Sunshine = Good, Sunscreen = Bad?
Exposure to the sun is blamed for everything from wrinkles to cancer but we’d like to present some of the positives about enjoying summertime sunshine and more importantly educate you on the toxins that are contained in most commercially available sunscreens. That’s right it, actually you’re doing more harm than good by slathering up with toxins and blocking beneficial Vitamin D production.
As reported in The New York Times last month “Studies indicate that the effects of a vitamin D deficiency include an elevated risk of developing (and dying from) cancers of the colon, breast and prostate; high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease; osteoarthritis; and immune-system abnormalities that can result in infections and autoimmune disorders like multiple sclerosis, Type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.
Most people in the modern world have lifestyles that prevent them from acquiring the levels of vitamin D that evolution intended us to have. The sun’s ultraviolet-B rays absorbed through the skin are the body’s main source of this nutrient.”
Also cited in that same New York Times article was Dr. Michael Holick of Boston University, a leading expert on vitamin D and author of “The Vitamin D Solution”
“We want everyone to be above 30 nanograms per milliliter, but currently in the United States, Caucasians average 18 to 22 nanograms and African-Americans average 13 to 15 nanograms.” African-American women are 10 times as likely to have levels at or below 15 nanograms as white women, the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found.
Most Americans can’t consume enough vitamin D from their food even with all the Vitamin D fortified foods on the market. The body has evolved to provide essential amounts of Vitamin D by production through the skin.
Can you get too much exposure?
As with most everything else the danger is always in the dose. Sun burns are certainly damaging to your skin and hazardous to your health. So for short exposures 10-15 min intervals you’ll be better off getting some rays, for longer exposure you should be using natural sunscreens that contain reflective zinc oxide or titanium oxide as well as non-toxic ingredients like shea butter, beeswax, green tea, or chamomile. Ingredients to avoid include Avobezone, Benzophenone, Homosalate & Octy-methoxycinnamate, and Padimate-O. Some of the unintended effects can be allergic reactions, hormonal disruptions and lung irritations from inhaled powders or aerosols. The skin absorbs all the ingredients in the sunscreens opposed to staying on the surface of the skin. Some of the compounds in sunscreen have been shown to mimic estrogen in fish and have been linked to endocrine disruption, cell damage and even cancer.
Learn more on this topic with Joe’s commentary on Sunshine and Deep Breathing
A good rule of thumb if you are out in the sun and you touch your skin and it turns white in that area, your skin is too hot and you need to go indoors to avoid burning.
Having said that, if you can avoid sunburn with the aforementioned techniques, it is vital to either get sunshine everyday or supplement with Vitamin D. Many health experts are now recommending 5000 IU per day, about 8x the RDA! Remember if you are supplementing with Vitamin D, D3 is the only form you should use. Vitamin D also slowly loses potency in capsule form so remember that as you supplement.
I always start a Vitamin D supplement routine starting in October through May, as in the Midwest we do not see much sun in those periods.
So get outside and enjoy the summer sunshine but use your head and natural sunscreen to prevent overexposure.
Sunshine = Good, Sunscreen = Bad?
Exposure to the sun is blamed for everything from wrinkles to cancer but we’d like to present some of the positives about enjoying summertime sunshine and more importantly educate you on the toxins that are contained in most commercially available sunscreens. That’s right it, actually you’re doing more harm than good by slathering up with toxins and blocking beneficial Vitamin D production.
As reported in The New York Times last month “Studies indicate that the effects of a vitamin D deficiency include an elevated risk of developing (and dying from) cancers of the colon, breast and prostate; high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease; osteoarthritis; and immune-system abnormalities that can result in infections and autoimmune disorders like multiple sclerosis, Type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.
Most people in the modern world have lifestyles that prevent them from acquiring the levels of vitamin D that evolution intended us to have. The sun’s ultraviolet-B rays absorbed through the skin are the body’s main source of this nutrient.”
Also cited in that same New York Times article was Dr. Michael Holick of Boston University, a leading expert on vitamin D and author of “The Vitamin D Solution”
“We want everyone to be above 30 nanograms per milliliter, but currently in the United States, Caucasians average 18 to 22 nanograms and African-Americans average 13 to 15 nanograms.” African-American women are 10 times as likely to have levels at or below 15 nanograms as white women, the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found.
Most Americans can’t consume enough vitamin D from their food even with all the Vitamin D fortified foods on the market. The body has evolved to provide essential amounts of Vitamin D by production through the skin.
Can you get too much exposure?
As with most everything else the danger is always in the dose. Sun burns are certainly damaging to your skin and hazardous to your health. So for short exposures 10-15 min intervals you’ll be better off getting some rays, for longer exposure you should be using natural sunscreens that contain reflective zinc oxide or titanium oxide as well as non-toxic ingredients like shea butter, beeswax, green tea, or chamomile. Ingredients to avoid include Avobezone, Benzophenone, Homosalate & Octy-methoxycinnamate, and Padimate-O. Some of the unintended effects can be allergic reactions, hormonal disruptions and lung irritations from inhaled powders or aerosols. The skin absorbs all the ingredients in the sunscreens opposed to staying on the surface of the skin. Some of the compounds in sunscreen have been shown to mimic estrogen in fish and have been linked to endocrine disruption, cell damage and even cancer.
Learn more on this topic with Joe’s commentary on Sunshine and Deep Breathing
A good rule of thumb if you are out in the sun and you touch your skin and it turns white in that area, your skin is too hot and you need to go indoors to avoid burning.
Having said that, if you can avoid sunburn with the aforementioned techniques, it is vital to either get sunshine everyday or supplement with Vitamin D. Many health experts are now recommending 5000 IU per day, about 8x the RDA! Remember if you are supplementing with Vitamin D, D3 is the only form you should use. Vitamin D also slowly loses potency in capsule form so remember that as you supplement.
I always start a Vitamin D supplement routine starting in October through May, as in the Midwest we do not see much sun in those periods.
So get outside and enjoy the summer sunshine but use your head and natural sunscreen to prevent overexposure.