- ecades In The Dark
-
- After over 20 Years of Deceit, New Evidence that
Dermatologists and Sunscreen Makers Are Making Us All
Disease Magnets
-
- Bad but widely accepted advice just might be killing
you slowly if you buy into what they say about the
dangers of our native sun.
-
- They want you to avoid sunshine... slather on
chemical sunscreen if you go outside... stay indoors
during peak sun hours... wear long-sleeved shirts and
sunglasses even when it's not sunny... and strive to cut
your sun exposure to none.
-
- Abide by these instructions and it could spell
disaster for your health. By following their "no safe
level of sun exposure" rule, you'll put yourself at
higher risk for deadly cancers, heart disease and more.
-
- It's time to set the record straight. Real science
supports more, not less, sun exposure. If you know how
to safely take advantage of the sun, you'll live a
happier, longer life for it. You'll see how to enjoy the
warm, golden, mood-lifting rays of the sun once again.
-
- The True Crisis is a Deficiency of Vitamin D
-
- When the sun's rays strike your skin, an amazing
hormonal reaction begins. Your skin absorbs the light
and uses it to make vitamin D3. Think of it as the human
version of photosynthesis.
-
- Next your liver and kidneys metabolize the vitamin
D3 into an active hormone called 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin
D3. It's quite a mouthful, but this substance plays an
important role in almost every system of your body. For
example:
-
-
a.. Vitamin D helps build
healthy bones. Vitamin D deficiencies contribute
to osteoporosis, other bone-weakening
conditions, and unhealthy teeth.
-
- b.. Vitamin D helps keep the immune system
tuned. Vitamin D deficiencies promote a number
of painful autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid
arthritis and lupus.
-
- c.. Vitamin D helps keep your circulatory
system healthy. People with heart disease
commonly have a vitamin D deficiency.
-
- d.. Vitamin D helps keep cells healthy.
There is a link between higher rates of several
deadly cancers and vitamin D deficiency.
Sunlight is the best source of vitamin D
available. Because of the dire warning about the
sun, many doctors recommend you avoid sunlight.
This well-meant advice about sun-avoidance is
creating an epidemic of vitamin D deficiency.
|
-
- Twenty percent of children and adults up to age 50
don't get enough vitamin D every day. After fifty,
deficiencies affect as much as 95% of he population.[1]
-
- Let the Evidence Shine... You Need More Vitamin D
-
- Many studies show that vitamin D provides a myriad
of specific health benefits like:
-
-
-
- a.. Research
reported in the American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition correlated widespread vitamin D
deficiency with osteoporosis, increased
cancer risks, heart disease, rheumatoid
arthritis, multiple sclerosis and diabetes.
Increased, but safe, sun exposure is a way
to counteract vitamin D deficiency.[2]
-
- b.. Studies show that vitamin D reduces
the risks of colon cancer, breast cancer,
prostate cancer, and ovarian cancer. Your
risk of mortality from each of these deadly
cancers falls as your vitamin D levels
rise.[3]
-
- c.. More research shows that adequate
vitamin D levels help to control blood
pressure levels in patients with high blood
pressure. It also helps control blood
glucose levels in patients with adult-onset
diabetes.[4]
- The most natural and effective way to
get adequate vitamin D levels is from
sunshine. You want to be sure you get enough
sunlight, that you get safe sun exposure,
and that you know how to give your vitamin D
levels a boost when sun exposure isn't
enough.
|
-
Sunshine: Get What You Need to Prevent Deadly Disease
-
- The big concern most people have about sun exposure
is skin cancer. The vast majority of skin cancers are
basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas. Both of these
cancers need attention and you want to avoid them, but
they are not deadly cancers.
-
- The third type of skin cancer-melanoma-is very
serious and can be deadly. However, safe sun exposure
can help protect you against this skin cancer. Research
shows that people who get regular sun exposure as part
of their jobs are less likely to get melanoma skin
cancer than people who work inside all the time. [5]
-
- So, let me give the rules of safe sun exposure to
you in three basic steps.
-
1. Expose as much of
your skin as possible. A swimsuit is
perfect. And go without sunglasses.
- 2. Depending on your
pigmentation, go out in the sun for
at least 10 to 20 minutes, two or
three times a week. If you are
fair-skinned, your body can make
enough vitamin D in just minutes. If
you have darker skin or a deep tan,
it will take longer for you to get
the vitamin D you need.
-
- 3. Do not allow your skin to
burn. This is very important. A
sunburn will damage your skin, can
contribute to all three types of
skin cancer and cause aging changes
in your skin. You want to get your
vitamin D safely... that means
getting out of the sun or putting on
protective clothing before you burn.
- If you live in the southern
states, then this is all you need to
know to keep your vitamin D levels
high year round. However, if you
live anywhere north of Georgia, then
you need to give your body a vitamin
D boost in the winter months. The
low angle of the sun during those
months prevents the vitamin D
synthesis that your body needs.
|
-
-
- How to Get Your Vitamin D in the Winter
-
- Between late fall and early spring, if you live in a
northern state, there just isn't enough UV light
reaching you to make adequate vitamin D. The government
recommended amount of vitamin D every day is 400 IU. Yet
research shows that your body will use 3000 IU in a day,
as long as it is the natural form of vitamin D,
cholecalciferol.[6]
When you choose a supplement, avoid the manmade form of
vitamin D, ergocalciferol.
-
- Short of sunshine, the best natural source of
vitamin D is cod liver oil. A single tablespoon of cod
liver oil contains 1360 IU of natural vitamin D. In the
table below, you can see other sources of natural
vitamin D and how they match up to cod liver oil.
-
- Food Source Amount Vitamin D
-
- Cod Liver Oil 1 tablespoon 1360 IU
-
- Make cod liver oil a part of your daily supplement
routine each and every winter and make safe sun exposure
a habit all year round. Make sure you get a brand that
is free of mercury and PCB's. You can get Dr. Sears'
Label by clicking here (link missing).
|
-
More on similar topics
|
-
- Footnotes:
-
- [1] Raloff, Janet.
"Understanding Vitamin D Deficiency," Science News 2005;
- 167(18)
- [2] Holick MF.
"Sunlight and Vitamin D for Bone Health and Prevention
of
- Autoimmune Diseases, Cancers, and Cardiovascular
Disease," AJCN 2004;
- 80(6): 1678S-88S
- [3] Garland CF, et
al. "The Role of Vitamin D in Cancer Prevention," AJPH
- 2005; 12/27/2005
- [4] Zittermann A.
"Vitamin D and Disease Prevention with Special Reference
- to Cardiovascular Disease," Prog Biophys Mol Biol
2006; 92(1): 39-48
- [5] Nelemans PJ, et
al. "Effect of Intermittent Exposure to Sunlight on
- Melanoma Risk Among Indoor Workers and Sun Sensitive
Individuals,"
- Environmental Health Prospectives 1993; 101(3):
252-55
- [6] Heany RP, et al.
"Human Serum 25-hydroxycholecalciferol response to
- extended oral dosing with cholecalciferol," Am J
Clin Nutr 2003; 77(1):
- 204-10