Sunlight

[Aaltrude]

Sunlight provides a remedy for a lot of skin problems. I wonder how many people are suffering skin problems as a result of the slip, slop, slap and cover message.

[Samurai]

I have never been one for sunscreen because it stinks. I am ahgast (spell check por favor) at how women lather this poisonous salve on babies!

[Islander]

Somehow I ended up on the mailing list of a couple of area hospitals, and I cannot believe how they are still mailing out sunscreen advice and recipes with vegetable oil and margarine - oh and lowfat too! Don't any of these writers/editors read professional journals?

[mellowsong]

Don't any of these writers/editors read professional journals?

Unfortunately, I doubt most of what we know is getting in the professional journals that they would read. Consider who is paying for the ads etc in so-called professional journals. I subscribed to multiple nursing journals until about 2 years ago. NONE of the truth ever showed up in those.

[DizzyIzzy]

And here they go again in NZ - no, don't let your kid get sunburnt, that's good advice, and yes the sun here is very hot, but what's with the smother them in carcinogenic chemicals and keep them deficient in Vitamin D thing?? Oh wait, look who it's from...

/removes cynical hat

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0812/S00106.htm

Sunsmart Campaign Hits Hard With Personal Message

Monday, 22 December 2008, 11:08 am
Press Release: Sunsmart
Sunsmart Campaign Hits Hard With Personal Message
21 December 2008

Melanoma sufferer, Lynne O’Keeffe, is backing a hard-hitting sun safety campaign which urges parents to protect their children from the sun.
Lynne has experienced first-hand how sunburn as a child can lead to melanoma later in life. She was diagnosed with melanoma earlier this year after a history of sunburn as a child.
“It is vital that people listen to the SunSmart message and understand how deadly skin cancer can be,” she says.
Research shows that one or more episodes of sunburn in childhood and adolescence increases the risk of melanoma in later life, regardless of skin type. That’s why the SunSmart campaign, Never let your child get sunburnt, is urging parents to protect their children from the sun’s ultraviolet radiation.
Lynne was raised in Scotland, and was often sunburnt during family holidays in Europe. Living in New Zealand years later, she found a small spot on her foot.
“I remember sitting on the bed examining the spot with the reading lamp and thinking, ‘you’re a funny little thing.’”
The spot turned out to be malignant and Lynne had surgery to remove the melanoma. Now she is extra vigilant with her own three children. “We have a cupboard full of hats and sunscreen. I'll never see my kids pink ever again.”
Wayde Beckman of the Health Sponsorship Council (HSC) says he hopes others will learn from Lynne’s experience.
“Protecting your child from sunburn is such a crucial message because research strongly links the development of melanoma in later life to childhood sunburn, and we have the ability to prevent that sunburn.
“Everyone knows the drill – between the months of September to March, especially within the hours of 11am-4pm when UV radiation is most fierce, slip into protective clothing like shirts with collars and longer sleeves; slap on a broad-brimmed hat or cap with flaps; slop on a broad spectrum SPF 30+ sunscreen; wrap on a pair of close fitting sunglasses that reduce at least 90 percent of the sun’s UV radiation. And in the middle of the day, try and slip into some shade.
“Using all these methods will keep your kids safe this summer and help prevent melanoma later in life.”
A television commercial spearheads the Never let your child get sunburnt campaign and is supported by radio commercials.
For further information on sun protection and skin cancer go to the SunSmart website www.sunsmart.org.nz or the Cancer Society of New Zealand website www.cancernz.org.nz. ENDS

[PPARGammaGirl]

Even when the health benefits of vitamin D and sunlight are published in the mainstream journals they all end with a warning that they are absolutely not endorsing (gasp) dangerous sun exposure. The lifetime risk of melanoma in NZ (highest in the world) is 5%. The chances of getting cancer or heart disease - about 70%.
Hmm...

[DizzyIzzy]

Also, it's my understanding that melanoma tends to occur on skin that hasn't been exposed to the sun/burnt? So where do they get the sunburn=melanoma thing from? And she says her melanoma is the result of sunburn - how does she know that? Surely that's a mere assumption; who's to say it wasn't caused by trauma to the skin, or the nasty sunscreen chemicals, or something else altogether?

People don't like asking questions these days. :(

[PPARGammaGirl]

That's because when you do ask questions, whether about vaccine safety, sunlight, dietary recommendations, whatever, you are labelled a kook.

[Aaltrude]

There's been lots of lovely sunshine here recently. It is very obvious to me that my MCS symptoms are much improved during the summer months and I have more problems during the winter. Unfortunately, taking vitamin D supplements is out of the question as I react to all those I have tried and it has reached a stage that I am not prepared to risk trying any more. I am considering buying a sunbed for winter use to see if that will help though unfortunately our budget dictates that it will have to be a second hand one so I will have to research any I buy to make sure it produces enough UVB light.

Does anyone else here with MCS note any improvement when they are getting summer sun exposure?

[DizzyIzzy]

I don't have MCS, but I often found when I was younger (i.e. eating a crap diet) that there were days where I'd end up shaking and aching and feeling really really vile, but as soon as I sat in the sun for a few minutes it'd pass and I'd be rearing to go again. So it doesn't surprise me - those were times where I actually 'craved' the sun. And I'm pale, too - reeeeal pale.

[mellowsong]

Does anyone else here with MCS note any improvement when they are getting summer sun exposure?

Aaltrude, I definitely do better in the summer with MCS. Never correlated it with anything until you said that, lol.

[Aaltrude]

Thank you mellowsong. It is interesting to know that at least one other person has noticed the same effect.

[Reesacat]

Hmmm-I think my symptoms are better in the summer, also. I thought it was due to fresh food and warm temperatures, but it could also be the sun.

That is a really good observation, Aaltrude! I am going to remember that when summer hits!

[mellowsong]

Sun light contains some vitamins which are really beneficial for our skin. But a consistant and contineous contact of sun rays to your skins can harm your skin. So, you should use some precautionary and safety measures to avoid it. For the purpose you can use some creams, face masks, caps, hats and umbrella also.

Welcome Hazberg! Please search the forum here for true information regarding exposure to the sun. It is critical to health. Lack of exposure contributes to cancer. Conventional sunscreens are toxic and carcinogenic.

[puremind]

Sunlight provides a remedy for a lot of skin problems.

Would you please tell us what sunlight provides a remedy for a lot of skin problems?