Thread by @RootCauseDoctor

SUNLIGHT, MELATONIN AND MITOCHONDRIA ☀️

How full-spectrum sun exposure regulates our body's most important anti-oxidant...

Thread 🧵

Melatonin is an ancient molecule

Its origin can be traced back 2.5 billion years to primitive bacteria who first transitioned from anaerobic to aerobic metabolism

Algae, plants, fungi, insects, nematodes and vertebrates including mammals make melatonin

This points to a critical evolutionary role in cell function

Melatonin protects against oxidative stress

It is has superior antioxidant capability than vitamin C, vitamin E, coQ10 and glutathione

This is due to its ability to scavenge free radicals in a series of ‘cascading’ reactions

Which part of the cell most needs to deal with free radicals?

You guessed it – your mitochondria.

They are constantly generating reactive oxygen species as part of electron chain transport.

Hold that thought.

Current circadian thinking teaches that melatonin is exclusively released by the pineal gland

2 hours after dark in the absence of blue and green visible light, this tiny gland in the brain starts pumping

It then circulates throughout the body

But it turns out melatonin is made in other parts of the body, at quantities much larger than the pineal

Melatonin is made continuously, throughout the day in the mitochondria of every cell of your body. How?

On exposure to near-infrared (NIR) light from the SUN

Sunlight.

Sunlight is the stimulus for your mitochondria to make melatonin.

But not any part of sunlight. You specifically need Near-infrared (NIR) photons.

Near infrared makes up 70% of the photons hitting your body in natural sunlight

This means the majority of solar information programming your body is NON-VISIBLE

Although you can’t see near-infra red light, its all around you when you go outside

This is because the grass, the dirt and the leaves absorb visible light but REFLECT the near-infrared light

Its thought that melatonin made in the mitochondria acts acts locally to dampen oxidative stress, helping maintain cellular health and prevent molecular debris accumulation

An engine with self-replenishing supply of coolant and lubricant.

Incredibly elegant.

Simply being outside, in our naturally evolved environment gives us the stimulus to heal and regenerate on a CELLULAR level.

So to summarize we have 2 types:

Circulatory melatonin
- made at night by pineal gland
- needs absence of blue/green light

Sub-cellular (mitochondrial) melatonin
- made during day in response to NIR light from the sun

Sub-cellular, mitochondrial melatonin likely provides constant antioxidant power in every cell of your body

Circulatory melatonin likely provides supplementary anti-oxidant effect during night when the body heals

Problem is that modern human is living in a profoundly alien light environment

Unlike sunlight, moonlight, firelight and incandescent light

- Light emitting diode (LED)
- Compact fluorescent (CFL)
- organic light emitting diode (OLED)

Do not emit ANY near infrared photons

The vast majority of people living indoor lives

- minimal sunlight to the eye
- no sunlight on the skin
- constant artificial light

PLUS
- blue-lit devices after dark
- bathed in non-native EMF 24/7

If you are existing under a profoundly unbalanced, blue light toxic light environment

You are sabotaging both CIRCULATORY and MITOCHONDRIAL melatonin synthesis in your body

This is a massive deal

Without the self-lubricating and self-cooling processes, the engines in your cell break

When the engines break, the whole vehicle comes to a halt

As Dr Doug Wallace has shown, only ~10% of diseases are completely attributable to genetic defects

This means ~90% of human disease is related to deleterious environment exposures which induce mitochondrial dysfunction.

Is it any wonder that people are so sick, when we combine the reality of our evolutionarily inconsistent environment

- fake light environment
- lack of sun exposure
- toxic food environment
- xeno-estrogens and chemical toxins
- inactivity

Consider this
- rising melanoma rates despite reduced population sun exposure
- melanoma association with vitamin D deficiency
- oxidative stress/free radical load from ISOLATED blue light
- massively increased population blue light exposure + sunlight deficiency

#RootCauses ?

Its now obvious that pressure from govt, medical establishment encouraging sun avoidance, sunscreen, sunglasses might is misguided and extremely harmful

We are evolved to need every aspect of the visible and non-visible light spectrum

UV-B /vitamin D is the tip of the iceberg

By actively avoiding the sun, you are starving yourself of an ancient molecule needed for to regenerate you body.

Expect mitochondrial dysfunction and
- cancer
- autoimmunity
- metabolic disease
- premature aging...to name a few

So how to maximize your melatonin production and mitochondrial health?

- build solar callus to avoid sun burning
- early morning sun, no glasses/contacts on your body and into your retina
- intermittent sun on skin and eyes throughout the day

- cover your skin under isolated blue light (LEDs, fluorescent)/ indoors
- full body, naked sun exposure
- candles or incandescent globes after dark
- blue blocking glasses when inside, after dark or looking at devices

To learn more, listen Doc @RogerSeheult explain melatonin and mitochondrial health to you

Read these excellent papers
Melatonin and the Optics of the Human Body by Scott Zimmerman + Russel.J. Reiter
melatonin-research.net/index.php/MR/a…

Mitochondria and chloroplasts as the original sites of melatonin synthesis:a hypothesis related to melatonin's primary function and evolution in eukaryotes

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23137057/

For more actionable advice on tuning your circadian, maximizing your mitochondrial health follow
@Grimhood and @sjacobm321 holistic health picture
@DrJackKruse for the in depth circadian curriculum
@bluelightdiet for practical daily tips
@QuantumHealthTV for video series

And for more long form content on circadian biology, mitochondria and the sun, subscribe to the RootCause Journal of Medicine

The Rest Is Up To You...

rootcausemd.substack.com