sports & fitness
Sherry nueesch
NAKED AT NOON S u b m i t t e d by S h e r r y Nu e e sc h
The sun was once used as a general tonic to heal almost everything. The sun provides the basis for all life on earth. The sun is the primary source of energy for all plants, and indirectly, for all animals. Sunlight has been used to treat and cure diseases for centuries. According to the National Cancer Institute, lifetime exposure to sunlight may reduce your risk of the most common types of cancer. In an analysis of death certificates from 24 states during a period longer than 11 years, NCI researchers found that people who lived in the sunniest parts of the country, and those exposed to the most sunlight through their jobs, had significantly lower rates of breast and colon cancer than matched controls. The scientists identified cases through a database maintained by the NCI, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and the National Center for Health Statistics. The researchers took significant measures to ensure the accuracy of their data. Even after all the adjustments were made, the results were compelling. Overall, the people who lived in the highest solar radiation range (Florida being one of them) had less risk of dying of breast, ovarian, colon or prostrate cancer than those living in the lowest range states (Northern
states). In their discussion, the NCI researchers theorize that sunlight offers cancer protection through its contribution of Vitamin D. Vitamin D has been in the news a lot lately. What is being reported is that Americans are woefully deficient in vitamin D, and it is becoming alarmingly so for children. The body manufacturers vitamin D out of cholesterol in the presence of sunlight. Exposure to sunlight is the best way to manufacture the vitamin D that we need for optimum health. Primitive diets were rich in vitamin D, containing foods like butterfat, eggs, liver, organ meats, marine oils and seafood, especially shrimp and crab. Cod liver oil used to sit on many people’s tables for a spoonful everyday. Humans need vitamin D for the prevention of many diseases and chronic health conditions including cancer, bone health, arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, depression and obesity to name a few. Vitamin D may be a key nutrient in preventing heart disease. A study published in the June 9, 2008 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, concluded that men low in vitamin D had an increased risk of heart attack, and a second study released later that month revealed that those low in vitamin D had twice the risk of dying from any cause. During a
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press release in August of 2007, Dr. Garland of Moores Cancer Center at the University of California stated that 150,000 cases of breast cancer could be prevented in this country by maintaining adequate levels of vitamin D. Research shows that the higher a person’s level of vitamin D, the lower his or her incidence of breast cancer – there is a direct correlation. I could write about more and more studies proving the desperate need for more of the sunshine vitamin. Space limits me to stopping here. It is quite apparent that people need to check their levels of vitamin D to see where they are. It is a simple blood test that can routinely be added to their blood work. I do believe that people need to take this serious. They need to get in the sunlight more and not be afraid of this wonderful energy source. People do not need to lay in the sun and burn, but they do need to feel the powerful rays on their bodies daily. Getting more
food source vitamin D is a good idea. Get the highest quality cod liver oil available. It is like everything else, you get what you pay for. Anyone who decides to supplement should make sure that it is vitamin D3 and not D2. Go as natural as possible if that means getting naked at noon for 10 minutes! Take this seriously. According to the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, 600,000 cases worldwide of breast and colorectal cancers could be prevented each year. Don’t be a modern caveman. If sunshine is so effective for preventing so many cancers, then how can it be the cause of one? I do believe that people need to check vitamin D levels with their doctors and then adjust their daily intake of sunshine and natural food source fat soluble vitamins accordingly. Anyone who is naked at noon, we would like to know about it. To your health, as always, Sherry Nueesch.