It’s no secret that the sun, in moderate doses provides many health benefits, including to help our bodies manufacture the essential nutrient, vitamin D. When avoiding sun overexposure, vitamin D must be supplemented in your diet to decrease deficiency and increase overall function. Vitamin D deficiency is linked to certain kinds of cancers, autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, arthritis, depression and many other ailments.

With it being beach season, many people are looking for the best sunscreens to cut their risk of sun overexposure, sunburns and skin cancer.

The issue? All sunscreens are NOT created equally. In fact, a 2019 report from the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found that nearly 2/3 of sunscreens don’t work and/or contain toxic ingredients that are readily absorbed by your body. In fact, a recent study found that sunscreen chemicals hit the bloodstream within one day of using them.

There is NO clear evidence that using sunscreens will prevent skin cancer and some ingredients may even fuel the development of skin cancer. Nearly 67% of sunscreen products reviewed by the EWG either didn’t work adequately to protect from UV rays or they contained dangerous ingredients. Some of the most harmful ingredients include oxybenzone and retinyl palmitate.

Oxybenzone is the most widely used in U.S. chemical-based sunscreens. Lab testing shows skin penetration rates of 1-9% and is concerning because it is a known endocrine disruptor. This means it acts like an estrogen in the body and is linked to abnormal sperm function in animal studies and endometriosis in studies of women. Oxybenzone also acts as a skin allergen to a significant number of people.

About 40% of sunscreens reviewed contained vitamin A ingredients like retinyl palmitate. This type of ingredient can react with UV rays and actually increase the risk of skin tumors, according to government animal testing.

In fact, scientists don’t know for sure if sunscreen even helps prevent melanoma. The EWG notes in its executive summary of sunscreen guide, “Sun exposure appears to play a role in melanoma, but it is a complex disease for which many questions have not been answered. One puzzling fact: Melanomas do not appear on parts of the body that get daily sun exposure.”

This EWG’s 13th Annual Guide to Sunscreens report shows that, while there have been major improvements over the last decade, most sunscreens available for purchase in the U.S. still contain dangerous chemicals or fail to offer enough protection against damaging ultraviolet rays.

A past EWG report cited research of Brain Diffey, PhD, emeritus professor of photobiology at the Institute of Cellular Medicine at Newcastle University. He proved that, on average, U.S. sunscreens allow about three times more UVA rays to transfer through skin compared to European sunscreens. About ½ of the sunscreen products sold in the U.S. wouldn’t pass the more stringent European standards because they don’t filter enough UVA rays.

This fact matters because UVA rays are more abundant than UVB rays, and the damage from UVA is more subtle than sunburns induced by UVB rays. UVA rays can damage your skin invisibly by suppressing the immune system and aging skin faster. Overexposure of UVA rays are also linked to the development of skin cancer (melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and basal cell carcinoma).

In a newly proposed rule from the FDA, the agency is finally voicing concern about the role of UVA rays in the development of skin cancer. It started that “UVA exposure is a significant concern,” and high SPF products currently on the market may expose users to “excessively large UVA doses.”

Despite evidence showing if sunscreen even prevents skin cancer, it’s still legal from sunscreens to make cancer prevention claims. The FDA banned the use of misleading sunscreen bottle label claims like “waterproof” and “sweatproof” in 2011, but other misleading marketing terms are still used including “sun shield” and “age shield”. These terms imply full protection, reassuring someone that it’s all they need to protect their skin. We know that is simply not true.

From 2007-2018, there as been a 41% increase in mineral sunscreen in the U.S. These sunscreens tend to block UVA better than chemical sunscreen ingredients and also tend to be rated safer in EWG’s database. Many contain harmful chemicals and even mineral-based ones often contain nanoparticles – minute ingredients that can cross the blood-brain barrier harming our bodies and aquatic life. Thankfully Hawaii has been able to ban oxybenzone in sunscreen due to its ability to bleach and kill coral reefs.

We suggest steering clear of spray sunscreens because of the difficulty to apply the necessary thickness for adequate protection and the increased risk of sending sunscreen chemicals directly into your lungs. Almost 30% of sunscreens tested were in spray form, The FDA raised concerns about spray sunscreens, even though the agency hasn’t banned them yet.

The EWG has been pushing the FDA to update and improve sunscreen regulations for years to better protect public health. Now, the FDA is finally taking up this issue and proposing big changes to sunscreens. The downside? This is all still in the works, so it doesn’t yet pertain to sunscreens on sale now.

The EWG reports, “In February, the agency at long last issued a proposed set of final rules. As written, the new rules would bring significant advances in both effectiveness and safety…But many big chemical manufactures and sunscreen companies are lobbying heavily for a much weaker proposal that would likely leave the state of sunscreens in the U.S. largely unchanged.”

Now, it’s important to note there is NO PERFECT SUNSCREEN. Plus, sunscreen is unique compared to many other personal care products because you coat it thickly onto your skin, often multiple times per day. These reasons are why it’s very important to look for safer sunscreens if you use them and recognize that you can’t only rely on sunscreen to prevent sun overexposure.

“No product is going to be fully protective and no product will last on your skin for more than 2 hours max,” explains Lunder. She says thickly applying sunscreen coatings, reapplying every time you’re out of the water and choosing a better product to begin with are all key.

Here’s a complete list of the EWG’s sunscreens and you can search all sunscreens here:

Sickness is always multifactorial and is the overlying symptom to an underlying issue. A problem is not solved by losing sickness, but by discovering health. Symptoms can come in many forms: low back pain, high blood pressure, headaches, obesity, arthritis, digestive issues, cancer…the list is never ending.
 
You were NOT born that way. You do NOT have a deficit or are weak or are unable to function properly. Your body is an amazing incredible system that is self-healing and self-regulating. The difference between illness and health is giving your body the environment and input it needs to THRIVE.
 
Move – do you have full ranges of motion?
Mobility in your joints allow for the necessary input to your brain. Without movement there is an increase in nociception leading to pain. More than likely, your pain is coming from a lack in motion within any or all of your spinal joints, not just the site where you feel pain. In fact, research shows restoring motion in C1; atlas; the first vertebrae in your spine increased the straight leg raiser test; how high can you lift your leg when laying on your back without pain. You are completely and entirely connected. This proves how restoring motion in one part of your spine can greatly affect other areas. In your body right now, what may not be functioning properly which you cannot feel through pain and are not consciously aware of yet?
 
Eat – how are you fueling your body?
Are you eating wholesome foods and getting the essential nutrients needed for proper cellular function? Omega-3, vitamin D, vitamin A and probiotics are the essential nutrients your body needs to function that we cannot get in the grocery store and your body cannot produce. All other things necessary for your body can be found in wholesome food. How many fruits and vegetables have you eaten today? The ratio should be 2:1 vegetables to fruit. Also, to prep your digestive and metabolic system, make sure you are getting FRESH FIBER. The mechanical action of chewing stimulates your brain and preps your system for digestion.
 
Think – what kind of thoughts and emotions are you feeling today?
We are communal animals. We need to be surrounded by others, have someone to talk to (a confidant) and feel loved. Stress is plaguing our modern society and is prevalent in everyone’s lives. Chronic stress affects function at all levels, makes your body adapt to a long term fight-or-flight response and ultimately impairs your own health and wellbeing. Research has clearly defined how stress promotes various forms of illness including but not limited to heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, depression, anxiety and most cancers.
 
Again, your body is an incredible self-healing and self-regulating entity! You are NOT lacking, weak or born without anything. Everything you need to live a healthy long fulfilling life you are equipped with. Give yourself an environment which allows you to function properly and you will be healthy. It’s that simple. Truly.
 
References:

1. Pollard, Ward. The effect of cervical or sacroiliac manipulation on hip flexion range of motion. JMPT 1998;21(9).
2. Furman, Gallo. 2000, The Neurophysics of Human Behavior.
3. Fletcher RH, Fairfield KM. Vitamins of chronic disease prevention in adults: clinical applications. JAMA 2002; 287(23):3127-9.
4. Meany M. 2001, Stress and Disease: Who Gets Sick, Who Gets Well. Cortext Educational Seminars. 

It's that time of year again.  Fall is in full force and winter is close on its heels.  Everywhere you look you are beginning to see the signs of the Christmas season popping up.  With this season comes... Flu Shot Season.  Convenience stores urge you to purchase your holiday decor and offer to throw in a flu shot while you're shopping.  Many patients ask whether I recommend flu shots, so here's my input.

The CDC (Center for Disease Control) randomly tests and records patients who present to clinics and hospitals with flu like symptoms.  These results can be seen on their website at http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/pastreports.htm.  You can view the results broken down by week.  Looking over this data you can see that on any given week the number of specimens positive for influenza falls between 2.6- 10%.  This means that , of the people who appear to have the flu, less than 10% actually have the flu caused by the Influenza virus.  This is not the data that is widely reported in the media however.  When we hear statistics of the number of people infected by the flu this data is skewed.  The "flu" case data we are given is technically classified as Influenza Like Illness (ILI).  Anyone seeing a health care practitioner with any one of the following: sore throat, fever, nasal congestion, body aches, fatigue or headache can get classified into the ILI data without confirmation that the Influenza virus is indeed the culprit.  If you do the quick math, this means that flu data is inflated in the media more than 90%.  This also means that if you had been vaccinated for the flu you still have a great chance of suffering a flu like illness because the vaccine only has the potential to be effective against the Influenza virus, not ILI.

Let's play Devil's Advocate.  Some might say, "What would it hurt to get the vaccine anyway, even if there's only a small chance it will help me?  I mean, they're throwing it in free with the purchase of a strand of Christmas lights, so why not?"

I'll give you two compelling reasons.  The first is the ingredients contained in most flu vaccines.  Ask the person administering the shot for a list of ingredients.  By law they have to provide you with a list. Most people know that there has been a movement to remove Mercury from vaccines.  Instead you may see the lesser known Thimerisol, which is actually a Mercury derivative and a neurotoxin.  You may also see: formaldehyde, aluminum, monkey kidney, and/or MSG (monosodium glutamate).  ALL of these are known to be harmful to your health.  Information about flu vaccine ingredients can also be found on the CDC's website at : http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/downloads/appendices/B/excipient-table-2.pdf.  Skeptics may say, "I don't believe that they would be allowed to put something in a vaccine that they know is harmful."  These same skeptics would probably be shocked to learn that our vaccine manufacturers are not required to prove the safety of vaccines before manufacture, nor are they held liable when harmful side effects occur.  I wouldn't purchase a product from a company that wasn't held liable for its safety and I certainly wouldn't inhale or inject that product into my body.

The second reason to avoid vaccines is this: you may actually be exposing yourself to a virus that you would otherwise not come in contact with.  If less than 10% of flu like cases are actually caused by the Influenza virus, why risk knowingly exposing yourself  to a virus you might not otherwise be exposed to?  I find it alarming that the populations typically targeted most heavily to get the flu vaccine: children, pregnant women, and the elderly also typically have the most volatile immune systems. 

It is ultimately your choice, but you do have a choice.  You can choose to learn how to make your immune system naturally stronger and effective like it was designed to do or you can roll the dice with a flu vaccine.  In my professional opinion you have a greater chance of preventing the flu or Influenza Like Illness by taking strides to strengthen your immune system naturally through eating right, exercise, chiropractic care, and supplements. 

The pharmaceutical companies have deep pockets are have spent lots of marketing dollars to convince you that avoiding flu vaccines is irresponsible.  I do realize that there may be side effects* to the sudden realization that pharmaceutical companies may in fact be motivated by money and not the best interest of your health.  If you are a patient of mine and are still considering the flu vaccine please feel free to continue the conversation at your next appointment.  I welcome further questions and discussion on this topic.  If you are not a patient and would like to schedule a free consultation please call 678-266-3300. 

-Dr. Jeremy DiMartino

*The most common side effects to this realization include: headache, nausea ,insomnia, loss of appetite, anxiety, nervousness, indigestion, sweating, anger, the desire to learn more about taking your health into your own hands.  If these problems persist please contact Dr. DiMartino at Thrive Chiropractic Wellness Center, info@thrivecwc.com, 678-266-3300.