What Really Works: The Insider’s Guide to Complementary Health. Susan Clark

– or brittle bone disease – which now affects one in every three women and one in 12 men.

      Women naturally start to lose bone density after the age of 30. With men, this is usually delayed to the mid-50s. The menopause can accelerate this problem in women because levels of oestrogen, the female hormone which helps bones to absorb calcium, begin to decline. There may be no symptoms until a bone has fractured, and by the time you are at serious risk of osteoporosis, you may have already lost a third of your starting bone mass.

      The World Health Organization (WHO) is predicting that the number of hip fractures, for example, could increase six-fold to over six million by the middle of this century. This is why osteoporosis is being described as an epidemic, yet one solution could be as simple and as free as safe sunbathing, because in studies of elderly populations who have suffered a broken hip, up to 40% have been shown to be lacking in vitamin D. There are also more hip fractures in winter, when bone density is at it’s lowest.

       Other Ways Sunlight Can Protect You

      In laboratory tests, vitamin D has been shown to slow down the growth rate of cancer cells. Does this mean that far from being the frightening cancer-trigger we all fear, sunlight could actually protect us from some of the cancers that are now responsible for more deaths in the West, after heart disease, than any other condition?

      With a recent prediction by Macmillan nurses that cancer will affect up to one in two adults in the next generation, we need to find out why it is that death rates from many internal cancers increase the further you are from the equator. Why do malignant melanomas develop most often on body parts that are not usually exposed to sunlight – such as the back of the legs and the torso – and why are these rates higher in less sunny parts of Europe than in those closer to the equator?

      In other words, why should living in warmer climes offer you greater protection from cancer – a disease that brings more fear than any other?

      While epidemiological studies have shown, again and again, that this really is the case, nobody can explain why. The theory currently most favoured is that it would make good sense to investigate the link between sunlight and the stimulation of the body’s own natural defence, the immune system.

       How to Sunbathe Safely

      So, how can you benefit from this wonderful and free health tonic? You know sunlight can heal and you know it can harm you. To enjoy the first and avoid the second, the single most important thing is to avoid burning at all costs.

      Frequent, short exposure to sunlight is both safer and more beneficial than any prolonged exposure where, without creams, you will surely burn and where, even with them, you may be doing more internal damage than you think.

      Early morning sunshine has been identified as the most beneficial, so get outdoors after breakfast. The full spectrum of sunlight is now recognised as being important to good health, so do not smother yourself in sunblocks and screens that filter out some of the allegedly more harmful rays. Instead, build your exposure up slowly and, if you are worried about burning, start with short exposures of just your feet and work your way up the body.

      The recommended air temperature, when you sunbathe for health, should be below 18 degrees C (64 degrees F). Wear a hat so that the sensitive skin on your face, head and neck is safe, and avoid baking. You are not a cake!

      The most important thing – and I will say it again – is to avoid trying to squeeze your sunbathing into the two short weeks of an annual holiday. Instead, plan ahead and pace yourself over the year, trying to spend a little time out of doors each and every day.

      Remember, 20 minutes of safe sunbathing is enough to get all the health benefits we are now rediscovering.

Shape Shifting (Exercise)

       When to Exercise

      Researchers have now discovered there is a right and a wrong time to exercise. If, for example, you like to keep in shape by working out at the gym, then the best time to pump iron is between 5 and 7p.m. This is when your body temperature is highest, making the muscles and other body tissues more responsive and more flexible. It also fits with the notion of the internal bodyclock, or circadian rhythm. The bodyclock works closely with the brain cells and the hormone melatonin, which tells the body when it is time to wake or sleep. Exercise at any time of the day is better than no activity at all, but if you get to know your own bodyclock, you can maximise the benefits of the workouts you are planning.

      First thing in the morning, for example, you will have more energy but your joints and muscles will be more stiff. Muscle temperature is low and exercise carries more risks. So, if you plan to exercise in the morning, make sure you warm up first and keep your routine light. Adrenaline levels surge around midday, which is a great time to work out if you can squeeze it into your schedule. This is the perfect time to do a high-energy workout and sweat off those fat-loving toxins. Avoid an intense workout very late at night, since this works against the natural bodyclock and can cause insomnia.

      The goal of most exercisers – male and female – is a flat stomach. You may not want or even like a six-pack torso, but nobody likes a tubby tummy. Ask anyone who practises yoga or Pilates (pronounced pee-lah-tees) what they like best about these types of exercise and they will show you their flat stomach. They are proof that you do not have to crunch, grind or contort your body into painful positions but that you can build incredible abdominal strength by working with your muscles.

      The reason Pilates works to flatten your stomach is that it exercises all the abdominal muscles at the deepest level. It also works on the corset-like transversus abdominis muscle to improve your posture, which then enhances your overall body shape. You could, for example, do abdominal crunches until you are blue in the face, but if your posture is rubbish, your stomach will still hang out.

      I have no scales in my house because I think how you look depends mostly on how you feel about your current body shape. If you know you have been overindulging and feel heavy, then you do not need the needle on the scales to tell you it is time to take yourself in hand and burn off some of that excess fat.

      Counting the calories is still one way to lose weight, but it carries with it lots of guilt (especially if you eat more than your allocation for that day or sneak in a chocolate treat) and anyway it is not as healthy as changing to a more wholesome eating plan. It may be depressing but it is true that most people who lose weight by restricting their calorie intake put their lost weight – and more – back on. Those who stay trim by eating a healthier diet and adopting a modest exercise programme fare better at keeping the weight off in the long term.

      Any exercise is better than none, but there is no need to punish yourself. Moderate exercise for say, 20 minutes, three times a week, will soon get you into a shape you – and your clothes – can feel happy with. Remember, the rest days in between are just as important as all those sessions in the gym, because it is when you rest that the muscles react to the stress of an exercise session and grow stronger to give you more shape and tone.

      Walking

      If the only time you ever stretch is to reach for the remote control from the other side of the couch, and if your idea of strenuous exercise is having to carry your own grocery shopping, then walking is where you need to start getting back into shape. It may seem uneventful but it can provide enormous health benefits, from strengthening the heart and lungs to building strong bones, hips and knees. It is easy and low-impact, which makes it safe – and it’s free. If you walk with a friend, it will be sociable too.

      A brisk walk can help lower cholesterol and the risk of heart disease. If you can walk about 10 miles (16 kilometres) a week and you walk fast enough to get your heart pumping, you can lower this risk by an estimated 50%. Fast walking can provide as many fitness benefits as swimming or cycling, but you will need to build up to this faster pace.

      The only thing you need to get started is a pair of non-slip, shock-absorbing and ankle-supporting walking shoes. Start your new walking workouts by choosing easy and comfortable flat surfaces to walk on. On your