Megasun

Oncolgist's view of Sun, Sunscreen, Cancer & Safety

25/07/2010

Keith I. Block, MD, is an internationally recognized expert in integrative oncology states: I think it's important we all try to get 20 minutes of unprotected sun-to-skin exposure every day. This is essential for meeting our most basic needs for Vitamin D. To be specific, the exposure to UVB sun radiation has been shown to reduce the risk of 19 major types of cancer through the production of vitamin D! read more...

Don't let the phoney melanoma scare keep you out of the sun

23/07/2010

Skin cancer statistics are used to scare, not educate. Almost all of the 84,000 skin "cancers" that appear each year are in fact benign: they don't spread or kill; their cancerous name is a historical misnomer. Of course, sun exposure increases facial wrinkling, as does smoking, but the black ace in the fear game is melanoma, because the real thing is vicious read more...

Derms Exposed in Undercover Sting

21/07/2010

"Is Profit Behind Dermatology's 'Sun Scare' Message?"

Dermatologists are exposed in undercover sting...

Author Harmon Leon fights for answers as to why derms say use sunscreen when everyone else says it is causing pandemic vitamin D deficiency.

He visited several dermatologists in the San Francisco area to take a deeper look at what's really being said behind closed (doctors') doors. He doesn't miss a beat, getting one doctor to suggest and agree to removing non-cancerous moles by lying about them being irritants. In this, harmless moles are removed, insurance companies pay the doctors, and false information is added to the melanoma statistics.

Vitamin D - A gift from the Sun!

19/07/2010

Why do you need vitamin D so desperately?
A huge percentage of mankind is deficient, even those who live in sunny climates.
What can it do for your body? Almost everything! Vitamin D contributes to the health of: bones; cells; organs; the autoimmune system; muscles; hormones and the brain!

'Sun Scare' Attacked as a British Killer!

13/07/2010

"Lack of sunshine and the vitamin it makes in our skin is probably the most serious single cause of disease in the UK today."

- Health education expert Oliver Gillie, considered one of the worldwide experts in vitamin D and an advocate for regular sun exposure as the best source of "The Sunshine Vitamin."

The Truth About Sunlight, Cancer and Vitamin D

12/07/2010

This is a video that reveals the truth about Vitamin D, sunlight and cancer. 

Does sunlight cause skin cancer or does sunlight prevent skin cancer?

How does sunbathing give you the so-called red neck?

Is tanning booth bad for you or does it help your body to generate Vitamin D under certain circumstances? (And what are the circumstances?)

What is the relationship between nutrition, Vitamin D and cancer?

Public Service Message Very Likely WRONG

08/07/2010

The Public Service Message giving advice on suntanning may mean vitamin deficiency risk and the current message is totally WRONG

Many experts are concerned that past advice designed to protect against skin cancer may have resulted in an increased risk of other illnesses linked to a lack of vitamin D, which the body can only produce when skin in exposed to bright sunlight.

This news may well be a surprise to ginger haired people!

23/06/2010

Ginger-haired people DO tan... they just react badly to the sun at the same time.

Those with strawberry locks actually produce up to 500 per cent more melanin than those with a darker complexion!!!

Humans evolved ability to tan 'to cope with changes in amount of sunlight'

23/06/2010

Humans developed the ability to tan to cope with changes in the amount of UV radiation their bodies received during the year, scientists believe.
Researchers from Penn State University in the US studied the way the sun illuminates different parts of the Earth.
They found that the amount of ultraviolet B light - which produces vitamin D in human skin - was extremely variable further north due to atmospheric scattering of the light and absorption by oxygen.
read more...

Scientists are not impressed with misleading anti-tanning crusade

31/05/2010

Scientists are not impressed with misleading anti-tanning crusade posed as a Melanoma Risk Study.

 The flaws and supression of conflict of interest revealed!

Canadian Rates of Skin Cancer FALLING

29/05/2010

Rates of non-melanoma skin cancer are falling in Canada - exactly the opposite of what many in the dermatology community are telling us, a new study to be published in the British Journal of Dermatology this month shows read more...

is Sun REALLY good for me?

29/05/2010

Sun IS life and not only will you feel better and look healthy, but your skin will also produce Vitamin D - a powerful pre-steroid hormone vital for humans to exist.

MegaSun skin types and sub types every client to ensure that the dose of UVB is appropriate for them. Remember, our lamps are patented to give a consistent dose, unlike the majority of lamps on the market. This is avoids huge fluctuations that are undesirable and not beneficial for any tanner. Our lamps also give 83% less skin damage.

Alarmed? You should be!

28/05/2010

Almost half of the 500 most popular sunscreen products may actually increase the speed at which malignant cells develop and spread skin cancer because they contain vitamin A or its derivatives, according to an evaluation of those products released today.

AOL News also has learned through documents and interviews that the Food and Drug Administration has known of the potential danger for as long as a decade without alerting the public, which the FDA denies

Did Melanoma Researchers 'Reverse Engineer' Their Findings?

27/05/2010

A University of Minnesota advocacy group may have "reverse-engineered" a study to bolster its own pre-existing anti-indoor tanning crusade, failing to properly cite the significance of conflicting data within its own paper, downplaying confounding data that opposed its conclusions and failing to disclose the conflict-of-interest of its own anti-tanning advocacy efforts.

Dr. DeAnn Lazovich, lead author of "Indoor Tanning and Risk of Melanoma: A Case-Control Study in a Highly Exposed Population," set for publication in the June issue of American Association for Cancer Research, failed to disclose in the paper that she is part of a University of Minnesota group that initiated programs to discourage indoor tanning use three years before designing and engaging in data collection for this study.

Scientists Say UVA Does Not Cause Melanoma

26/05/2010

UVA exposure is unlikely to have contributed to the rise in the incidence of melanoma over the past 30 years, the researchers conclude, because the fish model had been the only animal model to indicate a connection between exposure to UVA at a young age and later development of melanoma.

High Doses of Vitamin D May Cut Pregnancy Risks

08/05/2010

High Doses of Vitamin D May Cut Pregnancy Risks. read more...

Low Level Vitamin D status of newborns in New Zealand.

01/05/2010

low levels of vitamin D are common among apparently healthy New Zealand newborns in New Zealand.
If the blood levels (and cord blood levels) are low, it means that the mothers were also vitamin D insufficient. Which, in turn, means that they didn't get enough UVR exposure!

Vitamin D - What the experts have to say....

29/04/2010

From as far back as the father of medicine himself (Hippocrates), UV light has been studied. Now the experts are findng out just how much it really means to the human body.

I would challenge anyone to find an area or nutrient or any factor that has such consistent anti-cancer benefits as vitamin D. The data are really quite remarkable. ~ Dr. Edward Giovannucci, Vitamin D expert.

Reply to LUDICROUS Statement

22/04/2010

A response to the so called "experts" who have a misunderstanding that tanning is an addiction. Please note if you refer to official documents listing addictions and sustances likely to cause addiction, tanning is NOT on any of them!!!! read more...

In Tests, Vitamin D Shrinks Breast Cancer Cells

15/04/2010

In Tests, Vitamin D Shrinks Breast Cancer Cells

Doctors have known that low levels of vitamin Dare linked to certain kinds of cancers as well as to diabetes and asthma, but new research also shows that the vitamin can kill human cancer cells.

How slapping on the sunscreen nearly ruined one woman's health!

08/04/2010

How slapping on the sunscreen nearly ruined one woman's health

Collective sun phobia could be laying us open to far worse problems than wrinkles or even skin cancer

Scientists find why "sunshine" vitamin D is crucial

14/03/2010

"What we didn't realize is how crucial vitamin D is for actually activating the immune system -- which we know now," Geisler wrote in the study in the journal Nature Immunology.
Most Vitamin D is made by the body as a natural by-product of the skin's exposure to sunlight. read more...

Vitamin D and Sunlight: a Match Made in Heaven!

14/03/2010

Sun exposure is perhaps the most important source of vitamin D because exposure to sunlight provides most humans with their vitamin D requirement. About 90% of the daily recommended intake of 10 micrograms or 400 international units is obtained from the action of sunlight on the skin.

UV rays (particularly UVB rays) from the sun trigger an inactive form of vitamin D to be formed in the skin. This is taken up by the blood stream, to be stored in muscles and body fat; it also passes through the liver and kidneys and becomes an active form of vitamin D, which is then used by the body. Since vitamin D can only be produced by the skin during the summer months via this route, the body's ability to store vitamin D is extremely essential.

Just When is the message going to get home?

12/02/2010

A 3rd of all Melbourne women may be deficient in vitamin D due to lack of UV exposure! The slip, slop, slap message is likely to be causing more harm than good! read more...

A real man thanks to vitamin D

09/02/2010

Why a spot of suntanning may be just the thing to lift a man's libido - a regualr dose of UV light really does help to increase testosterone and male libido. Make sure the men in YOUR life are getting enough! read more...

Tanning Linked to Easing Chronic Pain

13/01/2010

Dr. Steven Feldman, is recommending indoor tanning for some patients suffering with chronic pain. Feldman conducted a research trial of fibromyalgia patients which revealed that those who used a tanning bed actually had their pain decline as compared to those who weren't exposed to UV light.

Beyond fibromyalgia, Feldman also acknowledges that indoor tanning equipment has been used to treat the skin condition psoriasis.

Can Tanning Help push Vitamin D Levels

05/11/2009

Tanning industry professionals already advocate for indoor tanning by arguing that exposure to ultraviolet light in tanning units provides people with much-needed vitamin D. But their argument is often muted by an antitanning lobby from powerful outlets such as the media, dermatologists and government officials. Perhaps waging the war on a different front - the pro-vitamin D front - without the explicit references to tanning might influence the Institute of Medicine to consider raising the recommended levels of vitamin D, which is a victory the industry could certainly stand to tally.

NZ Sudy Shows Vitamin D Improves Insulin Resistance

05/11/2009

AUCKLAND, New Zealand - Vitamin D improved insulin resistance in insulin-resistant women in a new study published in the British Journal of Nutrition (2009 Sep 28:1-7). The randomized, controlled, double-blind study administered supplements of 4,000 IU vitamin D3 or a placebo daily for six months to South Asian women, aged 23 to 68 years. The women in the study were insulin resistant and had serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 concentration of less than 50 nmol/l. read more...

Public perception of the effects of UV exposure is lagging behind the current scientific knowledge

28/09/2009

Dutch Scientist, von der Rhee and his colleagues refer to the fact that the public perception of the effects of UV exposure is lagging behind the current scientific knowledge. Regular, moderate UV exposure contributes to protection against breast, prostrate and colorectal cancer (colon and rectal cancer) as well as non Hodgkin's lymphoma (one of two forms of lymph node cancers). read more...

Sunbeds REDUCE risk of Endometrial Cancer by 40%

28/09/2009

The risk of contracting endometrial cancer for women who frequently use sun beds is lower by 40 percent, in comparison to women who abstain from using them. A study which was carried out by Swedish researchers, and which has been published in the British Journal of Cancer, has come to this conclusion. read more...

UV exposure may help to fight skin cancer

23/09/2009

A research team from the University of Leeds working with the US National Institutes of Health found a high level of vitamin D - suggestive of high sun exposure - protected patients with malignant melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. Those with the lowest levels of vitamin D in their blood at diagnosis were 30 per cent more likely to suffer a recurrence of the disease after treatment than those who had the highest levels.

Wrong Diagnosis!

11/09/2009

DR NICK LEVELL OBVIOUSLY SHARES WITH OTHERS, THE VIEW THAT A BIG PART OF THE MELANOMA INCIDENCE INCREASE IS CAUSED BY WRONG DIAGNOSIS. Dr Levell concludes that the large increase in reported incidence is likely to be due to diagnostic drift which classifies benign lesions as stage 1 melanoma. This conclusion could be confirmed by direct histological comparison of contemporary and past histological samples. The distribution of the lesions reported did not correspond to the sites of lesions caused by solar exposure. read more...

Sun warnings ‘overstated' as science finds new clue to skin cancer

10/09/2009

You often read that nearly all melanomas are caused by sunshine - which is not supported by the evidence.  
An international team of researchers from Queensland, Australia, Montreal, Canada and Philadelphia, America, led by King's College London, identified two genes which dictate how many moles someone will have, and their risk of getting skin cancer. Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at King's College London, said: "The number of moles you have is one of the strongest risk factors for melanoma - stronger than sunshine.

59 EXPERT studies can't all be wrong

10/09/2009

Read what the experts say and judge for yourself... read more...

Doc Recommends Indoor Tanning For Vit. D

02/09/2009

Christiane Northrup, MD notes that it is difficult to get all the vitamin D needed from food sources, and suggests supplements and regular sun exposure- including visiting a tanning salon that offers UVB tanning rays. read more...

British Dermatologists Recommend Sun

27/08/2009

The British Association of Dermatologists has recently issued guidance with the National Osteoporosis Society that recommends people get 15 to 20 minutes of sun exposure a day!

According to a separate recent study at University College London, 20 per cent of women and 12 per cent of men are now classed as being clinically vitamin D deficient, while levels of the vitamin in nearly two thirds of women and 57 per cent of men are "insufficient". Dr Vasant Hirani, who led the study, added: "The advice on sun exposure does need to be clarified."

Expert wants exposure to sun reviewed

27/08/2009

Dr Veronique Bataille, researcher, dermatologist and skin cancer expert, wants guidelines on sunbathing to be reviewed to ensure people don't miss out on vitamin D. Known as the 'sunshine vitamin', Dr Bataille told the Sunday Telegraph: 'It is potentially harmful if people are getting the message that they should completely avoid the sun. 'The advice needs to be better tailored to the differences in skin type and sun levels around the country.' read more...

There is still no proof that tanning in a non-burning fashion is linked to melanoma.

12/08/2009

AUGUST 11, 2009 - "There is no compelling evidence that sun tan parlors have induced a single melanoma." - Master Dermatologist Dr. Bernard Ackerman, who wrote two books condemning the dermatology community for failing to disclose that there still is not any data showing that tanning in a non-burning fashion is a risk factor for melanoma. read more...

The maths show that indoor tanning is a great source of vitamin D is indisputable

04/08/2009

Instead of reading newspaper selling scary headlines, read this:
Tanning beds may be even more effective as a vitamin D producer than was previously believed. That's the consensus of new research published by Dr. Michael Holick's group at Boston University. Holick's group studied 15 people aged 20-53, tracking their vitamin D blood levels as they tanned in tanning equipment three times a week. read more...

Academic Fraud?

30/07/2009

"If a pharmaceutical company sold you sunshine, we wouldn't be having this discussion right now," International Smart Tan Network Vice President Joseph Levy said. "Instead, we are dealing with a report that now has the press comparing Mother Nature's most important creation - sunlight - to arsenic and mustard gas. It's ludicrous."

It's Not Just The Sun That Affects Susceptibility To Skin Cancer

17/07/2009

Scientists at deCODE genetics (Nasdaq: DCGN) and academic colleagues from Europe and the United States today present in the journal Nature Genetics the discovery of common genetic risk factors for basal cell carcinoma (BCC) that affect people with fair and dark complexions alike. read more...

Cancer Societies embarrassed by their sun scare message

23/02/2009

The dermatology profession worldwide is struggling to extricate itself from years of sun abstinence messaging, one of Great Britain's most prolific vitamin D experts told a newspaper, the London Herald and The Times. Messages have included suggestions that 'there is no such thing as a healthy tan' which Gillies says is misguided and unfounded in science". read more...

Tanning may protect against melanoma skin cancer.

02/02/2009

The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the principal teaching affiliate of the Harvard Medical School, recently reported ground breaking research which indicates that tanning may indeed protect against melanoma skin cancer.
read more...

Top cancer doctor says you SHOULD have a sunbed session

25/01/2009

Top cancer doctor says you SHOULD have a sunbed session! Current medical advice is to cover up in the sun, but I believe the health benefits of exposure to its UVA and UVB rays greatly outweigh the disadvantages, even if that means using a sunbed during winter months.

 • Professor Tim Oliver is a Medical Oncologist at Barts and the London Hospital.

New study shows sunbeds are more effective than supplements!

22/12/2008

"I told you so" says Dr Marc Sorensen in relation to sunbeds vs supplements in preventing breast cancer read more...