I have been on a rampage to warn people about Sunscreen for almost a decade.  SPF in face cream, body lotion, hell, even in hair spray!!  Besides the fact that 99% of sunscreens contain extremely toxic chemicals- check out the Skin Deep database HERE  for more information on what's in your sunscreen- the massive media circus about skin cancer has convinced a vast proportion of people that the Sun is trying to kill them!

Sun burn is very painful and can cause scaring if it's deep enough- but instead of slathering on a thick coating of chemicals,  put on covering clothing and a hat! We have a collection of lightweight clothing to keep our kids covered even at the beach.  And don't plan on going to the beach from 1-4 pm when the sun is the hottest.  Seriously: plan ahead and then the sun isn't the frightening ball of fire that the media is trying to convince you to be terrified of.

... and if live in northern latitudes, it's almost 99% guaranteed that you are vitamin D deficient.  The government mandated "Daily recommended allowance" for Vitamin D is a vast joke. The average Canadian should be taking a minimum of 2000UI per DAY in the winter.  Minimum.  I personally take 4000UI a day in the winter.  Narry a cold nor flu this winter in our house ;>)  Obviously getting your vitamin D from good ol' fashion sunshine is the best.... but taking a supplement is better than going without all winter long!

Vitamin D and the Sun..... it's what's good for you!

http://2012thebigpicture.wordpress.com/2013/05/16/sunlight-could-reduce-death-rate-from-all-causes/

MAY 16, 2013

Sunlight Could Reduce Death Rate From All Causes

Another myth fostered by the Illuminati toward their eugenics agenda is that the sun is bad, dangerous, will give us cancer, etc. Those sunscreeens they tell us to slather on liberally are toxic—full of nasty chemicals—like everything else they recommend to cull the herd. It’s those chemicals, in addition to other things, that give us cancer. NOT the sun.

Like everything else the “experts” recommend— fluoride treatments and X-rays at the dentist, a whole grain diet, mammograms—do the opposite! WE NEED THE SUN to be healthy.

Dr. Mercola has been an advocate of “safe sun” for quite some time. Check out the articles on his web site.

Here’s something I never thought we’d hear in this lifetime:

We suspect that the benefits to heart health of sunlight will outweigh the risk of skin cancer.

A lot of us are secretly, boldly basking for reasons like vitamin D, mood enhancement, happiness, skin issues, liver health, pain and more. Now there’s never a reason to fear harm or feel guilty – you could save your heart - and prevent an untimely death!

The espoused fear for about 50 years has been skin cancer rates (which continue to rise), but researchers are finally surmising that years of hiding from the sun could lead to increased heart attacks – a much sooner demise than the risk of skin cancer in later years. Sunlight does so much more than vitamin D production.

A recent landmark study could turn the modern thought on sun exposure right on its head…

UK scientists from the University of Edinburgh discovered that when sunlight touches our skin it releases a compound in our blood called nitric oxide. This helps lower blood pressure and protect the heart from disease, cardiac arrest, strokes, and attacks.

Senior Lecturer in Dermatology, Richard Weller, and his colleagues believe there is such a greater effect overall from the sun in reducing life shortening events like strokes and heart attacks, that sun bathing should not only be “risked” but incorporated into a healthy lifestyle. There was such proof and such emphasis that the world’s largest gathering of skin experts flocked to hear about it recently at the International Investigative Dermatology event in Edinburgh.

The main emphasis is sunlight for heart health. They have connected some interesting dots:

• Heart disease and high blood pressure rise in winter time
• Heart issues correlate with location. Example: higher rates of problems in Northern Europe versus Southern Europe
• Anywhere between 60 to 100 people die from strokes and heart disease for every person who dies from skin cancer (at least in Europe)
• Vitamin D can lower heart disease rates but not so much with store bought supplements – it’s sun-induced vitamin D
• However, this production of nitric oxide is completely separate from vitamin D production, so it’s something about sun-induced nitric oxide that is badly needed for heart health – does not come from vitamin D supplements
• In past studies, sunlight has been found to zap infectious disease like chicken pox

A couple dozen volunteers basked in two separate 20 minute sunlamp sessions; one with only heat and one session with heat plus both types of UV rays. Blood pressure sank and heart rates rose for the UV session only – and the lowered blood pressure lasted for almost an hour.

Weller, certain that overall benefits far outweigh cancer risks, also said:

The work we have done provides a mechanism that might account for this, and also explains why dietary vitamin D supplements alone will not be able to compensate for lack of sunlight.

If this confirms that sunlight reduces the death rate from all causes, we will need to reconsider our advice on sun exposure. [emphasis added]

This study that was published in Journal of Investigative Dermatology in April was done with sun lamps – so you can imagine reaping the natural benefits of Good Ol’ Mr. Golden Sun. Sunlamps did not produce vitamin D. Get the real deal, and not that God-forsaken chemical spray that makes people look like Oompa-Loompa Kardashians.

The sun is sexy again – just don’t want to barbeque that lovely skin. Please avoid any sunblock containing these chemicals - nanoparticles are on the rise, which means they can penetrate further into skin and blood. Have fun and make your own natural sunscreen and use after you get some pure sunshine.

Source

What chemicals are you using?

Our world has become one huge sludge pond of chemicals.  The majority of the public know about environmental pollutions that come from industrial waste and by-products, about the ravages of the petroleum industry on our land, air and water, and the contamination fears from nuclear waste, but most people do not think about the harmful chemicals they surround themselves with in their own homes.

...I'm not even going to get into the topic of what we are eating or feeding to our children!

Did you know that the average skin and hair care product contains multiple toxic chemicals?  Did you know that many of the very products that are grossly advertised as being "baby friendly", like baby wipes, baby shampoo, lotions and sunscreens contain a horrifying amount of chemicals that are known neurotoxins and carcinogenic?

Myth – If it’s for sale at a supermarket, drugstore, or department store cosmetics counter, it must be safe.
Fact – The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has no authority to require companies to test products for safety. FDA does not review or approve the vast majority of products or ingredients before they go on the market. The agency conducts pre-market reviews only for certain color additives and active ingredients in cosmetics classified as over-the-counter drugs (FDA 2005, 2010).

Myth – The cosmetics industry effectively polices itself, making sure all ingredients meet a strict standard of safety.
Fact – In its more than 30-year history, the industry’s safety panel (the Cosmetic Ingredient Review, or CIR) has assessed fewer than 20 percent of cosmetics ingredients and found only 11 ingredients or chemical groups to be unsafe (FDA 2007, CIR 2009, Houlihan 2008). Its recommendations are not binding on companies (Houlihan 2008).Myth – The government prohibits dangerous chemicals in personal care products, and companies wouldn’t risk using them.
Fact – Cosmetics companies may use any ingredient or raw material, except for color additives and a few prohibited substances, without government review or approval (FDA 2005, FDA 2000).

• More than 500 products sold in the U.S. contain ingredients banned in cosmetics in Japan, Canada or the European Union (EWG 2007b).

• Nearly 100 products contain ingredients considered unsafe by the International Fragrance Association (EWG 2007c).

• A wide range of nanomaterials whose safety is in question may be common in personal care products (EWG 2006).

• 22% of all personal care products may be contaminated with the cancer-causing impurity 1,4-dioxane, including many children’s products (EWG 2007d, CDC 2009).

• 60% of sunscreens contain the potential hormone disruptor oxybenzone that readily penetrates the skin and contaminates the bodies of 97% of Americans (EWG 2010, Calafat et al 2008).

• 61% of tested lipstick brands contain residues of lead (CSC 2007).

 http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/myths-on-cosmetics-safety/

Did you know that almost every "cleanser" on the commercial market contains chemicals that are not only toxic, but also cause pollution in our water system and soil?  Did you know that

Environmental Working Group’s investigation of more than 2,000 cleaning supplies on the American market has found that many contain substances linked to serious health problems. EWG concludes that:

• Fumes from some cleaning products may induce asthma in otherwise healthy individuals. A large and growing body of evidence links frequent use of many ordinary cleaning supplies at home or on the job with development of asthma and other respiratory problems. It is already known that cleaning product fumes may trigger attacks in persons previously diagnosed with asthma.

• Common cleaning ingredients can be laced with the carcinogenic impurity 1,4-dioxane. Independent tests have detected the presence of 1,4-dioxane in numerous name-brand cleaning supplies. Other products contain preservatives that release low levels of cancer-causing formaldehyde.

• Children born to women who held cleaning jobs while pregnant have an elevated risk of birth defects, according to a 2010 study by the New York State Department of Health.

• Some cleaners can cause chemical burns and poisonings as well as less severe irritations and allergies. Severe physical reactions signal that consumers should take care anytime they use these products.

• Despite these health concerns, cleaning product labels often do not give consumers enough information about their ingredients to allow people to make informed decisions on which ones are safer and which ones might harm their health.

Government agencies and independent research institutions have not adequately evaluated the safety of numerous substances found in cleaning products. Although government scientific and regulatory agencies have focused considerable attention on chemicals suspected of causing cancer, they have devoted far fewer resources to evaluating substances that may be toxic to the brain and nervous system, the hormone system and other organs. Investigating the full range of risks of cleaning products to public health and the environment should be an urgent priority. Yet the problem remains largely hidden from the view of the American consumer.

http://www.ewg.org/guides/cleaners/content/cleaners_and_health

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has spent years putting together two vitally important data bases of information that are an easy way to assess your chemical exposure in your personal life.  

• The Skin Deep Database
• The Guide to Healthy Cleaning

So pull out your favourite air freshener, laundry soap, deodorant, shampoo, or sunscreen and take a very close look at what you're inhaling and what chemicals are coming into direct contact with your skin. Better yet, look up some of those unpronounceable chemicals on the internet...

...I guarantee you'll be shocked.