Spring has returned to Oregon and along with it comes a bounty of sunlight. Baseball fields and tulips may be the most visible gifts from the sun, however, it is the important nutrient that enters through the skin, vitamin D, that has inspired author Laurie Winn Carlson to write her latest book.

“For us in the Pacific Northwest, sunlight is fleeting and appreciated. I argue that it is the most important element needed for good health,” Carlson said.

The title of her book is "The Sunlight Solution: Why More Sun Exposure and Vitamin D are Essential to Your Health." This work is Carlson's 20th published book and she describes it as “easily the most important” and its spring release will “help readers to recharge their winter vitamin D deficiency levels."

Carlson is a professor at Western Oregon University and she lives on a farm outside of Dallas where she has raises chickens and goats.

“I was always an indoor person, writing and reading, or doing art and craft projects,” Carlson said. “I found livestock and gardening were ways to get outdoors with a purpose. Family members suffered from lack of vitamin D, and so did I. We just didn't know it.”

In "The Sunlight Solution," Carlson writes from the perspective of a historian. Beginning with a brief mention of the sun in mythology she moves on to paint a vivid history that helps her readers understand how human perception of the sun has changed over time. She describes the 1920s and 1930s as the “heyday of sunlight therapy” and explains how sunshine was often a physician's tool when trying to combat diseases prior to the invention of antibiotics.

Despite the advent of modern medicine there continues to be an increasing number of vitamin D deficiencies in children. As an example, the disease Rickets, which was associated with a lack of sunlight and basic nutrients during the Industrial Revolution has been making a return. Additionally, diseases such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and diabetes are consistently being linked to a lack of vitamin D.

What concerns Carlson about the Pacific Northwest, in particular, is the fact that our latitude keeps the sun away during the winter. Whether through diet or the use of ultraviolet radiation such as tanning beds, Carlson maintains that it is critically important to supplement the seasonal lack of sunlight with other sources of vitamin D.

“I use a tanning bed all winter, but I only use it for five minutes a week to develop the vitamin D in my skin, but not to achieve a recognizable tan,” Carlson said. “It helps with arthritis immensely.”

By supplementing ones diet with vitamin-enriched foods such as salmon, egg yoke, tuna fish, and cod liver oil, the lack of sunshine in the winter will not be as harmful to ones health. According to Carlson, the goal of her book is to help people understand the benefits of sunshine as well as the detrimental effects of a vitamin D deficiency.

“After reading it, you'll probably want to get more sunlight or use some of the dietary suggestions from the book to add to you vitamin D levels.”

Visit www.lauriecarlson.com to learn more about her latest book.