How to Avoid Skin Cancer

Here are the current stats on skin cancer reported in the media:

• One in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime.
• Almost 90 percent of melanomas can be linked to sun exposure and ultraviolet (UV) radiation, usually from sunburns not just from sun exposure.
• Regular daily use of sunscreen (SPF 15+) reduces the risk of developing melanoma by 50 percent.
• One person dies of melanoma every hour.

But are these claims completely true? Skin cancer rates are increasing despite sunscreen use and despite the fact that more people are spending time indoors rather than outdoors. So what gives?

Here are some truths you need to know about skin cancer:

• The sun does NOT cause skin cancer.According to the British Journal of Dermatology, studies have already disproven this theory as it has been discovered that most skin cancer did not develop from areas or freckles created by sun exposure.
• We need vitamin D to live, and regular full body sun exposure is the healthiest way to synthesize Vitamin D. Our cannot make vitamin D without sun exposure. According to the Environmental Working Group research: “Every major public health authority — the FDA, National Cancer Institute and International Agency for Research on Cancer — has concluded that the available data do not support the assertion that sunscreens alone reduce the rate of skin cancer.”

• Many sunscreens are filled with toxic chemicals that have been linked to skin cancer. Even the best sunscreens pose certain risks.

So if sunscreen does not protect against cancer, then what does? The first question we all should be asking is this: is the rise in skin cancer caused by the sun?

Could it be that the changes in our nutrition, diet and foods or environmental factors such as bioaccumulation of toxins from body care products, sunscreen and other pollutants are the real cause of the rise in skin cancer?

The good news is there are many options available to reduce your risk of bioaccumulation of toxins and overall risk. It is first important to know what toxins contribute to skin cancer, what skin cancer is, the five skin cancer symptoms, and natural aids to your skin’s health. These topics will be covered in my next few blog posts. So stay tuned!

Betty Murray, CN, IFMCP, CHC is a Certified Nutritionist & Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner with the Institute for Functional Medicine, founder of the Dallas-based functional medicine clinic Living Well Dallas and Executive Director of the the Functional Medicine Association of North Texas. A master of the biochemistry of the body, Betty teaches her clients how to utilize nutrition for autoimmune diseases, digestive disorders, MTHFR and weight loss.  You can find her book “Cleanse: Detox Your Body, Mind & Spirit” on Amazon here.

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