activity around you - touching the plants and trees, connecting to the ground - hearing wildlife and listening to sounds of the environment - breathing the air and noting the aromas given off by the trees and plants. My personal journey into integrated well-being began with a stress related illness (shingles and post-viral fatigue) during my A-levels. Ever since then I have been aware of the need to build activities into my life to improve well-being and combat the negative effects of stress. See my theory of integrated health here . View of t...

As the dark nights draw in some start to crave sunshine while experiencing symptoms of feeling tired all the time, aches and feeling low in mood and motivation.  Some of these symptoms can be attributed to low circulating levels of Vitamin D, of which 90% is gained through exposure to sunshine and 10% can be absorbed from dietary sources.  In Equatorial areas of the globe a fair skinned person exposing face and arms to the sun at noon for 30 minutes may synthesize about 2,000 IU of Vitamin D in the skin, although ironically we now advise avoiding the midday sun due to risk of skin damage and cancer.  Unfortunately in Northern climes (above the latitude of Newbury in the UK) the wavelength of sunlight is inadequate year round and deficient in winter, leaving many at risk of vitamin D insufficiency and causing consequent symptoms or complications if deficiency is left untreated. All living above Newbury in the UK should consider supplementation. ...