Sunshine for health and longevity

The nice weather we’ve been having means people are being drawn outside to enjoy the sun, which brings up the whole question of sunscreen. I do not wear commercial sunscreen but I know people who wear it like paint. One fellow we rode with last summer literally looked like he was on the war path not the bicycle path. When we told him that sunscreen is toxic and sunshine is healthy, he said the skin acts a barrier! In other words, you can put crap on your skin and your skin will protect you from the toxins. This is so far from the truth it is scary.

Whatever you put on your skin, is going in your body unless the particles are too large to penetrate the skin. Otherwise, the skin absorbs whatever you put on it. If you wouldn’t ingest something, then you shouldn’t put it on your skin!

It is important to expose the skin of your entire body to sun. Ideally, we should sunbathe for fifteen minutes in the morning with four hours after sunrise, or in the late afternoon or evening, within four hours of sunset, increasing this amount gradually. If you are prone to burn, do not exceed fifteen minutes. The sun does not cause cancer; sunblock causes cancer. The ingredients in sunblock are now strongly believed to be the number one cause of skin cancer. Statistics show that the people who use the most sunblock have the highest rates of skin cancer. There is no skin cancer in Africa. People are out in the sun all day long and they don’t wear sunscreen. It is not because of the pigment of the skin; Americans of African heritage have the highest rate of skin cancer, and they have very low sun exposure.

Avoidance of sun exposure is a risk factor for all-cause mortality. It is possible that the root cause is lack of vitamin D. The sun does not cause skin cancer; it is needed for life. If you do not spend time in the sun, you will get sick. The human body needs sunlight to function at optimal levels. Without sunlight, a whole host of diseases develop including depression, low energy, poor sleep, poor digestion, weight gain, arthritis, constipation, bad breath, body odour, cancer, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, attention deficit disorder, stress, headaches, lower immunity, PMS, anxiety, and the list goes on. The sun can prevent and potentially cure these diseases.

The sun draws toxins out of the body to the surface of the skin. It also stimulates cell regrowth, which makes you look younger and keeps your skin wrinkle free. If spending hours and hours in the sun makes your skin look and feel dried-out and wrinkled, it is because your body is ridding itself of toxins. This is a good thing. It helps cleanse and detoxify your system, keeping you young and healthy. However if you are nutrient-deficient, specifically in essential oils and fats, prolonged exposure to the sun can cause problems. The solution is to take steps to ensure you are toxic-free, your systems are in balance (you have no nutritional deficiencies), you are balancing electromagnetic radiation and managing stress levels properly. In other words, a completely healthy body will not age from exposure to the sun.

Spending as much time as you want in the sun is clearly beneficial, as long as you don’t burn. If your pigment is light, and you are unused to sunlight exposure, of course you need to be more careful. In this case, wear a hat, and long sleeves. It is also possible to buy sunscreens that are safe for use. These are the ingredients you need to avoid:

• Oxybenzone – is a hormone disrupting chemical which penetrates the skin and enters the bloodstream. It only blocks UVB rays (the beneficial rays that enable vitamin D production.
• Vitamin A (Retinyl palmitate) – may speed the development of skin tumors and lesions.
• Fragrance – petroleum based products have been linked to organ toxicity and allergies.
• High SPF – studies have suggested that higher SPFs expose users to more ultraviolet rays than lower SPF products.
• Sprays or powders – in general, these types of sunscreens have additional chemicals added and can be toxic to the lungs.
• Popular commercial brands – Aveeno, Banana Boat, Coppertone, Bull Frog, Neutragena, Store Brands, Hawaiian Tropic among others, have been rated the worst in terms of safety

If you are going to be out in the sun long enough to burn your skin, look for a safe sunscreen that has mineral-based ingredients that do not penetrate the skin, that is unscented, lotion-based with water-resistance. And make sure it has broad-spectrum UVA protection.

We absolutely need sun for health and longevity. So get as much sun as you can within the range that your skin-type will allow.