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Enjoy the Best of the Sun...Safely The Sun’s rays are risky for all of us, especially infants, toddlers, children, and teens. We routinely use sunscreen with the impression that it will protect us while we spend time in the sun. You may have heard that the use of sunscreen products is controversial, and that there are other ways of protecting your skin. There are numerous studies on the pros and cons of applying chemicals to your skin to protect yourself. (Source: U.S. Pharmacist by W. Steven Pray, PhD. R.PH)
Lack of protection is not the only thing we need to be concerned about when using sun screen products. The FDA regulates sunscreen as an over-the-counter drug because it contains "active" ingredients. Following is a list of active ingredients in sunscreen that the FDA classified as GRASE (generally regarded as safe and effective):
(Source: www.mercola.com) Joseph Mercola, N.D., says that “whether some of these ingredients are safe or not, is controversial. At best, your skin is absorbing synthetic chemicals…so it’s hard to believe that these chemicals will not have any effect on your system.” The other issue relates to vitamin D. Sunscreens block your body’s ability to make vitamin D by 95%. Dr. Mercola further recommends that we need some exposure to sun for our daily requirement of vitamin D. But, like anything else, overdoing it will cause problems in the future. In 2001, the National Academy of Sciences published a review showing that Omega 6/3 ratio was the key to preventing skin cancer. Both Omega 6 and 3 are essential to human health, but most of us consume too much Omega 6 and not enough 3. The appropriate ratio of Omega 3 to 6 should be 1:1, but in most cases it’s as much as 50 Omega 6 to 1 Omega 3. Our best sources of Omega 3 are fish oil capsules, cold water ocean fish, and flax seeds or flax oil. We also need to reduce the amount of vegetable oils we consume (they are a source of Omega 6). Dr. Mercola says to throw away your sunscreen and control your time in the sun. This doesn’t mean avoid the sun, but wear clothing that shields you and a hat or visor to shade your eyes. Experts on the subject agree that we need some time in the sun each day but we need to make sure that we are not out in the sun in the “heat of the day” (between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.) for excessive periods of time. “We’ve found if you teach kids early on to protect their skin they’ll continue to do it as they get older,” says Adelaide Herbert, M.D. Director of Paediatrics at the University of Texas Medical School in Houston. He goes on to say that sun tanning and tanning booths are not safe and that sunscreens are only effective for 30 minutes after they are applied – so he, too, recommends protective clothing. We also need to drink lots of filtered water to keep our tissues hydrated. Adding a squeeze of lemon to your water makes water “wetter” and stimulates your tissues to absorb more of it and retain it longer. Limiting the quantity of carbonated drinks will reduce your thirst and keep your sugar levels under control. Changing to diet soft drinks is definitely not the answer because the artificial sweeteners they contain all have side-effects. Being in the sun may be particularly harmful if you are taking any of the following pharmaceuticals: acne medicines, antibiotics such as tetracyclines, antihistamines, oral contraceptives containing estrogen, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, sulfa drugs, tricyclic antidepressants, thiazide diuretics, sulfonylureas such as oral antidiabetics Source J. Mercola, N.D. It would be a good idea to check with your doctor to make sure any drugs you are taking are not going to be harmful to you when out in the sun. |
