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 The first written mentions of the healing properties of the sun's rays lead us into the gray depths of centuries. As the inscriptions on the ancient monuments of Egypt testify, even then people used the rays of the sun to heal various ailments.
But long before the creation of writing, many tribes and peoples developed a cult of the Sun God, who was worshiped, feared and who, in the eyes of the ancients, personified life itself.
Now we know that the Sun is a huge mass of incandescent matter, which is located at a very impressive distance from us - 159 million kilometers. What are the sun's rays?
Perhaps the first of the people to study them was the famous English scientist Isaac Newton. By passing a beam of light through a glass prism, he found that white light was decomposed into several constituent parts. Everyone saw the rainbow, of course. This is exactly the picture Newton observed when he passed a ray of sunlight through a prism. The range of colors into which a ray of white light was decomposed was called the spectrum. For many years after Newton's discovery, many scientists studied the nature of light and finally came to the conclusion that light is electromagnetic waves. But each wave has its own length. An exact quantitative characteristic of the color of this or that ray was found. The table below shows the approximate wavelengths corresponding to light rays of different colors.
Subsequently, it turned out that the sun's rays contain not only visible wavelengths. At the edges of the spectrum there are also rays invisible to the human eye. Those of them that are adjacent to the red border of the spectrum are called infrared, and those located beyond the violet border - ultraviolet. But, perhaps, the most interesting thing is that both visible and infrared and ultraviolet rays have a definite (and clearly perceptible) (effect on plant and animal organisms, including the human body. The mechanism of action of these three "varieties" rays on a person are far from the same, just as their physiological action is not the same.
Does the spectrum of the sun's rays have any effect on the physiological state of the human body?
A person has a joyful and light mood on a clear, sunny, fine day. Remember: you woke up with a ray of sun shining on your face. You open your eyes - the room is full of light and sun. You are in a good, cheerful mood. And here is another picture: in the morning there is a fine, drizzling rain. Heavy, leaden clouds surrounded the sky. Everything around is gray, dull color. Your mood is not good, depressed. What is it? Do weather events really affect a person's mood? No. As scientists have established, the psychophysical state is influenced not so much by the weather as by the wavelength of light. This influence can be very diverse. So, for example, even Goethe noted the different influence of shades of color on a person's mood. He believed that blue-violet colors evoked a depressed, sad, and sometimes restless mood. Green has a calming effect. Goethe attributed red and yellow to colors that evoke a cheerful, joyful mood, even a surge of energy.
 Our great compatriot, a prominent neuropathologist and psychiatrist V.M.Bekhterev also wrote about the great influence of color sensations on the human psyche. In particular, he noted the calming effect of blue in states of mental arousal. Bekhterev suggested treating neuropsychiatric disorders by regulating color stimuli. So, for example, in his opinion, patients with increased excitability begin to feel better in wards with blue walls.Patients with depression are best placed in pink-colored wards.
Now color therapy is widely used for various types of neuroses... A number of scientists note that a person always pays more attention to warm yellows and pinks. Their action not only makes you feel good, but also stimulates muscle activity. And although visible rays of light have a direct effect only on human eye, their influence is far from being exhausted by this. The central nervous system, reacting to the received color stimuli, makes many glands of the body work differently, regulating their secret activity.
One of the manifestations of color therapy today is such a branch of science as industrial aesthetics. Along with the study and introduction into production of modern forms of various structures, machine tools, devices, this science substantiates the most appropriate colors in which walls, ceilings and floors of buildings, carcasses, and automatic machines are painted. So, for example, already in many new buildings, especially industrial enterprises, you can often see walls and floors painted in different colors. In some hospitals, ward ceilings are painted in warm pink tones to help create a more joyful mood for the bedridden patient, while the walls are calm bluish-green in order not to tire the staff.
It can be noted here that not only animal organisms respond to different wavelengths of visible light. This applies equally to plants. Everyone, obviously, knows that the processes of photosynthesis take place in the light. After long and painstaking work, scientists managed to find out that this process occurs in plants in different ways if it is irradiated with light of different wavelengths. So, for example, if a plant is irradiated with red light, then the main products of photosynthesis are carbohydrates, if the irradiation is carried out with blue light, then the product of photosynthesis will be proteins. Thus, it was found that the effect of the wavelength of the perceived light is observed in both plant and animal organisms.
It is interesting that a number of scientists associate the different influence of color shades on a person's mood with the historical conditions of his development. At an early stage of development, our ancestors were rather defenseless not only against natural phenomena (fires, thunderstorms, storms, earthquakes, river floods), but also against the fauna of primeval forests, especially against various predatory animals. One must think that the first people felt far from comfortable in the impenetrable darkness of the night, when an attack could be expected from behind every tree and bush. Perhaps their only ally against the night and wild animals was a bonfire, a fire that personified the Sun and life for them. With joyful cries they greeted the coming of the day and the appearance in the sky of a bright luminary that drove away the night, wild animals, and with it fear, the eternal companion of primitive man, And, of course, one must imagine their despair, when instead of the Sun - their friend and guardian dark, gloomy clouds were gathering in the sky. This fear of the night, of dark blue-violet tones in modern man has been preserved as an unconditioned reflex. Hence the completely different psychophysical perception of red-yellow and blue-violet tones.
We have already said above that the sun's rays consist not only of visible light, but also of ultraviolet and infrared rays. What effect do they have on the human body?
Perhaps the least is known now about the physiological and especially biochemical action of infrared rays of the solar spectrum. These are the so-called heat rays. It is believed that their wavelength range extends from 0.77 to 340 microns. Any heated body (even a person) is capable of emitting them.Scientists now believe that the therapeutic effect of infrared rays is solely due to the thermal effect. In addition, it was found that their penetrating ability in relation to body tissues is significantly higher than that of visible or ultraviolet rays. Thus, when irradiated with infrared rays, not only areas of the skin are exposed to heat, but also cells of various tissues located in deeper parts of the body. The body temperature rises, and this, in turn, leads to an acceleration of a number of physicochemical processes in tissues. In particular, the permeability of the vessels increases, their expansion is observed, the immune-biological processes and metabolic processes are enhanced, thermoregulation is intensified, etc.
It is known that as a result of chemical and physical processes in the body, a certain amount of heat is constantly released. If this heat was not removed outside, then the body temperature of a person would rise by one degree every hour. But this does not happen due to thermoregulation, that is, the body's ability to give off heat to the surrounding space. At moderate ambient temperatures, heat transfer occurs using radiation (this function is performed by infrared rays that are emitted by the human body). If the ambient temperature is high enough, the body activates another powerful thermoregulatory factor - sweating. Indeed, a significant amount of heat is spent on the evaporation of sweat, which is a weak (0.1-0.2 percent) solution of sodium chloride. Thus, the body protects itself from overheating.
However, the body's defenses are not unlimited. If a person is exposed to sufficiently intense heat radiation (for example, under the influence of direct sunlight or under conditions of high thermal loads at the workplace), and the humidity is high enough (in this case, the role of sweating decreases sharply), then certain physiological disorders may occur ... As they say, overheating of the body occurs, that is, a violation of the regulation of physiological processes aimed at maintaining the body temperature at a certain constant level. This, in turn, leads to changes in the state of the central nervous system, oxygen deficiency develops, a person has difficulty breathing, heart rate increases, headache appears, and general weakness. This painful condition, caused by general overheating of the body, is called heatstroke. In its manifestations, heatstroke is close to sunstroke - a severe damage to the central nervous system and the most important nerve centers in the medulla oblongata, which is caused by prolonged exposure to sunlight on the parietal region of the head.
 Of course, the degree and speed of overheating for different individuals varies widely and, in addition to external factors, also depends on the individual characteristics of the organism. So, for example, it can be noted that people suffering from cardiovascular diseases, endocrine disorders are more often exposed to overheating. It is contraindicated to stay under an intense flow of sunlight after a hearty meal, as well as for the elderly.
Much more is known about the role of ultraviolet rays in the life of various animal organisms, including humans, although their registration and detection is much more difficult. And there are less of them in sunlight than all the others. And in the early morning and evening, when the sun is low above the horizon, there are none at all.
Ultraviolet rays are a kind of medicine that nature gives us in the required quantities. You need to know that in high doses, they are extremely harmful to all living things.Our generous sun releases them to the earth so much that if it were not for the protective shell - the atmosphere, nothing living would seem to have appeared on our planet. In any case, this is the opinion held by most scientists. Yet in reasonable doses, ultraviolet rays are extremely beneficial. Moreover, they are necessary. In particular, they cause darkening of the skin, the so-called sunburn. Sunbathe, of course, it is possible everywhere, only in the south the sun's rays contain about twice as much ultraviolet rays as in mid-latitudes. But, for example, in the Far North, sometimes in summer, when the sun does not even set over the horizon, you can hear the following expression: "polar ultraviolet night." It means that there are no ultraviolet rays in the solar spectrum.
By the way, tanning is not just a fashion statement. It is really necessary for both adults and children. And the point here is not at all in the brown color of the skin. Scientists have found that under the influence of ultraviolet rays, complex biochemical processes take place in the upper layers of the skin, which ultimately lead to the formation of vitamin D. This vitamin regulates the absorption of chemical elements such as calcium and phosphorus by the body. It is difficult to overestimate the importance of calcium and phosphorus for the vital activity of an animal organism. For example, regarding phosphorus, which is part of the brain (as well as bone) tissues, the famous chemist of the last century, Moleschott, said: "There is no thought without phosphorus!"
Disadvantage vitamin D leads to a decrease in calcium in tissues, teeth, bones. As a result, symptoms of diseases such as rickets and atherosclerosis begin to appear. People with a low calcium content in their tissues are more prone to colds. Thus, sun exposure provides a supply of vitamin D for a fairly long period.
But the formation of vitamin D is only one side of the action of ultraviolet rays on the body. Thanks to mm, the so-called epidermal layer (cuticle) becomes thicker, capillaries, supplying the skin with blood and nutrients, expand. The epidermis is highly resistant to various chemicals in the air, as well as enzymes produced by pathogens. Therefore, pustular processes are less frequently observed on healthy, tanned skin. Thus, the resulting stratum corneum acts as a kind of protective shell. At the same time, the skin, characterized by pallor and flabbiness, usually does not resist various infections well. Wounds heal worse on such skin, it leads to a general weakening of the body.
The effect of solar radiation on the child's body is well illustrated by such data. Before the revolution, among the children of nomad Buryats under the age of three, 85% had signs of pronounced rickets. The development of this disease was influenced by a religious custom, which forbade taking out babies from the yurt for a whole year after birth. Naturally, such an annual "ultraviolet night" had a dramatic effect on the development of a growing organism.
By the way, the so-called electric cabinets have become widespread in our country for a long time. They are equipped with the latest technology and along with other devices have at their disposal a "room sun" - a small installation, the main part of which is a quartz mercury lamp. The light of such a lamp contains a lot of ultraviolet rays. Therefore, if a person (especially in winter) has a vitamin D deficiency or other symptoms of diseases due to the appearance of a small amount of ultraviolet rays, he is prescribed a special course of radiation. This course is especially useful for children born in the winter.
Ultraviolet rays, among other things, as it turned out, also have bactericidal properties
 Studies by a number of scientists have established that not only microbes die under the influence of ultraviolet radiation, but also lose their activity and products of their vital activity - the so-called toxins. Numerous facts at the disposal of medical science show that even with partial disinfection of air with ultraviolet rays, the incidence of diseases sharply decreases flu, sore throat and other infectious diseases. Particularly indicative are the data illustrating the effect of ultraviolet rays on E. coli, depending on the wavelength.
In addition, it was found that when irradiated with ultraviolet light, wound healing takes place in a shorter time, bones heal more successfully with fractures etc.
Interesting observations were made by a group of scientists to determine the absorption of ultraviolet rays by various textile materials. It turned out that fabrics such as dyed cotton, staple and linen fabrics absorb ultraviolet rays most strongly. Unpainted crepe de Chine and natural silk georgette crepe absorb 40 to 70% of UV radiation. And the most transparent were nylon and nylon fabrics.
The sun's rays, if used correctly, can bring a lot of usefulness not only to a healthy, but also to a sick body. So, for example, with their help such diseases as tuberculosis of bones, joints, lymph nodes, rickets are successfully treated. Along with this, heliotherapy (indicated for disorders of phosphorus-calcium metabolism and diseases of the skin. In general terms, the essence of the prevention and treatment of the above diseases is reduced to increased synthesis of vitamin D in the body under the influence of solar radiation. But it is this vitamin, as noted above responsible for the formation of bone tissue or, more precisely, for the regulation of processes absorption of calcium and phosphorus.
The mechanism of treatment of renal patients in a dry, hot climate is somewhat peculiar. There is currently the following explanation. Under these conditions, under the influence of high thermal loads, the release of water through the skin and with exhaled air increases. At the same time, diuresis (urination) falls. Thus, the load on the kidneys is significantly reduced, and blood circulation in the edematous skin and renal vessels is improved. This whole complex (the mechanism of which is actually much more complex) and leads to a certain improvement in the state of the organism.
However, the immeasurable abuse of the gifts of nature can bring great harm. We must firmly remember that everything is good in moderation. In addition, do not forget that sunbathing is contraindicated for hypertension in the later stages, with Graves' disease, patients suffering from heart disease, and especially with severe circulatory failure, as well as people of old age.
Vlasov L.G. - Nature heals
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