How to use the sun to improve eyesight and boost immunity

(NaturalNews) It is common knowledge in alternative medical circles that the sun, far from being the enemy to health that Western medicine has made it out to be, is really our best friend when it comes to health, healing, immunity and even strengthening our eyesight. How can this be? Well, in this article we're going to learn a simply eye exercise that only takes a few seconds to do each morning and evening.

As author Daniel Reid writes is his fantastic book The Tao of Health, Sex and Longevity p. 247:

"The key factor in heliotherapy is the invisible ultraviolet band, and the key receptor is the retina. A layer of cells called the epithelial cells become highly neuro-active when exposed to ultraviolet radiation, without in any way affecting vision. While the visible bands of light excite the retina's rods and cones to produce vision, the invisible ultraviolet band stimulates the adjacent epithelial cells, which transmit the stimulus as a powerful neural Impulse through the optic nerve directly to the pituitary and pineal glands. Western medicine calls this newly discovered biosystem the 'oculo-edocrine system', but the mechanism has been known to Taoists for ages. The discovery has spawned a new branch of western science known as 'photobiology.'"

The Chinese have known about the sun and its power to heal, rejuvenate and prolong life for millennia now. This is why they made sure to get out in the sun and even practiced certain exercises which involved actually looking toward the sun but not directly at it. They did this in the early morning and late afternoon each day BEFORE 9 am and AFTER 4 pm when the sun was beginning to get stronger and weaker. They never did it between the hours of 9 am to 4 pm, because the sun is too strong and eye damage could occur.

The Sun Blinking Exercise, A.K.A. "Administering Sunbeams"

The first exercise is done by looking around the sun at the four points of the compass and blinking the eyes rapidly for 3-5 seconds. Look once to the north of the sun about a 15-degree angle above it while blinking the eyes for 3-5 seconds, then to the right (east), then below it (south) and finally to the left (west) of the sun itself. Again, don't look directly at it, since the part of the retina that we want to irrigate with the UV rays and other rays from the sun exist on the side of the eyes, not in the center. This also helps prevent any damage to the eyes themselves, which is why it's done before 9am and after 4pm in the evening when the sun is not too strong, but the amount of UV rays is quite sufficient to result in significant benefits.

The second exercise is a bit more advanced. Following the same rules as the previous exercise, were going to roll our eyes around the sun for 3-5 seconds clockwise, then pause, look away for a few seconds, then repeat the roll in the opposite direction, counter-clockwise. This method provides a more complete irrigation of the retina with UV radiation. Just be careful not to let the eyes look directly AT the sun as you move the eyes around it.

At first, these exercises might cause your eyes to water or throb. That is due to the epithelial cells being without sufficient UV rays for so long, as well as possible atrophy of the eye muscles, which is one reason that I like the eye rolling exercises the most, which have other benefits to vision by themselves.

Sources for this article include:

Reid, Daniel. The Tao of Health, Sex and Longevity. 1989.

Jwing-Ming. Yang The Root of Chinese Chi-gung. 1995.

About the author:
Rich is a network engineer and longtime practitioner of Chinese martial arts, medicine and chi-gung for over twenty six years. Having learned many Chinese health and healing arts from old world gung-fu and healing masters and practitioners, he has helped many people to overcome their health issues and achieve their fitness goals. Through diligent study and experience he has taken this knowledge even further over the years including reading scores of books on Chinese medicine, health, chi theory, science, physics, nutrition, supplements, meditation, martial arts, and many other subjects. Utilizing the web, health and fitness videos, newsletters, articles, teachings and lectures, Rich is passionate about spreading the true knowledge of health, healing, fitness and spiritual truths. I'm proud to be writing articles for NaturalNews.com You can read many articles, hear audio interviews, and learn more about the highly praised Chinese Health and Fitness video by visiting Chinese Health and Fitness.com