7 min read (1680 words)

Increase in skin cancer

Over the past four decades, the incidence rates of skin cancer have been increasing at a much faster pace than any other cancer in the fair-skinned populations in Europe, North America & Oceania according to a study by Brighton & Sussex Medical School (BSMS). It was initially believed that the sun causes skin cancer so public health bodies recommended people should reduce sun exposure. However, Dr. Daniel Coit, surgical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) had a different perspective. At the 2012 MSKCC Health Education Seminar, he shared that skin cancer is not caused by the sun. Stating that appropriate sun exposure is good for us as sunlight reduces the risk of skin cancer and other diseases.

How sunlight prevents cancer and other diseases 

Melanocytes are cells in your skin that release melanin which produces hair, eye and skin pigmentation. Regular and consistent sun exposure produces melanin which absorbs harmful UV rays, protecting you from sun damage.

Vitamin D is the sunshine vitamin that has been produced on this earth for more than 500 million years. When your skin is exposed to sunlight, the sun’s ultraviolet B (UVB) rays interact with a protein called 7-DHC in your skin, converting it into vitamin D3, the active form of vitamin D. This is important becuase Vitamin D helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in your body. These nutrients are needed to keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy. A lack of vitamin D can lead to rickets in children, and bone pain caused by osteomalacia in adults.

Additionally, it’s been found that almost all studies suggest that chronic (not intermittent) sun exposure is in fact associated with a reduced risk of colon, breast and prostate cancer and Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).

Low Vitamin D levels is causing cancer and other diseases

Increasing numbers of people from Europe, North America & Oceania suffer from Vitamin D deficiencies and serious health problems. It’s been proven that these deficiencies are caused by insufficient sun exposure. Low Vitamin D levels have been linked to schizophrenia and depression, asthma, obesity, auto-immune, MS, cancer, chrones and liver disease. As well as muscle pains, adult onset diabetes, high blood pressure, congenital heart defects, osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis. 

How sunscreen causes cancer and other diseases

Sunscreen works by blocking and absorbing UV rays through a combination of physical and chemical particles. Physical particles, such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are minerals that are ground into fine particles which sit on the surface of your skin and reflect UV rays away from your skin. The application of sunscreen is directly blocking you from receiving Vitamin D from the sun, which we now know to be a major cause in cancer and many other dis-eases. 

At the same time, complex chemical ingredients in sunscreen react with sun radiation before it penetrates the skin, absorbing the rays and releasing the energy as heat. However, these chemicals are toxic endocrine disruptors, damage the heart and liver and soaks into the skin and enters the bloodstream. A single application can last for up to two days, and as it is absorbed through the skin it bypasses the liver for detoxification so toxins remain inside of you. 

Chemical sunscreens function by absorbing UV light. As a result, they form DNA-damaging free radicals. In a study done by the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority, research showed that the reaction between Octyl methoxycinnamate (OMC) and sunlight was twice as toxic as the chemical on its own. OMC is present in 90% of sunscreen brands.

In the past 50 years, sunscreen use has increased dramatically. Back in the early 1970s, sales of sunscreen in America were around $18 million. By some estimates, this has now grown to almost $400 million annually. If sunscreen really did prevent skin cancer, we would have seen a rapid decline in rates. Instead, incidences of skin cancer have been rising in correlation with the increase of sunscreen use.

What else is causing cancer and other diseases?

There are five main factors in causing dis-ease, including cancer:

• Inherited toxicity developed in utero and passed down from birth 
• Accumulated consumption of acid-forming foods and drinks such as meat, fish, dairy, processed foods, alcohol, sugary drinks and overly cooked foods 
• Environmental toxicity from cars, planes, and household items 
• Acid build-up through stress and unresolved trauma 
• Heavy metals from medication, antibiotics, vaccines and chemotherapy. Regardless of how effective these are in one’s condition, they inevitably create more acidity in the body and overload and burden the liver, therefore contributing to sickness

For an in depth look at the nature of dis-ease, please read my article “Dispelling Myths Part 1: What Causes Disease?” and “Vaccine Safety and Effectiveness: A Deep Dive“’

Tips for healthy sun exposure

Your body naturally makes vitamin D when your skin is exposed to sunlight. The amount of vitamin D you get from exposing your bare skin to sun is dependent on the following several factors:

Where you live

The closer to the equator you live, the easier it is for your body to synthesise vitamin D. The further away you are from the equator, the more difficult it is for your body to synthesise vitamin D.

The amount of skin you expose

If you wear clothing that covers most of your skin, you may be at risk for vitamin D deficiency. If you spend a lot of time inside and/or under fluorescent lighting, you also run the risk of being low in Vitamin D. Cloudy weather can also be a problem because fewer UVB rays reach your skin on cloudy days.

The colour of your skin 

People with darker skin tones have more melanin, so they tend to produce less vitamin D through sun exposure. Essentially, this means that people who have pale skin produce vitamin D more quickly than people with darker skin. Skin-colour typology is generally arranged into the following categories: 

• Type 1 – Black
• Type 2 – Dark Brown; mid-eastern skin 
• Type 3 – Brown; typical Mediterranean Caucasian skin 
• Type 4 – Cream white; fair; with any eye or hair colour
• Type 5 – White; fair; red or blond hair; blue, hazel, or green eyes 
• Type 6 – White; very fair; red or blond hair; blue eyes; freckles 

If you have skin type 1 to 3, you produce vitamin D less quickly than if you have skin type 4 to 6. A good rule of thumb is to get half the sun exposure it takes for your skin to turn pink to get your recommended amount of vitamin D. After you have exposed your skin for enough time, cover up with clothing and go back into the shade. A dark-skinned person might need 10 times more sun exposure than a lighter-skinned person to produce the same amount of vitamin D.

The time and duration 

When the rays of the sun enter the Earth’s atmosphere at a steep angle, UVB rays are blocked. This occurs during the early and later parts of the day, and most of the day during the winter. Its estimated that we should get more than 90 percent of our vitamin D through daily sun exposure. 

According to the national Institutes of Health, between five and 30 minutes of sun exposure to your unprotected face, arms, legs or back between the hours of 10:00 – 15:00, three times every week is enough for your body to produce all of the Vitamin D it needs.

If you’ve been wearing sunscreen all your life and now decide to stop, you’re likely to find you might be initially intolerant to the sun and / or you become sunburnt easily. This is why you should expose yourself to the sun in short intervals and slowly work your way up to 30 minutes three times a week until you can sit in the sun without it being an issue for you. 

Sunscreen

Sunscreen blocks vitamin D production. If you want your skin to absorb UVB rays that are necessary to synthesise vitamin D3, you can’t wear sunscreen. In fact, studies have found that sunscreens with sun protection factor (SPF) 8 or higher block our skin’s ability to produce vitamin D from sunlight by as much as 95 percent. The only sunscreen I would recommend is zinc oxide in a non powdered or spray form, but in its sticky substance. This is used by surfers across the world as they spend the most amount of time in the sun and need the added protection from excessive sun exposure. 

Food

Consume a diet high in antioxidants such as vitamin C and E and eat plenty of chlorophyll-rich green vegetables. Fresh fruits, raw vegetables and unprocessed foods provide the body with an abundance of powerful antioxidants and nutrients that will help you fight the free radicals and help prevent sunburn.

Summary

Sunlight is one of the most natural and essential things for life. Sunlight has the ability to dramatically lower the risk of many forms of cancer, auto immune, arthritis, heart disease and diabetes. UV rays act as a natural antiseptic, killing viruses, bacteria, moulds, yeasts, fungi, and mites in air, water, and on different surfaces including your skin. Sunshine stimulates your appetite and improves your digestion, elimination, and metabolism. Getting your daily dose of sunshine will enhance your immune system and it increases the number of white blood cells in your blood. Sunshine also encourages healthy circulation and stimulates the production of more red blood cells which increases the amount of oxygen in your blood. By following the tips for healthy sun exposure, you should prevent burning, increase your Vitamin D levels and start to feel and look healthier. The sun is not your enemy, it is your friend!