Enjoying summer used to be the most natural
thing in the world, particularly for children. Fancy free, not a care to
worry about, running in and out of the house, going to the pool, playing summer
games, breaking now and then for an ice-cream, some juice or a barbecue.
Things are certainly not so
simple now, neither for children nor for adults. From
the totally natural state I mention above, fear of the sun gradually moved us to
a state of being chemically protected, misunderstanding the risks of
chemicals put us in conflict with nature, and that has led us , finally, to an
awareness of the risks of being completely unnatural..
Bugging Out
We have all heard of the downside of DDT, but how about DEET?
Fine if you don't need your brain cells! Or other popular chemical sprays for
insects, such as Black Flag,
containing pyrethroids - do not be misled because they have a natural
counter-part, pyrethrum - they
are a man-made poison. http://www.anapsid.org/pyrethroids.html
What are our more natural options to fight the insect world?
There is some evidence that making the blood a little
less tasty to the mosquito palate can help repel those flying pests.
Less sugar in the diet, high levels of Vitamin B and Garlic can help
achieve this, and there will actually be other positive health effects
as well.
Failing that, there are a number of pleasantly fragrant and
relatively inexpensive Essential Oils which can repel insects.
They need to be diluted in a carrier oil such as almond or grapeseed before use:
CEDARWOOD (Juniperus mexicana) CITRONELLA (Cymbopagon nardus) LEMONGRASS (Cymbopogon citratus) PENNYROYAL (Mentha puleglum) TEA TREE OIL ( Melaleuca alternifolia) GERANIUM (Pelargonium graveolens) CATNIP (Nepeta cataria) - contains nepetalactone, supposedly
10 TIMES more effective at repelling mosquiotoes than DEET. EUCALYPTUS OIL (Eucalyptus globulus) - Some allergies reported:
patch test before using on your skin. Keep out of mucus membranes.
Their only draw-back is that they have to be re-applied more frequently than
the chemicals.
Splendor in the Sun
Remember the days of innocence, when the function of sun oil was to make you
tan more quickly? Then came the news that the sun was our enemy, and we
needed to protect ourselves against it it all times. Of course, we were
not advised simply to wear a hat and protective clothing - we were presented
with a bewildering range of information about SPF numbers on products we had to
buy. This is where the law of unintended consequences stepped in!
In March 2008, the Centers
for Disease Control (http://www.ewg.org/node/26212) revealed that 97% of Americans are
contaminated with a widely-used sunscreen ingredient called
oxybenzone that has been linked to allergies, hormone disruption,
and cell damage.
Consider that since sunscreens began to be recommended in the
1960s, skin cancer rates began to climb, not fall. For
example, melanoma rates doubled from 6 to 13 per 100,000 people
since 1973. Today, skin cancer diagnoses surpass all other cancer,
with over 1.3 million new cases each year, with new melanoma
diagnoses to be close to 48,000 in 2002, according to the American
Cancer Society.
You are also drinking your sunscreen: a
team of scientists reports high concentrations of two sunscreen
ingredients in fish tissue samples taken from rivers in northern
Switzerland. The findings imply that on a hot summer day, chances
are that if people are wearing sunscreen, it’s also likely to be
in their drinking water or fish dinner too. (http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthag-w/2006/jan/science/te_sunscreens.html)
Children using sunscreen developed
more moles , which are predictive of melanoma (http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/90/24/1873)
Rickets
is re-appearing as a childhood problem in the United States (http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;111/4/908)
The
National Osteoporosis Foundation is linking sunscreen use,
inadequate sunshine and osteoporosis.
http://www.nof.org/prevention/vitaminD.htm
What are the alternatives to the chemicals? First, note that some
exposure to sunshine is essential for proper Vitamin D status, and therefore to
health. The trick is to limit yourself to timing that does not burn.
The first line of defense is to cover up with a hat (or even a parasol) I
have found a zinc oxide product on Amazon which I can recommend - you will find
it in the column to the left - and below, you will find a recipe for a natural
sun lotion.
Consider that D is not only essential for the
absorption of calcium, but also protects against falls by improving the ability
of the cell to contract, thereby improving muscle strength: well, as you
age you are not only going to fall, but you'll be sure to break a bone as well!
See
the research at http://www.healthandage.com/Home/gm=0!gc=1!gid2=2881.
If you go to www.sunarc.org,
you will be fascinated, as I was, to discover the extent that geography governs
our cancer rates. Death rates for breast, colon and ovarian
cancer clearly diminish the further South one goes. What is the
significance of this? The founder of SunArc, Dr. William Grant, argues
that exposure to sunlight and Vitamin D account for the difference.
In effect, that regular, moderate exposure to sunshine helps
lower our cancer risk
These are the
conclusions of 2 studies on Vitamin D and the heart:
Vitamin
D deficiency is associated with incident cardiovascular disease. Further
clinical and experimental studies may be warranted to determine whether
correction of vitamin D deficiency could contribute to the prevention of
cardiovascular disease.
(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18180395)
Serum
25(OH)D levels are associated with important cardiovascular disease risk
factors in US adults. Prospective studies to assess a direct benefit of
cholecalciferol (vitamin D) supplementation on cardiovascular disease risk
factors are warranted.
(http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/167/11/1159)
Make sure through testing that your Vitamin D levels are adequate;
if they are not, schedule some careful time in the sun for yourself,
and/or supplement. Remember, the form you need is D3, or
cholecalciferol. It appears to be the more effective at
raising and maintaining blood levels.
Enjoy summer's gifts from Nature - the more natural way!
Production, Storage and Proper Application of Natural Sunscreen
Avocado oil, sesame oil and shea butter contain a low SPF sunscreen. However,
they have limited VA/UVB-filtering ability and you should not use them as your
only skin protection. Only the chemical sunscreens have higher SPFs
To keep homemade sunscreen from spoiling, use only clean utensils for
preparation and storage. Store lotions in the refrigerator, where they will keep
for about 3-4 weeks.
To achieve maximum protection, apply sunscreen to dry skin 30 minutes before
exposure. Limit your sun time to under an hour.
Natural Protection Cream Recipe
3 tbsp. unrefined sesame oil
1 tbsp. unrefined avocado oil
1 tbsp. unrefined jojoba oil
1 tbsp. walnut or almond oil
1 tbsp. shea butter
2 tbsp. cocoa butter
1 tsp. beeswax
1 tsp. soy-lecithin liquid
2 tbsp. aloe vera gel
2 tbsp. rose or lavender water
1/2 tsp. borax powder
20 drops carrot-seed essential oil
3-5 drops coconut fragrance oil (optional)
Melt the first 4 oils, butters and beeswax in a double boiler over
medium heat until just melted. Add the soy-lecithin, and stir to
blend. Remove from heat.
In a small saucepan, gently warm the aloe vera gel and rose or
lavender water, and stir in borax powder until dissolved. Remove
from heat.
When the oil and water mixtures are still warm to the touch and
about the same temperature, set the small saucepan into a bowl of
ice. Drizzle in the oil mixture while mixing rapidly with a small
whisk; a cream will quickly form.
Add carrot-seed essential oil and coconut fragrance oil, if
desired; blend thoroughly.
NOTE: avoid using citrus oils, such as bergamot, orange, lemon or
lime. They may cause unpleasant skin reactions when exposed to the sun.
They also reduce a sunscreen's effectiveness.
For After-Sun Relief
To help cool and moisturize sunburned skin, apply a thin coat of yogurt or
aloe vera gel to reddened areas.
Spray pure lavender water or hydrosol freely on sun-damaged skin to keep
skin hydrated, prevent peeling and promote the regeneration of cells.
Add 2-3 drops of lavender oil to 1 tsp. of a carrier oil, such as sweet
almond oil, and massage into affected area. Or apply diluted St. John's wort
oil.
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