Sunlight: Friend or Foe? Debunking Myths and Embracing the Benefits
Jun 21, 2024Season 2024Episode 11
Sharon Krahn, Elena Bach
Could moderate sun exposure actually be good for you? What if the sun isn’t the villain it's made out to be? In this eye-opening episode of the K6 Wellness Revolution podcast, we challenge the widespread myths surrounding sun exposure and skin cancer. Learn how moderate morning sunlight can aid in vitamin D synthesis, regulate your circadian rhythms, boost your mood, and enhance your immune function. We shed light on the biases in mainstream media and big tech, and guide you through the benefits of red and near-infrared light, particularly during early morning hours.
Discover the hidden financial interests behind the global sunscreen market and conventional skin cancer treatments. We discuss alternative sun protection methods such as building a "solar callus" to develop a natural tolerance to sunlight. Understand the pitfalls of chemical-laden sunscreens and the importance of genetic testing for individual cancer susceptibility. We also address the negative effects of constant blue light exposure from screens and question the modern vilification of the sun.
Finally, we guide you through practical tips for safely enjoying the sun, from monitoring skin health using the ABCDE method to understanding the interconnectedness of good sleep, reduced anxiety, and overall better health. Explore the therapeutic benefits of sun exposure, including grounding and toxin elimination through sweating. Embrace safe sun exposure with informed decisions and proactive health measures. For more insights and resources, visit k6wellness.com. Your health is worth fighting for—so protect it wisely and bask in the sun safely!
Rate your sunscreen if you’re unsure on the quality of ingredients - www.ewg.org
DISCLAIMER:
This is not medical advice – we do not diagnose or prescribe. This conversation is for educational purposes only. Please seek advice from your health practitioner.
Interested in what we do here at K6 and want to learn more? Click the link below to book a Discovery Call!
Could moderate sun exposure actually be good for you? What if the sun isn’t the villain it's made out to be? In this eye-opening episode of the K6 Wellness Revolution podcast, we challenge the widespread myths surrounding sun exposure and skin cancer. Learn how moderate morning sunlight can aid in vitamin D synthesis, regulate your circadian rhythms, boost your mood, and enhance your immune function. We shed light on the biases in mainstream media and big tech, and guide you through the benefits of red and near-infrared light, particularly during early morning hours.
Discover the hidden financial interests behind the global sunscreen market and conventional skin cancer treatments. We discuss alternative sun protection methods such as building a "solar callus" to develop a natural tolerance to sunlight. Understand the pitfalls of chemical-laden sunscreens and the importance of genetic testing for individual cancer susceptibility. We also address the negative effects of constant blue light exposure from screens and question the modern vilification of the sun.
Finally, we guide you through practical tips for safely enjoying the sun, from monitoring skin health using the ABCDE method to understanding the interconnectedness of good sleep, reduced anxiety, and overall better health. Explore the therapeutic benefits of sun exposure, including grounding and toxin elimination through sweating. Embrace safe sun exposure with informed decisions and proactive health measures. For more insights and resources, visit k6wellness.com. Your health is worth fighting for—so protect it wisely and bask in the sun safely!
Rate your sunscreen if you’re unsure on the quality of ingredients - www.ewg.org
DISCLAIMER:
This is not medical advice – we do not diagnose or prescribe. This conversation is for educational purposes only. Please seek advice from your health practitioner.
Interested in what we do here at K6 and want to learn more? Click the link below to book a Discovery Call!
Welcome to the K6 Wellness Revolution podcast. My name is Sharon, I'm the owner of K6 Wellness Center in Dallas, texas, and, along with Elena, we're going to be your host. Today, we have decided to dive deep into the topic of skin cancer and proper sun protection. And is the sun really trying to kill us all? The world has become so scared of the sun and its damaging effects it has on your skin and your body, and what the mainstream media doesn't tell you or doesn't want you to know is that the sun can actually be quite healing and we don't need to be afraid of it. In fact, most sunscreens and lotions say they're going to help prevent skin cancer or melanoma, and actually they're oftentimes the very things that are contributing to skin cancer due to the toxins and the chemicals that they have in them. So today we're going to talk about this. We're going to talk about how wonderful the sun is and how we shouldn't really cover it up and we shouldn't, you know, cover ourselves up from the sun and what is the best way to get proper sun exposure and protection without any of the negative effects. So there's a lot there, elena. So this is a big thing, and of course, it's June and here in, here in Texas it's pretty warm and we see everything. You know. Put your sunscreen on and they make kids at school put sunscreen on before they go out to recess, and there's this whole idea that the sun is just high in the sky trying to kill us all. And it's not actually so easy. Sun exposure can be detrimental at three o'clock in the afternoon when the UV index is 10 and the air quality is garbage. But sun exposure at the right time of the day and in the right amounts can actually help regulate your circadian rhythms. As well as contributing to a more balanced mood. It can help you sleep better, helps you wake up better.
Speaker 1:
Sun exposure is so far the most sustainable solution to the problem of global vitamin D deficiency and vitamin D deficiency I think I know for me. I look at hundreds of labs every month and I could probably count on one hand the number of people who are in the normal range and even fewer people who get into the optimal range of vitamin D. So vitamin D is not something that's in our food necessarily. So vitamin D is not something that's in our food necessarily. It's something that our body synthesizes, mainly from exposure to the sun and when we get that exposure is important, how we get that exposure is important, and that's I think that's something that gets lost in the whole conversation about here. Take vitamin D or put sunscreen on, put sunblock on, put a hat on. You know all of this. So there's more to it than that. Morning sun is always better, more preferred, right.
Speaker 1:
Vitamin D benefits people who have seasonal affective disorder or depression, which we see higher instances of in the Pacific Northwest of the US, where they have fewer sunshine days, tend to have lower vitamin D levels. Vitamin D is also a pre-hormone. It helps in hormone synthesis and it also helps boost immune system function. And they say if you are a lab nerd or if you've recently had your vitamin D levels checked, your level should be between 30 and 100. Now, if you really want to be in the sweet spot, so to speak, we really like to see that between 50 and 80. And if you have cancer, many times your functional doctor or functional oncologist is going to say, hey, closer 80 to 100. But that varies by person. Anyway. D3, very important. It helps with your bones absorbing calcium. So regulating bone health, heart function, immunity, inflammation, all the things. And, elena, that is just the tippy, tippy top right?
Speaker 2:
Yes there's so many good things to be had from the sun, but I think we're surrounded by so many misconceptions. And first thing you got to think about is when you go to research these topics, be it for or against sun exposure what is Google dictating that you're going to see? I know what I have already read and researched and believe, but what does Google say? And it's just sad to me how there's hardly anything for the sun. Everything's against it. But some of the most common misconceptions, I think, is that started on the point that people think the sun is out there to kill us. But it's not.
Speaker 2:
The sun has been in existence long before any of us and since the beginning of civilization, and it doesn't always cause cancer. It can if you have predispositions to that, if you aren't taking care of your body or if you are literally baking out in the sun all day long. No one needs to do that, but it is the oldest way to absorb D3. And we can spend all the money we want on supplements and there's a time and a place that we have to, if you're indoors too much or you're working night shift and sleeping during the day, but we can't replace what we get from the sun and think about. You know, people lived outside before they were building houses and they weren't dying of skin cancer. It wasn't, you know, it wasn't even a thing. It's a modern day, man-made problem, if you will, because it's a result of all the reaction to the toxins and oxidative stress that we're surrounded with because we're constantly being bombarded. We'll get to the whole topic of the chemicals in sunscreen in a minute, but think about just what we're breathing in the air and drinking in our water.
Speaker 2:
And it's important to know how much are your genetics going to play into your potential for cancer or not? How well do your genes detox? How susceptible are you to oxidative stress? And this is where I love and I know you too, we love to get people to do genetic testing, because that will give you that information. You don't have to sit here and worry about it if you're making all the right choices as far as nutrition and, you know, wise sun exposure.
Speaker 2:
But our favorite test, the 3x4 genetic, the blueprint test it gives you that information. It tells you what are your biggest weaknesses. Oxidative stress is, I think, one of the most common ones we see, followed by poor detoxification. You could have one or the other or both, and that's going to play into how well can you process the junk that you're being exposed to, how well can you synthesize the goodness from the sun and how can you enjoy it without stressing about skin cancer. You know, it's just, that's the biggest misconception that it's always going to result in skin cancer and instead we have all these other diseases because you aren't getting that immune building D3.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, for sure. And I think, um, all we hear from the, from media and Google, because even when we're looking up studies, like you know, going oh yeah, we got to get our resources on here, we can't do it in Google Chrome because everything is AI, fact checked and so, according to Google Chrome, like the sun is the worst. I mean that couldn't have anything to do with certain people you know in big tech wanting to shield us from this, certain people you know in big tech wanting to shield us from this. Surely right, there's no nefarious powers at play, but we have to go to Brave browser right To get anything. And we're not like, hey, where kooks are us and their studies? I mean, we're looking for NIH, pubmed, we're wanting science and just can't find it because if it doesn't fit the narrative of the day, then it's not going to be out there. But I think, when we listen to the medical world, there's a lot that is put out there that is partway true, but there's a lot that's just really wrong. And the fact of the matter is, regarding sunlight, we need the red light, that's, the near infrared radiation that we get from the sun, versus all the crazy blue light that we're exposed to 24-7 from screens. Now there is blue light in the sun. It's full spectrum, right, like we get all of it. When UV, which is your blue light, matches the infrared or the red light, that's in the morning time and that's when it's perfect for our health and for our brain and our mood.
Speaker 1:
And I always tell people look the best time to go out, and probably this doesn't matter where you live. Number one if you can check your air or your UV index, make sure it's not six yet, like you want it below six. You want the sun just off the horizon. That means the sun has come up and you can see the little ball in the sky and a little space below it. That's a great time to strip down as much as you can without getting a ticket or arrested or losing friends. Take your sunglasses, your contacts, your glasses off and just enjoy the sunlight. And, even better, you could stand barefoot on the ground if you can, if your grass hasn't been sprayed with chemicals that are also toxic. But this is 30 minutes of. This is really good for your skin, it's good for your brain, it's good for your eyeballs, and our people don't realize our eyeballs actually play a big role in vitamin D synthesis, or the making of vitamin D in our body.
Speaker 1:
So what do we all do though? Oh the sun's bright, making a vitamin D in our body. So what do we all do though? Oh the sun's bright, put my sunglasses on Now. You can't just wear sunglasses for 20 years and go.
Speaker 1:
Oh well, uh, they said I should take my sunglasses off three o'clock in the afternoon. That's not going to end well, you're going to be miserable, you're going to have a headache. You have to work into it. But one of the things too and I have people tell me this in one of the clinics that I'm in, you know if they're an Uber driver or they're a trucker oh, I'll get the sunlight through my windshield. Well, our windshields actually filter the sun, the sunlight, so we're not getting all of the healthy benefits of the sun, and it is this, you know, quote unquote protective measure, but it's not really protecting us from anything. Now, three o'clock in the afternoon, the UV index is going to be up there, air quality is probably going to stink too, and that's just not a great time to start enjoying sunlight. Right, it's a lot hotter.
Speaker 2:
right, it's a lot hotter, so it's not pleasant at all for a lot of people.
Speaker 1:
Oh for sure. But that's what people are made to think. Oh well, if you go out, you're just going to, you're going to overheat and you're going to have heat stroke and dehydration and sunburn. And all of a sudden, the sun is the villain. But it's not the villain. The sun is not. It's not doing anything it's not supposed to do. It's our man-made problems. It's our air pollution. It's the concrete jungles we live in. It's living our entire lives inside, absent of full spectrum light that causes us to be so sensitive when we're thrown into full on sunlight.
Speaker 2:
Well, that makes you wonder what is the point, or what is the benefit in villainizing the sun and I'm one of those people. I think you know well, I know you are too, sharon. We always say follow the money.
Speaker 1:
Oh, give me a bit of conspiracy.
Speaker 2:
I'm all over it.
Speaker 2:
Well you know right. But if you follow the money for how much money is made in the global sunscreen market and Googling, just Googling this says that the market size is valued at 1.3 billion in 2020, and it's expected to reach 2.4 billion by 2027. Wow, that is substantial that is, and so there's a lot of money to be made there. But then how about the annual amount that's spent on skin cancer and just in the United States alone, it's approximately 8.9 billion a year just for skin cancer, and I mean it's broken down into non-melanoma skin cancers and melanoma but 8.9 billion.
Speaker 2:
There's a lot of people who don't want to lose that kind of revenue. If people knew there were more responsible ways to enjoy sunshine and to actually be healthier for it, versus sicker and sicker and driving up those numbers for chemicals through the sunscreens and chemicals through cancer treatments. You know that's a whole other topic, but it's just shocking to me how much money is at stake there, and there's not a lot of money in a homemade sunscreen or eating better food. You know there's never money in wellness and health, there's only money in sickness.
Speaker 1:
For sure, and they don't. It's always. Don't, do this right, it's, it's not. Oh, here are choices here's. Here's a good choice, here's a better choice, it's. You have two choices die from skin cancer or rub my sunscreen all over your body and hopefully you won't die from skin cancer, and it's silly, but there are various forms of sun protection, and so for all of you pale skinned, um fair complected, sun phobic people out there, we've got information for you, but also for dark skinned people, because people don't understand, like you can be very, very dark and still sunburn, and they so dark skinned people always have lower vitamin D levels. It takes longer because they have so much more melanin in their skin. It takes longer to absorb the sun. The sun rays of the body can make vitamin D3. But we all need the sun, and so we're going to talk about different ways to do this, regardless of skin tone.
Speaker 1:
Okay, the first thing that I think is so interesting, and I've always. This is what I was taught, and I grew up in the high desert, or I guess, just the desert in West Texas, but there's this idea Dr Jack Cruz is where I heard this term but a solar callus, and a solar callus is basically breaking yourself into tolerating sunlight. So to begin with you would start with just gradual sun exposure. Now I have four redheaded, brown eyed daughters and we have I get dark, I will tan, no problem. Two of my daughters tan very well and two of them are very, very fair.
Speaker 1:
Now the way that the very fair complected ones because I have shared this information with them, of course is start in the morning. Don't go to the water park with your kids or your you know. Go out for a barbecue in a bikini at three in the afternoon If you have not seen the light of day for two years, if your skin has not seen the light of day outside. So 7.30, 8 in the morning, yeah, put that bikini on and just go sit outside. Hopefully it's sunny. But even if it's not sunny, even if it's cloudy, you're going to get some benefit because the UV and the near infrared, it's all there. So this gets our body acclimated to the sun and then, once you can deal with, you know, 30 minutes, then maybe you move that time a little later.
Speaker 1:
Even the most fair complected people now absent some sun allergy, which you know rarely people get. You can start building up your time and even fair skinned people can develop a solar callus or a natural tan or a base tan it goes by different names. I used to call it a base tan. What a base tan is not and, ladies, you're the worst about this is that first really bad sunburn of the season. I mean, how many times have you heard people say well, I got to get my first burn after I burn one time, then I'm fine, it's like no.
Speaker 1:
Doesn't work that way.
Speaker 2:
I mean, you get some benefit in the end, I guess with a tan, but how much damage did it take to get that?
Speaker 1:
I know, but really, truly, the fairer your skin, the more important the idea of a solar callus is. It doesn't mean, you know, you can, if you choose, to be lily white and that's how you want to live your life, that's fine, that's great. But being able to enjoy the sun and enjoy healthy vitamin D levels and the benefits of that would necessitate some time outside. You know, I myself have have said all along, because I'm in my midlife, I am going out looking like I had a good time, I'm gonna earn every line and every gray hair, but it I think to our culture just doesn't appreciate a sun to look. Would that be the way to put it? I guess yeah, but it doesn't mean you have to look leathery. We've all seen the pictures of the old ladies on the beach. They look like shoe leather.
Speaker 2:
That is not healthy either, and we are not advocating for that.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, yeah for sure. But something to know about your skin is once you've been in the sun and you start to turn pink kind of doesn't matter what time of day it is Everybody knows that point, right Like you've. You've been in the sun a while and it's like, ooh, starting to get a little pink. Well, that is your body telling you hey, we're all out of antioxidants over here. Why don't you go inside now or have a green juice or eat some fruit or I don't know X, y, z? But that is our body's message telling us it's time to do something different. And it is good to listen to our body. If we are out of resources, we need to go refuel, right?
Speaker 2:
Yeah, yeah, and that's a good point there. Talking about food, all right, first you're taking a break to get out of the sun to go get a snack. I'm all about that at the beach, that's my, that is my trick in and out all day long, so I can't get cooked but I can get my sunshine. But when you think about the food that most people are putting into their bodies, you know most people in this country I don't think it's going to be most people listening to this podcast but it is important to remember that Our food can fuel us or break us down.
Speaker 2:
And if you aren't eating foods that contain antioxidants. You know it's nutrients and compounds that are going to neutralize free radicals. That's the damage that happens on ourselves. If you aren't eating those, you aren't giving your body a chance, a fighting chance, to even give you that time in the sun. And I know from personal experience. I learned this years ago, just from experience. You know the times I was in the sun munching on my fruits and veggies. I could be in the sun a whole lot longer than you know. Those few times it happens y'all. I might've grabbed Doritos or something and eaten the crap food and you're just like huh, my skin doesn't look good, I don't feel good.
Speaker 2:
Or drinking alcohol in the sun I know that's what people love to do, especially when it's hot out, but you are literally giving your body poison instead of life and antioxidants. And when it comes to your skin, you can eat your way to healthy skin and sun absorption. And those foods are going to be fruits and veggies for the most part, because they're high in the antioxidants. And if you just think eating the rainbow we tell people to do this for all kinds of reasons, but especially for the sun. You can eat your way to sun protection to a degree. But the foods that are high in beta carotene are going to be the best ones for you, and that's going to be carrots and sweet potatoes, leafy greens, especially spinach, butternut squash or cantaloupe, red bell peppers you know just to name some of the most vibrant ones. But you think of all the tropical fruits, too, that people eat down by the equator, and they've got great tans, people who live on the equator, because they're eating so many antioxidants.
Speaker 1:
And the sun. When the sun is, I mean the melanin right. The amount of pigment in their skin is protecting them from the harmful aspects of the sun, and that's what people forget. It's not about having a tan.
Speaker 2:
Right, right. And then you know another thing that provides protection when you're eating those right veggies. It's important to eat fat with your veggies so you can break down and absorb all the nutrients. And when I say fats, of course I mean butter or olive oil, coconut oil, beef tallow, like all the natural sourced fats, all those nuts and seeds, yeah.
Speaker 2:
Yes, yes, and seeds. I'm glad you said that, because how about seed oils? Oh, not the same thing? No, but I know I'm saying that, but that just brings to mind that we have such an overabundance of seed oils.
Speaker 2:
It's not the same as eating those nuts and seeds and getting all the nutrients out of it, but the seed oils that are going to be in all things processed and packaged. Even some quote unquote healthy foods are full of seed oils and that's causing more oxidative stress than anything else we could put in our bodies. And, once again, I hope that a lot of the people who are listening are already becoming aware of that and, if not, I hope that a lot of the people who are listening are already becoming aware of that. And if not, that's a great thing to go Google, but not on Google. Go to Brave.
Speaker 1:
So you're telling me that my broccoli that I roasted, but I roasted it in canola oil is not as good as something else? The canola doesn't count as health food. What is this craziness?
Speaker 2:
I know, or the soybean oil, or sunflower cotton seed all these cheap oils that are cheap but you're going to pay for it in the end, versus if you just got the high quality avocado oil or butter. Put an olive oil on your food after cooking and it's not as good to cook with that one. But just getting those healthy fats versus all those seed oils is already giving you a better chance for optimal health in many ways, but especially when it comes to the sun, and that's if you want to be enjoying the sun. Let's eat the right foods to begin with, because then you can wear all the protective clothing and hats. No one needs to be in the sun all day, but sometimes we want to be or have to be. So, okay, know the limits of your skin.
Speaker 2:
Know when it's time to cover up or get under the umbrella and go get your snack inside, get your fruit salad or green salad. But the simplest way is to just cover up and that's. That's not going to be all the polyester rash guards, you know, those can work, but it is better to be wearing linen and cotton, all these fabrics that your skin can breathe with, and typically they're going to be lighter colors, Cause if you're wearing a dark color, it doesn't matter what fabric you're in. You're going to be absorbing all the heat. So wearing a lighter skin fabric, it's just a way to enjoy it more. But you know, don't ever dismiss a good old fashioned hat, pants, long shirt, because that's going to let you enjoy the warmth in the sun moderately, because you'll still get some sun through that.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, and I think you know that really speaks to you know what we believe in is taking a balanced approach. So I personally gave up and I'm going to just say, like 10 years ago I sold sunscreen. I don't really use it much. I've never been very good about sunscreen, but I never. I just never felt like I needed it that much. But we quit years ago. We quit selling. I was like no, no more. When I learned differently, I needed to do differently and that that is something I don't.
Speaker 1:
Ever use sunscreen. I will not buy a skincare product that has sunscreen in it. I'm not doing it, and if it means that I have a few more lines on my face, so be it, I'll take it. But I really don't, and I think it's because of the diet, because I stay hydrated, because you can, you can protect yourself and enjoy the benefits of the sun and then cover up. Like you said, absolutely Go inside for the hot part of the day. Some of these countries that are hotter in nature and they don't use as much air conditioning as we do, or they have this idea of the midday break right, or siesta in some countries, and it is a welcome break from being outside in the hot part of the year.
Speaker 1:
But let's talk a little bit about why we don't use sunscreens. So we can get all messy and insulting here. But conventional sunscreens, okay, there are many, many brands out there and we're not really going to name names. But you've got to look at the label. And it's not that every ingredient in a sunscreen is doing something to repel sunlight, right, they're emollients. It's to condition or affect the texture and the spreadability of the product or how sprayable it is. But the problem is, remember, our skin has pores, these little bitty holes, and everything we put on our skin we absorb to some degree. And so these chemicals look at the. If you've got sunscreen, go grab the bottle, read it. You're absorbing all of it. Only 4%, okay, additionally, 4% of the entire solar spectrum is ultraviolet, and when you use sunscreen, that's all you're blocking. That's it.
Speaker 1:
Uva and UVB and if you think about it, you this is how I remember it so you've got UVB rays that kind of hit the surface and UVA I always remember A goes all the way. Uva rays go deeper, they penetrate deeper down. Well, when you put sunscreen on and you rub it in, can you see it? No, right, why? Because your skin absorbed it. So when you get skin cancer or you get a burn, it's on the surface of your skin. So how is a skin or a sunscreen product actually protecting you from a sunburn if it's not sitting on your skin? I mean, puzzle me that one. It doesn't make any sense. Now, maybe there is some photoprotective quality deeper down, but what about the top of your skin, your epidermis? It's going to burn. I mean I can't. I don't think there's anybody out there who hasn't gotten a sunburn despite wearing sunscreen. Right, I mean yeah.
Speaker 2:
Well, that's why you have to reapply, use more.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, like every time you turn around. So it's ridiculous. And so when you wear the sunscreen you're essentially you're turning off your body's warning signs, like let me just put this sunscreen on and then you quit ignoring when you're red. I remember when I was younger I was like, well, I'm red, but I've got sunscreen on, so I'm good for another, however long. That's not how that works. The skin turning pink means time's up. Go inside, yeah, half time. So let's talk about the ingredients.
Speaker 1:
Now there are two kinds of sunscreen ingredients. You've got chemical protectants and you've got physical barriers and the chemicals I'm not going to spend a lot of time on because they're all garbage in my opinion. It's all said there. Thank you, elena. Say no more. It's a chemical, it's not natural and it's not something I'm going to rub all over my skin. Then I want to talk about the natural barriers, because there are two in particular that get a lot of attention and for people who are looking for a more natural sunscreen, they go this direction and I didn't even know a lot of this till a few years ago when I just kind of, you know, got into it a little more. But two physical sunscreen agents that we see most of the time are zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, and there's problems with both of them.
Speaker 1:
I'm going to start with zinc oxide. Now I want to say this about zinc oxide it's diaper rash ointment, right, everybody remembered like Desitin or Gold Bond. It's zinc oxide. It acts as a physical barrier and everybody's probably seen the pictures of lifeguards that have the zinc oxide on their nose and it turns white. Okay, you have actually covered up the skin, right? So is the skin on the nose protected? Yes, but there's always a but. It turns out that while zinc oxide rubbed on a baby's butt for diaper rash is quite effective as a barrier when exposed to sunlight so it is a barrier method, right To protecting us from sunlight After two hours it becomes toxic and it's no longer effective.
Speaker 1:
Two hours it becomes toxic and it's no longer effective. So how many people put zinc oxide on and then in two hours they go scrub it off? I mean, nobody, right? Nobody does that. So that's a big problem with zinc oxide. And then titanium dioxide it's in a lot of products and turns out like it's. It makes things look shiny, go figure. But titanium dioxide studies have shown and this is especially important for spray on sunscreens that when rats inhaled things with titanium dioxide, they got tumors in their lungs, and so studies show that titanium dioxide actually causes oxidative stress and inflammation in the lungs, and it can accumulate actually throughout the whole body. It has been shown to break DNA strands and cause chromosomal damage. So have a little birth defect people. I mean that's it. That is a risk that is substantial, all in the name of sun protection, right, natural sun protection I know natural is not not good enough.
Speaker 1:
Um, natural it's not not good enough. Um, sunscreen, there was a study that was done a couple of years ago and 78 sunscreen products actually had benzene in them. Now there are lawsuits everywhere over benzene. It's a part of petroleum and it's um, it's a known carcinogen and that's just not something that I think is very important to rub all over our skin and then shine some light on it, right? I mean, it doesn't make it horrifying.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, it's like, and we've been doing this for a long time. I know people have been using this.
Speaker 1:
Yes, yeah, and I did it. I mean, I was guilty of it and my mom made us do it on sunblock forever impossible.
Speaker 1:
But to that end, I want to say, for those of you who are going, I can't throw out all this sunscreen. Actually, yes, you can, and we recommend that you do. But there is a group, the Environmental Working Group, and their website is ewgorg, and they will rate. You can put in the name of your product and even, I think, on the phone they may have a barcode scanner. Yuka does, I know for sure. Y-u-k-a, it's an app you can get on your phone, but you can type in the name of your sunscreen and they'll tell you how toxic it is based on the ingredient label. So that's just helpful for you know anyone out there kind of wondering well, I've been using this. I wonder how good or bad it is. Listen, we're, you know. Make it simple. Start this summer, if you do nothing else, try to develop a solar callus. Try to start developing some tolerance to the sun without burning. That would be amazing for you, okay.
Speaker 1:
Well, let's talk about skin cancer. Okay, so we've got titanium dioxide, that is a known carcinogen. We've got benzene there are other things in there and zinc oxide, which is very toxic after two hours, apparently. That's unfortunate. What we're worried about, no matter which side of the table you sit on in the sunscreen debate is skin cancer, right, you've got squamous cell carcinoma, which usually shows up. First is that acatonic keratosis, which are those scaly patches and they are usually called precancers, and then and doctors will usually just like burn those off, cut those out Then basal cell carcinoma, which is the most common form of cancer, and then there's melanoma, which is the deadliest form of skin cancer, and each of these, depending on who you listen to, can be problematic.
Speaker 1:
Is it all because of the sun? No, I stand with Elena on this. I agree with you. I think how much it's. I mean, look at the word antioxidant, anti against oxidant. What is the oxidant? It's that oxidative stress or rust. Don't be a rusty nail. So yeah, cancer it's not that, even if it's in your family history, it doesn't mean that's your destiny.
Speaker 1:
And just an important little note here I think people always question like, hey, if you have, if you had cancer, what would you do? And I get people who ask me that a lot and I always say, well, it depends on the cancer there. If you've got an acatonic keratosis and you can scrape that puppy off and be done with it, I think that's a great idea. You know, in general, this is not speaking, this is not medical advice but with melanomas, the idea that we're going to get a melanoma if we're in the sun, because melanomas can metastasize and when they get to your brain it can be very, very deadly brain, it can be very, very deadly.
Speaker 1:
But there are so many studies that show that melanoma is not from the sun. There are a lot of other things. My son-in-law had a knee surgery as a teenager. Then, as an adult in his twenties, he developed a melanoma on the scar where he had a bone graft done and it was not. It was on his leg, not in a place where it was always exposed to the sun. It wasn't from sun damage. And if you look at it on Brave not on Google Chrome you may find a lot of scars actually will grow melanomas. And why is that, elena?
Speaker 2:
Scars, love toxins, whoa, it's like a breeding ground for toxicity and oxidation.
Speaker 1:
Yes, so scars can become real knobby or ropey or they can develop keloids. They can be very fibrous and many times there are toxins in there and it's been shown that melanomas will grow at sites of trauma. And that's just something to pay attention to. The nice thing about the squamous cell and the basal cell is a lot of times those can be excised and then that's it. You're done. But it's important to pay attention to your skin. Whether you're a sun lover or sun phobic, we should always be checking our skin right.
Speaker 2:
Right, always be checking your skin and, once again, always be checking your diet and your nutrition, because we've talked about some of the foods you can eat to be eating the rainbow but you know there are certain supplements, because there is a time and a place to just get the nutrition from your food, and there's other times to take the supplements and specific ones for your skin. Those are going to be like astaxanthin, vitamin C, quercetin, cocutin. I mean those four, right, there are the foundation for good, healthy skin, let alone what you're going to be eating, and that's important for people who are trying to just enjoy sun, prevent cancer, people who had cancer, people who do have it. Those antioxidants are going to bring the protection to your skin and your cells from inside out. But, you know, in addition to that, though, it's just important to balance your sun exposure without like balance it without the worries and I think the modern way we live it's, you know, even if you aren't afraid of the sun, we just don't have the opportunity to be in the sun as much. So, if you are pro-sun versus sun phobic and want to be in the sun, okay, just carve out a couple of days a week where you can go outside and get that sun, get that gradual exposure, get your sun charge. I have to get mine at least every weekend, working throughout the week. You can't get it, but it's like I got to go get my solar charge and it just makes you feel alive. So you know, getting that gradual exposure, getting that callus, that solar callus, is going to be a great way to just continue to enjoy the sun for what it's there for.
Speaker 2:
But you know, talking also about ways to just prevent and identify and take care of our bodies and our skin. We get asked a lot if thermography can identify skin cancer, because thermography is one of our favorite tools here at K6 Wellness, if you're local. It's one of our favorite testing methods. But unfortunately it is not great for skin. It's going to tell us about how your organs are working on a cellular level and that will tell us a lot about oxidation or detoxification, how well you are or aren't doing that. But it just isn't the best for skin. For skin, you've got to learn what is it? Your ABCs, yes.
Speaker 1:
Yes, and while thermography it's not, and we don't use it as a specific diagnostic tool for anything. Now, skin is one of those things like you can visually tell if something's going on with the skin and it, but it's not specific but it is going to show right those underlying. Hey, your nervous system's not doing this or your gut's doing this, or you're more prone to this. We can see that. But yeah, the ABCs man, you cannot beat that for paying attention. So this is something I think it's really important we should all know. And it's A, b, c, d and E. Okay, learn this in nursing school and learn it. I think we learned it in college or I don't know if they teach it in high school. My daughter learned it in esthetician school. But A is for asymmetry. So if you're looking at a mole or a spot on your skin anywhere, asymmetry is a lack of symmetry. So it means one half of the mole looks different than the other half. Ideally, in a healthy or benign mole, it's going to be the same on both sides. It would be symmetrical. So if it's asymmetric, that's a caution. B stands for border. So does the mole have an even outline or is it ragged? Is it an irregular border, blurred edge, uneven outline. It could be even notched a little bit and the coloring could even like bleed off of the mole into the surrounding skin. That would be something to pay attention to. So we have asymmetry, irregular border, and then the color. And I think most people probably know the color change in melanoma more than any other one, because melanoma is going to have that brownish black appearance. Those can be a little scary, but basal cell carcinomas and even squamous cell could be pink. Basal cell carcinomas and even squamous cell could be pink, like basal cells could have a pink waxy appearance and then squamous cell could usually bleed real easily. But you have to look at it. What did it look like last month? Does it look the same? Has it grown? Is the color changing? Because if the color is changing or the color is weird all of a sudden, that's a caution Diameter.
Speaker 1:
So diameter is how far across the center of the mole. If a mole is growing in size, that's something to pay attention to and the rule of thumb is especially for melanomas if it's larger than the eraser of a pencil, you should get it checked out, because melanomas are usually bigger, like that, five millimeters, I think, is. So get your you know a little measuring tape out or go grab a pencil and compare it to your your dark spot and see if. See if you need to go get that checked. And then evolution so we had A asymmetry, b, irregular borders, c is the color, d is diameter and E is evolution and it just means is your mold changing in size or color over time? These are things that you can ask yourself to help determine. Am I okay? Do I need to go get checked? But I hope that helps.
Speaker 2:
Yeah Well, you do have to pay attention to your skin. Be wise, be smart. Don't ignore something that could be caught early on. But also remember the sun. Sun can heal you too. Let's not forget the vitamin D, we all know that. But also, if you're outside or on the beach, you're getting grounding, You're getting the charge from the earth, and that helps to neutralize toxins and to get the sunshine, the air, the grounding. That's the basics right there. But the sun also. It cleanses our skin. Think about when you've had a good tan. You look so healthy and vibrant and younger, as long as you're taking care to not get all leathery because you didn't moisturize properly afterwards or hydrate you have to hydrate.
Speaker 2:
But you know, the sunshine also encourages sweat, and that's the same as just getting the fresh air. People don't do it enough anymore. People don't sweat enough. We sit inside with our air conditioned houses and our comfy couches. We aren't sweating. I get in my sauna every day, in addition to getting out into the sunshine when I can, because when you sweat you are literally emptying out the toxins in your body. It's just one of the simplest ways to detox.
Speaker 1:
And I think it's important to remember your skin is your largest organ of elimination, right? That makes it super important for taking out the trash.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, and it helps your lymphatic system because if you're sweating it out, the lymph isn't having to go through and clean it all up through your digestive tract. You know, or you know, it doesn't replace lymphatic therapy Hear me there or taking care of your lymph at home, but just sweating. We need to sweat more. But then there's also some, you know, specific conditions that are alleviated by sunlight exposure. That's depression and anxiety, and one of the biggest things is because we're getting that serotonin from the sunshine and then we have more melatonin to sleep at night. So our entire circadian rhythm is being reinforced and you have more energy because you're sleeping better. You have less anxiety because you're sleeping better. You have less depression because you're sleeping better. Nothing replaces sleep either. We've talked about sleep a lot.
Speaker 1:
I am telling you our first retreat on the place that shall be someday. For us. We are going to do a two-week sleep retreat and I want problematic sleepers because I am convinced that all of these low tech bio hacks that you're talking about going outside putting your feet on the ground, that is all so important Without shoes. Yeah, without shoes. Yeah, I mean, that's so central and we all wear shoes and nobody goes outside and nobody goes outside barefoot.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, yeah. And so getting that sunshine, you're going to also have just better health overall. You're going to have less inflammation. You're going to have better gut health. You know the bad microbes don't like the sunlight. We use UV lights to sterilize. You know utensils or tools. Think about what it's doing to your body when it's penetrating through your skin and I think we see more gut issues than about anything else, because everything goes back to the gut, but just keeping that inflammation down and getting the natural steroids from the D3.
Speaker 2:
So get the sun exposure you can. When you can Be smart about it, be careful, but enjoy it. And if you live somewhere in the can, be smart about it, be careful, but enjoy it. And if you live somewhere in the world or it's a certain time of year not right now, it's what June, we've got plenty of sunshine but if you're somewhere where you can't get enough, take your D3, but also look at happy lamps. They're great little tools that just give you that glow of the sun and it literally makes you happy. We've used this for people who have seasonal depression and it just helps you get by. And some people can't tolerate the heat of the sun. That's a whole other caveat, but it's not most of us. But there is. I don't know the link to it. We'll include it in our notes, in our podcast notes, where you could look for those. But you could also just search online. But that's a great way to get to some of the vibrance from the sun.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, especially for older people who just aren't going to go outside very much, you can sit by your happy lamp and read.
Speaker 2:
And you won't get dehydrated. You know if dehydration is a big concern as well, yeah, Happy lamp.
Speaker 1:
Well, I think this was a good discussion. This is probably just the right place to wrap it up, I think personally. For me, getting outside in the sun an hour a day is my happy spot. Now, everybody's going to be a little different.
Speaker 2:
And.
Speaker 1:
I hope that everyone takes something from this to say, okay, I'm going to give this a try, but but be smart about it, because we're definitely not advocating for nonsensical, careless going out in the sun with no regard for safety, Cause that's not what this is about.
Speaker 2:
We want you to take care of your health.
Speaker 1:
We want you to have healthy skin and healthy organs all the way around.
Speaker 2:
Yeah. So this summer, let's continue to find alternative ways to increase sun exposure and not be afraid of the sun any longer. We hope that you found this information valuable and we'd love to hear from you. So if you watched the episode on YouTube, please like and subscribe to our channel, and also check us out on Rumble, facebook, instagram, and if you'd like more information about how to take better care of your health, please visit us at k6wellnesscom. Then you can schedule an appointment there and just have a call with us. But until next time, take care of yourself, because your health is worth fighting for.