Sun Smart - Calcium and Essential Fatty Acids

With sunnier days finally upon us, I thought it appropriate to write an article on sunburns, vitamin D, tanning, and skin cancer. 

We have all seen many reports recently on the benefits of Vitamin D and the growing number of people with Vitamin D deficiency.  Some research papers have pointed to a significant reduction in some cancers with Vitamin D supplementation.

At the same time, we are warned to stay out of the sun or to wear sunscreen.  The body makes Vitamin D from sunshine but not if we are wearing sunscreen.   

What causes a sunburn?  Too much sun exposure, right?  Ok, maybe I should explain why that causes sunburn.  When the skin is exposed to the sun and the vitamin D is increased in the body, it pulls calcium from the tissue into the bloodstream at high levels.  This decrease in tissue calcium can be sharply reduced by making sure the body has plenty of essential fatty acids which helps to mobilize calcium back into tissue to restore balance once again.

We, as a species, used to spend much more time out in the sun than we currently do.  And yet, rates of skin cancer have risen.  So what's different?  We eat far less healthy fats than we used to.  For more on fats read this article.

Here are some common sense solutions to help you enjoy the sunshine, increase your Vitamin D levels and reduce your risk of sunburn.

1. Limit time in the sun so that a tan can be developed gradually.  Find shade ever 30 minutes or so for 10-15 minutes depending on the intensity of the sun.
2. Wear a long-sleeve t-shirt if you will be out in the sun for a long time before you have a base tan.
3. Eat a diet that is full of calcium-rich foods like leafy greens and raw milk.
4. Increase your intake of healthy fats from pastured meats, raw butter, raw milk, coconut oil, flax oil.
5. Avoid trans-fats like margarines and other hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils, do not consume vegetable oils in large quantities.
6. Take Calcium Lactate to ensure that you have plenty of calcium before sun exposure.(Available at our office.)
7. Take Cataplex F Perles before sun exposure to help deliver calcium to tissue. (Available at our office.)
8. It is very important to avoid becoming burned, but if you do, taking extra Calcium Lactate and Cataplex F perles will usually relieve sunburn overnight.
9. If you must use a sunscreen, use zinc oxide preferably only on the most vulnerable spots, such as the nose and shoulders.  Sunscreens have recently been implicated as contributing to skin cancers! See EWG's 2010 Sunscreen Guide

So get outside and enjoy the sunshine!  It's good for your soul, your bones, your immune system and even your skin! 

Many people think of calcium only in terms of bone health, but calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body, essential in many other functions including:

• Bone, muscle and teeth support 
• Muscle contraction
• Immune system function (white blood cell function)
• Nervous system transmission
• Reducing inflammation and repairing tissue
• Blood coagulation
• Proper functioning of many enzyme systems 

One more note on Calcium

Canker sores that develop on the inside of the mouth are also related to tissue calcium starvation. Canker sores are caused by a herpes simplex virus. Once you have the virus, you will for the rest of your life. But if your tissue calcium stays sufficiently high, the virus never forms the canker sores.

It is not such a bad thing to have them because they reveal your tissue calcium level. As soon as your tissue calcium level goes down, they pop out and you know you need calcium.