Scientists reverse stance on sun and cancer: Now they admit sunlight can prevent skin cancer

Friday, May 27, 2011 by: Tara Green

(NaturalNews) Since the 1980s, physicians and cancer groups have regularly warned the public against the potential health dangers of direct sunlight on skin. As a result, many people have stayed out of the sunlight completely, covered their limbs even in warm weather or slathered themselves with UV protection products, all in the interest of lowering their risk of melanomas.

However, more recent findings indicate that this kind of nearly vampiric avoidance of the sun may not benefit your cancer odds after all.

A 2009 study by a group of Leeds University researchers found that higher levels of Vitamin D were linked to improved skin cancer survival odds. Other studies have found that Vitamin D has a connection to a strong immune response in the body. In fact, Vitamin D may hasten the death of tumor cells.

Unfortunately, most people have low levels of Vitamin D, leaving them at higher risk for a host of diseases including breast cancer, prostate cancer, bowel cancer, cervical cancer, rickets and osteoporosis. (For more in-depth information on this, see this report:http://www.naturalnews.com/rr-sunli...)

"It's common for the general public to have low levels of vitamin D in many countries," said Professor Julia Newton Bishop of the Leeds Institute of Molecular Medicine and author of the Leeds study. "Melanoma patients tend to avoid the sun as sunburn is known to increase the risk of melanoma. We use sunshine to make vitamin D in the skin, so melanoma patients' levels of vitamin D may be especially low."

Bishop also noted that people can get more Vitamin D through dietary sources such as fatty fish. She points out that balance is key, as extremely high levels of Vitamin D can have a negative effect on health.

The mainstream media continues to run stories every summer warning people against the sun even two years after the Leeds study. While hours of sunbathing may be risky behavior for your long-term health, receiving a moderate amount of sunlight while out gardening or walking is actually as good for you as eating a low-fat diet and engaging in regular exercise. In fact, laying off the sunscreen may help you not only absorb sunshine into your skin to help fight tumors, but also helps you avoid the chemicals in most commercial sun blocking products. Some studies have indicated that these chemicals can actually generate harmful free radicals in the body.

So this summer, relax, and enjoy the sunshine.

Sources for thisarticleinclude:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/news/article...
http://www.skinbiology.com/toxicsun...

Learn more:http://www.NaturalNews.com

Researchers Recommend Pregnant Women Take 4,000 IU Vitamin D A Day

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA – Taking vitamin D supplements during pregnancy is not only safe for mother and baby, but also can prevent preterm labor/births and infections, according to results of a randomized controlled study to be presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

In the 1950s and ’60s, people were concerned that vitamin D could cause birth defects, according to Carol L. Wagner, MD, lead author of the study and a pediatric researcher at Medical University of South Carolina. It now is known that vitamin D is important for maternal and infant health, including bone health and immune function.

Recent studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy is a serious public health issue.

“Diet doesn’t provide enough vitamin D, and we don’t go in the sun as much as we need,” Dr. Wagner said.

Therefore, she and her colleagues, including Bruce W. Hollis, PhD, who has worked in the field of vitamin D research for the last 30 years, set out to determine the optimal dose of vitamin D supplements for pregnant women without doing harm.

Researchers randomized 494 pregnant women at 12-16 weeks’ gestation into three treatment groups. Group one received 400 International Units (IU) of vitamin D a day until delivery; group two received 2,000 IU and group three received 4,000 IU. The women were evaluated monthly to ensure safety.

“No adverse events related to vitamin D dosing were found in any of the three arms of the study,” Dr. Wagner said.

Investigators also looked at the effects of vitamin D supplementation on complications during pregnancy, including preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, infections, and preterm labor and birth.

“The spectacular part of the study was it showed women replete in vitamin D had lower rates of preterm labor and preterm birth, and lower rates of infection,” Dr. Wagner said.

The greatest effects were seen among women taking 4,000 IU of vitamin D per day. Therefore, the researchers recommend this daily regimen for all pregnant women.

Dr. Wagner will discuss the two parts of the study in separate presentations. The outcomes of vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy will be presented on Saturday, May 1, and the safety of vitamin D supplementation will be presented on Sunday, May 2.

Reporters wanting to interview any of the speakers should call the PAS Press Office at 778-331-7694. Reporters who wish to attend the session must first check in with the PAS Press Office at the Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre to receive press credentials.

To view part 1 of the study on safety, go to http://www.abstracts2view.com/pas/view.php?nu=PAS10L1_2450&terms.
To view part 2 of the study on outcomes, go to http://www.abstracts2view.com/pas/view.php?nu=PAS10L1_2481&terms.

http://www.aap.org

Prescription Painkiller Use Linked To Serious Birth Defects

by Nancy Shute

Women who use oxycodone, codeine and hydrocodone painkillers early in pregnancy may increase the risk of birth defects, according to a study led by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Women who used these prescription pain medications just before they got pregnant, or in the first trimester of pregnancy, were twice as likely to have a baby born with a serious heart defect, the researchers report in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

As far back as the 1970s, studies have shown a link between using opioid painkillers in the first trimester of pregnancy and birth defects. But that didn't change doctor's prescribing practices at all, says Cheryl Broussard, the CDC epidemiologist who led this new study. She looked at data from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study, which has been collecting information on women's use of medications since 1997.

Heart defects saw the greatest increase, including hypoplastic left heart syndrome, in which the left side of the heart doesn't develop properly. It is fatal if not treated with surgery.

And this is the first study to link spina bifida, in which the backbone and spinal canal don't close before birth, with opioid use.

The new study also found slight increases in congenital hydrocephaly, which can cause mental retardation; congenital glaucoma; and gastroschisis, in which a baby is born with intestines outside the body.

The increased risk of birth defects for each woman was very small overall. For instance, the risk of having a baby with hypoplastic left heart syndrome rose from 2.4 per 10,000 live births, to about 5. But almost 3 percent of women say they use prescription opioid pankillers while pregnant; they are commonly prescribed for pain from surgery, infection, chronic illness and injuries. About 1 in every 33 babies in the U.S. is born with a birth defect.

Many women — and their doctors — don't realize that these popular painkillers could pose a risk to their babies, Broussard says.

"It's really important that women talk with their doctors," she says, "and talk about the potential benefits for these medications, as well as the potential risk for heart defects."

http://n.pr/gzj68b

Formaldehyde finally makes the cancer list!

Too often money from chemical industry lobby interests gets in the way of the public safety. In April of this year, “the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) released its long-awaited report on formaldehyde. The report confirms the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) determination that formaldehyde causes cancer in humans. The Academies recommended that the EPA re-write its report to more clearly communicate the scientific reasoning underpinning its assessment, and to finalize it as soon as possible. In addition to scientific consensus that formaldehyde causes cancer of the nose and nasal cavity in humans, the EPA identified a risk of leukemia associated with formaldehyde. Although the chemical industry disputes this, The National Cancer Institute (NCI), the World Health Organization (WHO/IARC), and the National Toxicology Program (NTP) have all identified a possible link with leukemia. While asking the EPA to state it’s reasoning more concisely, and to separate out leukemia risks from lymphoma risks, the Academies supported the EPA in developing a cancer risk estimate for leukemia.”

http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/jsass/national_academy_of_sciences_f.html

This past Friday, June 10, 2011 the U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services added formaldehyde (along with 7 other substances) to a list of known carcinogens. Formaldehyde is found in plastics and often used in plywood, particleboard, furniture, and hair salon chemicals. This listing is important because the public needs to be informed of the dangers of chemicals we are exposed to. I’m not surprised that these developments were hardly recognized by the media but feel it’s worth more attention. Many of us are subjected to high doses of cancer causing toxins and don’t have the slightest idea. Every time your car heats up in the sun the VOC’s (Volatile Organic Substances) like xylene, formaldehyde, PBDEs (polybrominated diphenyl ethers) and acetaldehyde are released from the car’s interior components. As the temperatures rise so do the levels of toxicity. At just 85-90 degrees fahrenheit the car can be extremely toxic. These substances can exacerbate allergy and asthma symptoms and cause eye, nose and throat irritation, cough, headache, general flu-like illnesses, and skin irritation. The warning labels on the windows of new cars state the chemicals used in the manufacture of the car are known to the state of California to cause cancer. On hot days be sure to roll the windows down or even open both doors to allow toxins to escape first. The older the car the less off-gassing there is.

Anywhere the environment is closed can be a potential for high toxicity. Indoor levels are almost always higher than outdoor especially if there are manufactured wood products like particleboard present. Environments can include mobile homes, RV’s, modular buildings and even conventional homes and offices. The recent hurricane Katrina relief effort is a good example of the effects of toxic chemicals indoors. The new travel trailers provided to the displaced residence were emitting five times the acceptable level of formaldehyde. Two years after the displaced residence took possession of the trailers the government urged them to seek safer housing because of the formaldehyde levels. “The EPA’s chemical risk assessments are crucial to protecting the public’s health because they are the government’s most comprehensive analysis of the dangers the chemicals present and are used as the scientific foundation for state and federal regulations. But it usually takes years or even decades to get an assessment done, or to revise one that is outdated. Often the industry spends millions on lobbying and on scientific studies that counter the government’s conclusions. The EPA has been trying since 1998 to update the formaldehyde assessment, which was first written in 1989. But the agency’s efforts have repeatedly been stalled by the industry and Congress.” http://www.propublica.org/article/how-senator-david-vitter-battled-formaldehyde-link-to-cancer

The chemical industry will undoubtedly move to further stall this process allowing them to continue to make money at the expense of the public. The realization that the public’s health is second to business profits in our world furthers my interest to inform my friends and colleagues so as to make better decisions for our families health and welfare.

What does it mean to be ABORM certified?

A new chapter has opened for me in that I have now become board certified by the American Board of Oriental Reproductive Medicine (ABORM). This is a specialty board that qualifies practitioners of Chinese medicine for treating reproductive issues. They are devoted to teaching, research and the practice of Oriental Medicine as it relates to the treatment of reproductive disorders. I devoted a few hours a day for months in advance in preparation for the annual 6 hour exam. This certification has broadened my knowledge of treatments further providing solutions for reproductive challenges. This certification requires me to take continuing education classes in reproductive medicine every year to remain current with the board. This requirement ensures that the Fellows will always be abreast of new Oriental and Western treatments of reproductive disorders.

For more information on the American Board of Oriental Reproductive Medicine visit them at www.aborm.org.