Sun Scare

Beware of the Dark Side

Sun Scare \’sən \’sker\: A movement to increase profits for cosmetics manufacturers, cosmetic dermatologists and beauty magazines by creating an unnatural state of fear of the sun and ultraviolet light exposure. Definition from: www.sunscare.com

Sun Scare aptly describes a movement whose sole purpose generates profits for cosmetics manufacturers, cosmetic dermatologists and beauty magazines – at the expense of your health. Their exaggeration of skin cancer risk, especially melanoma, has caused a vitamin D deficiency epidemic in the United States, Canada and other parts of the world - making Vitamin D deficiency the greatest health problem of the century. Compounding public education of the problem, vitamin D is misunderstood.

Vitamin D isn't a supplement or a vitamin.  It's a hormone made naturally when your skin is exposed to sunlight from the sun or a sunbed.  No dietary source for "The Sunshine Vitamin" even comes close to vitamin D levels made naturally from ultraviolet light B (UVB 315 nm–280 nm).

What's important is that 77 percent of Americans, 97 percent of black Americans and 97 percent of Canadians are vitamin D deficient, according to government data.[i] The vitamin D research community now recommends vitamin D blood levels of 40-60 ng/ml - levels that nature meant for you to get from regular non-burning UV exposure. Any cosmetic dermatologist who tells you otherwise is ignoring the facts and clings to the irrational sun-phobia that causes vitamin D deficiency.

Indoor tanners' average vitamin D levels are 42-49 ng/ml, according to Boston University research — sufficient levels, and 90 percent higher than the rest of the population.[ii] That comes as no surprise; a single tanning session makes more vitamin D than 100 glasses of milk. In contrast, an Australian study reveals that dermatologists at the end of summer, when vitamin D levels should be their highest, are severely vitamin D deficient at 13.8 ng/ml.

So who's in the dark here?

Vitamin D research has proven conclusively that you are designed to interact with sunlight, just as you are designed to breath air, drink water and eat food. It's just a matter of time before cosmetic dermatology and chemical sunscreen manufacturers are exposed for overstating the risks of UV - falsely suggesting that risks associated with repeated sunburn are also related to regular, non-burning exposure. That convenient omission has skyrocketed chemical sunscreen sales, turning a sunburn-prevention product into a daily over-use product. And that has contributed to vitamin D deficiency.

It's time to expose yourself to something that should be obvious: It's time to let the sun back into your life.

 “I see us moving to more shelters and even underground living because of these (sunlight) hazards.”

~Dr. Wilma Bergfeld, American Academy of Dermatology past-president promoting Sun Scare

Learn more about Dr. Holick's research in his book, "The UV Advantage."

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[i] Ginde, Adit A.  MD, MPH; Mark C. Liu, MD; Carlos A. Camargo Jr, MD, DrPH (2009). “Demographic Differences and Trends of Vitamin D Insufficiency in the US Population, 1988-200”. Arch Intern Med. 169 (6): 626-632. http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/169/6/626?maxtoshow=&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=ginde&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT

[ii] Tangpricha, Vin, Adrian Turner, Catherine Spina, Sheila Decastro, Tai C Chen and Michael F Holick. (2004) “Tanning is associated with optimal vitamin D status (serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration) and higher bone mineral density”.  American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 80, No. 6, 1645-1649, December. http://www.ajcn.org/content/80/6/1645.abstract?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=tanning+bed&andorexactfulltext=and&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&sortspec=relevance&resourcetype=HWCIT

Comments

[Goran@Tanning]

Hi Dr. Don,

Maybe you want to pick up a copy of my report "30 years of Sun Scare" from here:
http://www.tannersrights.com/free-sun-scare-report.html/

Goran