Natural Sun Protection From the Inside Out

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April 13, 2012 by Katie@wellnessmama

As summer approaches, sun-protection is definitely something that must be considered, but as with many other things Paleo, the best solution may not always be the conventional one.

If you’ve read this blog or others like it, I’m sure you are well aware that diet plays a pivotal role in overall health, energy levels, digestive health and weight. Logically, diet also is an influencing factor in skin health and sun protection.

The conventional method of sun protection is much like the conventional method of many types of illness: Treat the symptoms or prevent the symptoms from occurring.

In the case of sun exposure, the general idea is to prevent the sunburn (or all sun exposure) rather than address why the skin is burning in the first place.

In the paleo-sphere, we are well-aware of the importance of Vitamin D, and we are capable of producing the amounts our bodies need through our skin. Unfortunately, even low-SPF sunscreens can block almost all Vitamin D production.

As links have been found between low-vitamin D and skin cancer (among others), the cure may be more dangerous than the disease in this case!

It’s also interesting to note that while rates of sun exposure are decreasing, skin cancer rates are steadily rising and melanoma rates are getting worrisome.

There are theories that the chemicals in most sunscreens can be as damaging or more so than sun damage itself. Either way, I use the same rule with sunscreens as I do with foods and beauty products: If I can’t pronounce an ingredient or buy it without a chemical license, I don’t use it.

The Role of Diet:

Sunburn is a type of inflammation. It is caused by an external factor, but a lot of internal factors come into play as well.

Inflammatory foods like grains, sugars and vegetable oils (especially those!) can cause inflammation in the body and make the skin more prone to inflammation (burning) as well.

In the same way, anti-inflammatory foods can help prevent inflammation in the body or on the skin from sun exposure.

If you’ve been Paleo for a while, you might have already noticed an increased sun tolerance, or that you are tanning better. It isn’t your imagination. In fact, Mark’s Daily Apple addressed natural ways to prevent sunburn, and all of the suggestions were diet/supplement related.

The most problematic foods for your skin when it comes to sun-exposure are: processed foods, processed grains, sugars and vegetable oils (no surprise there!).

The most beneficial foods for your skin when it comes to sun exposure are: healthy saturated fats, green leafy vegetables, omega-3 rich foods like fish, and antioxidant containing foods like berries (and dark chocolate). No surprises there either!

I’ve also found that some key supplements can increase sun tolerance even more. The combination of these supplements (which I’d recommend anyway) and a Paleo diet let me go to the beach all day last summer without burning (a first) and come away with a golden tan (also a first!).

The Supplements:

Fermented Cod Liver Oil/High Vitamin Butter Oil Blend (also great for remineralizing teeth)-Probably the most important supplement for sun protection. I take double doses during the summer and the kids take it too. Since adding this and the coconut oil daily, none of us have burned. It’s also great for digestive and oral health. (Amazon finally has the capsules back in stock)
Vitamin D3 (I take about 5,000 IU/day)- Emerging evidence shows that optimizing blood levels of Vitamin D can have a protective effect against sunburn and skin cancer. I highly recommend getting your blood levels tested prior to beginning Vitamin D supplementation and talking to your doctor, as too much can also be a bad thing. Also, not needed if you are getting at least 30 minutes of sun a day.
Vitamin C (I take about 2,000 mg/day)- A potent anti-inflammatory, and it is good for the immune system too.
1/4 cup coconut oil melted in a cup of herbal tea per day- the Medium Chain Fatty Acids and saturated fat are easily utilized by the body for new skin formation and are protective against burning.
Astaxanthin- A highly potent antioxidant which research shows acts as an internal sunscreen. It’s also supposedly an anti-aging supplement. I don’t give this one to the kids though.

Natural Homemade Sunscreen:

I’m definitely not suggesting that you do anything that could lead to sunburn, which is harmful! For prolonged sun exposure past your sun-tolerance, protective clothing is best, but for times you’ll be out in the sun for long times and don’t want to wear long sleeves (the beach), you can make a natural homemade sunscreen that doesn’t have the chemicals of most sunscreens.

Here’s the recipe I use. You can also use plain coconut oil on the skin for shorter times, especially if you’ve already built up a tan.

Your skin, like the rest of your body, will benefit from a healthy diet and a few key supplements. Rather than turning to chemical laden sunscreens- give the natural versions a try! You might be pleasantly surprised!

Acupuncture: From quack science to proven medical treatment

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(NaturalNews) There are many alternative treatments that have been considered (and still are) as quack medicine by the all-seeing and all-knowing conventional medical model. However, as science and results began to prove their legitimacy, conventional wisdom was forced to acknowledge their efficacy. Acupuncture needles are one of those treatments that have gone from quack science to proven medical device, and scores of people are now experiencing its benefits.

How acupuncture works

In the 1960s, Professor Kim Bong Han and researchers in Korea attempted to prove the existence of meridians in the human body using microdissection techniques. They found evidence of an independent series of fine, duct-like tubes corresponding to the paths of traditional acupuncture meridians.

Fluids in this system sometimes flowed in the same direction as blood and lymph, but also traveled the opposite direction at other times. They realized that these ducts are different from the vascular and lymphatic systems that Western medicine had identified, and that meridians themselves might exist within them.

This meridian system was further validated by a French researcher, Pierre de Vernejoul, who injected radioactive isotopes into the acupoints of humans and tracked their movement with a gamma imaging camera. These isotopes traveled 12 inches along the acupuncture meridians within four to six minutes.

Vernejoul then challenged his work by injecting isotopes into blood vessels in random areas of the body rather than acupoints, and found that they did not travel in the same way at all, illustrating that meridians do contain a system of separate pathways within the body.

In 1997, acupuncture gained official credibility with the FDA reclassifying acupuncture needles from “experimental” to “medical device,” thereby acknowledging that it is a safe and effective medical instrument. In the same year, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) released a statement endorsing acupuncture for a variety of conditions.

The electrical component of acupuncture

Current research suggests that there is a specific relationship between acupuncture points, meridians and the electrical currents of the body.

In the 1970s, Robert O. Becker, M.D., and biophysicist Maria Reichmanis were able to prove that electrical currents did flow along the ancient Chinese meridians and that 25% of the acupuncture points existed along those scientifically measurable lines. They reasoned that these points acted as amplifiers to boost the minute electrical signals as they traveled along the body and that the insertion of a needle could interfere with the flow and block the stimulus of pain.

Conditions improved by acupuncture

The World Health Organization has noted over 40 conditions that acupuncture can treat, including:

• Migraines
• Sinusitis
• Common cold
• Tonsillitis
• Allergies
• Asthma
• Addictions
• Gastrointestinal disorders
• Tennis elbow
• Paralysis from stroke
• Sciatica
• Osteoarthritis
• Myopia
• Insomnia
• Inflammation of the eyes

Acupuncture has also been found to be effective in the treatment of a variety of rheumatoid conditions and brings relief to 80% of those who suffer from arthrosis, or osteoarthritis. There is also evidence that it can be used in the treatment of environmentally induced illnesses due to radiation, pesticide poisoning, toxic compounds and air pollution.

Even in acute abdominal conditions such as appendicitis or kidney stone and gallstone attacks, acupuncture can be used before further progression necessitates surgery.

Acupuncture is also considered a valid veterinary medical procedure used mainly for surgical anesthesia and alleviation of chronic pain. It has been shown to be effective in relieving symptoms in 84% of animals suffering from arthritic pain and other degenerative joint diseases.

Sources for this article include:

Trivieri, Larry, and John W. Anderson. Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide. Second ed. Celestial Arts, 2002.

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How Ditching Dairy Cured My Asthma

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BY SID GARZA-HILLMAN | ©2014

In 1992 I cured myself of asthma and it’s never returned.

I’m going to back up just a bit. During my senior year at UCLA I got a job working for a friend who worked for an actor. My job was basically to send signed photos to fans and pick up takeout, and honestly I think I handled both tasks with a surprising competence for a philosophy major. The actor and my friend were both vegan, and while I didn’t give this fact too much thought at the time, it did sound awfully crazy…then.

In 1992, having graduated the previous year, I was pursuing what a BA in philosophy had prepared me very well for — a career as an indie rock musician. But I was also a chronic asthmatic. Asthma runs in my family. My father and his siblings are all asthmatics, and I had suffered from asthma attacks as a very young child. I carried an inhaler and did what asthmatics did, which was to keep the inflammation at bay. When going for runs, I’d take a hit before the run, and definitely one after.

This was my life until my friend and the actor we worked for handed me a book called Fit for Life by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond. After reading that book (the first of many, many nutrition/diet books to follow) I made one single change to my diet, and within a month I was asthma free. That change was to remove all dairy from my diet (milk, yogurt, cheese) most of the time. At the time I didn’t change much else — still ate fish, white rice (didn’t even know about brown rice), and plenty of white flour in the form of refined pasta and sourdough bread. On occasion I would have some cheese or milk and the next day have another asthma flare up. This pattern continued on for the next few years.

However, almost bigger than the removal of all dairy was my newfound fascination with diet and nutrition. Still a struggling musician working two “day jobs,” I began reading book after book and slowly continuing to transition my lifestyle in a healthier and healthier direction. Little did I know at the time that years later (2009 to be precise) I would become a certified nutritionist, health coach, and author of a book on the philosophy of health.

What I honed in on in my nutrition studies was the body’s natural stress response, and the profound way in which nutrient dense foods can aid the body to better handle stress of any kind. Chronic stress weakens the immune system, and a result of a weakened immune system is increased inflammation. I wondered early on why removing dairy from my diet would have anything to do with my lungs, but I now had my answer. Simply put, it was causing my body stress.

Food allergies are not all alike. Allergies like those to tree nuts and/or peanuts (immunoglobulin type E allergies) are immediate. Have a little, and your body responds immediately. But it turns out there’s another, even more common food allergy which involves the IgG antibody (immunoglobulin type G). The body’s response to foods that trigger the IgG is delayed, and can take anywhere from an hour to three days. I was essentially consuming dairy on a daily basis and having a delayed allergic reaction to it in the form of asthma. My body was so bogged down by what was happening in my gut, it couldn’t properly assess what was happening in my lungs, and was inflaming as a response.

After a few years of just occasional dairy (the following day I would have a bout of asthma), I finally decided once and for all to remove it from my diet altogether, and then went a step further in 2002 and became 100% plant-based. In 2005 I went even further and became almost entirely whole plant-based and gluten-free.

Now, at 45, my energy and fitness levels far exceed what they were at 25. I’m running 50-55 miles a week and training for my second marathon. I simply do not miss carrying an inhaler, so there’s no conflict in me about whether or not to eat cheese. Having been weaned for over 12 years now, I now see the problems that can arise from an adult mammal who still breast-feeds (in the form of milk/cheese/yogurt). The quality of my life is greater without it, and I see the food I choose to eat as a gift in every way. For me it is not restrictive at all, and my challenge now is to show others that there’s nothing to give up on the path to greater health and happiness.

I made similar recommendations to my father a few years ago, and now at 76, he is asthma-free as well. The resiliency of the human body at any age is still profoundly amazing to me ….

How To Get Your Best Body & Feel Great Effortlessly

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BY NATHALIE CHANTAL DE AHNA
MARCH 17, 2014 5:07 AM EDT
As a nutritionist and mindfulness coach, I work with people from all over the world who struggle to maintain a healthy weight. Many of them are unhappy and unwell, and they don’t know why. What they all have in common is that they’re frustrated and confused by all the different diets out there. They’re suffering from what I call “diet trauma.”

Raw, vegan, gluten-free, paleo, flexitarian—to name just a few—all these trends are fighting for attention, claiming to solve all your problems while providing long lists of scientific studies (which can prove or disprove anything if you just dig deep enough) to support their cause.

I hear statements like these all the time:

“I’ve been completely gluten-free for months now but I’m still not better.”
“I went raw but it’s damn hard to keep up.”
“All my friends went vegan and every time I buy a steak now I have a guilty conscience.”
While they were once highly motivated to take their health and happiness to the next level, they wound up completely frustrated because they followed a trend which might be a solution but turned out not to be their solution.

Of course, if you are gluten-intolerant you have to go gluten-free.

If you are a vegan with heart and soul, you should never doubt your lifestyle (which is not the diet trend I’m talking about).

But if you “just” want to be better and happier overall, reach a healthy weight, and actually enjoy eating again, here’s what I tell my clients:

1. Stop labeling your diet.

This gives you the freedom to eat whatever your body and mind need without feeling guilty because something wasn’t “vegal” or “paleosher.”

2. Develop your somatic intelligence.

We all have an innate food navigation system which tells us exactly what we—as individuals—need to be genuinely happy & healthy.

Rediscover and develop your somatic intelligence by

Avoiding processed food and eating as naturally and organically as possible.
Having more raw and slightly broken-down food than heavily cooked food.
Eating more plants than animals.
Making your own food instead of buying ready-made.

3. Eat mindfully.

Take your time when you eat. Re-discover what’s on your plate through the eyes of a child. Stop when you are almost full and wait. Your brain will tell you that you’ve had enough after about 20 minutes.

4. Enjoy.

People always think that because I’m a nutritionist my diet is 200% clean. Here’s a “shocking” truth: I had a piece of my Mum’s cheesecake only yesterday and the day before, we made pizza (with gluten!).

And I enjoyed and savored every bite.

I strongly believe that it’s enjoying eating promotes well-being and a healthy weight. That’s why, as long as you are listening to your “somatic antennae” most of the time, it’s perfectly fine to go rogue every now and then.

5. Be grateful.

I’ve got two toddlers who are used to eating fresh veggies and fruit and drinking green smoothies. A while ago my son (he’s five) told me he’d like to have a certain breakfast drink (which is completely processed and full of sugar) every day because some of his friends were allowed to do the same, too.

I didn’t tell my son he couldn’t have that drink.

Instead I asked:

“Do you know why your friends need to stay at home regularly because they don’t feel well, and why you and your sister haven’t been sick in over three years? It’s because of the little warriors in your green smoothies who make sure you stay fit and can play every day.”

The next morning he actually thanked the little warriors in his green smoothie for taking such good care of him and never spoke of that breakfast drink again.

6. Visualize every day.

Genuinely simple, real and organic food is not an enemy. (And please don’t let any diet trend tell you otherwise.) It’s something for which to be grateful.

The above tips are essential to finding a lifestyle (NOT a diet) that promotes well-being, joy, and a healthy weight. Those actions, combined with visualizing the “whole & happy” person you long to be, will help you achieve anything.

Naturally.

Effortlessly.

And completely trauma-free!

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