Soak up the Sun!!!

Since ya'll know I am a country girl AND I LOVE THE SUN.....you will be happy to know, I now
I have the proper research done so ya'll can quit telling me I'm gonna die from skin cancer if I don't quit tanning ;) Because seriously...we're all gonna die from something, right?

I found all this great stuff at:
http://godspeakstoday.blogspot.com/2009/05/fitness-friday-here-comes-sun.html

Jordan S. Rubin, N.M.D,. Ph.D. author of The Maker’s Diet


“Civilizations throughout history have understood that he sun is vital to human health. The human skin uses the energy from the sun to manufacture vitamin D for the body. This hormone/vitamin is important for many reasons, including its role in strengthening immune system functions and proper mineral absorption.


Critics claim that exposure to the UV rays of the sun cause higher rates of melanoma and other forms of skin cancer. This might be true for a small population segment—those with compromised immune systems who don’t consume adequate nutrients (especially healthy fats). However, the people who actually get the most exposure to sunlight in different parts of the world exhibit the lowest incidence of skin cancer. The only logical explanation is that exposure to sunlight is not unhealthy.


What is unhealthy is exposure to sunlight with the diets we consume. Rex Russell, M.D., notes that when sunlight activates the phytochemicals in healthy foods, consumption of those foods not only blocks the harmful effects of UV rays, but they also produce ‘antiviral, antibacterial, and anticancer components, as well as pest repellents.’”


Dude, did you have any idea that you can produce your own pest repellents?? Me neither.


The skin and the sun's rays work together to produce vitamin D in the body. When the sun's UV rays come into contact with the skin, DNA molecules quickly convert more than 99.9 percent of the rays' energy into harmless heat. Meanwhile, UV rays stimulate the skin's production of vitamin D, which is essential for immune response, mood stability, and bone health. In fact, inadequate doses of vitamin D have been linked to seasonal affective disorder (SAD), osteomalacia (a softening of the bones because of defective bone mineralization), and, intriguingly, increased premature cancer mortality.


That's right. An increase in cancer mortality when we don't get enough sunlight.


A study by the Institute for Cancer Research in Oslo, Norway found that higher vitamin D intake has a protective effect against some cancers. The study also found that vitamin D improves a cancer patient's prognosis; people who get more sun exposure are more likely to develop skin cancer but are less likely to die from other cancers.


In fact, that study estimates the number of lives saved by people doubling their sun exposure might be 10 times higher than the number of fatal skin cancers that would result.


So get out there and soak up the sun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!