If you enjoy this post, please share it using the buttons in the post, or email it to a friend, we'd really appreciate it! by Warren Matthews of Xtend-Life
If you had read Part 1 of this series you will know that this ‘wonder drug’ is none other than the sun! If you have not as yet read that article may I suggest that you do so by clicking here, otherwise this article may not make sense!
You will also note that I had added a PS in that article suggesting that sunscreens have contributed to the increase in melanoma skin cancers and wrinkly skin of ‘baby boomers’. Before I continue I will explain why this is the case and so you can be aware of it.
When you are exposed to sunlight you are absorbing both UVA and UVB rays. Although there are also UVC rays emitted by the sun these are absorbed by the earth’s atmosphere and therefore not relevant to this discussion.
UVB radiation is what reddens skin and causes sunburn. UVA radiation is what causes wrinkles and MAY be a contributing factor in melanoma’s IF the body has extreme exposure to them. Up until relatively recently most sunscreens only blocked the burning UVB rays!
This meant that people would inadvertently get excessive exposure to UVA rays because the natural defense mechanism of sun burn did not work because the burning UVB rays were being filtered out!
The end result…wrinkly and damaged skin which would not have occurred if these people had NOT used sunscreen as they would have had less exposure to the UVA rays!
Only use the broad spectrum type…
So, after you have had an adequate dose of sunlight WITHOUT sunscreen and just before you start going ‘pink’ use a broad spectrum sunscreen lotion which blocks out both UVA and UVB rays.
Please don’t get pressured by advertising etc to put the sunscreen on before you have sunlight exposure. If you do you will be compromising your health. If you are a woman also don’t be influenced by cosmetic manufacturers who say that you should have a sunscreen in your make up.
This is pure nonsense and if you use make up or face creams with sunscreen you are compromising your health in two ways. One is that you are reducing the amount of sunlight that you need for optimal health, and secondly the sun screens in cosmetics are not ones that filter out the UVA and UVB on the surface of the skin. Instead they are chemicals that react with the skin to give the UVA and UVB protection. There is little evidence supporting the long term safety of these chemicals and some researchers suggest that they may be carcinogenic.
When using a sunscreen you should always use one which contains a barrier which sits on time of the skin, such as titanium dioxide or zinc oxide. These are harmless although they are not as ‘pretty’ as they leave a white film on the skin whilst they are being used.
As many of my readers know we have been developing some natural skin care products which we will be releasing within a few months. We considered offering a face cream with an SPF factor but after researching it further decided against it because we did not like the properties of the chemicals used to provide that SPF factor. Obviously the safe type of sunscreens cannot be used in face creams and cosmetics because of the ‘film’ it creates.
OK, so much for sunscreen and why some baby boomers have wrinkly skin. Let’s move on to why sunlight is such a ‘wonder drug’.
In Part 1 I said that sunlight can…
* Reduce Breast Cancer – by 35 – 75%
* Reduce Prostate Cancer – by 75%
* Reduce the risk of getting colon, pancreatic and other forms of cancer.
* Reduce the risk of various autoimmune disorders.
* Reduce the risk of a Heart Attack or Stroke.
* Reduce the risk of osteoporosis
As I also mentioned in the first article there is overwhelming evidence to support these assertions and I will be giving you the references so you can do further research yourself on this if you wish.
So, what is it about the sun that is so good for us?
There are many components, such as sunlight’s ability to reduce blood pressure naturally, increase the production of dopamine and much more, but the most important one is that sunlight gives the body the ability to manufacture Vitamin D which in turn helps prevent cancers, autoimmune diseases and osteoporosis just to name the most important benefits.
Oh, I can hear some readers saying…”we can just take a Vitamin D supplement” and get the same benefit. Well, it is not as simple as that, because it is not wise to take mega doses of Vitamin D for an extended period of time as it is possible to get Vitamin D toxicity. Sometimes however if someone has a Vitamin D deficiency, high doses up to 2,000IU for a short period may be warranted for a short period under a Doctor’s supervision.
The symptoms of Vitamin D toxicity from supplementation can be nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, constipation and weight loss. It can also bring about elevated calcium levels causing calcification of the kidneys with resultant failure, as well as calcification of the major arteries.
The fortification of milk with Vitamin D was banned by European Governments in the 1950’s because of these problems.
It is much easier and safer to get the bulk of the Vitamin D that you need from sunlight. Consider this. If you expose 100% of your body until just before you get pink the increase of Vitamin D in your system will be equivalent to taking 10,000 – 25,000 IU of Vitamin D orally. You would have to take a lot of oral supplements to get that amount of IU and in the process of doing so run the risk of toxicity.
The good news is that you cannot overdose with Vitamin D from the sun as any excess Vitamin D is simply stored in fatty tissue and released when needed. This means that if you get a reasonable amount of sun exposure during summer you would generally have enough to last you through the winter until next summer.
If you combine your sun exposure even if only moderate with a supplement such as our Total Balance which has a modest amount of Vitamin D present (300 IU) then you would never have a deficiency and you would be doing just one more thing in protecting yourself against avoidable preventative diseases.
The propaganda from the Anti-Sun lobby telling people to avoid the sun is effective!
The evidence of this is in the statistics. Between 40 – 60% of all Americans are Vitamin D deficient. The group that has the largest deficiency is the elderly. Many of them are so paranoid about going out in the sun that they avoid it totally. The sad and ironic thing about this is that this is the group who need the sunlight the most!
As we age the ability to absorb Vitamin D from food becomes less and less. As a result the elderly are much more prone to broken hips and other fractures because they simply do not get enough Vitamin D which the bones and other organs need. The anti-sun lobby in my opinion is responsible for the death of many elderly people because so often a fractured hip leads to pneumonia in the elderly often followed by death.
Bottom line! If you are elderly get out into the sun and you will increase your chances of living longer and healthier!
Would you like to see the proof of the benefits of sunlight?
If you would this is what I suggest. Go to your local bookstore or, an online bookstore and purchase a copy of “The UV Advantage” by Michael F. Holick, PhD, MD.
Dr Holick is a Professor of Medicine, Physiology and BioPhysics at Boston University Medical Center. He is considered to be the world’s foremost authority on sunlight and Vitamin D.
His book is fascinating reading and is contrary to all the propaganda that you see and hear in the media. It is based on common sense and science to support it. The book also has an extensive Bibliography of references supporting all the assertions that he makes in the book.
Although sunshine is indeed a ‘wonder drug’ just remember that it is only one component in the overall protocols that you should be following to avoid degenerative disease and stay healthy and active. You also must eat sensibly, exercise regularly and of course at least take our Total Balance and Omega 3 and maybe some of the other products as well.
I realize that not all readers are able to take advantage of the sun either due to a very sensitive skin or simply where they live. But, do what you can and if you feel that you do not get enough sun then it might be a good idea to talk to your Doctor and have your Vitamin D levels checked in case you need a top up.
The amount of Vitamin D that we have in Total Balance is adequate for those people who have a reasonable diet and get some modest exposure to the sun. However, it may be not enough for some people who have a less than ideal diet and never see the sun. If you are one of these and you don’t want to see the Doctor to check out your levels then it would be OK to take an extra Vitamin D supplement at say 400 IU per day and have it in addition to Total Balance. It is cheap. Make sure that you get the D3 type which is the natural form.
If you have children also make sure that they have reasonable exposure to the sun. Don’t let them be conditioned as some children are in New Zealand by the schools here whose teachers suggest that you should not even venture outside without a wide brimmed hat. No wonder that Rickets which is a direct consequence of a Vitamin D deficiency in children is beginning to appear.
Warren Matthews of Xtend-Life
PS. Some of the conditions that sunlight has been proven to help are:
* Alzheimer’s
* Multiple Sclerosis
* Rheumatoid Arthritis
* Diabetes Type 1
* Cancers of the Internal Organs. (Breast, colon, ovaries, prostate etc)
* Cardiovascular diseases
* Circadian Rhythms
* Depression
* Fibromyalgia
* Osteoporosis
* PMS
* Psoriasis
* Schizophrenia
* Sleep Disorders
View the original article here
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