"... an internal medicine physician in Washington, D.C.... Research has found that spending more time in the sun is associated with lower blood pressure....Sunlight may also help support the immune system by controlling inflammation and immune cells.... A well-known benefit of sun exposure is that it triggers the body to produce vitamin D.... The research on sunshine’s potential benefits is still quite limited, so it’s hard to know how to interpret or apply it, or how to square it with the risks for skin cancer, Dr. McBride said. And you shouldn’t stop using sun protection altogether, she said.... Ultimately, it may make sense to consider sunlight's potential benefits along with its harms, Dr. McBride said. 'Skin cancer remains a serious threat,' she said. 'But it is about moving beyond fear-based, one-size-fits-all messaging.'"
From
"What are the Health Benefits of Sunshine? We’ve been taught to avoid the sun at all costs. Is that right?" (NYT).
Missing from the article is anything about the chemicals in sunscreen we've been urged to slather on repeatedly and excessively. Personally, despite being at great risk for skin cancer, I don't use the stuff. I go out in the very early morning or I use clothing for protection or I try to stay mostly in the shade. Here I am a year ago, in the semi-shade, interacting with a mushroom...
... and if you're inclined to say Althouse, you need to get that spot on your back checked out, let me assure you, I have!
Posts
45 comments:
"Sunlight may also help support the immune system by controlling inflammation and immune cells....
A well-known benefit of sun exposure is that it triggers the body to produce vitamin D."
which all explains WHY, during COVID, the government was arresting people that attempted to go outside.
Once you realize that the government IS trying to kill you..
it ALL makes much more sense
Sunlight is also a very effective trigger for the production of nitric oxide, which, in turn lowers blood pressure, increases serotonin production, decreases depression and anxiety and increases erectile function in men.
The sun-scare will go down as another monstrous mistake of the "public health" bureaucracy.
It makes sense from a natural selection evolutionary adaptation that human beans get benefits from the sun. It's also true that the dose makes the difference between medicine and poison.
Dr. Roger Sehault talked about the benefits of sunshine during COVID.
Two words: Sun Hoodia.
Everything in moderation.
Poison ivy? You're sitting in it.
My wife is like you. She burns and never tans. I tan, but I've had run ins with skin cancer so I take precautions.
I have had several occurrences of skin cancer of all three types. My dermatologist points vaguely at my pre adult tropical and subtropical exposure without any hint of a mechanism for how any damage could be carried over for 50 years. My conclusion is that the front-line practitioners have no idea what causes the cancers.
We keep buying these Path Projects hoodies: https://pathprojects.com/collections/tops/products/wadi-ls-hooded-tee
Meade wears them all the time. I intend to wear mine.
Your circadian rhythms are set by exposure to the sun specifically to receptors in the lower part of your eyes that catch certain frequencies from above the plane of the horizon.
The chemicals created in your skin particularly on your face and arms are very important.
We have been getting so much bad health advice for so long on so many fronts that I don’t think you can blame incompetence or ignorance. The data on all of this has been clear.
The only thing that makes sense is that our experts think we need to reduce the human population and we know this is the popular opinion in the expert class.
There’s still a theory of causation between less sunlight and multiple sclerosis, too. The clothing route to limiting sun exposure is the best for me, too. big hat, thin performance fabric layer…hoodies. I have fingerless gloves for float fishing too. Finger tips get too much sun…
If I will be in direct sun for hours (ex., at the beach), I will put a layer on my face and arms--once. In extreme circumstances, I may put another layer on my face at some later point. Otherwise I never use sunscreen.
We've known for years that the skin cancer hysteria is just that--within reason, the benefits of sun exposure outweigh the risks. I'm a 59-year-old lily-white Irishman with no hint of trouble or even excessive weathering.
…one could make a mint cutting melanomas off all my raisin neighbors. The guys thought lotion on the face was too feminine. The scalpel sure is manly…
You get lots of beneficial infrared radiation in the shade of a forest. Infrared radiation penetrates deep into the body and triggers healthful cellular metabolism.
Skin "cancer" is weird. A close Pathologist friend said that:
"Ninety percent of what's called "skin cancer" is not cancer at all. They are neoplasms which do not grow or metastatise. Malignant Melanomas, however, are often found 'where the sun don't shine', and they're 50 percent fatal within five years."
The irony, he said, is that Vitamin D [aka 'sunshine vitamin'] greatly reduces the risk for both Melanoma *and* colon cancer.
I sunburn very easily and painfully. But I also HATE putting on sunscreen, though I’ll use it if I need to. But I’ve become pretty adept at finding shade or moving in such a way that doesn’t let one side/part of my body get too crispy, as well as wearing long sleeves and things like that.
We're not vampires, but I do stay inside when the powers of UV are exalted. Not difficult to do this time of year in the South when it's 90+ and humid at 4 pm.
I asked Grok yesterday if A/C works more efficiently at 75 outside degrees than at 95, and it said yes, so my system of turning the thermostat down at night and way up in the afternoon may pan out. It calculated an ideal coefficient of performance of 8.9 versus 6.6, so a significant difference. June's electric bill was only $76, but the first half of the month was cooler than usual. There was a week in the high 90s at the end of the billing period.
You need a tag for "literally white people problems."
Cholesterol, sunshine, and Vitamin D. Don't forget the meat. How can you have any Vitamin B12 if you don't eat the meat. You'd eventually forget and otherwise malfunction.
Not just white people problems. Studies are starting to show the negative effects of having darker skin at higher latitudes because of the reduced beneficial impact of sunlight.
Low angle of incidence, low reflectivity, physical cover, and, as always, moderation for equitable advice.
Dermatologists warn that sun damage is cumulative, which means if you're old, it doesn't matter.
I'm outside a lot and use sunscreen infrequently - usually when I'm going to be in direct sunshine for more than an hour. Otherwise, I don't like the chemicals either. And working, it's usually a long-sleeved cotton shirt. I don't like the feel of polyester, but it does amuse me deeply to see how widespread its usage is now in 'performance fabric'. I wonder how many of its users understand that it's pretty much 100% petroleum-derived.
If I am going to be outdoors in sunlight from March to September for more than 2 hours I use sunscreen after the 1st hour. However, I try to get out into the sunlight in the afternoon for 90-120 minutes every other day all year round with my legs, arms and face uncovered (I walk every other day for 4-6 miles and I can usually do this even on most Winter days here in Oak Ridge.
Weather.com has a UV rating for every hour of the day, if anyone is curious.
"Missing from the article is anything about the chemicals in sunscreen we've been urged to slather on repeatedly and excessively"
Remember who their advertisers are. It's time for RFK jnr to fix this nonsense. Ban it.
Moderation seems to be the key word. We have a weird fad in my area where women are running around with umbellas open on hot sunny days. I guess that's one way to avoid sunburn and Sunscreen.
Usually my legs and arm are uncovered in summer, in order to awe the men and please the women with my shapely, yet strong, manly limbs.
I think its OK, skin cancer wise, since I rarely do more than 3-4 hours in the sun, and have hat, sunglasses, etc.
Who the fuck has been taught to avoid sun at all costs? Benefits from vitamin D? When did they figure that out? Science has really come a long way.
I have to take antibiotics on a continuous basis because of a surgical infection from a hip replacement, they make me very susceptible to sunburning. I hate sunscreen but will use it if I will be exposed for long durations.
Missing from the article is anything about the chemicals in sunscreen we've been urged to slather on repeatedly and excessively
Our oldest daughter has Albinism, so almost no natural protections from the sun. Even in the PNW< it is beneficial for her to use sun protection all the time (though it was a major fight to get her to use sunscreen.). We were also concerned about the chemicals in many standard types, and did our research. Mineral sunscreens are much less risky, and so we use mostly those since her sunscreen use was much higher than the weekend beach excursion needs of average people. So, sun-shirts and hats are best, mineral sunscreens next, and chemical sunscreens in a pinch.
'But it is about moving beyond fear-based, one-size-fits-all messaging.'
See, for the last 25-30 years anyone who said that was dismissed as an anti-science troglodyte.
Down here in AZ, I use sunscreen (30) on my ears, nose, back of neck when out riding or running or skating or whatever in the afternoon (April-Oct or thereabouts), but not anywhere else. But I do cover my head due to follicular challenges.
ChrisSchuon said...
“Not just white people problems. Studies are starting to show the negative effects of having darker skin at higher latitudes because of the reduced beneficial impact of sunlight.”
When the recreation of Cheddar Man was unveiled, some scientists gave pushback saying there was no way he could have had black skin.
Modern Europeans have two sets of genes for light skin. Cheddar Man, a Western Hunter Gatherer, had neither of these. (However, the Eastern Hunter Gatherers in Eastern Europe and Ancient North Eurasian Hunter Gatherers at the same time did have one of the sets.)
Cheddar lived at the end of the last Ice Age when even less sunlight was received in Europe than today. It was simply not possible to live there with dark skin and not have Vitamin D deficiency diseases unless you were consuming insane amounts of shellfish and other high D foods.
Subsequent research points to the likelihood of WHGs having a range of skin tones from Mediterranean “Olive” to medium brown.
Regarding those chemicals in sunscreen, I've switched (to the extent I use sunscreen, which is very little, to zinc oxide based sunscreens. They are safe and effective, though a bit gooey. But my main rule is moderation: I'm out in the sun before 10am and after 3pm, and try to avoid the peak hours in between, or use sunscreen.
A lot of those women in umbrellas are doing it for vanity rather than health, as sun exposure leads to wrinkles.
I don't recall people telling me to avoid the sun at all costs and only go outside with SPF 50 sunscreen.
I've always been told that moderate sun exposure is healthy and you should apply SPF 35 (or higher) if you anticipate being in the sun for a long period of time. (Like over 1/2 hour)
Obviously, there are people who are more sensitive to the sun, but I was raised in the Latino culture.
Ann Althouse said...
"We keep buying these Path Projects hoodies: https://pathprojects.com/collections/tops/products/wadi-ls-hooded-tee"
"People are not wearing enough hats." - from Monty Python's The Meaning of Life.
Sun and skin is mostly a northern pale people problem, but not only nominal "white people." Consider the fair-skinned Japanese, or as one Vietnamese guy described them, "albino Asians". The tropical sun is super powerful, so middle-brown people do suffer too.
Chemicals are generally terrible, as they trap sweat, run off quickly, and often smell bad. The creams and oils form "oil slicks" at every popular snorkeling location in Hawaii. They do have a useful niche as nose, ear, and lip protection.
Fishermen, kayakers, and surfers wear thin hooded long-sleeve shirts and full-body rash guards for a reason. The Arabs invented flowing robes for a reason. Hats are fantastic, as they block the sun and sweat/added water results in evaporative cooling.
loudogblog said...
“I don't recall people telling me to avoid the sun at all costs and only go outside with SPF 50 sunscreen.”
Same here.
I was introduced to the sunscreen after high school when a mostly German descent blonde girl told me she was going to Florida with her friends and she was packing 28 SPF to spend several hours each day at the beach. Her very fair red-head friend was packing a 40.
Forget the advice of a single internal medicine physician in Washington, D.C to endure sunlight for its supposed benefits and forget about skin cancer, and even possible bad reactions to sunburn lotion slather.
Some of us light very light skin folks cannot endure the pain and suffering that follows extended sun exposure. So we don't do trips to beaches, swimming outside or fishing of any kind.
The moral of this story is like the advise that stopping smoking is as simple as not buying cigarettes. Avoiding the dangers from sunlight simply involves staying out of the sun in the summertime and any benefits involving severe pain are not benefits.
Ann:
In case it's helpful, I was fine in the sun until my early 40s (fair-skinned brown-eyed brunette with a LOT of redheaded forebears). Now, I have PMLE. Two products have allowed me to get a reasonable amount of daily sun exposure without burning or rashes. Important, since I now live in South Carolina where the sun can be brutal!
1. Shirudo makes an amazing set of lotions that repair sun damage (AGR + E and Sol +3, a new sunscreen). It's made by a lady in Canada who suffers from PMLE.
2. Heliocare Advanced pre-sun pills with fernblock.
Both are good whether you are concerned about skin cancer or sun damage/rashes. They've taken me from where I couldn't tolerate even 15 minutes in the sun to being able to walk the dog for an hour every day and garden in the mornings. The only time I have problems is when I forget to use them!
This was an eternal fight, starting in daycare and continuing until they were adults, of various authority figures wanting to slather my children with unnecessary sunscreen. I would say "It's a 1-hour recess in APRIL in MASSACHUSETTS and my kids are 50% JAMAICAN"* and they would still insist until I figure out to have my kids tell the "My Daddy already took care of sunscreen."
You wear sunscreen to avoid the pain and misery and skin damage of being SUNBURNED, not just because you are stepping out of doors.
By the way, it used to be well known among physicians that almost nothing took away low-level depression and/or anxiety as well as a very mild sunburn. Even just a few minutes of sun per day on your bare back and shoulders can significantly lift your spirits--it's probably the nitric oxide, but there are also whole chains of precursors to Vitamin D that we don't yet fully understand. Much biological photochemistry is still black magic.
*when he was about 7 years old, my son once said "I'm glad I'm not a white person so I don't have to wear that gross stuff [zinc oxide] on my nose."
This was an eternal fight, starting in daycare and continuing until they were adults, of various authority figures wanting to slather my children with unnecessary sunscreen. I would say "It's a 1-hour recess in APRIL in MASSACHUSETTS and my kids are 50% JAMAICAN"* and they would still insist until I figured out to have my kids tell them: "My Daddy already took care of sunscreen." (which was true)
You wear sunscreen to avoid the pain and misery and skin damage of being SUNBURNED, not just because you are stepping out of doors. A full day at the beach / lake / pool? Of course! On your nose and ears for a baseball tournament? Obviously. But not every time you go outside!
(By the way, it used to be well known among physicians that almost nothing took away low-level depression and/or anxiety as well as a very mild sunburn. Even just a few minutes of sun per day on your bare back and shoulders can significantly lift your spirits--it's probably the nitric oxide, but there are also whole chains of precursors to Vitamin D that we don't yet fully understand. Much biological photochemistry is still black magic).
*when he was about 7 years old, my son once said "I'm glad I'm not a white person who has to wear that gross stuff [zinc oxide] on my nose."
RCOCEAN II said...
Moderation seems to be the key word. We have a weird fad in my area where women are running around with umbellas open on hot sunny days. I guess that's one way to avoid sunburn and Sunscreen.
Or maybe they're parasols... what fair skinned ladies have traditionally used to ward off the sun.
I explain my long-sleeve shirts in the summer by saying that I can either end the day hot or sun-burned, and I know which feels worse and for longer.
I notice that lots of landscapers and roofers wear hoodies even in 100+ degree weather.
Rocco: “ Her very fair red-head friend was packing a 40.”
Makes sense for Florida. I’d say that’s the minimum caliber for gators - and Florida Man!
RR
JSM
Post a Comment
Please use the comments forum to respond to the post. Don't fight with each other. Be substantive... or interesting... or funny. Comments should go up immediately... unless you're commenting on a post older than 2 days. Then you have to wait for us to moderate you through. It's also possible to get shunted into spam by the machine. We try to keep an eye on that and release the miscaught good stuff. We do delete some comments, but not for viewpoint... for bad faith.