The UV Advantage

Rating:
Summary: Don't be a mushroom.
Review: How ironic it is that the wide-spread skin cancer scare campaign based on half-baked theories and designed to increase the sales of commercial sun-screen products has apparently resulted in major increases in the frequency of a wide range of health problems. Dr. Holick is a leading-edge researcher in the importance of ultra violet light activated vitamin D production which has far ranging effects on overall human health. Everything about our bodies, from bone development throughout life, internal organ cancer prevention (breast, prostate, colon, etc.) to skin health and even mental or emotional outlook, is improved by moderate exposure to sunshine, or, if preferred, tanning from "sun lamps". Dr. Holick's research on the benefits of U V light has even helped the health of captive reptiles in zoos and pet environments (see page 90).

Rating:
Summary: Most important book to read in your lifetime
Review: If you suffer from any of the chronic diseases such as arthritis, depression, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, etc., check out this book. Lack of vitamin D is rampant in our culture, where we slather on sunscreen to "protect" ourselves from the sun, which the dermatologists have taught us to fear. Sun on skin is natural, and without it we will have nothing but health problems. Get the book, it's easy to read; look at PubMed for more research findings that just came out, which prove what he says is true.
I "treated" myself with tanning beds last winter, and my 20-year case of painful arthritis disappeared. With UV light and calcium supplements, my health is better than ever.

Rating:
Summary: Dr. William Risley, Jr. - www.DrRisley.com
Review: Often, but not too frequently, new health paradigms come along that seem counterintuitive to nature. And given enough time, along with approval of the prevailing economic and political interests, they become entrenched in society, and then very difficult to dislodge. So engrained it becomes, that it becomes a part of our regular vernacular.

Take for instance our exposure to sunlight, or our lack of it. For if you haven't heard, sun exposure causes skin cancer. Or unless you haven't been around in the past decade, you obviously have not been aware of the epidemic of skin cancer that is affecting our citizens. There are countless numbers of public service announcements and television advertisements from sun tan lotion manufacturers warning you of exposure to these so-called harmful rays of the sun, Ultraviolet A and B to be exact.

Well, Dr. Holick is here to tell you that what you have been hearing is not entirely correct. In fact, He is telling you that regular moderate exposure to sunlight is not only a requirement for a healthy life, but also a requisite for living.

Being an Arizona native and having a history of non-melanoma skin cancer gives me a unique perspective. I will continue to receive moderate exposure to sunlight and try very hard to limit burning of any kind. For mankind has had a beneficial relationship with the sun for thousands of years. The key, as with many health related issues, is moderation.