Sunshine Can Help Fight Cancer - Doctors Finally Admit It

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(NaturalNews) Since the 1980s, physicians and cancer groups have regularly warned the public against the potential health dangers of direct sunlight on skin. As a result, many people have stayed out of the sunlight completely, covered their limbs even in warm weather or slathered themselves with UV protection products, all in the interest of lowering their risk of melanomas.

However, more recent findings indicate that this kind of nearly vampiric avoidance of the sun may not benefit your cancer odds after all.

A 2009 study by a group of Leeds University researchers found that higher levels of Vitamin D were linked to improved skin cancer survival odds. Other studies have found that Vitamin D has a connection to a strong immune response in the body. In fact, Vitamin D may hasten the death of tumor cells.

Unfortunately, most people have low levels of Vitamin D, leaving them at higher risk for a host of diseases including breast cancer, prostate cancer, bowel cancer, cervical cancer, rickets and osteoporosis. (For more in-depth information on this, see this report: http://www.naturalnews.com/rr-sunli...)

"It's common for the general public to have low levels of vitamin D in many countries," said Professor Julia Newton Bishop of the Leeds Institute of Molecular Medicine and author of the Leeds study. "Melanoma patients tend to avoid the sun as sunburn is known to increase the risk of melanoma. We use sunshine to make vitamin D in the skin, so melanoma patients' levels of vitamin D may be especially low."

Bishop also noted that people can get more Vitamin D through dietary sources such as fatty fish. She points out that balance is key, as extremely high levels of Vitamin D can have a negative effect on health.

The mainstream media continues to run stories every summer warning people against the sun even two years after the Leeds study. While hours of sunbathing may be risky behavior for your long-term health, receiving a moderate amount of sunlight while out gardening or walking is actually as good for you as eating a low-fat diet and engaging in regular exercise. In fact, laying off the sunscreen may help you not only absorb sunshine into your skin to help fight tumors, but also helps you avoid the chemicals in most commercial sun blocking products. Some studies have indicated that these chemicals can actually generate harmful free radicals in the body.

So this summer, relax, and enjoy the sunshine.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/news/article...
http://www.skinbiology.com/toxicsun...

 

Treat COPD Naturally With Vitamin D

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(NaturalNews) At the national meeting of the American Thoracic Society (ATS), currently underway in Denver, much of the research presented has dealt so far with COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

COPD is a serious and progressive disease that makes it difficult to breathe. The miserable symptoms it causes include coughing that produces large amounts of mucus, wheezing, shortness of breath and chest tightness.

Caused by smoking and long-term exposure to irritants and pollution, COPD is a major cause of disability and the 4th leading cause of death in the U.S. The disease can prevent sufferers from even doing basic tasks like walking and cooking. And according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, there is "no cure and doctors don't know how to reverse the damage to the airways and lungs."

But here comes good and unexpected news from the ATS meeting.

In two separate studies, scientists have announced breakthroughs that can profoundly help people suffering with COPD. And the treatments are not from Big Pharma but involve a vitamin and an ancient natural treatment.

Traditional Chinese medicine has used a paste known as Xiao Chuan, or XCP, for over a thousand years to help with breathing difficulties, including COPD and asthma. The primary ingredients of XCP are plants native to China -- including Ephedra vulgaris, Asarum heterothropoides and Acorus gramineus Soland.

Now mainstream medicine is finding out that this herbal paste actually works. COPD tends to get much worse in cold weather with symptoms triggered by breathing cold air. But Beijing scientists have found XCP can reduce these potentially dangerous winter exacerbations of COPD.

"We had performed observational studies of XCP which had shown the paste decreased the frequency of COPD exacerbations, but this study is the first randomized controlled trial showing the effectiveness and safety of XCP in the prevention of COPD exacerbation," study author Yongjun Bian, MD, clinical researcher in the respiratory department of Gunag'anmen Hospital in Beijing, said in a media statement. "These data confirmed the beneficial effect of XCP on the prevention of winter COPD exacerbations."

To treat winter worsening of COPD and other breathing problems, the paste was applied in the summer on specific acupuncture points on the back. "The herbs contained in XCP and natural remedies may have some immune regulation properties, which in turn may aid in their ability to prevent COPD exacerbations," Dr. Bian explained.

The researchers worked with 142 research subjects who were randomized into two groups. One group received either XCP, the other received a placebo paste. Both pastes were applied to the same acupuncture points four times during the eight-week period of July and August.

"Treatment with XCP significantly reduced the frequency of winter exacerbation compared with patients treated with placebo," Dr. Bian concluded in the media statement. "XCP patients experienced statistically significant reductions in steroid use and episodes of shortness of breath, and XCP patients also reported an improved quality of life compared to those treated with placebo."

"Although this treatment has been used in China for thousands of years, no scientific studies had been performed on this conventional Chinese natural therapy," he added. "This study results helped us standardize the treatment protocol and avoid adverse events in future clinical practice."

In a separate study, researchers from Belgium revealed data showing that vitamin D deficiency is common among patients with COPD and supplements of the vitamin may significantly help patients with the breath-robbing disease.

"Our study shows that high doses of vitamin D supplementation on top of a standard rehabilitation program improve the outcome in terms of exercise capacity and respiratory muscle strength," Miek Hornikx, physiotherapist and doctoral studentin the department of pneumology at the Katholieke University in Leuven, Belgium, said in a press statement.

"Low levels of vitamin D in the blood have been related with muscle weakness, a major target for respiratory rehabilitation and increased risk of falls," she added. "Since vitamin D is often depleted in patients with COPD, we wanted to see if vitamin D supplementation would have a beneficial effect on rehabilitation among these patients, perhaps by increasing muscle strength."

The research team studied 50 COPD patients with a history of exacerbations who had been referred for rehabilitation and randomly assigned them to receive either a monthly dose of vitamin D or placebo. Patients receiving vitamin D were given 100,000 IUs (international units) in a monthly dose (far above U.S. recommended daily allowance of 600 daily IUS of vitamin D).

All the research subjects participated in a pulmonary rehabilitation program for three months. Both at the beginning of the rehabilitation and when it concluded, the scientists measured peripheral and respiratory muscle strength, exercise capacity and vitamin D levels.

The results? The patients treated with vitamin D had significant improvement in exercise capacity and respiratory muscle strength compared to those in the placebo group.

"These results support the idea that correcting vitamin D deficiency by adding vitamin D supplements to training programs allows COPD patients to achieve better results from rehabilitation, including improvements in muscle strength and exercise capacity," Ms. Hornikx said.

For more information:
http://www.thoracic.org/media/press...
http://www.thoracic.org/media/press...

Cut Your Risk Of Cancer In Half By Following One Easy Habit

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Dr. Mercola posted this article awhile back and it's got great advice on how to cut your risk of cancer by 50%. I always talk about avoiding too much sun exposure and the value of adding Vitamin D supplements.

I have some vital information for you that can literally save your life, save you from dying from cancer; not just from getting cancer, but from dying from it. I came across this absolutely vital information while researching my new book called, Dark Deception, info which is just too important to keep under wraps until the book's release in a year's time.

Cancer is now the number one cause of death in the country, having surpassed heart disease a few years ago.

Please check out the graph in the video that illustrates the relationship between latitude, sun exposure and death rates from cancer. Remember the vertical axis shows the number of cancer-related deaths per 100,000, while the horizontal axis indicates latitude. It clearly shows that cancer-deaths go up significantly, the farther away from the equator one lives.

Here's why. With sun exposure, UVB radiation from the sun converts cholesterol to vitamin D, one of the most potent anticancer vitamins. See the connection? Please keep your vitamin D levels in a healthy range. If you're taking oral vitamin D in cod liver oil or a supplement, you need to measure your vitamin D blood levels to avoid overdosing. Take a simple blood test to help you keep your vitamin D levels in a safe, optimal range, and go to my vitamin D testing page for more details

While in Maui this winter, I heard a number of heartbreaking stories from folks there, who told me of close relatives who either had cancer, were dying from it or had died from it. How tragic! With this new information about vitamin D in mind, I said to them, "I don't know your relative." I asked, "But did they stay in the sun? Do they have a tan?", and even though some of these people lived in Maui, it seems every one of these people did not get much sun and were pale. This was a giant clue, empirically confirming what I was learning about sun exposure.

The best and safest way to get vitamin D is from the sun. The safe way to get sun exposure is to just go out enough so that your skin turns the very lightest pink. You'll also need enough of your skin exposed to sun. Exposing only your face and hands while going from office to car is not enough for conversion into vitamin D. We must remain sensible in our approach to this issue.

This means: PLEASE DON'T GET SUNBURNED!

Bear in mind unique risk factors for dark-complexioned individuals. So if you're African-American, from the Middle East or India and live in America or Europe or in a very northern latitude, you're at very high risk for developing these cancers, as high as four times the risk. Darker skin serves as a filter, causing the need for two to five times as much sunlight as someone with very pale skin.


Also be careful about using most sunblocks as they are dangerous. 

If you are looking for a safe one I have researched this and recommend Active Full Spectrum Sun Block. If you can't easily find it I put it in my store for your convenience.

In light-skinned individuals, overexposure to sun can also be problematic.

Normally, skin cancer is not going to be the melanoma type, for which there are multiple causes. Follow the link below to learn more. But having sun exposure can increase the risk of other types of skin cancers, which while not as dangerous as melanoma, are easily avoided with cautious sun exposure


BOTTOM LINE: NEVER GET SUNBURNED!

Avoid commercial sun blocks, which contain toxic chemicals that enter your bloodstream through the skin, and follow the link below for more info and alternatives to these products.
If you have any questions at all about the relationship about sun and skin cancer please be sure to visit my article on that topic.

Stay informed. Have a healthy, careful, appropriate relationship with sunlight.

Study: 4,000 IU Of Vitamin D Recommended For Pregnant Women

May 6, 2010

According to a new University of South Carolina study, pregnant women who take vitamin D supplements can safely lower their risk of infection and preterm labor and can improve the bone health and immune function of their child.

For the study, lead author Carol Wagner and her colleagues looked to determine the optimal dose of vitamin D supplements for expectant women. They recruited 494 pregnant women at 12-16 weeks gestation and assigned them to take 400, 2,000 or 4,000 International Units (IU) of the nutrient each day until delivery.

The research team then analyzed the affects that vitamin D had on the incidences of preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, infections and preterm labor and birth.

"No adverse events related to vitamin D dosing were found in any of the three arms of the study," said Wagner. "The spectacular part was it showed women replete in vitamin D had lower rates of preterm labor and preterm birth and lower rates of infection."

After analyzing each patient group, the researcher concluded that women who took 4,000 IU of vitamin D each day received the greatest benefit. 

I suggest at least 5000 IU Vitamin D each day for everybody. The only source I trust is www.awesomesupplements.com ( It has to be in liquid gel caps or don’t get it )

Breast cancer virtually "eradicated" with higher levels of vitamin D

In a gathering of vitamin D researchers recently held in Toronto, Dr. Cedric Garland delivered a blockbuster announcement: Breast cancer can be virtually "eradicated" by raising vitamin D levels.

Vitamin D is "the cure" for breast cancer that the cancer industry ridiculously claims to be searching for. The cure already exists! But the breast cancer industry simply refuses to acknowledge any "cure" that doesn't involve mammography, chemotherapy or high-profit pharmaceuticals.

Vitamin D is finally gaining some of the recognition it deserves as a miraculous anti-cancer nutrient. It is the solution for cancer prevention. It could save hundreds of thousands of lives each year in the U.S. alone. Even Dr. Andrew Weil recently raised his recommendation of vitamin D to 2,000 IU per day.

This is the vitamin that could destroy the cancer industry and save millions of women from the degrading, harmful cancer "treatments" pushed by conventional medicine. No wonder they don't want to talk about it! The cancer industry would prefer to keep women ignorant about this vitamin that could save their breasts and their lives.

Below I'm reprinting the full statement from Dr. Cedric Garland following the Vitamin D conference recently held in Toronto.

Statement from Dr. Cedric Garland

Breast cancer is a disease so directly related to vitamin D deficiency that a woman's risk of contracting the disease can be 'virtually eradicated' by elevating her vitamin D status to what vitamin D scientists consider to be natural blood levels.

That's the message vitamin D pioneer Dr. Cedric Garland delivered in Toronto Tuesday as part of the University of Toronto School of Medicine's "Diagnosis and Treatment of Vitamin D Deficiency" conference - the largest gathering of vitamin D researchers in North America this year. More than 170 researchers, public health officials and health practitioners gathered at the UT Faculty club for the landmark event.

Garland's presentation headlined a conference that reviewed many aspects of the emerging vitamin D research field - a booming discipline that has seen more than 3,000 academic papers this calendar year alone, conference organizers said. That makes vitamin D by far the most prolific topic in medicine this year, with work connecting it with risk reduction in two dozen forms of cancer, heart disease, multiple scleroses and many other disorders.

Dr. Reinhold Vieth, Associate Professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology at University of Toronto, and Director of the Bone and Mineral Laboratory at Mount Sinai Hospital, organized the event in conjunction with Grassroots Health - an international vitamin D advocacy group founded by breast cancer survivor Carole Baggerly.

Baggerly implored the research group to take action and encourage Canadians to learn more about vitamin D and to raise their vitamin D levels.

An estimated 22,700 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009, according to the Canadian Cancer Society's latest figures.

As much as 97 percent of Canadians are vitamin D deficient at some point in the year, according to University of Calgary research - largely due to Canada's northerly latitudes and weak sun exposure. Sunshine is by far the most abundant source of vitamin D - called 'The Sunshine Vitamin' - with salmon and fortified milk being other sources. Vitamin D supplementation helps raise levels for many as well.

Grassroots Health's "D-action" panel - 30 of the world's leading researchers on vitamin D and many other vitamin D supporters - recommend 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily and vitamin D blood levels of 100-150 nanomoles-per-liter as measured by a vitamin D blood test.

Vieth pointed out that natural vitamin D levels of mammals who live outdoors in sunny climates is higher than that - up to 200 nanomoles-per liter. And Garland, whose presentation was entitled "Breast Cancer as a Vitamin D Deficiency Disease" presented data showing that raising one's vitamin D status near those levels decreased breast cancer risk more than 77 percent.

'The Sunshine Vitamin' was once thought of only for bone health, helping the body process calcium. But more recent work has shown that all cells in the body have "vitamin D receptors" which help control normal cell growth. Additionally, Garland presented new evidence that low vitamin D status compromises the integrity of calcium-based cellular bonding within tissues, which when eroded allow rogue cancer cells to spread more readily.

Grassroots Health is trying to raise vitamin D awareness among Canadians. Despite epidemic-level vitamin D deficiency in Canada, fewer than nine per cent of Canadians have ever had their vitamin D levels checked by a professional and most who have do not know their vitamin D blood level.

Sources for this story include:
http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNew...
http://sciencestage.com/v/1753/canc...