Originally published July 20 2012
Easy, natural ways to reduce skin cancer risk
by PF Louis
(NaturalNews) "All skin cancer is the result of damage to skin cells," says Lise Alschuler, ND, author of Five to Thrive: Your Cutting-Edge Cancer Prevention Plan.
Skin cell damage is caused by oxidative stress from free radicals, which manifests as sunburn. It's the same process that causes metals to rust and apples to brown. Although oxidation cannot be completely avoided, oxidation must be minimized to avoid free radical damage.
Oxidative stress is both the cause and the consequence of disease. Contrary to what allopathic dermatologists recommend, a daily, moderate dose of sun without sunscreen is actually beneficial for the skin.
Bare skin exposed to direct sunshine boosts vitamin D3 production in your body, but it should be moderate. 20 minutes; three or four times a week during peak sunlight hours is sufficient for most vitamin D3 requirements. Then there are supplements that can be added as well.
Antioxidants are the key to reducing oxidative stress. Molecules with missing electrons are called oxidants; whose primary activity is replacing their missing electron by stealing an electron from another molecule. This, in turn, causes a molecular domino effect of oxidative stress that can lead to disease.
The magic of antioxidants is the well researched fact that they can donate an electron to an oxidant without in turn becoming a free radical. Antioxidants stop the cascading free radical effect and reduce free radical damage.
Minimizing free radical damage to skin cells can be boosted by the right diet. Eating lots of fresh, organic plant-based foods is the key. Plants thrive on sunlight while using their own flavonoids to protect them from excess oxidation. You can borrow those flavonoids by eating plants.
Other internal nutrients for your skin
A high quality multivitamin with the full spectrum of vitamin E (mixed tocopherols), mixed cartenoids and zinc would be helpful for maintaining healthy skin as well as, ironically, vitamin D3 supplements.
Good fats are important. Skin cells contain fats. Avoid processed trans-fatty oils and use cold pressed virgin olive or coconut oils for salads and cooking. Omega-3 fatty acids are critical for the full spectrum of health issues. Chia seeds, ground flax seeds, and uncontaminated fish oils are good sources of omega-3.
Moisture is essential for skin health. Hydrating sufficiently is an important key. One guideline offered for sufficient hydration is how often you're compelled to urinate, which should be every two to four hours.
External factors to help prevent skin cancer
Choosing a topical skin moisturizer requires some serious label reading. For starters, make sure the sources are organic. Pesticides and insecticides damage the skin and can be absorbed internally. Avoid moisturizers with chemicals and preservatives.
If your complexion is very fair, you may need to use a sunscreen part of the time. Use one that contains zinc or titanium oxide to block the UV rays. However, the darker one's skin, the more one can endure time under the sun. Notice how the well tanned stay under the sun while those with fair complexions begin to burn.
Parabens are preservatives in almost anything sold outside of health food stores for topical application. They are carcinogenic all by themselves. Parabens are in colognes, perfumes, and lipsticks. Most underarm deodorants contain aluminum.
You don't need oxidative stress from sunburn damage with the parabens in most commercial cosmetics. They'll help you get skin cancer without any exposure to the sun. But there is very little attention on cosmetics from allopathic dermatologists. They simply make you afraid of the sun and tell you to use carcinogenic sun screens.
Here's a guide for cosmetic product ingredients: (http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/)
Sources for this article include:
http://www.betternutrition.com
http://inhumanexperiment.blogspot.com
http://www.naturalgrocers.com
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