The right type of light heals and aids in the protection of most metabolic and nervous functions, hormonal functions, brain health, eye and skin health, and in the synthesis and utilization of vitamins and enzymes.
Getting the right kind and length or light is critical not just to our well being, but our very physical body itself.
In the past, and still today but not practical since incandescent bulbs were outlawed, Peat recommended several hours of very bright, yellow incandescent light (not the full blue or violet spectrum incandescents or fluorescents as the UV and/or blue can damage the lipids in the retina).
We can approximate that today by using halogen bulbs when practical. They are similar in size to the original incandescents. Their color spectrum is slightly less yellow. They often use slightly less wattage than incandescents. One can still find 40 watt incandescents to use in fixtures using multiple bulbs that can give a good amount of more healthy artificial light.
These incandescent-like halogens also have similar or lower light brightness/lumens than the old incandescent bulbs.
So if your fixture can support the wattage, and the EXTRA HEAT (open-type fixtures that can breathe out heat are better suited) usually try to go up in the light lumens wattage—use 75 or 100 “watt” halogen bulbs where a 60 went before.
Track lighting with halogens are hot but give off exceptional light that is more healthy, as well as canned, recessed fixtures designed for heat venting and use of real halogen directional light bulbs.
As a caution, halogen bulbs can give off damaging UV rays if used in close-up work like desk lamps. Higher watts of halogen can burn your hands as you work all day under those.
For working close up under desk lamps, though the light output is weak, and the bulbs can sometimes burn out quickly every few months, the low watt incandescent bulbs, 40 watt, are still available and the best option for desks. I use those in the desk lamps as well as some ceiling fans and enclosed ceiling light fixtures.
Some open-light-fixture ceiling fans I put in the higher light output halogens. They too burn out very quickly but give a good amount of more yellow light.
LED (and the same whether full spectrum or not fluorescent bulbs) bulbs in general can be harmful to your health. They emit a non-perceptible to the conscious brain flicker that can even trigger seizures in some people. And their greatest flaw is in producing odd color, off-putting and often blue light that can cause eye damage and brain injury.
As a note, there is new tech now called “TruWave” LED bulbs made by Sylvania. They are expensive, $20 for a pack of four but their “warm” light is very natural, they have reduced the flicker (I still get agitated if being under these lights longer than a few minutes) and the color rendering index number CRI is over 90 creating a more natural light color.
If you must-must have LED bulbs for some reason, these would be the only type to try. And do keep in mind they are STILL giving off something, some EMF or other in the flicker that can be disturbing to some people. If you have mystery illnesses, I would try to avoid ALL LED lighting.
And these TruWave bulbs come in a “daylight” more blue version light but I’d still ONLY go for the “warm” to get rid of as much of the harmful blue rays as possible.
Blue light is HIGHLY DANGEROUS. The blue light can cause lipid damage to the retina.
Regarding blue light, there is an inexpensive program I have on my computer and laptop that can be put on any computer or computer screen device to block the monitor blue light
This program is usually not available to work on a television but I wouldn’t keep those TVs around anyway—use an oversized computer monitor attached to a small laptop or similar and put the blue blocker program on that.
Television tech, especially the “smart” tech is designed to spy and track, entrain your mind and monitor you with internal, undisclosed cameras, microphones and tech that is outrageously and decidedly NOT private!
You can order blue-blocker glasses (non prescription) to block televisions, but again, I’d get rid of any TV tech, and I’d put in Iris on your devices.
And whenever you order new prescription glasses, reading glasses, all of it, always order them with the blue light blocker incorporated.
Besides setting up more healthful inside light, outside sun in addition is a must.
You can get safe sun, 10 minutes full or 20 minutes in dappled light, or 40 minutes maximum in full shade ONLY before 9 or 10 am and after 4 or 5 pm, but care needs to be taken to not get burned.
Have as much skin exposed as possible. No hat, no sunglasses, no sunscreen (sunscreen is incredibly damaging because of the unsaturated oils, intensified by the other ingredients used can cause great skin damage). Safer sunscreen can be coconut oil mixed with zinc oxide but that too can cause skin burn.
There is sun protective clothing designed using special UV light blocking fabrics by Solumbra and other manufacturers.
Best to wear a big hat and full coverage specialty clothing if needing to be outside for more time than needed.
But do get outside DAILY. Even on cloudy days. Because of the effect on hormones and eye health, most feel less anxiety and sleep better when getting outside light for a period of time each day.
Read any work by John N. Ott or Zane R. Kime, MD, or Ray Peat newsletters.
Peat does NOT agree with the UV implications of Ott and others, but their other work is on target.
“Although some UV seems to be necessary for plants to develop their fibers, I don’t think any is needed by animals or people”-Ray Peat
Best to read the chapter on light in Peat’s book “From PMS to Menopause” (women and men), chapter 26, Sunlight: Using It To Enhance Life.
If you want to try one of the SAD lightboxes, most types (even “Ott Lights”) produce unshielded x-ray type damaging UV light. You will want to look for one where the UV component can be unhooked. And keep its use to a minimum.
UV is needed for plant life but NOT for humans.
Indeed, if you grow your own herb garden under bright light array setups, halide or LED or other, ALWAYS wear UV shielding sunglasses when working with the plants under the lights.
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