Its a UVB lamp (as opposed to the UVA wavelengths that (I think) regular tanning beds provide). I got it because UVB/Vit.D is supposed to be good for psoriasis, which I’ve got on one hand.
I tested the lamp one day on my tummy by turning it on and hold it over my stomach about 4 inches away for 5 minutes. I ended up with the worst sunburn I’ve ever had in my life, to the point where the skin was purple. Granted, the instructions said not to use it any closer than 8", and I was just testing to see if it worked.
I haven’t used it in a while though, since I’ve switched to taking a Vit.D supplement in the morning and at night, which seems to provide enough Vit. D to keep the psoriasis from getting bad (and the capsules I take are pretty small, which makes taking them easy.)
TLDR: Yes there are UVB lamps out there. Vit.D supplements/pills are probably easier though.
I bought one for my work desk since I am inside all day. I feel less tired in the afternoons.
My doctor suggested it after a car accident and I am still using it. I think it is great.[/quote]
This is a SAD light, not a UVB (Vit D) light. Good for mood, but not Vit D production. Vit D lights (regular or narroband) are the kind that require you to wear protective eyewear[/quote]
I just checked the booklet and it contains the full spectrum and it mentions it enhances vitamin D synthesis.
I am only going by the brochure and the wikipedia info I have no direct knowledge.
So are you saying that a full spectrum isn’t enough for D production even at 5,000 LUX?
Just curious. I only use the lamp at work as I am lucky enough to get outside every day.
why are so many people opposed to the lamp if he wants to buy a lamp? The walk 2x a day would be great but if it gets cold where you are you’re going to have to cover up most of your skin, and all the recommendations I have seen say to get as much skin exposed to sunlight as possible for those 15 or 30 minutes to be worthwhile.
One of those natural guys, eh? Nothing more natural than a lamp blaring in your face instead of having to take a few pills per day the size of tic-tacs.
Make sure to use at least SPF 45, don’t want to sport an orange tint.
[/quote]
I’m not trying to be argumentative, but I’m not sure why this is so difficult to comprehend. It’s the difference between training at high altitudes and taking EPO, or probably more analogously doing heavy compound lifts and taking testosterone.
And before I get overwhelmed with the “OMG vitamin d iz nothing like t!!1” comments, I’m saying that the situtation is analogous, not similar. Obviously exogenous testosterone is much more powerful and has much more obvious side effects.
Because our knowledge of nutritional biochemistry is still extremely limited and the full extend of the effects of any substance, I prefer to err on the side of caution and go the more natural route as opposed to eating artificially produced, highly concentrated compounds that could never be consumed in a natural setting when there is an easy and viable alternative.
[quote]caveman101 wrote:
or go for a walk 2x 15mins a day?[/quote]
Sounds great in theory, but with the amount of shit I am doing, that would be an intermittent 30 min at best.
One of those natural guys, eh? Nothing more natural than a lamp blaring in your face instead of having to take a few pills per day the size of tic-tacs…[/quote]
…And before I get overwhelmed with the “OMG vitamin d iz nothing like t!!1” comments, I’m saying that the situtation is analogous, not similar. Obviously exogenous testosterone is much more powerful and has much more obvious side effects.
Because our knowledge of nutritional biochemistry is still extremely limited and the full extend of the effects of any substance, I prefer to err on the side of caution and go the more natural route as opposed to eating artificially produced, highly concentrated compounds that could never be consumed in a natural setting when there is an easy and viable alternative.[/quote]
For what it’s worth animals with fur eat their vitamin D by licking their fur, which is similar and analagous to the supplemental form that humans take.
[quote]Fiction wrote:
[quote]caveman101 wrote:
or go for a walk 2x 15mins a day?[/quote]
Sounds great in theory, but with the amount of shit I am doing, that would be an intermittent 30 min at best.[/quote]
An intermittent 30 minutes is just as good as 30 minutes straight. The major limiting factor in Vit D production is not length of continuous time, but total time combined with angle of sun (time of day and year) and total % of skin exposure. Skin tone affects D3 production (light skinned people need less total time under the sun as compared to dark skinned people – maximal vit d production occurs up until the point of when a sun burn begins to occur… dark skinned and or tanned people get burned less easily). Less well known is the fact that Vit D status is also related to exercise and body fat percentage (more bodyfat and less exercise means lower vit D status). http://www.direct-ms.org/pdf/VitDGenScience/Body%20fat%20exercise%2025D.pdf
Sounds great in theory, but with the amount of shit I am doing, that would be an intermittent 30 min at best.[/quote]
An intermittent 30 minutes is just as good as 30 minutes straight. [/quote]
I meant the 30 minutes would be intermittent throughout the week. For instance, yesterday I went out a grand total of one time for about 10 minutes, and it involved driving my car home from a girl’s house.
[quote]For the study, Holick and colleagues exposed 15 healthy adults aged 20 to 53 in a bathing suit three times per week from a commercial tanning bed that emitted five percent of its UV energy in the UVB ranging 290 to 320 nm. The 25(OH)D level in the blood was determined weekly for seven weeks.
Exposure to tanning bed irradiation increased pre-vitamin D at a linear rate of 1 percent per minute. One week of exposure led to an increase in 25(OH)D by 50 percent and five weeks of exposure increased the level by 150 percent compared to baseline. After five weeks, 25(OH)D leveled off in the next two weeks.[/quote]
Further digging around shows that some newer beds are UVA only, so the above wouldn’t be the case for those bulbs.
Ask your tanning place which bulbs they’re using. If they’re 100% UVA, then no, they won’t help. I think they usually call these UVA focused beds “high pressure beds” or something like that.
Sounds great in theory, but with the amount of shit I am doing, that would be an intermittent 30 min at best. [/quote]
An intermittent 30 minutes is just as good as 30 minutes straight. [/quote]
I meant the 30 minutes would be intermittent throughout the week. For instance, yesterday I went out a grand total of one time for about 10 minutes, and it involved driving my car home from a girl’s house. [/quote]
Wow you definintely need to get outside more. And in the car won’t cut it because glass filters 90something% of UVB.
[quote]chimera182 wrote:
Someone I know kept trying to tell me that unless you don’t shower the vit-d you get from sun exposure doesn’t have time to be absorbed. [/quote]
You can’t shower for 30 minutes after sun exposure. Getting in a pool, ocean, lake etc would have a similar effect as a shower.
[quote]chimera182 wrote:
Someone I know kept trying to tell me that unless you don’t shower the vit-d you get from sun exposure doesn’t have time to be absorbed. [/quote]
You can’t shower for 30 minutes after sun exposure. Getting in a pool, ocean, lake etc would have a similar effect as a shower.[/quote]
[quote]
For what it’s worth animals with fur eat their vitamin D by licking their fur, which is similar and analagous to the supplemental form that humans take. [/quote]
[quote]
For what it’s worth animals with fur eat their vitamin D by licking their fur, which is similar and analagous to the supplemental form that humans take. [/quote]
This made me laugh really hard actually :)[/quote]
Glad I made you laugh. What I said is accurate though. Are you laughing because of the mental picture or something? When a dog licks his leg or other furry area (balls are usually not hairy enough, nor is that fur exposed to enough UV rays to convert the vit d into the usable form), that is how they get their vitamin d.
Even the Vit D you take (if you take any) is probably from animals fur: “Cholecalciferol, the D3 form of the vitamin, can be obtained from animal or microbial sources. One practice for generating the D3 found in supplements involves sheep’s wool. Sheep (and many other animals) have sebaceous glands in their skin that secrete a complex variety of substances, including cholesterol (in the form of 7-dehydrocholesterol). The secretions from the sebaceous glands naturally find their way into the animal’s fur. A supplement manufacturer wanting to produce vitamin D3 supplements can remove the secretions from the fur (in this case sheep’s wool), process and purify the 7-dehydrocholesterol, expose it to UVB (ultra-violet B) light, and thereby convert it into cholecalciferol.” vitamin D
[quote]chimera182 wrote:
Someone I know kept trying to tell me that unless you don’t shower the vit-d you get from sun exposure doesn’t have time to be absorbed. [/quote]
You can’t shower for 30 minutes after sun exposure. Getting in a pool, ocean, lake etc would have a similar effect as a shower.[/quote]
Thanks![/quote]
I already made a post about this a few days ago but it never showed up. I just realized I was wrong when I said you can’t shower for 30 minutes. I thought I recalled something that said 30 minutes was enough, but I went back and checked it out and it can take up to 48 hours for the vit D to absorb. If you need to take a shower, just wash the necessary areas and don’t use soap on your arms, neck, back, etc and you should be good to go. This might get in the way of your hygiene but it is what it is.
