Relax in Your Own "Green" Sunroom, Solarium or Conservatory

Recently during a visit to my doctor I discovered that I was deficient in vitamin D. This is getting more and more prevalent among adults. It may be because of diet or the fact that a lot of people are staying out of the sun. Sunlight is essential for the production of vitamin D for the body. A lack of the vitamin can affect the immune system, blood levels of calcium and phosphorous, and may even affect the risk for certain types of cancer. Recent research has shown that the former recommended daily allowance for vitamin D probably was too low. But before you start swallowing huge amounts of vitamin D supplements, be sure to consult your doctor as it is a fat soluble vitamin (that means that it is stored in fat and not easily gotten rid of) and too much can have serious consequences.

One of the best ways to get more vitamin D is to get more sunlight. But how do you avoid the health risks of too much exposure to UV radiation and the increased cancer risk that it causes? You could build a sunroom, solarium, or conservatory. A sunroom is basically a room with windows that allow in a lot of sunlight but screen out some of the UV radiation. They are usually unheated and can be used three seasons out of the year. A solarium is basically a sunroom with almost all sides and the roof allowing exposure to the sunlight. A conservatory is a solarium with a collection of usually exotic plants and sometimes animals. They were popular back in the eighteenth century and early parts of the nineteenth century. They also had a social function and were used for tea parties. Styles vary from the Victorian greenhouse to the modern geodesic dome design inspired by Buckminster Fuller. During the building boom that led to the development of the suburb, sunrooms sort of fell out of favor as backyard patios became popular, but the patios had the disadvantage of being exposed to the weather. (www.wikipedia.com)