by Pedro Miranda

Created on: October 28, 2010

The Health Gestapo has decided that the sun is bad, that sunlight’s UV rays cause cancer and that SPF 30 and above protection should be used anytime we are in the presence of a light bulb. If we don’t slather a layer of sunscreen as thick as a brick we are threatened with Melanoma the way old fashioned mothers threatened children with the bogeyman if they did not finish their greens.

It is true that Melanoma is a very deadly form of cancer that metastasizes (spreads) early, and is notoriously difficult to treat. It is also no less true that Melanoma is more common in sun exposed skin and the risk increases with the time and intensity of sun exposure.

It is also true that other skin cancers, most notably Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) and Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) are also associated with sunburn and sun exposure.

What is not said by the health care police is that most of the deaths from melanoma occur from the tumors that arise where the sun don’t shine. Melanoma of sun exposed skin is diagnosed early, grows very slowly and metastasizes late so, unless mismanaged by biopsying the suspected lesion instead of excising (removing) it, it very rarely causes any problems. Melanoma of not sun exposed skin on the other hand is diagnosed later, metastasizes fast and is therefore very hard to treat. This is the one that causes most of the deaths. It is also the one that you cannot prevent by avoiding the sun and slathering sun screen on.

Also not popularly known is that Vitamin D protects against several cancers, most notably colon cancer which is the most common cancer in the US in the general population. (Breast cancer is the most common for women) However the Vitamin D obtained from supplements is not the variety that offers the best protection; the best form is the one that the body makes naturally: When exposed to the sun.

Now, about pregnancy. Vitamin D requirements in pregnancy increase as do calcium requirements. Vitamin D is needed to get the calcium to deposit in the bones, so it is essential that Vitamin D and Calcium be supplemented in the diet of the pregnant woman; indeed all women should be taking Vitamin D and calcium supplements to prevent osteoporosis, but that is another story. The good news is that any preparation of Vitamin D and Calcium will do the trick. You do not need the sun exposure for this.

Sun exposure has absolutely no effect on the fetus. The fetus is way deep inside the body and has no clue of whether its mother is exposed

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