 This time of year, if you are going to be out in the sun out of necessity of work or recreation, here are cautionary tips to keep you and your skin healthy for life.-Nate Use Sun Screen, Get Skin Cancer? Sunscreens give false sense of security (MSNBC News,) In findings that will be debated from the sunny beaches of Maui to the snowy slopes of Aspen, new research shows that high-SPF sunscreens may have a deleterious effect giving people a false sense of protection and causing them to stay out in the sun longer than they otherwise would. IN A NEW study of vacationers aged 18 to 24, those who sun-worshiped using SPF 30 spent 25 percent more time under the rays than those who used SPF 10. A sunscreen's SPF, or sun-protection factor, indicates its ability to delay sunburn. SPF 30, for example, allows a person to stay in the sun, burn-free, 30-times longer than he or she would using no sunscreen. Sunscreens are promoted as a defense against skin cancer, too. However, a number of studies have linked the use of sunscreen with a rise in skin cancer that has occurred over the past few decades. An analysis of 16 epidemiological studies showed that in many cases, the more sunscreen a person used, the higher the chance he or she developed skin cancer, according to Dr. Marianne Berwick, an epidemiologist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Epidemiological studies do not show cause and effect, only an association between two or more factors. This does not mean that using sunscreen raises the risk of skin cancer, she emphasized, just that people who use a lot of sunscreen may have one or more other characteristics that raise their risk. In general, the people most likely to consistently use sunscreen are those who are fair-skinned, for example, Berwick said. Such people, who are normally sun sensitive, may start to feel safe under a layer of lotion, she said, exposing themselves to more sun than they should. Melanoma cases have doubled in 20 years in the United States. According to the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md., melanoma diagnoses rose 2.7 percent each year from 1990 to 1996. THE NEW STUDY In the new study, researchers led by Dr. Phillipe Autier divided the vacationers into two groups: 42 who were given five tubes of SPF 30 sunscreen, and 44 who were given SPF 10. None knew which SPF he or she had received, and the researchers provided no instructions on how to use the sunscreen. While on vacation, each subject kept a diary on sun exposure and sunscreen use. Autier, of the European Institute of Oncology in Milan, Italy, and colleagues found that while both groups spent about the same amount of time on vacation, the SPF 30 group averaged a total of 72.6 hours in the sun, compared with 58.2 hours in the SPF 10 group. Because the SPF 30 group had greater sun exposure, both groups reported the same number of skin-reddening or sunburn episodes 159. The findings are reported in the August 4 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Despite the success of sunscreens in reducing skin cancer in animal experiments, they have yet to do the same in the general public, Autier's team noted. In Autier's study, participants used, on average, only 20 percent of the lotion they received. If they had applied the sunscreen properly, the researchers reported, the subjects would have gone through three to four times that amount. According to Berwick, fair-skinned, blue-eyed and light-haired people are at high risk of skin cancer and should minimize your time in the sun. Darker-skinned people, on the other hand, may be able to enjoy their time in the sun with more impunity than previously believed. PROTECTING CHILDREN The best strategy against skin cancer, said Dr. Frank Gasparro of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, is avoidance. But since we can't live in caves, coming out only at night, it's very appealing to put our faith in something that can we can put on our skin. Because childhood sun exposure is the primary risk factor for developing melanoma in adulthood, protecting kids from ultraviolet rays is particularly important, according to Karen Emmons, an associate professor of health and social behavior at the Harvard School of Public Health and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. Day camps and child-care centers should provide kids with shaded play areas, she said, and parents should make sure children wear hats and avoid intense sunlight as much as possible. The Medical Tribune News Service contributed to this report.
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Showing posts with label skin cancer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label skin cancer. Show all posts
Monday, June 27, 2016
Use Sun Screen, Get Skin Cancer?
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Is this Brazilian berry the ultimate antioxidant?
This Purple Brazilian Berry
Has More than 5 Times the Antioxidants
Of Blueberries
You may have noticed the explosion of products featuring acai juice or powder that have hit the U.S. markets in recent years.
They're hard to miss given that this fruit has been packaged and sold in various pills, powders, juices, nutrition bars, and shakes.
The acai berry (pronounced ah-SAH'-ee) is an inch-long, dark purple fruit of the acai palm tree, which is native to Central and South America. Some studies show that acai fruit pulp is even richer in antioxidants than cranberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, or blueberries.
This antioxidant bonanza is the main reason why acai berries have gotten such good press. All hype aside, there really is evidence this is a super berry. Let's take a look. . .
Continued below…
These Doctors Were Forced to Admit
This "Crazy" Treatment Plan Works
Rev. Cobus Rudolph's doctor told him, "Congratulations! You're cancer free!" That was six months after the same doctor had told him his case was hopeless and he should prepare to die. Rev. Rudolph saved his own life, at home, thanks to a book by cancer expert Ty Bollinger.
Richard Wiebe's doctor told him, "You're a miracle from God!" Just a year earlier the same doctor told Richard he'd be dead in six months from terminal brain cancer. Richard treated himself with the tips and secrets Ty Bollinger recommends.
Kevin Irish's doctor was shocked. He asked Kevin, "Are you the terminal patient I saw two months ago? You look great!" Kevin saved his own life when he found Ty Bollinger's book on the Internet and started following the advice.
Frank Woll's doctor was stubborn: "Well, I know the cancer is here somewhere!" But the doctor couldn't find Frank's cancer with a magnifying glass. Only a month earlier, the same doctor had told Frank they'd have to cut off half his ear and part of his neck!
These four men got TOTALLY WELL with Ty Bollinger's secrets. Now, Cancer Defeated is proud to publish them in a new Special Report. Click here and discover an effective, cheap, at-home plan to get rid of almost any cancer in one month.
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31-Day Home Cancer Cure
Many folks are convinced the nutrients in acai berries can help you lose weight, boost your immune system, and slow down the aging process. Some studies suggest it might be a natural wonder when it comes to fighting cancer, too.
In one study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, researchers from the University of Florida showed that acai berry extracts triggered a self-destructive response (apoptosis) in up to 86 percent of leukemia cells tested in vitro (i.e. in a lab culture).
Stephen Talcott, assistant professor with UF's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, said "acai berries are already considered one of the richest fruit sources of antioxidants. This study was an important step toward learning what people may gain from using beverages, dietary supplements or other products made with the berries."
Although this was only a cell-culture model, Talcott said "compounds that show good activity against cancer cells in a model system are most likely to have beneficial effects in our bodies."
So what's acai got that
other berries don't?
other berries don't?
Acai berries are relatives of blueberries and cranberries. These close relatives contain nutrients similar to those in acai—it's just that acai berries have more bounteous amounts.
A study conducted by the Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center reported that freeze-dried acai berries have the highest antioxidant activity of any food reported to date!
In fact, the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) score—a measure of a food's antioxidant power—is 167 in acai berries. By comparison, the ORAC score is 32 for blueberries and 14 for apples.
This superfruit contains anthocyanins and flavonoids, two powerful classes of antioxidants that can help:
- Block the harmful effects of free radicals
- Decrease inflammation
- Protect your body from environmental stress (e.g. pollution and traffic)
- Lower your risk of heart disease and cancer—and possibly slow the spread of cancer cells!
The idea that acai is an effective free radical blocker is no small thing. Here's why…
Acai helps protect you from
free-radical health destroyers!
free-radical health destroyers!
Free radicals form in your body as you metabolize food and through other natural body functions.
They are also created from pollutants in the air, sun exposure, eating processed foods, smoking, and elevated stress.
If your body has low levels of antioxidants or antioxidant enzymes, factors like these can cause you to become more susceptible to developing oxidative stress. This is what destroys or damages cells—and contributes to the development of major diseases.
Strangely enough, despite eating many foods with a high fat and sugar content—people in France tend to have a lower incidence of heart disease.
Although this has baffled the medical community for decades, many people believe that the French have healthier hearts because they drink a lot of red wine with meals.
The sort of anthocyanin antioxidants in acai berries are also found in red wine grapes. But here's the kicker…
Acai berries contain as much as 10 to 30 times the antioxidant capacity of red wine grapes! If you're like me and already take a lot of antioxidants – in both foods and supplements – you may be wondering, "How much is enough?"
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, you should be consuming 3,000 ORAC units of fruits and/or vegetables a day. Given the government's hostility to natural medicine, that's probably a lowball estimate.
Unfortunately, many of us only get about 1,000 to 1,200 ORAC units per day.
To achieve the recommended ORAC values, you need to eat at least 5-9 servings of fruit and vegetables every day.
Many folks object to this recommendation because they don't like the taste of some vegetables. Others don't want to deal with the peeling, cutting and other prep work.
But if you want to reap the health benefits, you can purchase fruit and vegetable supplements in powdered form that you could use to make delicious smoothies to drink.
And you can easily find products that contain acai berries at most nutritional supplement stores.
It won't hurt to incorporate some form of this great-tasting berry in your quest for optimal health!
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Four Surprising Ways to Avoid Skin Cancer
We’re approaching the time of year when many of us will spend a lot more time in the sun, so soon our radios and TVs will resound with warnings about skin cancer.
The warnings are somewhat overblown. True, skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the U.S., but this is mostly due to basal cell carcinomas, an almost harmless type of cancer that affects hundreds of thousands of people.
All the same, sun exposure does bump up your skin cancer risk, and ages and damages your skin to boot. Who wants wrinkles? So take a look at these unusual ways to keep the harm to a minimum and still enjoy some sun. . .
Continued below…
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The type of skin cancer you have to worry about is melanoma. It’s extremely invasive and deadly -- but fortunately pretty rare. It causes around 8,000 deaths in the U.S. each year (might even be more, since many dermatologists have said they’re unaware of reporting requirements).
Melanoma tends to strike more young people than most other cancers. Its rate is highest among white people though other races aren’t immune, and it especially affects those who’ve been sunburned, hence the saturation media coverage about the dangers of sun exposure.
But it also takes a great deal of all-around oxidative stress, AKA free radical damage, to develop skin cancer. And there are several ways to lower the oxidative stress in your body. Here are four I recommend:
Anti-Skin Cancer Strategy #1: Eat Smart
If you get a lot of sun exposure, but pair it with a healthy diet that includes loads of antioxidants, there’s a good chance you’ll curb any cancer from developing.
In fact, sun exposure itself is a free radical story. The problem with the sun’s ultraviolet wavelengths is that they damage skin cells by causing the release of free radicals. If those free radicals damage your DNA, you could wind up with cancer cells that replicate. Fortunately, a large amount of antioxidants in your skin can help neutralize those free radicals and thus prevent skin cancer.
Eating antioxidants is a proven way to keep free radical damage at bay. And you can get plenty in your system as long as you eat a lot of fruits and vegetables (I recommend organic), and supplement with nutrients like vitamin C and E, along with a variety of other herbs and vitamins. I’m also a big advocate of staying hydrated and adding lots of omega-3s (healthy fats) to your diet.
You should also load up on carotenoids, the compounds that give foods like carrots and sweet potatoes their vivid colors. You’ll find them in green leafy vegetables, yellow and orange colored fruits and vegetables, and red beets.
What’s great about carotenoids is that they act as a natural sunscreen to the plants that produce them. So if you eat them, you get similar benefits: a level of natural sunscreen, plus antioxidants that scavenge for free radicals and protect your cells from oxidative damage.
Anti-Skin Cancer Strategy #2: Use the
RIGHT Sunscreen
RIGHT Sunscreen
Not only is your skin your largest organ, it also protects you against pathogens and extreme temperatures and provides sensation and insulation.
The problem with sunscreen when it comes to skin cancer is that you’re basically slathering your skin with toxins. Rubbing toxic ingredients into your body’s key defense against toxins won’t do your health any favors, since your skin is vital when it comes to your body’s detoxification process.
Despite the unstinting praise it gets in the media and from conventional doctors, sunscreen is known to cause rashes, hormonal problems, and yes, maybe even cancer. According to Dr. Arthur Perry, who was recently featured on the Dr. Oz show, the popular chemical sunscreens many people use contain endocrine disruptors and interfere with the function of hormones in our bodies, which potentially leads to cancer—especially breast cancer.
I’m not saying you should forego sunscreen completely, especially if you plan to spend the day at the beach. But you need to choose the right sunscreen. For starters, stay away from anything with benzophenone, which is one of the most common sunscreen ingredients and is known to cause cancer in animals.
Safe alternatives include “physical sunscreens,” which don’t get absorbed into the body—though they can leave a white sheen on your skin. That’s because physical sunscreens sit on the surface of the skin and reflect the sun. They’re basically made of crushed rock, ground down to a fine consistency. Your body can’t absorb rocks.
Physical sunscreens have the following ingredients: zinc, titanium, or both. Plus, they’re good options if you have sensitive skin. And if you don’t want the white sheen, look for micronized zinc oxide. It’s invisible once applied, though it runs a little more expensive. Zinc oxide is the white stuff that some lifeguards smear on their noses to prevent burn.
Many dermatologists say there haven’t been conclusive studies on the link between chemical sunscreens and cancer, but when poisoning takes place over decades it’s pretty tough to get an accurate study going. I believe the effects are subtle and take a while to show up, but they’re there all the same. Big science has not made any effort to find out.
This is another case where people think the government checks everything out and “surely it wouldn’t be on the market if it was dangerous.” Well, they don’t check things out – certainly not long-term effects such as cancer that don’t show up at once.
I’ve also read that a solution of powdered vitamin C in water, smeared on the skin, prevents sunburn. If you’ve tried this, write me atnewsletter@cancerdefeated.com and let me know how it worked.
Anti-Skin Cancer Strategy #3:
Get more of this “Sunshine Vitamin”
Get more of this “Sunshine Vitamin”
Ultraviolet radiation can actually be good for you—as long as you’re talking about UVB (ultraviolet-B) radiation. That’s what your body needs to manufacture vitamin D. Though keep in mind, you only need a few minutes of sun at midday (especially if you’re Caucasian) to make what you need.
When you have healthy levels of vitamin D, you’re actually better protected against all types of cancer. Plus, there are scores of diseases linked to low vitamin D concentrations that you can easily protect against. And because the primary source of vitamin D is the sun, you can come by it naturally and—thank heavens—free of charge.
Sadly, Big Pharma sees vitamin D as a threat to their profits. Here’s their skewed logic: If people get enough vitamin D, their general health will be better and they won’t need other drugs. Because of this, representatives of the pharmaceutical industry recommend shockingly low levels of daily vitamin D intake—just 600 IU/day of vitamin D3 and only 20 ng/ml of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration. This directly contradicts recommendations of vitamin D researchers which call for much higher doses – several thousand IUs per day.
I say, don’t limit yourself when it comes to vitamin D. The benefits are too numerous. The lives saved and diseases prevented thanks to sunshine-generated vitamin D far outnumber the tiny number of additional melanoma cases. Just be sensible and don’t overdo your time in the sun.
Anti-Skin Cancer Strategy #4:
Reduce Inflammation
Reduce Inflammation
This one will surprise you. Aspirin is another way to lower your risk of skin cancer. Researchers at Stanford University looked at data on 60,000 women over 12 years and found that those who took daily aspirin reduced their risk of melanoma by 20 percent. The theory is that aspirin beats back cancer cells before they grow and prosper.
The benefits appear to rise from long-term use, so I don’t believe popping an aspirin before you go outside will do any good. This is not a sunscreen, it’s a systemic (whole body) tip for reducing cancer risk by getting inflammation under control.
I don’t endorse the notion of a daily aspirin, pushed by many heart doctors. But this study does point up the benefits of anti-inflammatories for preventing cancer, and it does so in quite a dramatic way. Achieve the “aspirin effect” with safe, natural anti-inflammatories like omega 3 fatty acids (e.g. fish oil), curcumin and digestive enzymes.
Skin protection pays dividends in the long run
If you’re the type who likes to have the sun-kissed glow that comes from a good tan, you can get it naturally. Simply eat more yellow and red fruits and vegetables. A recent study in Scotland showed that doing so gives your skin a more attractive glow—but without the harmful effects of tanning or using fake-tan creams.
Bottom line is, don’t forget to pay a lot of attention to your skin. Sun exposure isn’t the only threat, and sunscreen is far from being the best solution. Remember your skin is subject to premature aging for a variety of reasons, including poor hormonal balances, bad nutrition, dehydration, stress, lack of sleep, alcohol, and smoking. These things will all age you, so follow the advice above to protect your skin and avoid skin cancer.
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