EP 079: The Impact of Complete Solar Spectrum On Our Bodies

“Melatonin is the body’s most effective antioxidant,” declares Scott Zimmerman, who published a groundbreaking paper on subcellular melatonin, which has completely altered our understanding of how the hormone is produced in the body. 

As it turns out, melatonin is not solely produced by the pineal gland but in all of our mitochondria. It works to soothe the cortisol that is produced when we engage in nearly any activity, including exercise. 

On today’s episode of The Quantum Biology Collective podcast, Scott dispels common misconceptions including just how deeply different types of light penetrate the body. Our modern indoor environment—from hospitals to homes, windows and screens— prevents us from accessing all of the near-infrared light that we were born to absorb and that is so vital to our health. 

This is most especially important for children, Scott says. Due to body size and hormonal activity, they are most affected by light, and will suffer the most if we don’t change our current lifestyles. 

Join today’s discussion to learn how nature amplifies our absorption of near-infrared light and why not all blue light is bad. 

Quotes

• “So the body seems to have this kind of yin yang thing going on with the different types of hormones. You want to have the stress hormone response of cortisol to deal with, you know, it shuts down your immune system, it localizes, increases energy production, it does all these good things. But if you keep it up there, then you’ve got a problem. So it appears that the melatonin that's being generated in response to the stressor is greater than, equal to, or greater than the cortisol levels, and it tends to suppress the cortisol and get us back down to calm back down.” (14:15 | Scott Zimmerman) 
• “We've underestimated how the interactions between, you'll see a paper on melatonin, you'll see a paper on cortisol, you'll see a paper on other different hormone levels, but the reality is, is they're working in tandem.” (15:02 | Scott Zimmerman)
• “For whatever reason, sunlight is lowest on the list. We will come up with every other reason—the food, the exercise, the whatever—but sunlight… I guess everybody thinks they just have a right to it; they just don’t take advantage of it, is the problem. And it is free, it’s pretty easy to take advantage of.” (40:14 | Scott Zimmerman) 

Links

Bon Charge Discount Code: at checkout enter the code: QBC to receive 15% off

https://us.boncharge.com/collections/blue-light-blocking-glasses

**If you're in the US and have a Health Savings Account (HSA or FSA) BonCharge products are an eligible expense**

Connect with Scott Zimmerman:

Website: Niralighting.com

Melatonin Research: https://www.melatonin-research.net/index.php/MR/article/view/19

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