The Truth About Skin Cancer

It Is NOT Caused By The Sun - You NEED Sun For Vitamin D
by Dr. William Sears
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).
Source