If you are looking for stylish protection from the sun, then shade sails could be the right solution for you. With the era of climate change and the increase in UV rays, shade sails provide a modern and attractive way to make use of outdoor spaces, safely away from the heat and damaging rays of the sun.
Modern techniques in fabric design mean that shade sails are rapidly overtaking the garden parasol and gazebo as the means to provide shade. The unique construction of stitch knitted fabric allows the shade to breathe, thus reducing temperatures below and blocking out 90% of harmful UV rays.
Being UV resistant, shade sails are designed to withstand the elements, which make them durable enough for constant outdoor use. A typical DIY Shade Sail will last between 5 and 10 years, which makes them a worthwhile investment.
Intended to be semi permanent structures, shade sails are installed using marine grade anti-corrosive stainless steel fixings. On a DIY sail shade, the welded stainless steel rings that are sewn into each corner, enable the shade to be attached using eyebolts or pad eyes, which are then easily tensioned using turnbuckles.
Stainless steel D-shackles and snap hooks are used to allow the shade to be taken down quickly and easily during bad weather, typically in winter time or during high winds. Eye bolts and pad eyes are used to attach the shade sails to structurally sound permanent fixtures, such as houses, outbuildings, walls and metal or wooden posts.
Commercial shades are constructed with much heavier fabric and it is usual for these shades to have steel cables sewn into their construction.
When compared with the garden parasol, gazebo or awning, the DIY shade sail wins easily with its numerous uses and applications. Its easy to put up and tensioned approach means you are not restricted by a central fixing therefore enabling a more effective use of space.
Larger areas can be covered, and you can position the shade exactly where you want it. When angling your shade sail towards the sun, a greater shaded footprint can be achieved.
Costs vary depending whether you choose to go for a commercial or DIY shade sail. DIY shade sails typically come in a range of fixed sizes and are in a lighter fabric but still offer excellent UV protection of up to 90%. DIY shades are generally offered as triangular or square shape and typically four contemporary colours. Sizes are normally 3.6 metres up to 5 metres in width.
Commercial grade sails offer the purchaser the opportunity to custom fit their shade and select fabric weft up to 330gsm. With the heavier duty fabrics, come the benefits of up to 98% UV protection, greater span widths and a vast range of colours to suit the surroundings and space.
As a nation, our love for the outdoors has grown but so too have the risks for skin cancer, highlighting the importance of protecting yourself from the sun. Indeed a study has shown that since 1985, in Australia the incidence of skin cancer has grown significantly in the last 23 years. Shade sails are becoming increasingly popular in childrens nurseries and schools now that care in the sun is being highlighted by Official School Body, Ofsted.
Demonstrating their versatility, shade sails can be used for suspension over patios, swimming pools, hot tubs, carports, garden play areas, sand pits and play structures. They can even be used for privacy screening and provide a sculptured contemporary look for interior design.
Since the no-smoking ban came into force on 1st July 2007, shade sails are also being used for outdoor meeting areas and public spaces as they provide the ideal solution through fulfilling the legal requirements for having more than 50% of wall space open to the elements.
When you are buying a shade sail, it is important to think about the application and what you are trying to achieve. Apart from being practical, you can choose the size, look and shape you want. A cream/porcelain shade will make a statement by bringing a contemporary feel, whereas a green will blend in. The choice, as they say, is yours.
Lutein is a plant pigment, and protects protection from the sun needed to prevent damage to the skin and eyes from its strong ultra violet (UVB) radiation. Lutein is a carotenoid and strong antioxidant that is found in red, yellow, orange and dark green fruit and vegetables such as broccoli, curly and sea kale, spinach, carrots peppers and squashes. It is also available from egg yolks, corn and some fruits such as pomegranates. It is the colored pigments, especially the reds, yellows and oranges, in which lutein is most found.
Lutein can also prevent cataracts and provide benefits for age related macular degeneration. However, before discussing the benefits, it is necessary to discuss exactly what these conditions are and what causes them. Let's have a heads up on cataracts first.
A cataract takes the form of a clouding of the lens of the eye that leads to blurred vision and eventual virtual blindness when the cloudiness is extreme. It is not blindness due to problems with the nerves of the eye, but due to the lens become cloudy, and scattering light entering the eye. It is not a film over the eye as many people believe, but a cloudiness of the lens, and cataracts can normally be treated by removing the whole lens and replacing it with a lens implant ? or a synthetic lens.
It is not fully understood how lutein can help cataracts, but studies have shown that those take a large quantity of lutein in there diet have up to 50% less chance of getting cataracts that those that do not. It has also been demonstrated that men who ate broccoli and spinach regularly had a 25% less chance of getting cataracts. The same is true of those that include a lutein supplement of around 6 mg daily, although up to 20 mg is considered an effective dose.
However, it not only through its properties in protecting against cataracts that lutein can help to preserve the health of your eyes. It is also through its effect on macular degeneration. The macula is small part in the center of the retina that allows you to see central vision in high detail, especially close up when you use the center of your eye. Age-related macular degeneration, known as MD, affects your macula so that you can see fine round the edges, but your central vision is blurred. It is therefore difficult to drive, read or carry out tasks that need good central focus. You will find it next to impossible to thread a needle for example. It can come on very slowly, in fact so slowly that you never notice it because the change from day to day, or even week to week, is so small.
It is not coincidence that lutein is concentrated in the macula, and that a lutein supplement can help to prevent macular degeneration. Lutein is believed to filter out some of the blue wavelengths of light, and it is the blue wavelengths that are though to cause free radical damage and oxidative stress to various organs of the body exposed to light, but specifically the eyes. That is why it is believed that lutein helps to prevent macular degeneration, and studies have indicated a good supplement to consist of up to 30 mg each day.
It can also protect the skin from damage by UV radiation, and also prevents free radical damage to skin cells causing premature aging of the skin. The latter occurs through its antioxidant properties, while the former is because if its light filtering properties. It can not only filter out the blue light that can cause macular degeneration but also ultra-violet radiation that affects the skin and can cause skin cancer. There is a fine line between the blue and ultra violet wavelengths from sunlight, and both can contribute to certain medical conditions. However, the absorptive properties of lutein are such that it can absorb the more harmful of these.
The antioxidant properties of lutein are important in their own right, and can help to reduce cholesterol deposition in arties and help to maintain a healthy arterial wall thickness. The same is true of any carotenoids that reduce heart problems, some cancers, especially of the cervix, stomach and lungs, and others that can be caused by free radical action and narrowed arteries such as strokes and brain hemorrhages.
Although it is not one of those supplements considered essential, lutein is biologically essential in that it cannot be produced by the body. It has to be taken through the diet. There is no specific recommended daily allowance (RDA) because life can go on without it, but it does play a role in your everyday health.
However, the average person has a lutein intake less than that needed to take advantage of its UV protection or antioxidant effect. As previously stated, the effective dose is considered to be 30 mg daily, and the average American intake is about 2 mg. That's an awful lot of egg yolks or tomatoes you are going to have to eat! If you do intend to take your lutein from the natural source, then it much more easily assimilated into your body if not overcooked. Lightly steaming is the best way to prepare your vegetables for maximum nutritional effect.
You can also take lutein as a supplement in the form of tablets, creams and drinks, and can also be found in other supplements that contain carotenoids such as lycopene and beta-carotene. Although not consider essential to life, do not underestimate the health benefits to be gained from a diet high in lutein, especially if you value the health of your eyes.
All strong antioxidants provide you with health benefits due to their ability to destroy the free radicals that in turn destroy the DNA in your body cells, and disrupt the cells themselves. Combine that with their action as filters to the damaging rays of the sun and you have in lutein a plant product that is far reaching in the health benefits that it can provide you with. If you are looking for a lutein supplement, stop into your local or internet health food store for lutein is an over the counter supplement.
Both Shaun Parker & Darrell Miller are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.