We're covering ourselves with a tarp.
Dr. Jack Kruse's paradigm-shifting insight: "Taking supplemental vitamin D3 is like trying to hire someone else to do your push-ups for you." We've become so disconnected from natural light that we're trying to supplement our way out of a sunlight deficiency.
Brain circuits wired to light, not food
Melatonin made in mitochondria
Estrogen drop at menopause
The tree that changed everything.
"Look at that tree outside. If you plant it in great soil and water it but cover it with a tarp, what happens? It dies. Yet we cover ourselves - with clothes, sunscreen, and UV-blocking sunglasses - and wonder why we don't thrive."
The Body as a Light Refinery
Our mitochondria take the sun's full spectrum and "refine" it into biological processes. When we replace natural sunlight with artificial light, it's like putting crude oil directly into a car's gas tank.
Every Cell Is Solar-Powered
95% of melatonin is made in our mitochondria, not just in the brain. Blue light from screens destroys this production, while morning UV light rebuilds it. That expensive melatonin supplement? A Band-Aid on a broken solar panel.
The Sunglasses Paradox
When we put sunglasses on, it decreases melanin production in the skin, making us more sensitive to burning. We've created the very problem we're trying to solve.
Why menopausal women need more sun.
"Menopausal women need more sunlight, not less sunlight as their physicians often tell them." - Dr. Jack Kruse
The Hidden Superpower
When estrogen drops by 90% at menopause, iron is released from storage. UV light magnetizes this iron, creating quantum effects that provide extra energy from sunlight - nature's way of giving women a second wind.
Hot Flashes and Energy Crashes
Modern women feel terrible during menopause partly because they're avoiding the very thing designed to revitalize them. The body might be screaming for morning sunlight, not another supplement.
The Hormone Cascade
The hormone cascade controlling everything from sleep to bone density starts with morning light hitting your retina between 6-10 AM. Without this signal, taking hormones is like trying to start a car without turning the ignition.
The sunrise prescription.
"Watch every sunrise. If you do this every day of your life, you will have the greatest impact on your health."
Not through a window. Not with sunglasses. Outside with naked eyes looking slightly off-axis from the sun. Start with 10-20 minutes and build to 30+.
Everyday Revelations
- • Afternoon energy crash? Missing morning light
- • Supplements not working? No light signals
- • Stubborn weight gain? Wrong energy source
- • Open windows - filtered glass isn't the same
Practical Magic
- • Use candles/red lights after sunset
- • Take work calls outside
- • Eat lunch in the sun
- • Build your "solar callus" gradually
Food as light information.
"Food is just an electromagnetic barcode of sunlight." That tropical fruit in your winter smoothie carries light information from its growing location, creating chaos when consumed far from the equator in December.
This explains why some people thrive on certain diets while others don't. It's not just about macros or calories - it's about whether your light environment matches your food choices. High-carb summer foods require high-light summer environments.
Remove the tarp and let the light in.
The prescription is free, the pharmacy is outside your door, and the medicine has been waiting 4.5 billion years to heal you. All you have to do is step outside tomorrow morning to greet the sunrise.