- You know, I've often ranted about the
- benefits of sun exposure, but some people
- just don't seem to listen. So, here's someone
- else saying it. It's a well-written piece.
- I don't agree with everything he says,
- but consider it:
- "I have just returned from an island
- off the coast of Georgia. The island
- is the easternmost piece of land in
- the state of Georgia. Luckily, we stayed
- just down the street from a great
- breakfast dive called "The Breakfast
- Club." This is a famous place and
- unique in many ways including the
- hours. When the chef (can you really
- call a short order cook that?) decides
- to close he closes. Today he closed at
- 12:30. Yesterday, he stayed open until
- 2:00. If you've ever spent much time
- on an island in the semi-tropics you'll
- find nooks and crannies with people
- like this..."living on island time."
-
- As this summer comes to an end and
- the sunsets arrive earlier and earlier,
- I am reminded about those living either
- on an island or near a beach, and I truly
- begin to wonder about the sun and
- whether it is good for us. While walking
- the beach this week, I contemplated
- the hype about sunburns and skin cancer.
- How much SPF was I supposed to put
- on? How often? Should I really stay
- completely out of the sun at noon?
- When I realize how little of it makes
- sense, I know its time do some more
- research and then share my thoughts
- with you.
-
- If you think about it, the sun and sunlight
- HAS TO BE HEALTHY for us. As it
- turns out, our bodies actually use the
- sunlight to produce chemicals that are
- highly critical in our body's function
- and our mental well-being. The sun's
- ultraviolet radiation, UV for short, comes
- in several different wavelengths of light.
- UV-B rays, the ones thought to burn,
- are the ones that trigger the production
- of the major chemical so critical to our
- health. The chemical is Vitamin D and
- it is critical in our kidney function, bone
- formation, blood pressure, immune
- system function, etc...
-
- In actuality, it is not truly a vitamin since
- it can be made by human skin and thus
- need not be added to our diet. In fact,
- almost every cell in our body has a
- receptor for Vitamin D. More importantly,
- this vitamin is chemically a steroid called
- cholecalciferol, (aka Vitamin D3). It is
- produced in the skin and then converted
- to a long-lived molecule in the liver, and
- then finally into a short-lived active
- molecule 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol.
- The chemical is fat-soluble and, as such,
- could be consumed and stored in the body
- in excessive amounts if too much is taken
- in supplement form. One of its critical
- roles is in controlling the balance between
- calcium, phosphorous, and bone "remodeling."
- Some people think the reason fractures are
- so common in the elderly is due to decreased
- sunlight inside nursing homes and the hospital.
- I actually agree with this idea.
-
- But back to the issues surrounding the sun.
- The hype surrounding sun and skin cancer
- is remarkable. Several high profile websites
- propagate the hype with phrases such as:
-
- 1. "90% of skin cancers are preventable"
- 2. "skin cancer is at epidemic proportions in the U.S."
- 3. "well-known behaviors can reduce the risk"
-
- Shamefully, they don't tell you how good
- the sun is for you or how harmful the
- chemicals are they recommend using to
- "prevent cancer." In fact, sunscreen does
- not even protect you from the form of
- skin cancer called melanoma -- the deadly
- skin cancer but also the least common.
- (Genetics play a huge role in this form
- of cancer and paradoxically the sun may
- help prevent it!)
-
- Some of the chemicals in sunscreen include:
-
- 1. Titanium dioxide -- absorbed into the skin
- --"a potential occupational carcinogen."
-
- 2. Octyl methoxycinnamate -- kills mouse
- cells in much lower concentrations than
- those found in sunscreen.
-
- 3. Benzophenone -- used in industrial processes
- to initiate chemical reactions -- a prolific
- producer of free-radicals
-
- 4. 4-methyl-benzylidene camphor (4-MBC)
- --causes estrogen-like effects and
- developmental effects in animals
-
- 5. Adimate-O -- is a nitrosamine, which
- are major players in stomach cancers
-
- 6. Homosalate -- may cause aspirin
- (salicylate) poisoning
-
- 7. Oxybenzone -- causes low sperm
- counts and liver toxicity in animals
-
- What no one tells you is that most of the
- chemicals in sunscreens are as likely if not
- more so to do harm to your system than
- the sun itself. And the shocking news is
- that melanoma (the deadly skin cancer)
- is on the rise in the countries that have
- been increasing their use of sunscreens.
-
- Even more proof that sun, skin cancer,
- and the hype about it is wrong can be
- found if you look at states that have the
- highest amount of sunlight and the highest
- incidence of melanoma (or vice versa) and
- guess what? The states' rankings don't
- correlate with each other. For example,
- Delaware, which is #3 on the highest incidence
- list, gets around 100 days of sunshine per
- year, whereas the #46 to #50 states (low
- incidence of cancer) receive around 100
- days per year as well. Clearly the
- pathophysiology of skin cancer is poorly
- understood.
-
- But more importantly I want to tout the
- fact that the SUN IS GOOD FOR YOU...
- there are many studies showing that
- exposure to the sun:
-
- 1. decreases the risk of melanoma (a paradox for many)
- 2. decreases the risk of colon cancer
- 3. decreases the risk of breast cancer
- 4. decreases the risk of ovarian cancer
- 5. decreases the risk of prostate cancer
- 6. decreases the risk of lymphoma
- 7. decreases the risk of multiple sclerosis
- 8. decreases depression in the winter
- 9. causes a regression of solar keratoses
-
- Now having said all this... I can tell you
- that if you have more than 50 moles on
- your body OR the moles that you do have
- are unusual in shape, size or color then
- you are at much greater risk and getting
- sun on those moles can trigger their
- transformation to cancer. Similarly if
- you are lighter skinned, red, or
- blonde-haired... then you are at increased
- risk (albeit small and the risk decreased
- with regular exposure to the sun for short
- periods of time).
-
- What do I do?
-
- 1. I try to get some sun on my body every
- day (my face is usually the most convenient
- during working hours).
-
- 2. I try to not use sunscreen unless I am
- going to be outside for a much longer time
- than normally, for example a 3-4 hour
- period. In those times, I will use an SPF4
- or less to reduce my exposure to these
- toxic chemicals. (The number represents
- the amount of "supposed protection," the
- higher the number the more chemicals)
-
- 3. I also am very careful to NOT use sunscreen
- that has OMC (Octyl methoxycinnamate) --
- I found a while ago that it causes a rash days
- after application and also seems to make me
- react to the sun with more redness than
- other sunscreens.
-
- 4. Prior to any winter trip to a sunnier
- climate, I will stimulate my melanin producing
- cells (the ones that darken to give us a tan)
- by getting sunlight on my body (see #7)
- several times before going on the trip --
- even if this means a few tanning-booth
- sessions. (Tanning booths however don't
- have the full spectrum of the suns rays,
- which could be both good and bad.)
-
- 5. I am always careful to reduce the
- amount of sun I get during the peak burning
- times of 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., especially
- if I haven't been out much in the sun. I don't
- avoid this time but am just careful. For
- example, I usually put my convertible top
- up during this time.
-
- 6. I try and wear sunglasses and a cap to
- reduce the amount of direct light to my
- eyes (there is a link to cataracts and other
- eye diseases), although I do make sure my
- eyes get some of that healthy daytime light
- by occasionally not wearing glasses during
- daylight hours. The eyes are connected to
- a bunch of brain structures related to sleep,
- happiness, body rhythms, etc...
-
- 7. If it is the middle of winter and I'm feeling
- a little blue... in the middle of the day I try
- and find a nice warm brick wall, out of the
- wind, and just sit and get sunlight on my
- face and skin as much as possible...
-
- It's such a simple thing that it doesn't seem
- very important. But... I look for simple,
- cheap, and safe things to improve the
- long-term quality of my life. Sunlight is
- one of those powerful healing sources.
- Don't feel guilty about the sun.
-
- Here's to our health,
-
- Dr. David Eifrig Jr."
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