Ask the Doctor—Sun Sensitivity

By Nancy Lonsdorf, MD

Q. Most people love summer but I’m really sensitive to heat. I suffer sun sensitivity, heat rash, acne breakouts, and heat exhaustion. Help!

A. If you’re the sort of person who dreams of winter when the weather heats up, chances are you have an excessive amount of pitta dosha—the mind-body principle identified in ayurveda with heat, metabolism, and digestion. The ayurvedic antidote: Balance the effects of hot weather with cooling foods and lifestyle choices.

Start first with your diet. Avoid salsa and ketchup, because these spicy and sour tastes increase pitta dosha. Instead, try eating more bitter greens such as refreshing salads, kale, and chard; astringent foods such as fresh vegetables, lentils, and split-mung dhal; and sweet tastes such as rice, wheat, fresh milk products, and sweet, juicy fruits like pears. Eat lighter in summer, but avoid skipping meals, which will only increase pitta dosha.
Obviously, skip the hot drinks, but don’t drink ice-cold ones either because too-cold foods douse the digestive “fire.” Instead try refreshing, room-temperature herbal teas made with rose petals, fennel, or mint.
To keep your body temperature stable, avoid the sun from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., choose milder, cooling sports such as swimming, walking in the woods, strolling in the moonlight, and, if you really need a chill—indoor ice skating. Try to take it easy in summer, as too much mental pressure can compound the effects of pitta dosha.

Also, cleansing your body of toxins can offer relief. According to ayurveda, an overworked liver—your body’s first line of defense against toxins—leads to skin breakouts and sun sensitivity. Try drinking 1/2 cup of organic aloe vera juice each day for its cooling, cleansing effects on your liver and skin. One cup of freshly made cucumber or zucchini juice daily on an empty stomach can also do wonders for reducing pitta skin problems. To relieve heat rash, smooth pure aloe vera gel on your skin.

Nancy Lonsdorf, MD is dean of faculty for Vedic Medicine at Maharishi College of Vedic Medicine in Fairfield, Iowa. She’s also the author of The Ageless Woman: Natural Health and Beauty After Forty with Maharishi Ayurveda (MCD Century, 2004).