"We're human beings and the sun is the sun - how can it be bad for you? I think we should all get sun and fresh air. I don't think anything that is natural can be bad for you - it's really good to have at least 15 minutes of sun a day"
This comment promoted the National Post to go out and ask doctors what their opinion of her comment is . The article can be found here.
Let's just get out of the way that when Gwyneth says that anything that is natural can't be bad for you is of course wrong. We all know that there are plenty of natural things that are bad for you and can kill you. OK point made, lets get to the real point ...
All of the doctors in the article have declared the sun the evil and exposure to the sun will give you cancer. You should avoid the sun at all costs. One doctor even points out that vitamin D is better to be gotten from a pill then from going outside for a few minutes.
"In humans, the sun is required to convert cholesterol to vitamin D, which is necessary for good bone health. If one does not get enough sun exposure they should take a vitamin D supplement." Dr. Richard Bendor-Samuel, Cosmetic Surgeon at The Landings Surgical Centre, Halifax
So the doctor even states that our bodies require the vitamin D we receive from the sun to work properly but it is better to get it from a pill then to go stand outside for 15 minutes?
For millions of years people survived without sunscreen and shelter from that evil thing we call the sun and yet no one died of skin cancer until within the last 100 years or so. Most people worked in the hot blazing sun all day and never got skin cancer.
Here is an interesting chart I found on wikipedia. The occurrence of skin cancer appears to be less in many (not all) of the less developed countries in the world. These are probably countries where people spend most of their time working outside in the hot sun all day and are areas that are close to the equator.
no data
<0 .7="" div="">
0.7-1.4
1.4-2.1
2.1-2.8
2.8-3.5
3.5-4.2
|
4.2-4.9
4.9-5.6
5.6-6.3
6.3-7
7-7.7
>7.7
|
Now I know that an argument can be made that the ozone is thinning and so the sun is more dangerous now. Sure I will give you that. But how about instead of avoiding the sun all together we take a smart approach to going out in the sun.
Don't go out on the first hot sunny day of summer, white as a ghost from hiding inside all winter, and stand in the mid day sun for 5 hours without any protection. Build up your time in the sun with a nice base tan. Go outside for a few minutes each day, enough to get a little colour but not enough to burn. As your skin gets used to the sun you will be able to take more and more time in the sun.
Even fair people can do this. J is very fair skinned and yet little by little he has built up a tan and can now handle going out in the sun for longer then 15 minutes without burning.
People just need to be smart and think about what they are doing. This really is a case where something natural is good for you and required for your body to work properly.
* This is a rant and all opinions are my own. I am in no way providing medical advice and just wanted to give you something to think about.
No comments:
Post a Comment