Looking back at my naive life guarding days, I shiver to think about all the unnecessary damage I placed on my body due to the poor sunshine safety habits that I practiced. Understanding the chemistry of the body has given me a much greater insight into practices that are congruent with my health. Summer is headed into full swing and it seems as though everyone has now jumped on the Vitamin D and sunshine bandwagon, so I decided that I would join too.
I think it would be very beneficial to start with the basic question: How is vitamin D made and why is it needed in the body?
When ultraviolet light from our sun hits the cells in our skin, it activates a biochemical pathway that creates vitamin D3. [As a side note, it has been estimated that each individual cell completes over one million reactions every second and there are over 70 trillion cells that make up a human body.] Next, vitamin D3 must go through a few more reactions in the liver and kidney to reach its hormonally activated form. [Another side note - this form of vitamin D3 is produced directly by the placenta during pregnancy. Pretty neat how mother nature knows how to supply the growing baby with all it needs.] Vitamin D is ESSENTIAL in calcium absorption, bone growth and repair, immune system activation, and programmed cell death (apoptosis), which is a process that prevents cancerous growth of cells.
When ultraviolet light from our sun hits the cells in our skin, it activates a biochemical pathway that creates vitamin D3. [As a side note, it has been estimated that each individual cell completes over one million reactions every second and there are over 70 trillion cells that make up a human body.] Next, vitamin D3 must go through a few more reactions in the liver and kidney to reach its hormonally activated form. [Another side note - this form of vitamin D3 is produced directly by the placenta during pregnancy. Pretty neat how mother nature knows how to supply the growing baby with all it needs.] Vitamin D is ESSENTIAL in calcium absorption, bone growth and repair, immune system activation, and programmed cell death (apoptosis), which is a process that prevents cancerous growth of cells.
Now we ask, how much vitamin D do I need?
Instead of focusing on how much vitamin D we need to prevent cancer or the common cold, let's think about how much vitamin D we need to achieve an optimal level of health. It has been recommended that a MINIMUM of 15 minutes of sunshine exposure per day on the arms and legs WITHOUT sunscreen is essential to obtain proper vitamin D levels. Sunscreen can decrease vitamin D production by over 95%!
But Dr. Dan, can't sun exposure without sunscreen cause cancer?
Sure it can. Too much water can also cause drowning, but that doesn't mean water isn't good for you. Here is a shocker though: many of the toxins that are in sunscreen have also been linked to cancer and/or hormonal imbalances.
For your sunscreen shopping convenience, I have listed some of the more common toxins in sunscreen:
Sure it can. Too much water can also cause drowning, but that doesn't mean water isn't good for you. Here is a shocker though: many of the toxins that are in sunscreen have also been linked to cancer and/or hormonal imbalances.
For your sunscreen shopping convenience, I have listed some of the more common toxins in sunscreen:
- Octinoxate
- Oxybenzone
- Octisalate
- Avobenzone
- Octocrylene
- Homosalate
The bottom line is that anything you put on your skin is going to be absorbed into your blood stream. If there is a foreign and toxic substance in the blood stream, it must be processed and filtered out by the liver. Too many toxins can stress the liver and lead to a multitude of other hormonal and health challenges.
3 Keys for Sufficient Sun Shine and Skin Safety:
- Lotions - use an organic sunscreen with only one active ingredient (i.e. titanium dioxide or zinc oxide) and use an organic moisturizer
- Clothing - stay in the shade when possible, wear a hat that protects the face and neck, and wear a t-shirt intermittently to reduce sun exposure
- Nutrition - drink plenty of water, eat your omega 3 fats (i.e. flax seed or fish oil), and get plenty of calcium (great sources are almonds and green leafy veggies)
With these practices, you have the ability to increase vitamin D levels and all the amazing health benefits associated with it; protect yourself from harmful toxins in sunscreen; and still obtain that awesome summer tan that everyone loves.
Always empowering,
Dr. Dan Turo is the owner and chiropractor of Turo Family Chiropractic located in the North Hills of Pittsburgh, PA. Find more information at his website. Follow him on facebook and twitter.
No comments:
Post a Comment