Excerpt: 'UV Advantage'
June 30, 2004 -- With skin care doctors advising that you avoid excessive exposure to rays of light, in this excerpt from UV Advantage Dr. Michael Holick and Mark Jenkins describe the health benefits of spending time in the sunshine
Preface
It happened again the other day. I was in a hotel elevator and overheard a woman telling her companion how much she loved to be in the sun but she couldn't anymore because "it would kill her." It's the kind of thing I hear all the time, and it is what inspired me to write this book.
My goal is to help put society's attitude toward sunlight into proper perspective. I've been researching this subject for many years, and institutions from NASA to the National Zoo have come to me for advice. I've successfully treated a variety of serious diseases with exposure to the kind of radiation that's in sunlight (UVB), including osteoporosis, osteomalacia, high blood pressure, and psoriasis. Results of my studies have been published in major scientific and medical journals.
Most people have taken my support of moderate sun exposure to mean I advocate tanning. Not true. Do I lie out in the sun for hours at a time or frequent tanning salons? No. Do I go out in strong sunshine without a sunscreen on, and does my skin get tanned? Yes. Why? Because I recognize that my body needs a certain amount of sun exposure to be healthy. Do I put sunscreen on after a certain amount of time? Yes. Why? Because I understand that there are risks as well as benefits associated with being in the sun. I recently ran into that poster boy for tanning, George Hamilton. When he found out I was an advocate of sun exposure, he jokingly commented that my skin was so pale he could see his reflection in it!
I am advocating common sense, something often in short supply in modern America's approach to health. I also respect your right to do something that may make you look and feel better. I believe I can help you make choices that will pursue this goal in a healthier, more effective way. Our society doesn't seem to believe in a happy medium, only in extremes.
