Benefits of Sun Exposure

Many of us are afraid of sun exposure, so we slather on our sunblock. Unfortunately, most brands are laden with toxic chemicals such as:

• Oxybenzone is linked to hormone disruption and cell damage that may lead to skin cancer.

• Retinyl palmitate has now been proven to be a carcinogen.

• Octyl-methoxycinnamate causes oxidation damage to the skin, which ages your face.

• Butyl-methdiebenzoylmethane, which releases free radicals into the body.

• Benzophenone 2 (BP2) decreases the function of the thyroid in a population that is already seriously suffering from hypothyroidism (underactive).

While it’s true that sunburns are not a good thing, burns are not the only thing we get from the sun. What has also become common in the last twenty years is a low Vitamin D level in the general population. Do you wonder why?

Humans need sunlight.

Here are some of the things sun exposure does for us:

• Lowers inflammation – which is important for the maintenance of blood pressure
• Helps muscle and bone health
• Increases brain health
• Allows the body to absorb correctly and transport calcium to the muscles, organs, and glands;
• Assists with weight management
• Helps with depression/improves mood
• Kills bad bacteria
• Sunlight is necessary for optimal hormone production
• Builds the immune system
• Sunlight lowers cholesterol. The sun converts high cholesterol in the blood into steroid hormones and the sex hormones we need for reproduction. The opposite happens in the absence of sunlight; substances convert to cholesterol.

So, maybe the answer is not to slather on toxic sunscreen to block all the sun’s positive benefits. Interestingly enough, your ability to not get a sunburn largely depends on supplying the body with the proper nutrients and ensuring the transport of these nutrients to the skin is functional. Believe it or not, we can help you protect your skin without harmful sunscreen creams and without blocking the great benefit of sun exposure; it has to do with the proper nutritional support.

Recommended Sunscreen

To protect our skin, SPF lotion is helpful. Watch out for toxic SPF lotions. The only active ingredient that is healthy for you is zinc. Read the ingredient list and if it’s not zinc then throw it away. Another way to see if your SPF lotion is good to use is to visit ewg.org that gives a rating to not only SPF lotions but lots of different beauty and cleaning products. Our favorite SPF lotion is Badger’s for both adults and kids. Its made with all organic ingredients, Clear Zinc Oxide, Sunflower Oil, Beeswax, Vitamin E & Seabuckthorn Extract.

If you have the genetics towards skin cancer, you do have to be careful. The three primary forms of skin cancer—melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma—are primarily attributed to excessive ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure. Skin cancers have become the most common form of cancer worldwide,

Dangers of Too Little Sunlight

Whereas skin cancer is associated with too much UVR exposure, other cancers could result from too little. Living at higher latitudes increases the risk of dying from Hodgkin lymphoma, as well as breast, ovarian, colon, pancreatic, prostate, and other cancers, as compared with living at lower latitudes. A randomized clinical trial by Joan Lappe, a medical professor at Creighton University, and colleagues, published in the June 2007 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, confirmed that taking 2–4 times the daily dietary reference intake of 200–600 IU vitamin D3 and calcium resulted in a 50–77% reduction in expected incidence rates of all cancers combined over four years in post-menopausal women living in Nebraska.

If you are not at genetic risk of skin cancer I do recommend 10 minutes of sun bathing a day to get the health benefits. If you are interested in optimizing the benefits of the sun for your health let me know at your next appointment so we can give you the specific nutrition that your body needs to get the benefits of the sun without the burn.