It started back when my kids were little. I didn’t want to bathe them in a tub of toxic cleaners. My grandmother was in one of those all natural, multi-level marketing gigs and I bought my wholistic, non-toxic cleaners from her. All you needed was a drop to clean the whole tub!
My kids and I are tow-headed, white blonds. Our skin-tone is the fairest of the fair and I’ve never used a drop of toxic sun screen on them, or myself, and I have lived in Mexico the last 8 years. I only used to burn when my diet included seed oils and carbohydrates. I’ve not burned once since I went purely ketogenic some 30 years ago. My kids and I sport hats and long sleeved, light shirts in the spring until we get used to the sun’s rays.
So what does it mean for you and your family, if there is absolutely no correlation between healthy sun exposure and increased rates of skin cancer? In fact, they can’t even mess with the stats to beguile you to buy the toxic sun screens anymore. Just as ‘they’ve’ done with fish on Fridays, canola oil instead of olive oil, and margarine instead of butter.
The chemical companies love to invent stories, maps, and grids to mislead the more gullible population who are ready to spend money on whatever their snake oil salesmen are pushing next; all at the illogical and ridiculous expense of your precious health. I guarantee that your great grandmother never heard of sunscreen and the chances of her having succumbed to skin cancer is more remote than a meteor hitting New York City.
How do you explain the low incidence of skin cancer in construction workers, life guards, and those who live in Africa or South America? It’s fascinating that those living below the 38th parallel of North Africa have one of the lowest incidences of skin cancer in the world. Why’s that?
The key to healthy skin exposure after being in a snow suit all winter, is to do it gradually. I often observe the northern Europeans and Canadians visit Mexico trying to get a tan to take back home as a souvenir after just one week. That can be dangerous indeed! You wouldn’t also snow board down a triple black diamond with out proper coaching, exposure, and gradually developing your skills. Your skin is the same!
The sun is powerful and the rays can burn tender skin, but especially us ‘Caspers’. Healthy sun exposure is best received year-round. And I don’t mean the fake ultraviolet lights. Having been formerly from Canada for fifty years of my life, I sat out in a shady alcove in the sun even in winter, without sun glasses, with my eyes slightly averted down, usually reading. Now that my skin is permanently sun-kissed brown, I still wear a visor, sombrero, or seek out the umbrella at the beach.
Please don’t apply carcinogenic commercial sunscreens on yourself or your babes. Appropriate clothing in your friend; find a great big, floppy hat or do what my Asian and Mexican friends do here, carry an umbrella or stylish parasol. Avoid wearing sunglasses, when not driving, as it disrupts the proper release of melanin. I don’t ever sit in the sun mid-day. That is siesta time for a reason in hot countries like Mexico. I’m more an early morning and late afternoon sun lover.
If you are playing a sport in the spring, like football, and there is no visor and your skin is exposed, look at alternatives to sunscreen, like raspberry oil and coconut oil, that naturally have SPFs up into the thirties. Taxi drivers here in Mexico, use arm sleeves on their left arm. Also, their diet here is generally high in fatty fish and local fruits and vegetables. Most Mexicans are out with their families in the sun all day on Sundays, at a local park or beach.
Listen to your body. Don’t wait until you see too much pink on your body as it’s already becoming too late. I have a long, light cotton cover up that I can pull my legs up under and my sombrero extends beyond my shoulders, if I need to create my own shade. I’m always cognizant of the time of day and what I might need to be properly hydrated while out in the heat. I drink close to 3.5 litres of water with lime and natural salt daily, when exposed to the heat and sun.
What do you do though, if you do get too much sun? Here’s an article that I penned about when I inadvertently got sunstroke after a weekend away canoeing: https://arcanum.ca/2008/06/10/glonoinum-for-sun-heart-and-head/
Also, along with spreading aloe vera all over your skin, here’s some homeopathic remedies to help with over exposure to the sun. Never use any of these remedies in crude form; only use from a reputable homeopathic pharmacy or as a paper remedy (https://arcanum.ca/2016/02/25/ok-so-youre-broadcasting-a-remedy-wait-what/):
- Sol – Top Medicine for Sunburn
Sol is potentized sunlight! Like cures like, right?! It’s great for mild to severe sun exposure. Look for red, sore, itchy skin that is super sensitive to sunlight, burning the moment it’s exposed. These folks will develop rashes to the sun, especially their faces, backs, and the backs of their hands. They tend to peel a few days after sun exposure and the itching generally gets worse at night, with a sensation of heat trapped in the skin.
- Belladonna – Suitable Medicine for Sunburn with Redness
Belladonna is a nightshade plant and is the ideal homeopathic remedy for sunburn. Look for quick onset, burning, and redness. The burned area will generally appear red, smooth (almost glistening), and even swollen. If you touch the affected area, it can feel like they’re literally on fire. Belladonna is also one of our chief remedies for high fevers in children.
- Cantharis – Wonderful Medicine for Sunburn with Blisters
Cantharis is Spanish fly and is a very effective remedy for blisters and burns of any kind, including sunburns. These vesicular eruptions may turn dark later, with lots of pain and burning sensations that feel better with cold compresses. The patient may be highly sensitive to touch.
- Apis Mellifica – An Excellent Medicine for Sunburn with Stinging
Apis Mellifica is derived homeopathically from the honey bee. Look for stinging, burning, sensitivity to heat, dryness, and very sensitive skin. There can be puffiness all over the body brought on by sun exposure, where the swollen areas are also sensitive to the touch. Use Apis, too, when there are water-filled blisters.
- Sulphur – For Itching Due to Sunburn
Sulphur is a mineral and it generally is dry, hot, with lots of itching. In some cases pimply or poison ivy- like rash may develop. The person may have a strong urge to scratch which becomes much worse after a bath or at night. The scratching may cause a burning sensation. In some cases, the itching may get worse after washing.
Where there has been excessive use of sunscreens in the past, you can contact our office at [email protected] for a homeopathic detox for these, along with any other emotional and physical toxicity that you may have been exposed to. We’ve been helping folks live healthier, non-toxic, lives for over twenty-two years.
Happy soaking up the rays! The sun is one of our greatest sources of health and well-being we have on planet earth.
