AUTOMATIC WRITING (EXCERPT FROM "THE JOURNEY TO SPIRIT")

ME HOLDING 'THE JOURNEY TO SPIRIT'

I use automatic writing a lot for doing chat readings with clients to writing poetry and inspirational writing. One of the best times for me to do this is just before I go to sleep and I am often amazed when I read over the next morning what I have written the night before. I have mentioned here holding a pen but it also works for typing, so whatever works for you.

******

AUTOMATIC WRITING

It's known as automatic writing but this is a bit of a misnomer really, it's not about a pen suddenly moving on its own nor is it strictly about spirit taking control of your hand as you hold the pencil, though there may be a few such as this. It's more akin to your mind picking up spirit thoughts and philosophy and writing them down very quickly and this can be long hand or type written. I have been doing this for many years now and most takes the form of inspirational and philosophical verse, where I will write a perfectly formed piece of poetry within a couple of minutes without thinking about it. So really its just another way of expressing messages from spirit but writing them down as opposed to saying them out loudly. Remember too, we are spirit in a human body, and inspirational writing can also come from your own soul, when it does, the result is something very beautiful and deep.

When you go down this route with spirit its certainly worth trying, hold a pen loosely in your hand and ask spirit to come forward with any messages or philosophy and see if either you hand moves of its own accord or that you feel inspired to write something.

It's worth trying every type of communication on your spiritual journey, some mediums prefer to work with Tarot, others with crystals and some work purely on colour and focus on the aura. By and large its very difficult to hold a spirit link for a long time, because it is a vibration it peaks and dips and when it dips you are often working on a psychic link, with practice you will be able to differentiate between the vibrations and know when you are working with spirit. The energy is quite different its a faster higher frequency and the messages and pictures and words for that matter come in very fast.

Before you start make sure you are protected, have crystals near by to protect you from negative energy and quietly ask your guides to come close. It's like any other form of mediumship rather than speaking the message you are writing it down

● Find a quiet spot without distractions.

● Sit at a table or desk where you'll be comfortable, with paper and pen (or pencil).

● Take a few moments to clear your mind.

● Touch the pen or pencil to the paper.

● Try not to consciously write anything.

● While keeping your mind as clear as possible, let your hand write whatever comes across.

● Avoid looking at the paper; you might even keep your eyes closed.

● Give it time to happen (nothing might happen for quite a while).

● When it seems to be done, if and when automatic writing does occur, look over what your hand has produced carefully.

● The writing may appear to be nonsense or just scribbling, but try to decipher it as best as possible. In addition to letters and numbers, look for pictures or symbols in the writing as well.

● Keep trying. Nothing might happen your first few attempts.

● If you start to achieve success, you can try asking questions to see if you can receive responses.

If you receive messages telling you to do something, you can bet they are not coming from spirit but more likely lower entities.

For me I receive most of my philosophical verse around one a.m. and I am not really aware of what I have written until the next morning. Some of the work I have received is incredibly beautiful and certainly not in the language I myself would use.

******

'THE JOURNEY TO SPIRIT'
AVAILABLE PAPERBACK & KINDLE

ON AMAZON

ON BARNES & NOBLE

Maggie Brown (Author)

Visit Amazon's Maggie Brown Page

Find all the books, read about the author, and more.

Top Stories

INSTIGATING THE PARASYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM (STRESS SOLUTIONS PART 3)

Minor raised blood pressure can easily be controlled by simple lifestyle changes, taking some exercise and no its not neccessary to take out a gym membership, brisk walking, taking the stairs rather than the lift, walking instead of driving. Loosing some weight, cutting out fatty foods, stopping smoking and cutting down on alcohol.

Now we know that the Sympathetic Nervous System increases blood pressure, so designed to help us survive in danger, though we no longer have the same dangers today as we did in evolution and we know the body can't differentiate between modern stressors and those centuries ago. Modern stressors tend to go on for long periods of time, this is bad for us, so to combat the effects of the SNS we need to "fool" the body into believing the stress is over and triggering the Parasympathetic Nervous System. The PSN reverses all the effects of the SNS, so therefore blood pressure will fall, the heart rate will slow down, respirations will become slower and deeper, blood will begin flowing to the extremities such as the skin and hair this is due to adrenaline no longer being produced as adrenaline causes vaso contraction (arterioles tiny arterial vessels narrow, this causes a rise in blood pressure as the volume of blood has less of an area in which to flow, blood is diverted from the skin and hair) and the digestive system will start functioning properly. 

Many types of therapies can instigate the PSN one of the simplest and cheapest, as it needs no financial outlay is Meditation. Some people may find meditation difficult as it does take a bit of mind discipline as the idea is to empty your mind of current thoughts and you do get better with practice. By training in meditation, we create an inner space and clarity that enables us to control our mind regardless of the external circumstances. Gradually we develop mental equilibrium, a balanced mind that is happy all the time, rather than an unbalanced mind that oscillates between the extremes of excitement and despondency. If we train in meditation systematically, eventually we will be able to eradicate from our mind the delusions that are the causes of all our problems and suffering. In this way, we will come to experience a permanent inner peace. There are many ways to learn the art of meditation, you can join a class and meditate within a group and by being part of a group it does help and you can discuss any difficulties you may experience but equally a cheaper option is to use a guided mediation CD and this is very effective, remember practice makes perfect. Meditation instills an inner calm so effectively you are working on the Hypothalamus, the area of moods and emotions within the brain, by practicing meditation you trigger the PSN. There are a number of articles on Meditation included 'A guided meditation' on my site here.

Any kind of massage will also trigger the PSN, it does this in the following ways. Massage stimulates blood flow to the surface of the skin due to the specialised cells within the Dermis, Mast cells, to release Histamine, what histamine does is to cause vaso dilation (the tiny arteries arterioles to dilate) this means that the blood is able to flow over a wider area over the body to the skin, this then takes the strain of the heart and reduces blood pressure. The skin and hair will of course will get a better blood supply so increased nourishment for them. 

When we are stressed we inadvertedly tense up our muscles particularly in the area of the neck and upper back, this can lead to tension headaches, by working on the muscles in massage you ease the tension so this can ease those tension aches and aches in the neck and back.

Whenever we touch one another there is an exchange of energy, think back to childhood when you fell over, didn't your mother rubbing or kissing the affected area feel better. Touch is fundamental and massage has been practised as a therapy from ancient times, it is comforting and healing. Massage comforts and soothes, eases tension stimulates peripheral blood flow, this stimulates the PSN.

With Aromatherapy massage it works in two ways, the massage alone is beneficial as I have described but the use of certain essential oils affect the body by evoking a reaction in the hypothalamus via the limbic system (specialsed nerve cells within the upper portion of the nose pick up the tiny molecules of the essential oils these cells are connected to the hypothalamus. The other way essential oils work is by absorption through the skin into the blood stream whereby the can also evoke a reaction in the hypothalamus as  well as being the home of moods and emotions it maintains homeostasis in the body. Different essential oils create different effects in the body and most of them do relax the body but there are those that can raise the blood pressure such as Hysop,  Rosemary, Sage and Thyme, these have a stimulating effect.

In the next article I will explain how other holistic therapies work and further ways of dealing with stress.

Maggie Brown (Author)

Visit Amazon's Maggie Brown Page

Find all the books, read about the author, and more.

Top Stories

STRESS SOLUTIONS (STRESS PART TWO)

In a previous article I talked about stress and how it is detrimental to our health. Some stress is necessary to keep us motivated and some folk cope with stress better than others, it's an individual thing so don't ever think you are weak because you feel others seem to cope better than you. There are lots of therapies and strategies that can help but the first thing to do is identify what your stressors are, make a list, write it down if you have to.

So now you have decided what your stressors are my theory is this, find someone to help you, this can even be a good listener, and before you say there is no one to listen, that's not true, the Samaritans, will listen without making judgement, you would be surprised how this can help. If you really cannot find anyone to help, is there any point in worrying? what will worry achieve for it will make you ill. This does not mean you put your head in a bucket and ignore problems, no matter where you are in the world there are always agencies who can help and the first step is to recognise your problems and to talk about them this alone will lift some of the burden, bottling up worries in your mind will only increase the burden and lead to more pronounced physical symptoms.

*********

A TECHNIQUE TO DEAL WITH WORRY

This is a great little technique to deal with worry you will need first of all a large glass jar, with a tight fitting lid. It doesn't have to be an expensive jar a large washed out coffee jar is ideal for you are not going to keep the jar when it is full

The jar should be kept near to your front door as the idea is you place all your worries in the jar e.g. worries about work, money, health etc. You will also require something like string, or wool, you can have different colours for different things e.g. green for health, yellow for money, it really doesn't matter but the more you can relate to the worries the better.

You will also need a pair of scissors and you keep the scissors and wool/string beside the jar by your front door. For every worry you have cut a length of wool/string you think represents how big your worry is e.g. for a big money worry cut a piece of yellow wool 12 inches long say and for a little health worry cut a piece of green wool 1inch long and place them in the jar and replace the lid. I am sure you will get the idea.

Over time you will find the lengths you cut will get shorter and shorter until you don't see them as worries at all. When the jar is completely full and full of all your worries you can either bury it in the garden or put it in the trash can, then you can begin a new worry jar.

**********

Many problems in the scale of things are not really problems at all but if you have been under a great deal of stress for a long time and even if that original stressor has gone, it can still leave you in a stressed state and it can be hard to wind down and sometimes because you are so stressed you cannot see a solution, when there actually is one.

So the solution what can you do to alleviate the effects of stress? 

Well you need to reverse the physical manifestations caused by stress. In the previous article I wrote what happens in the body physically how the Sympathetic Nervous System initiates changes in our hormones and if these hormones are secreted for a long period of time it can be detrimental to our health. The solution is to instigate the opposite effect to the SNS and that is the Parasympathetic Nervous System, by triggering this we can slow down heart rate, incur slower deeper respirations, reduce blood pressure, antedote the digestive problems by instigating stomach motility (when stressed you can lose your appetite and food just sits there like a stone in your stomach, this is because the SNS takes blood flow and activity in the stomach and redirects it to the heart lungs and skeletal muscles SEE STRESS PART 1) All of this will enable you to relax and think clearly.

In the next article I will tell you how you can reverse the physical effects of stress and instigate the Parasympathetic Nervous System

Maggie Brown (Author)

Visit Amazon's Maggie Brown Page

Find all the books, read about the author, and more.

Top Stories

STRESS AND THE EFFECT IT HAS ON OUR HEALTH (STRESS PART ONE)

STRESS AND OUR HEALTH

The human body is very clever and nature has really thought of everything. One of the reason's why I loved teaching anatomy and physiology was how amazing and wonderful,l how cleverly crafted and designed it is. Anyone can remember anatomy by rote but it is understanding the physiology that brings anatomy to life and it makes the anatomy easier to remember. When you begin to understand the body's physiology you will become hooked and want to know more. It is all the more amazing when you realise what happens in our bodies during stress.

As we evolved as humans like most animals we had predators but nature being clever it gave us a mechanism to enable to deal with predators and danger for when we lived a simple life, it was this that caused us stress, this is known as "The Fight or Flight Response".

What this fight or flight response did was to make us super human for a short space of time, it gave us an extra boost of energy, it raised our heart rate, boosted blood flow to the muscles, so we could run away fast or give us the strength to fight off our predators and increased our oxygen levels so our muscle cells, both in the heart and skeletal muscles could function properly, like so.

The most primitive part of our brains is known as the 'Hypothalamus' it is this part of our brain that maintains homeostasis in the body, in other words regulates everything, it is the home of our moods and emotions and our drive and an important part of its job is to regulate our hormones, these are chemical messengers that target various organs in our bodies to achieve an effect. We can influence our hypothalamus via holistic therapies more about this later.

When we are frightened this evokes a reaction within the hypothalamus, now its a long time since we've had to cope with being a victim of predators and the stress that caused but we do have other stressors, as far as the body is concerned the stress of work, not having enough money or an argument with a partner, its all stress and we can expect the body to react in the same way as we evolved as humans. Therein lies the problem, life was simpler all these years ago, we hunted for food, we didn't have the society as we do now, we didn't have to keep up with 'The Jones's' as we do now coveting the latest gadgets and cars and not having the money to pay for them. As a result we are switched on to 'The fight or flight syndrome' for longer than nature really intended and this mechanism was only designed to be in use for a set period not the length of time it is today. The trouble is, how can you compare being chased by a hungry tiger to that of your work colleagues annoying you? In my opinion I would say the stress of having a tiger chasing me was the real stress and not the latter. I feel as humans we have somehow allowed ourselves to become more easily stressed for longer and we don't know how to switch this stress mechanism off.

To understand how stress affects the body you need to understand the physiology of what actually goes on in the body. Now anxiety, fear etc is felt in the hypothalamus it has a two fold reaction.

HYPOTHALAMUS

has two actions

1 Hypothalamus releases a hormone to the anterior lobe of the Pituitary gland to stimulate it to produce Adrenocorticotrophic Hormone (ACTH)	2 Fight or flight response Sympathetic Nervous Response
ACTH targets the Adrenal cortex (Adrenal glands) to produce Mineralcorticoids and Glucocorticoids and this can also trigger the release of more Androgens	Activates Adrenal Medulla to release Adrenaline and Noradrenaline
It is the Mineralcorticoids and the Glucocorticoids which sustain the effects of stress by keeping the blood pressure raised. Glucocorticoids also release more sugar into the blood to give the bodies cells more energy to deal with the stress	These hormones increase the heart rate and blood pressure by constriction of the very small arteries (arterioles) in the body diverting blood flow away from the less important organs in the body i.e. The skin and hair and keeps the blood to the core important organs such as the heart, lungs and brain. Adrenaline also keeps the brain alert to enable a fast response to danger
However if this stress continues for a long period the increased blood pressure which is sustained due to the effects of the release of mineralcorticoids impairs the body's immune system, it has an effect of decreasing the body's inflammatory response as this hormone affects the body's electrolyte balance (salts) Glucocorticoids whilst initially releasing more sugar into the blood as fuel can instigate type 2 Diabetes and thus poor healing if this continues for a long time. These corticoid hormones damage Fibrocytes, it is these cells which produce collagen and elastin so skin is damaged, losing its elasticity and firmness Increased Androgens (a knock on effect of the other adrenal hormones being produced) can stimulate masculine hair growth patterns and stimulate the oil glands in the skin causing spots	Adrenaline increases the blood pressure, increases the heart rate Sympathetic nervous system diverts blood from the less important organs such as the skin and hair and the digestive system to the muscles, lungs and heart and makes the mind very alert

Now nature never designed this system to go on indefinately it was only meant for short term use to protect us from danger, so can you now see how stress can affect our health, by impairing our immune system (the corticoid hormones damage T-lymphocytes and important part of our immune system) and how long term stress raises the blood pressure, straining the heart and can lead to kidney damage and strokes. It also has a detrimental effect on our skin and hair by reducing blood flow and damaging collagen and elastin, and impairs our digestion. The adrenaline prevents us from switching off and relaxing and impairs sleep. 

However all is not lost there are effective ways in reducing stress and alleviating all these effects and I shall write about this soon.

Maggie Brown (Author)

Visit Amazon's Maggie Brown Page

Find all the books, read about the author, and more.

Top Stories

NEW BOOK

FROM MY LATEST BOOK "WHISPERED FANTASIES

TO VIEW ON AMAZON CLICK HERE

TO VIEW ON BARNES AND NOBLE CLICK HERE


TO VIEW ON POWELL'S BOOKS CLICK HERE

And stockists world wide

Maggie Brown (Author)

Visit Amazon's Maggie Brown Page

Find all the books, read about the author, and more.

Top Stories

NEW PSYCHIC BASED NOVEL ON THE WAY "A PSYCHIC AFFAIR"

I have another new book on the way, it's a novel, but the reason I am mentioning it here on my psychic holistic site as this new book has a psychic/mediumship theme running through it. It is based on true phenomena that actually occurs with some psychic mediums and one of the major themes occuring through the plot is that of teleportation, this refers to the movement of objects. But before you dismiss teleportation something resigned to Sci Fi novels and Captain Kirk and the star ship 'The Enterprise' there have actually been some break throughs within the scientific world and this is only one link.

"A physicist has demonstrated that teleportation of energy is possible, a discovery that has profound implications for the study of physics.

Masahiro Hotta at Tohoku University in Japanshowed that teleportation of energy is possible by using the quantum principles to transport information."

Some Mediums having been doing teleportation for years and in a  similar vein is 'Remote viewing' I recently described this in a recent book of mine "The Journey to Spirit". Remote viewing is being able to transport the soul or rather a tentacle of the Aura, if this makes it easier to understand, to another place, in fact it is possible to go anywhere in the world using this technique, distance is no object and that too has been Scientifically demonstrated the CIA conducted a series of studies over a period of several years reaching it's height during 'The cold war'.

Well the novel details a romance featuring these abilities, it is hilarious at times, very touching and tenderly beautiful in other parts and it will leave you thinking perhaps this is really possible and that's because it is. My book is presently with the publisher just now so I will keep you up to date when it is about to be released. Oh its title is "A PSYCHIC AFFAIR"

Maggie Brown (Author)

Visit Amazon's Maggie Brown Page

Find all the books, read about the author, and more.

Top Stories

DEPRESSION

Depression is an illness and its not the same as feeling a bit down from time to time, which is normal and is a part of life and they are transient and go away. In suffering from depression these feelings don't go away, sometimes people don't realise they are depressed or they may feel if they admit to it they will see it as a sign of weakness as like most mental illnesses there can be a stigma attached. There is nothing to be ashamed off if you are depressed and it saddens me when ignorant people say its all in the mind or say snap out of it, with depression you can't.

The vast majority of severe emotional illnesses are in fact breakdowns in the internal chemistry of our bodies, brought about by stress.  The broken chemistry is the source of great suffering for the purpose involved, who often does not realise why they are having such trouble coping and why they are suffering so much.

Some of the symptoms are:

• Feeling hopeless and there's no point in doing anything
• Crying a lot and feeling sad most of the time
• Disliking yourself/self hate
• Lacking energy, lethargy
• Feeling guilty for feeling depressed
• Eating more binging or hardly eating at all
• Being irritable, short tempered 
• Feeling lonely
• Sleeping problems often waking in the early hours
• Poor libido
• Poor concentration
• Self harming
• Thoughts of suicide

If you have had a few of these symptoms and especially the latter two please speak to someone how you are feeling, ideally your doctor or health professional, don't suffer in silence. Depression is not something to be ashamed of, it is treatable and you can get better and it should be viewed like any other illness. Don't listen to anyone who says pull yourself together or snap out of it, you can't help it and anyone who says that to a depressed person clearly has never experienced depression and is extremely ignorant.

So if you are feeling depressed and you've been feeling this way for a couple of weeks or more take that first step to getting well please go and speak to your doctor

There is an alternative to suicide

Go to sleep, so that the pain can subside.   Suicidal ideas go up and down in intensity and in suffering.   People who have felt as bad as you are eventually very glad they are still alive, and wish they could convince you of this.   There are multiple telephone services, support services, counsellors, psychologists, GPs, psychiatrists and medications that can stop the distress you currently feel.   And life changes continuously, so that it is inevitable that you will feel much better in a short period of time.   Human beings do recover from earthquakes and wars, so you are genetically programmed to recover from pain.   Please stay alive, and give both nature and those who care about you a chance to fix your pain.  

AND THERE IS HOPE

And there is hope

When all is lost and Pandora's box is open wide

Strength and hope were left inside

Together to help our pain and sorrow

Together getting us through tomorrow

For what it's worth no pain is too great nor sadness too high

When tears torment and bleed your eye

Hope and strength will never leave us on our own

No matter how it hurts so bad and so low down

They wrap us up in a cape of healing

Soothe us gently no matter what we are feeling

We only have to ask, a whisper will do

Shshshsh cry no more, they are helping you

MPB ©  

Maggie Brown (Author)

Visit Amazon's Maggie Brown Page

Find all the books, read about the author, and more.

Top Stories

IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN! PLEASE TAKE CARE

It's this time of year again when we go crazy when we see that big golden ball shining in the sky, albeit in my part of the world anyway and being of Celtic origin (I'm lucky not to have typical Celtic colouring) my kinsfolk like to take full advantage of lying in the sun. However the skin in the upper northern hemisphere has evolved such that does not have the same protection as those of who have evolved of living in sunnier climates. As a result it's not unusual here to see copious cases of sunburn. Some sun is beneficial to us and to understand what advantages and disadvantages the sun has you need to know how the largest organ in the body works.

HOW THE SKIN WORKS

The basics so you will understand how the skin works. The skin is comprised of 3 layers, the Epidermis the layer you can see, the Dermis the true skin and the subcutaneous. Cosmetics only work on the Epidermis and you can see how deep it is, if you have ever experienced a blister. A blister is caused when friction causes the Epidermis and the Dermis to separate and the fluid within the blister is lymph. The Epidermis has no nerve endings or blood supply that is why removing the top layer of a blister is not painful, not to be recommended though as it exposes the Dermis which is rich in nerves and a blood supply to infection.

The skin  has several functions to secrete sebum that oily substance on your skin, this is to help keep the skin moisturised by trapping moisture and forming a barrier together with sweat known as the 'Acid Mantle' The Acid Mantle is slightly acidic and acts as a Bacteriastat to inhibit bacteria. The skin secretes sebum via the sebaceous glands within the hair follicles and sweat via theEndocrine glands (there are another type of sweat glands know as Apocrineglands these are found in the axillary and pubic regions unlike Endocrine sweat bacteria act on Apocrine sweat quickly and this causes the characteristic Body Odour, these glands only become active after puberty and have a role to play inpheromones)

Our body temperature is regulated by the skin this is due to the  peripheral circulation either dilating to bring blood to the extremities of the body like the skin causing flushing to help loose some of the heat and also by sweating for as the sweat evaporates heat rises with it. The opposite happens when its cold the body conserves heat to vital organs more important than the skin, giving a more white/bluish appearance and may even induce shivering. At the base of everyhair follicle there is a tiny cilary muscle when its cold and we start to shiver this muscle contracts causing the hair to stand up trapping a layer of air next to the skin, giving the appearance of goosebumps. Within the Dermis there aresensory nerves that detect temperature. We also have an insulatory layer of fat in the subcutaneous. 

Our skin is waterproof so absorbs very little, the only things that can permeate the skin are medications, this includes patches such as Nicotine  and HRT and Essential oils (see Aromatherapy articles on Blog) COSMETICS CAN NOT.Do not believe the hype and sales talk ladies if it could be absorbed by the skin you you have to go to your Doctor for it and it would need to be licensed as a Medicine.

Our Skin is protected by sensory nerves that alert us to pain, pressure, touch, heat and cold, it is waterproof largely impermeable except to the substances above, fairly tough and it with its layer of fat below the dermis in the subcutaneous layer keeps us warm, protects our organs and bones, gives us shape. As fore mentioned the Acid Mantle helps protect from bacteria as bacterial growth is inhibited in its slightly acid environment. Melanocytesspecial little cells in the dermis increase as a result of UV light and give us tanning, the epidermis also thickens to help protect our skin. Also in the skin are mast cells and when they are damaged, they produce histomine, it gives the characteristic itching a weals associated by allergies, its function is to stimulate blood to the skin to repair and maintain it. However with allergies the body is hypersensitive producing this effect.

The skin also excretes some toxins through sweat but this is very very minimal, so do not believe the hype of some sales people who will suggest you have a detoxifying foot bath that will rid you of toxins as it changes the water to a dirty brown colour. Again this is sheer hype and nonsense for if ridding the body of toxins was that easy we wouldn't have a need for Dialysis Machines for those suffering kidney failure. It is the Liver, Kidneys and large Intestine that detoxify us.

Vitamin D is also formed in the skin as a result of the action of UV light acting on 7-dehydrocholesterol present in the skin, so everything in moderation we do need some sunlight.

SKIN CARE THE EFFECTS OF UV LIGHT

The effects of ultra-violet on the skin are a mixed blessing!

Some is beneficial, necessary for the formation of vitamin D, some is harmful. Much of what happens to the skin as a result of ultra-violet light is the result of the skin trying to protect itself and the body inside from the harmful effects of an excess of the rays; the skin is quite effective at preventing the rays penetrating deeply into the body.

The Stratum Corneum is a major factor in this prevention (see diagram below)

Reflection of rays by layers of the Stratum Corneum

The Stratum Corneum is maintained at such a thickness that with the ‘usual’ intensity of ultra-violet falling on it, very little passes through and no damage is caused to the live cells beneath. The Stratum Corneum of exposed parts of skin such as the face, neck and hands will be thicker than those parts normally covered by clothing.

However, exposure to higher than normal intensities of ultra-violet will allow sufficient rays to pass through the epidermis possibly to cause damage to the living cells underneath.

Penetration of Ultra-Violet Rays into the Skin

In a skin, which has active melanocytes producing melanin pigment granules, this extra ultra-violet will develop the colour of this melanin, resulting in a Tan.

But not everyone’s skin is in such a state of readiness; their melanocytes may be inactive, as a result damage will be caused to the live cells. The result reddening, discomfort, may be even blisters and peeling i.e. Sunburn.

Regardless, more UVB rays will penetrate to the Stratum Germinativum to stimulate its dividing cells into greater activity, this will produce new epidermal cells at a more rapid rate and this will eventually thicken the Stratum Corneum, thus helping to reflect UV rays.

The general increase in the skin’s metabolism reflects throughout the body in creating ‘a feeling of well-being’.

The physical, physiological and psychological effects of Ultra-Violet

Beneficial effects:

• Vitamin D production
• Stimulation of Metabolism
• Tonic Effect
• Has slight Germicidal effect on the skin
• Causes hyperkeratinisation (thickening described as above), which is thought to help with some skin conditions such as Acne Vulgaris and Psoriasis.

Screening responses against excess:

• Suntanning
• The irritant effect of sunburn
• The thickening effect of the Stratum Corneum

Damaging effects:

• Short term – Sunburn
• ***Long term – Premature aging, thickens the epidermis giving a ‘leathery’ appearance, irreversibly damages Collagen and Elastin fibres, causes dehydration, can cause allergic reactions, can produce dark pigmentation patches; Skin Cancer.

Vitamin D Production

A normal varied diet including dairy produce will supply all the vitamin D required; however through sunshine the vitamin may be made in the body with the help of ultra-violet.

In the body there are two substances, which can be converted into vitamin D, these precursor substances are 7-dehydrocholesterol and ergosterol. When vitamin D is required these substances are moved to exposed skin where using ultra-violet energy these substances are converted to Vitamin D.

The potential for making vitamin d in the skin is so enormous that merely exposing the face for less than an hour on an overcast December day will make all that is required for the day, the body is able to regulate this however so a days long sunbathing will not cause over production.

***How too much sun and UV light damages and ages the skin

So a little is good for us but too much has the opposite, sadly skin cancer is on the increase, we always think it won't happen to us, no matter what colour our skin is we can burn albeit the palest skins burn the easiest.

There are two types of skin cancer, a slower growing type often known as a rodent ulcer (basal cell carcinoma), this tends to be found across the cheek bones and under the eyes and on the nose and can be successfully treated since it is relatively slow growing. However the deadliest type of skin cancer is the malignant melanoma 

Types of malignant melanoma

Skin cancer is broadly classed as either non-melanoma, accounting for about 90 per cent of cases, or melanoma, which is generally faster-growing.

These cancers grow from the layer of melanocytes – cells that produce pigment that protects the body from sun damage – below the surface of the skin.

If not caught early, the cancerous cells can quickly grow deeper into the layers of the skin, and then into the blood vessels and lymph channels (tiny tubes that carry lymph fluid, part of the immune system, around the body).

At this point, melanoma cells may travel to other parts of the body, causing tumours elsewhere, known as metastasis. In the early stages, treatment involves surgery and sometimes radiotherapy. More than 90 per cent of these cases are curable. However, patients whose cancer has spread rarely survive longer than a year.

Symptoms of melanoma include moles growing bigger, having irregular edges, or changing shape. Lesions that bleed, itch, crust over or are pink should also be checked by a specialist, as should moles that have at least two different colours or grow darker.

Use the chart above and if you suspect any changes to you skin don't be afraid to go and see your doctor, it could save your life.

Above all treat the sun with respect and common sense, know your limits for your skin type and don't allow yourself to burn for it's better to be pale and interesting than leathery and deadly

Maggie Brown (Author)

Visit Amazon's Maggie Brown Page

Find all the books, read about the author, and more.

Top Stories