The Sun IS Your Sunscreen
I appreciated this a lot as I'm spending more time outside and have questioned the usefulness of chemical sunscreen (even "natural" ones). This article seems to answer a lot of my questions:
CS
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The original article is a bit easier to read.
The Sun IS Your Sunscreen
By Al Sears, MD
Dear Health-Conscious Reader,
Corporations would have you believe the sun is a cancer-causing ball of radiation threatening our planet. But the fact is, the sun protects you from cancer. It enhances your health and is vital to your well-being.
One of the most important ways the sun protects you is through your skin, which makes vitamin D from its ultraviolet type B rays. And it’s vitamin D that keeps you from getting not just skin cancer, but more than a dozen others.
Here’s the proof in black and white:
• A study by the journal Anticancer Research says very clearly that the more you make vitamin D from UVB rays, the lower your chances are of dying from 15 kinds of cancer. (1)
• Another study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that vitamin D can lower the chance you’ll get cancer by 77 percent. (2)
• The European Journal of Cancer looked at cancer rates all over the world. Their study says plainly that vitamin D production in the skin decreases the likelihood you’ll get any of these cancers: stomach, colorectal, liver and gallbladder, pancreas, lung, breast, prostate, bladder and kidney cancers.(3)
• A study done for the journal Nature shows that the active form of vitamin D (calcitriol or D3), and its derivative vitamin D2, both cause skin cancer cells to die.(4)
• And did you know that people who work outside like construction workers, roofers and lifeguards have a much lower risk of skin cancer than those who work inside? (5)
I could go on …
Meanwhile, if you followed conventional medical advice, you’d be putting sunscreen all over your body. But sunscreen lowers your body’s ability to make vitamin D by up to 95 percent.
Today, I’m going to show you how to let the sun work with your body to prevent cancer. Keep reading to find out what’s really in sunscreens, when you should use sun protection and safe ways to help prevent sunburns.
We Were Made to Live Under the Sun
If you’ve been to a doctor, turned on the television, been on the Internet, or read a magazine lately, you’ve probably heard some formof this message:
“The sun causes cancer. If you’re going outside, wear sunscreen no matter what. No excuses.”
Does it seem as though scientists think nature must be wrong? I get the feeling they think millennia of trial and error resulted in a mistake with our survival. And even worse, that we need some kind of intervention – some synthetic chemicals – to make it right again.
The truth is, your body already has everything it needs to properly protect itself from the sun’s UV rays. The real problem isn’t the sun. It’s that you might not spend enough time outdoors to trigger these natural defenses.
Let me explain...
Your native ancestors survived outdoors just fine. They lived and worked in the sun’s rays every day. They didn’t use sunscreen and they didn’t burn themselves to a crisp or die off from diseases caused by the sun.
Why? Because our bodies are designed perfectly to live in our natural environment.
When you’re out in the sun, your body itself takes action. Besides making vitamin D, which I talked about earlier, your body also starts to produce another natural protectant. A built-in sun block called melanin.
Melanin is what causes your skin to darken or tan. And with just a little bit of sunshine every day – 20 minutes if you have light skin and up to three times longer if your skin is darker – you’re stimulating melanin production.
By slowly developing this basic darkening, you allow yourself even more time in the sun without risk of burning.
Sunscreen – A Toxic Skin Cocktail
Corporations and modern doctors want you to put on sunscreen to block UVB rays. We’ve already seen how this affects vitamin D production. But sunscreen has another effect. It delivers chemicals and known carcinogens into your skin…chemicals that are banned in other countries.
One of the main chemicals used in sunscreens to filter out UVB light is octyl methoxycinnamate (OMC).
OMC can be found in 90 percent of sunscreens on the market even though studies found it can kill mouse cells – even at extremely low doses. And it becomes even more toxic when it’s exposed to sunlight. Other harmful chemicals include benzophenone and avobenzone. These attack the cells in your body causing premature aging. They are also estrogen mimics that can create hormonal imbalances, cause allergic reactions and skin irritation, and are known to promote the onset of breast cancer.(6)
And there’s plenty more. Below is a chart of some of the common chemicals found in sunscreen that you should avoid.
Chemical Health Risks
Parabens Endocrine disruptor. Mimics estrogen, upsets hormonal balances, can cause reporductive cancer in men and women
PABA (may be listed as octyl-dimethyl or padimate-O) Attacks DNA and causes genetic mutation when exposed to sunlight
Mineral oil, paraffin, petrolatum Coats skin like plastic and clogs pores, traps toxins in, slows skin cell growth, disrupts normal hormone function, suspected of causing cancer
Sodium laurel, lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate (sometimes listed as "from coconut" or "coconut derived" Combined with other chemicals, it becomes nitrosamine, a powerful cancer-causing agent; penetrates your skin’s moisture barrier, allowing other dangerous chemicals to enter your bloodstream
Phenol carbolic acid Circulatory collapse, paralysis, convulsions, coma, death from respiratory failure
Acrylamide Breast Cancer
Toluene (may be listed as benzoic, benzyl, or butylated hydrox toluene) Anemia, low blood cell count, liver and kidney damage, birth defects
Propylene glycol Dermatitis, kidney and liver abnormalities, prevents skin growth, causes irritation
PEG, polysorbates, laureth, ethoxylated alcohol Potent carcinogens containing dioxane
It’s Tough to Get Enough
The problem is that even if you have the best intentions, there are a dozen other obstacles in the modern world besides sunscreen that keep you from getting enough sunshine:
We wear clothing.
We don’t migrate with the sun.
We don’t live near the equator.
We work inside during the day.
We drive cars that block the sun.
And during the winter months, it’s not uncommon – even if you live in a warm, sunny climate like I do in South Florida – to get less sunshine just because the days are shorter. When that happens, you produce less melanin, and become more sensitive to the sun when you are exposed.
You’ll need to be careful until melanin production kicks in again and can help prevent your skin from burning.
Fortunately, there are ways you can help defend your skin until you can get more sunshine without chemical sunscreens:
One way to help your skin is to boost the three nutrients your body uses to produce its master antioxidant, SOD (superoxide dismutase). SOD is your best defense against harmful molecules that attack your skin. The best food for this job is blueberries. You probably know blueberries are good for your brain, and that they have beta carotene and lots of vitamins. But the real power of the blueberry is that it has all three co-factors for SOD – copper, zinc and manganese. Eat a cup of blueberries every day, especially during the winter, and you’ll be doing your skin a big favor.
Another excellent skin-defender is any food that has the omega-3 EPA. In one study of using omega-3 to reduce ultraviolet radiation sensitivity, researchers found that EPA supplementation reduces sensitivity to UV rays by 36 percent. And the chemical changes to skin induced by UV radiation exposure were cut in half.(7) The study concluded: “Longer-term [EPA] supplementation might reduce skin cancer in humans.” The best sources for EPA are small, cold-water fish like herring, mackerel, anchovies and sardines. Eggs and grass-fed beef also are good sources. Grass-fed beef has double the omega-3s of grain-fed beef. In addition, you can get omega-3s in some plant-based sources like Sacha Inchi nuts, butternuts, walnuts and chia seeds. But these omega-3s are in the form of alpha linolenic acid, which then has to be converted to EPA in the body.
If you are going to be out in the sun for a long time, and you haven’t had a chance to let your body generate enough melanin to darken you up a bit, you should use a natural sunscreen. Choose one made from natural ingredients like zinc oxide. It’s been used all over the world for over 75 years as a safe sunscreen. And unlike chemical sunscreens that absorb ultraviolet light, zinc oxide sits on top of your skin to reflect and scatter UV rays.
Zinc oxide works even better when you add shea butter. That way, your pores won’t clog and you’ll add extra moisture to keep your skin smooth.
However, it can be very hard to find a sunscreen with the right mix of protection and nutrients. This is why I’ve been working with my team of experts to create a natural sunscreen with the benefits of zinc oxide and shea butter that’s completely safe. It has no chemical fragrances or dyes, leaves no white residue and moisturizes at the same time.
It’s perfect for a day at the beach, fishing, tennis or any outdoor activity. Keep checking back for updates. You’ll be hearing more about it soon!
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD
Re: The Sun IS Your Sunscreen
Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by CSummer:
(I've) questioned the usefulness of chemical sunscreen (even "natural" ones). This article seems to answer a lot of my questions:
The Sun IS Your Sunscreen
By Al Sears, MD
Dear Health-Conscious Reader,
Corporations would have you believe the sun is a cancer-causing ball of radiation threatening our planet. But the fact is, the sun protects you from cancer. It enhances your health and is vital to your well-being.
One of the most important ways the sun protects you is through your skin, which makes vitamin D from its ultraviolet type B rays. And it’s vitamin D that keeps you from getting not just skin cancer, but more than a dozen others.
Those damn corporations again! badmouthing the sun that way, even though technically-speaking it is a cancer-causing ball of radiation threatening our planet. When it expands in a few billion years, we're gonna be toast.
And, well, strictly speaking, it's the skin that protects you - the sun has no idea, but the skin is actively involved. It's more a ju-jitsu style "turn the force of the opponent against itself" by taking advantage of the energy that's doing damage and using it to help generate a defense.
This portrait of nature as a beneficent force that is designed to keep you safe and thriving sounds like Walden-pond style nature - nicely contained by surrounding New England farms - as opposed to, say, nature in the Amazon forest. Nature's perfectly willing to let you suffer and die. If you manage to reproduce first, your descendants will have the opportunity to do the same. As long as skin cancer doesn't interfere with the reproduction part, nature's cool with it.
Similarly, the portrait of the health of farmers and construction workers seems to come from someone who doesn't know any of them but instead is using the weekend-warriors he knows from the office as a contrast. Those who do work outdoors are often aware of the need for sun protection, unlike the sun-starved office workers. And even with that, I sure see a lot of the older guys with little bandaids on their heads, hands and arms from recent out-patient surgeries.
I'm more addressing the hyperbole around his argument than his recommendations, by the way. It seems to be true that urban people don't get enough sunlight. My admittedly under-researched opinion is that the whole exposure thing is out of balance. If you get your sunlight exposure in the early morning and late afternoon, like the diurnal critters in nature do, and avoid the nastiest mid-day sun, it seems to offer the best of both worlds.
By the way, doesn't the little plug to buy his junk at the end of his article cast a little doubt on its status as an impartial piece of informational literature???
Re: The Sun IS Your Sunscreen
podfish wrote:
> By the way, doesn't the little plug to buy his junk at the end of his article cast a little doubt on its status as an impartial piece of informational literature???
The main point of his article is that you don't need sunscreen - except perhaps temporarily while your skin is getting adjusted to exposure. So I don't see his informing people about a product he's developing for that purpose invalidating the rest of the article. It seems to me to contain quite a lot of valuable information - and, I take it all with the proverbial grain of salt. I also appreciate that someone who's knowledgeable in some field and who sees a need for a healthier alternative making the effort to fill that need.
Quote:
Posted in reply to the post by podfish:
Those damn corporations again! badmouthing the sun that way, even though technically-speaking it is a cancer-causing ball of radiation threatening our planet. When it expands in a few billion years, we're gonna be toast.
And, well, strictly speaking, it's the skin that protects you - the sun has no idea, but the skin is actively involved. It's more a ju-jitsu style "turn the force of the opponent against itself" by taking advantage of the energy that's doing damage and using it to help generate a defense.
This portrait of nature as a beneficent force that is designed to keep you safe and thriving sounds like Walden-pond style nature - nicely contained by surrounding New England farms - as opposed to, say, nature in the Amazon forest. Nature's perfectly willing to let you suffer and die. If you manage to reproduce first, your descendants will have the opportunity to do the same. As long as skin cancer doesn't interfere with the reproduction part, nature's cool with it.
Similarly, the portrait of the health of farmers and construction workers seems to come from someone who doesn't know any of them but instead is using the weekend-warriors he knows from the office as a contrast. Those who do work outdoors are often aware of the need for sun protection, unlike the sun-starved office workers. And even with that, I sure see a lot of the older guys with little bandaids on their heads, hands and arms from recent out-patient surgeries.
I'm more addressing the hyperbole around his argument than his recommendations, by the way. It seems to be true that urban people don't get enough sunlight. My admittedly under-researched opinion is that the whole exposure thing is out of balance. If you get your sunlight exposure in the early morning and late afternoon, like the diurnal critters in nature do, and avoid the nastiest mid-day sun, it seems to offer the best of both worlds.
By the way, doesn't the little plug to buy his junk at the end of his article cast a little doubt on its status as an impartial piece of informational literature???
Re: The Sun IS Your Sunscreen
Good article! I liked the discussion of the toxic additives in sunscreens (and sadly, in nearly all body care products, even those that claim to be "natural" or "organic". Many products say they are paraben, SLS, or aluminum free on the front of the label, but the ingredients list shows that they are still full of toxic and endocrine-disrupting additives.).
Nutrition is totally the way to go for skin protection. I get my EPA from fermented cod liver oil, which also happens to be a great source of vitamin D. It's important to make sure your diet is rich in vitamin D, because not many people have the ability to expose most of their skin to midday sun everyday! Other dietary sources of vitamin D include seafood and duck eggs (much higher in vitamin D than chicken eggs). Salmon Creek Ranch has the best duck eggs.
It's also worth noting that in order to convert plant-based omega-3s into EPA, you need to have your digestion and liver working properly, and you need good enzyme function, which requires sufficient levels of amino acids, B6, magnesium, and zinc. These nutrients are frequently deficient, and digestive and liver problems are epidemic, so it probably isn't wise to rely on plant-based sources of omega-3s to meet your needs.
Laurel Blair, NTP
www.dynamicbalancenutrition.com
