It has started again with the promotion of sunscreen over health.  Do you think that CBS would have published this article if it wasn’t for all the advertising given to them by Merck Pharmaceutical, owner of Coppertone – “Study: Increased Risk for Young People and Skin Cancer.”  Coppertone was formerly owned by Schering-Plough.  Consider this short story of a couple of baby boomers –

Jack and Mary were teenage sweethearts in the mid sixties.  They continued to be in love and got married.  They had two children, Alice and Frank, and life was great as they both decided to become computer programmers and lived a life of abundance of wealth.   Their favorite pass time was to go to the beach to spend lots of time in the sun.  They even made many trips to the Caribbean during the winter as they had the means.  It was great fun and relaxation from all the time that they spent in front of the computer.

The many warnings by her dermatologist and by Disney and Schering-Plough through the Sun Safety Alliance with the slogan ‘block the sun not the fun’ concerned Mary greatly as she did not want to get skin cancer or have her skin wrinkle with age.  She really enjoyed spending time on the beach and going to amusement parks where she could spend lots of time in the sun.  She decided to use the sun screen that was recommended by her dermatologist.  Mary was rigorous to keep it on the kids to be sure that they did not get burned.

Jack was a free spirit and really did not like to have ‘some old lotion’ put on his body.  He would spend time in the sun but when it was apparent that he was getting too much, he would seek shade.  He got a lot of grief about not wanting to go into the sun except when it felt good.  He would always seek shelter under a beach umbrella or in the shade at the amusement parks so as to not cause too much unrest in his family.  Frank was just like his dad and wanted to do everything that his father did in just the same way.  Mary tried to keep sunscreen on him but he would refuse until she gave up.  She figured it was okay as long as he wanted to stay in the shade with his dad.

Alice was just like her mother.  She thought that it was great that she could use the lotion to save her skin and spend lots of time in the sun instead of like her stupid brother that had to go the shade as he started to turn red.

Life was great for a while until Alice started to develop asthma.  It was constant trips to the emergency room as she just could not breathe.  She did not react well to the steroids that she was being given but eventually she seemed to get the asthma under control with ‘designer pharmaceuticals’.  During her college years she had a herniated disc that was resolved with an operation on her lumbar region.  Later as she had just graduated from college it was discovered that she had MS and within a month lung cancer.  At about this same time Mary was diagnosed with a severe form of melanoma.  They both died within a year of each other.

Jack and Frank did not understand why life had dealt them such a hardship.  They had tried to live a healthy life.  How could it have happen to them in this way?

Don’t be like Alice and Mary.  Educate yourself before you throw on all that sunscreen.  If you watch Dr. Gorham’s video to figure out why Mary died from melanoma, you most likely will never wear sunscreen again.  Skin Cancer/Sunscreen – the Dilemma,  “Time for the Sun” posted June, 2012:

By the late nineties, the scientific evidence was clear that sunscreen and sun-block were not preventing skin cancer.  The UVA rays were not being stopped from penetrating the skin was a skin cancer issue.  Also the many claims by the pharma’s that their products would stop skin cancer were not confirmed so the FDA asked for label changes to drop the cancer prevention claims.  There is no scientific evidence that sunscreen stops melanoma.  The FDA’s request failed in the courts in 2000 as John Roberts, present Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, ruled that the FDA could not stop the manufacturers from making the outrageous claims about cancer prevention.  This ruling was in direct violation of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994 about no substance can claim it will prevent, cure, or treat disease without it being called a drug and following all the rules for drugs.

Move forward another decade, the FDA has been able to get the sunscreen industry to make label changes.  You may view the detail of the changes and even watch some video shorts of their reasons for making the changes at the FDA website.  The videos deal with the two types of frequencies and how the sunscreens will now be required to reduce the UVA rays as well.  Also the word ‘sun-block’ will no longer be allowed for use on the label because this is a complete exaggeration, or if you prefer – lie.  Also the word waterproof will no longer be allowed because all lotion will eventually lose its integrity.  The words ‘Broad Spectrum’ in addition to the SPF number will be required to show that the sunscreen slows UVA rays as well UVB.  These changes took place in June of 2012.

Dr. Gorham in his video that we have been referring to, Skin Cancer/Sunscreen – the Dilemma, shows that the chemicals used to slow UVA only works in the frequency range that is closer to the UVB.  It does not work in the more intense energy frequency range of UVA that is closer to the violet spectrum of visible light. This means that the slowing of the UVA energy by new ‘Broad Spectrum’ sunscreen may not be adequate to prevent skin cancer.  The visible spectrum then continues into the color ranges of indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red.  To remember the light spectrum you may use the mnemonic name Roy G. Biv.  Of course going in shorter wavelength of spectrum you have UVA, UVB, UVC, x-rays, and gamma radiation.

My question is what happens to the energy of the UVA that is being slowed by the chemicals.  Does it re-radiate into the longer UVA wavelengths.  It is my belief that the only way the sunscreens will ever protect us is to have a lotion that will radiate the UV energy into the visible spectrum.  This would be a really ‘cool’ product as well as you could see the person glow in violet and indigo as they are exposed to UV radiation.  The kids would love this.  Let’s see how long before this suggestion finds its way onto the shelves.  Of course there are sunscreens that reflect the UV radiation with products that have either titanium dioxide or zinc oxide.  These typically look white on the skin and are not consider pleasing to the eye.  However, they may be even more effective than dark pigmented skin in preventing melanoma.  All UV reduction products prevent the formation of vitamin D!

Go play in the sun this summer and have great fun.  But please educate yourself to what sunscreen can do to you if you don’t know about how to use it.  You would be much better to be like Jack and Frank and never use it.  – Pandemic Survivor