NATURAL HEALTH: Enjoy the sun — it’s not your enemy!
Catherine Stack, RN, DO
May 16, 2011
NATURAL HEALTH: Enjoy the sun — it’s not your enemy!
By Catherine Stack
Niagara Gazette The Niagara Gazette Mon May 16, 2011, 12:48 PM EDT
Column by Catherine Stack — Living in Western New York is a bit challenging when the long winters lead into a chilly, dreary spring. It is no wonder that our Vitamin D levels are exceptionally low and our cancer rates are exceedingly high.
Warm, sunny days are just around the corner and if you are anything like me, you will want to spend every possible minute outside. Will I avoid the sun because I think it causes cancer? Absolutely not! Will I slather my skin with brand named SPF 50? Absolutely never! Believe it or not, growing up near the ocean and spending many summer days on the beach actually decreased my risk for skin cancer.
Yes, I do need to protect my sun-deprived skin from burning when I travel to the Caribbean during the winter months. Burning will accelerate the aging process and I do not need or want any help in that department. During the summer months, sunscreen is only applied if I will be out all day.
It is now common knowledge that adequate Vitamin D3 levels protect you against at least 22 different types of cancers including breast, colon and prostate cancer. You want your levels above between 55-100ng/ml to protect yourself so supplementation is necessary. Up to 2000iu daily will not raise a low level — you need more. Sun exposure is Mother Nature’s natural resource for Vitamin D — and to our detriment, we have become well versed in hiding from it. We have been bombarded with scare tactics that would lead us to think sunshine is unhealthy and even causes cancer. There is nothing further from the truth.
A lack of sunshine has been linked to depression, bone loss, heart disease, cancer, multiple sclerosis and more. Does being outside on a sunny day lift your spirits? Sure it does. Your body needs sunlight the same way it needs essential nutrients to optimize health.
Has anyone noticed the incidence of skin cancer has dramatically increased since we have been slathering on sunscreen and hiding from the sun? Melanoma (the deadly skin cancer) rates have risen 1,800 percent since our grandparent’s generation. Most individuals I know who have been diagnosed with melanoma have never been sun worshipers or had jobs that kept them outdoors. Those working outdoors have the lowest risk of this deadly form of skin cancer.
There are actually three kinds of skin cancer. Basil cell and squamous cell carcinomas are more commonly seen with frequent sun exposure over many years but are rarely fatal with early detection. The sun is a contributing factor but it is the internal environment that makes you likely or unlikely to be a candidate for cancer. Melanoma is a deadly form of skin cancer. If melanoma rates were associated with sun exposure, we would see higher rates in sunny climates — but the opposite is actually true.
A cumulative overview of all the published research was reported in the International Journal of Cancer. The report reveals people with “heavy occupational exposure” to the sun have a significantly lower risk of melanoma.
As summer approaches, daily exposure to the sun in small to moderate quantities will actually improve your health and your mood. Enjoy this time of the year and don’t hide from the sun — it is one of my favorite supplements.
Catherine Stack is a doctor of naturopathy and certified nurse midwife. Her practice is located at Journey II Health in Niagara Falls. She can be reached at 298-8603 or at her website at journeyiihealth.com.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Monday, May 2, 2011
A Must-Read Book: The Sunlight Solution
Wednesday, April 27, 2011 | posted in: Headline Story
What’s the most under-rated book on vitamin D produced from the sun?
“The Sunlight Solution” is written by a medical historian who chastises those who continue to cling to sun-phobic behavior that so clearly is denying our bodies the benefits that nature intended. Laurie Winn Carlson — a regular indoor tanning client in sun-deprived Oregon — is an adjunct assistant professor of history at Western Oregon University and the author of 20 books. Her own experience with vitamin D deficiency led her to pen this book, which is available through most booksellers.
Her main point: Sunlight is a vital component of good health. Like plants that thrive in the sun, we humans too depend on sunlight, in our case for the production of vitamin D. In the past few decades, however, cultural trends have steered us away from sun exposure. From fear of the potential dangers of UV radiation and the heavy promotion of sunscreen products to artificial work and recreational environments centered on virtual reality, we are all spending much more time indoors and away from the sun. In THE SUNLIGHT SOLUTION: WHY MORE SUN EXPOSURE AND VITAMIN D ARE ESSENTIAL TO YOUR HEALTH (Prometheus Books, $19.98), Laurie Winn Carlson delves into benefits of sunlight and the consequences we would face without it.
In this informative overview of an often-neglected topic, Carlson examines the historical and cultural factors that have created our indoor lifestyles and the medical evidence that suggests we need to get out in the sun.
“The Sunlight Solution is a wealth of knowledge about the history of vitamin D,” says Bruce W. Hollis, Ph.D. Professor of Pediatrics, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Director of Pediatric Nutritional Sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston. He adds, “Even I, who have studied this topic my whole career, learned a significant amount about the history. Also, the practical knowledge in this text will aid in maintaining the health of the general public.”
Carlson begins by tracing the behavior patterns that have caused a shift indoors. She notes that it was common decades ago for children to spend hours playing outside. The lure of video games and computers has changed all that. Adults also live and work in the perpetual twilight of electric lighting. Though we feel comfortable, there is evidence that our bodies have not really adjusted to a lifestyle that is less than a century old. In fact, we may be suffering from the unnatural hours we work and sleep. The sun was once our wake up call. Now, alarm clocks determine the start of our days without any regard for daylight or nighttime darkness.
Dr. Michael F. Holick, of the Boston University School of Medicine says, “The reader will be enlightened by the historical perspective and how our sunphobic attitudes have resulted in this insidious vitamin D deficiency.”
The production of Vitamin D from sun exposure is crucial to maintaining the body’s calcium levels and is an important factor for building and repairing bones. Vitamin D is also necessary for regulating insulin, cell growth, and the immune system. Carlson explains the growing body of research that challenges government and health industry warnings against the dangers of sunlight by detailing the new benefits of Vitamin D and sun exposure scientists and researchers continue to find. An increased intake of vitamin D may help in preventing heart disease, obesity, and even cancers. There is also evidence of the sun’s beneficial effects on psychological disorders such as seasonal depression or difficulty sleeping. Carlson explains why vitamin D from supplements and nutrition sources is simply not enough to fulfill our health needs.
The public has been repeatedly warned about the potential dangers of tanning and UV rays. The heavy and mandatory sunscreen use that’s been promoted in recent years has affected how much beneficial sun exposure people receive when they are outdoors. Carlson discusses common misconceptions about the benefits of sunscreen and sun-avoidance. She argues for a more balanced approach to sun exposure, maintaining that although the risk of skin cancers should not be ignored, excessive avoidance of the sun can be just as risky to our health, if not more so.
Now more than ever we need to be concerned with the quality and quantity of sun exposure that we can get. Because of pollutants and changing weather patterns, fewer of the sun’s rays are reaching us. The world is literally becoming a darker place. In areas of high pollution, particles in the air absorb or deflect the sun’s rays, keeping them from reaching the surface of the Earth. Those rays that do reach us have been decreasing in radiation strength. The environmental affect of solar dimming on plant life, animals, and humans is a growing area of research.
The Sunlight Solution provides information for people to begin incorporating the sun and its vitamin D into a healthy lifestyle. Carlson includes ways for individuals to measure their ideal level of sun exposure. She explains on a cellular level how the body creates its own vitamin D from UV light and the multiple ways it is used. The digestive process of absorbing and activating vitamin D from foods and supplements is also discussed.
Part history, part prescription, and part environmental warning, The Sunlight Solution is an essential look at our vital relationship with the sun.
What’s the most under-rated book on vitamin D produced from the sun?
“The Sunlight Solution” is written by a medical historian who chastises those who continue to cling to sun-phobic behavior that so clearly is denying our bodies the benefits that nature intended. Laurie Winn Carlson — a regular indoor tanning client in sun-deprived Oregon — is an adjunct assistant professor of history at Western Oregon University and the author of 20 books. Her own experience with vitamin D deficiency led her to pen this book, which is available through most booksellers.
Her main point: Sunlight is a vital component of good health. Like plants that thrive in the sun, we humans too depend on sunlight, in our case for the production of vitamin D. In the past few decades, however, cultural trends have steered us away from sun exposure. From fear of the potential dangers of UV radiation and the heavy promotion of sunscreen products to artificial work and recreational environments centered on virtual reality, we are all spending much more time indoors and away from the sun. In THE SUNLIGHT SOLUTION: WHY MORE SUN EXPOSURE AND VITAMIN D ARE ESSENTIAL TO YOUR HEALTH (Prometheus Books, $19.98), Laurie Winn Carlson delves into benefits of sunlight and the consequences we would face without it.
In this informative overview of an often-neglected topic, Carlson examines the historical and cultural factors that have created our indoor lifestyles and the medical evidence that suggests we need to get out in the sun.
“The Sunlight Solution is a wealth of knowledge about the history of vitamin D,” says Bruce W. Hollis, Ph.D. Professor of Pediatrics, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Director of Pediatric Nutritional Sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston. He adds, “Even I, who have studied this topic my whole career, learned a significant amount about the history. Also, the practical knowledge in this text will aid in maintaining the health of the general public.”
Carlson begins by tracing the behavior patterns that have caused a shift indoors. She notes that it was common decades ago for children to spend hours playing outside. The lure of video games and computers has changed all that. Adults also live and work in the perpetual twilight of electric lighting. Though we feel comfortable, there is evidence that our bodies have not really adjusted to a lifestyle that is less than a century old. In fact, we may be suffering from the unnatural hours we work and sleep. The sun was once our wake up call. Now, alarm clocks determine the start of our days without any regard for daylight or nighttime darkness.
Dr. Michael F. Holick, of the Boston University School of Medicine says, “The reader will be enlightened by the historical perspective and how our sunphobic attitudes have resulted in this insidious vitamin D deficiency.”
The production of Vitamin D from sun exposure is crucial to maintaining the body’s calcium levels and is an important factor for building and repairing bones. Vitamin D is also necessary for regulating insulin, cell growth, and the immune system. Carlson explains the growing body of research that challenges government and health industry warnings against the dangers of sunlight by detailing the new benefits of Vitamin D and sun exposure scientists and researchers continue to find. An increased intake of vitamin D may help in preventing heart disease, obesity, and even cancers. There is also evidence of the sun’s beneficial effects on psychological disorders such as seasonal depression or difficulty sleeping. Carlson explains why vitamin D from supplements and nutrition sources is simply not enough to fulfill our health needs.
The public has been repeatedly warned about the potential dangers of tanning and UV rays. The heavy and mandatory sunscreen use that’s been promoted in recent years has affected how much beneficial sun exposure people receive when they are outdoors. Carlson discusses common misconceptions about the benefits of sunscreen and sun-avoidance. She argues for a more balanced approach to sun exposure, maintaining that although the risk of skin cancers should not be ignored, excessive avoidance of the sun can be just as risky to our health, if not more so.
Now more than ever we need to be concerned with the quality and quantity of sun exposure that we can get. Because of pollutants and changing weather patterns, fewer of the sun’s rays are reaching us. The world is literally becoming a darker place. In areas of high pollution, particles in the air absorb or deflect the sun’s rays, keeping them from reaching the surface of the Earth. Those rays that do reach us have been decreasing in radiation strength. The environmental affect of solar dimming on plant life, animals, and humans is a growing area of research.
The Sunlight Solution provides information for people to begin incorporating the sun and its vitamin D into a healthy lifestyle. Carlson includes ways for individuals to measure their ideal level of sun exposure. She explains on a cellular level how the body creates its own vitamin D from UV light and the multiple ways it is used. The digestive process of absorbing and activating vitamin D from foods and supplements is also discussed.
Part history, part prescription, and part environmental warning, The Sunlight Solution is an essential look at our vital relationship with the sun.
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