Is the Sun a Killer?

Vitamin D Health Disaster

Back in the 1970s and 1980s, dermatologists in the United States saw a growing trend in the number of malignant melanoma cases. And believing most skin cancers developed because of too much sun exposure, they sent an alarm around the country urging people to stay out of the sun.

As panic grew, more and more people became fearful of the sun. They started taking every precaution possible to make sure not a single ray touched their skin — from wide-brimmed hats and other sun-proof clothing to slathering on thick layers of sunscreen. This fear has carried over into current times. Most people go through life without a clue that they're lacking in this life-giving vitamin.

It's unfortunate, however, doctors didn't know at the time that they were creating an epidemic health disaster much worse than just skin cancer. They didn't know that moderate sunlight exposure actually fights against cancer and other diseases, too. It's quite sobering to think you easily could be one of those people "living in the dark" when it comes to achieving the best health you can. Some experts estimate that nearly 70 percent of Americans are deficient in vitamin D. But, maybe what we don't know, is that the sun is not the only cause of skin cancer.

Melanoma has been linked directly to excessive exposure to fluorescent light, rather than sunlight. Dr. John Ott, an American pioneer of light research and the new science of photobiology, states, “Emissions from such light extend into the potentially carcinogenic range.” A study by the U.S. Navy found the most melanoma in people who worked under interior light all the time. The respected medical journal, Lancet, published a study by The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the University of Sydney’s Melanoma Clinic that determined those who work indoors under fluorescent light are twice as likely to get skin cancer, and those who sunbathed often had the lowest risk of skin cancer. Richard Stevens, Ph.D., an epidemiologist with the University of Connecticut Health Center, who has written much on the subject, was quoted in the National Institutes of Health News (Dec. 2005) saying “if the link between light exposure and cancer risk can be confirmed, it could have an immediate impact on the production and use of artificial lighting in this country.” People who work indoors all the time, exposed to fluorescent lights, have the highest incidence of melanoma.

Compounding the problem, our water treatment includes chlorine or chloramines to control the growth of bacteria, despite the fact that these chemicals have themselves been linked to illness. Studies in Belgium have related development of deadly malignant melanoma to consumption of chlorinated water. Franz H. Rampen, et al., of the Netherlands, state that the worldwide pollution of rivers and oceans and the chlorination of swimming pool water have led to an increase in melanoma.

Canadian researchers found that after swimming for an hour in a chlorinated pool, chloroform concentrations in the swimmers' blood ranged from 100 to 1,093 parts per billion (ppb). Researchers even recorded increases in chloroform concentration in bathers' lungs of about 2.7 ppb after a 10-minute shower in chlorinated water. For many people the intake through those routes is much greater than in water taken orally.

Taking a warm shower or lounging in a hot tub filled with chlorinated water, one inhales chloroform. And worse, warm water opens the pores, causing the skin to act like a sponge, and so one will absorb and inhale more chlorine in a 10-minute shower than by drinking eight glasses of the same water. This irritates the eyes, the sinuses, throat, skin and lungs, makes the hair and scalp dry, worsening dandruff. It can weaken immunity.

"Chlorine" has been documented to aggravate asthma, especially in those children who use chlorinated swimming pools. Several studies also link chlorine and chlorinated by-products to a greater incidence of bladder, breast and bowel cancer as well as malignant melanoma. One study even links the use of chlorinated tap water to congenital cardiac anomalies.

Another interesting fact you may not be aware of is that heredity plays a major role in Melanoma. Each person with a first-degree relative (father, mother,siblings or children) diagnosed with melanoma has a 50 percent greater chance of developing the disease than members of the general public who do not have a family history of the disease.

Overall health benefits from increased sun exposure may outweigh the risk of skin cancer, researchers said. Vitamin D seems to protect against cancers including breast, colon, kidney, and ovarian cancers. Studies have also linked vitamin D or sun exposure to benefits in overall mortality, prostate cancer, multiple sclerosis, bone health, as well as the occurrence of cardiovascular events in hypertensive patients. The issues have health consequences far beyond those of cancer. A number of diesease such as neurological, cardiovascular, metabolic, immune and bone disease are associated with inadequate vitamin D (the sunshine vitamin) levels or low sun exposure.

A population-wide increase in sun exposure improves vitamin D status, but is controversial because it has been blamed for the high and increasing incidence rates of melanoma. We know that UV light doesn't cause all melanomas, especially those that occur in places on your body that don't receive exposure to sunlight. This indicates that other factors may contribute to your risk of melanoma. "Chlorine" and/or "Heredity "?

Preventing Cancer, Heart Disease, Stroke, Diabetes and many others major illnesses does have a cost. The good news is prevention costs but a fraction of what it costs to actually experience serious disease. ASH Members take the knowledge they acquire through research and basically educate themselves. This knowledge is shared with other as this is the key to unlock a healthful future.

You too can educate yourself, family and friends and avoid the cost of serious illnesses through research and by joining Advanced Scientific Health (ASH). Please visit: http://www.ashnow.com/999751




Jackie Whalen
ash_now@yahoo.com
http://www.ashnow.com/999751

DISCLAIMER: This information is for educational purposes only, and not intended to replace the orthodox physician-patient relationship. If you are sick, you are advised to consult a physician, and together, along with your newly gained knowledge, work toward the resolution of your illness.