Category: Skin Cancer

The Sun and Your Eyes: Enemy or Friend?

Does Sunlight Danger Outweigh the Benefits?

Many studies demonstrate that exposure to sunlight provides protection to diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and a variety of cancers, and avoiding sunlight may influence their progression.[1. Razzaque MS. (2018). Sunlight exposure: Do health benefits outweigh harm? J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. Jan;175:44-48.]  It has been thought that these protections are due only to vitamin D, whose creation requires sunlight, but researchers are now reporting that circadian clock influencing, immune response modification, and nitric oxide, melatonin, and serotonin formation are involved as well.[2. Van der Rhee HJ, de Vries E, Coebergh JW. (2016). Regular sun exposure benefits health. Med Hypotheses. Dec;97:34-37.] In fact, researchers are finding that the risk of skin cancer increases with irregular patterns of sun exposure, while regular patterns convey relatively lower risk.  This is the difference between getting sunburned versus a brisk daily walk in the sunlight.

But too much sunlight is harmful to both eyes and skin. We know that getting sunburned increases skin cancer risk. Our vision is also directly negatively impacted by the sun and ultraviolet radiation (UVR), as well as blue light from computer screens. Continue reading “The Sun and Your Eyes: Enemy or Friend?”

Vitamin D, Curcumin, Soy & Resveratrol Fight Cancer

vitamin D from the sunVitamin D

A recent study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that Vitamin D may have cancer-fighting properties. At the same time, ironically, Vitamin D deficiency is becoming increasing prevalent in the United States due to fear of the harmful effects of sun and poor nutrition.

Excessive sun exposure is a leading cause of skin cancer and cataracts in the eyes. As people slap on sunscreen and cover up to protect themselves from ultra-violet rays, they may be inadvertently missing out on an important nutrient.

Continue reading “Vitamin D, Curcumin, Soy & Resveratrol Fight Cancer”

Cancer Drug May Help Alzheimer’s Disease

alzheimer's patientThere is no cure for the degenerative brain disease called Alzheimer’s, and current conventional treatments have a limited effect. However, research into a drug used to treat skin cancer may show “stunning” potential to help with Alzheimer’s disease.

The drug is called bexarotene. So far, the experiments have only been done on mice. The research was done at Case Western Reserve University.

Alzheimer’s occurs in older people, and symptoms include a pattern of forgetfulness, disorientation,  misplacing things, short attention span, difficulty in performing routine tasks, poor judgment, language problems, problems with thinking, depression, irritability, paranoia, hostility, and lack of initiative. It is also called “Elderly Dementia.”

The disease is not fully understood, and its cause — or causes — are not yet clear. Patients with Alzheimer’s disease cannot properly clear the protein amyloid beta from their brains.  The excessive amount of the protein accumulate as plaque, which blocks synapses and kills nerve cells.

Bexarotene — also known as Targretin — wipes out amyloid beta. Continue reading “Cancer Drug May Help Alzheimer’s Disease”

Indoor Tanning beds = Eye & Skin Cancer

After studying more than 2,200 tanners and their pale peers, scientists report that regular indoor tanning raised a person’s risk of melanoma, the deadliest skin cancer, between 74 percent and 340 percent.

Eye Cancer

Researchers report that using popular tanning beds to get a tan in the winter or without being out in the sun raised the risk of melanoma by 4 times – the range was from 74% to 240% higher risk.  This determination was found after studying the health condition of  more than 2,200 people who regularly use tanning beds.  Unsurprisingly, those people who used the tanning beds the most and for the longest time had the highest risk.  Similarly, those people who used tanning beds employing UVA rather than UVB radiation had the highest risk.

Source:  cebp.aacrjournals.org

Skin Cancer

There has been earlier research indicating that tanning beds, especially those using UVA rather than UVB light are tied to skin cancer.  New research indicates that this UV exposure also is tied to eye cancer, known as ocular melanoma, as well as retinal and corneal burns.

See information on a study about how eating leafy greens can help protect eyes from UV radiation.

Vitamin C protects the skin

Research conducted at the University of Leicester in England, reported this year in the journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine, contributes to the understanding of the mechanisms involved in vitamin C’s ability to help heal and protect the skin. The vitamin is an essential cofactor for the synthesis of collagen, the predominant protein in skin and other connective tissue.

Research conducted at the University of Leicester in England, reported this year in the journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine, contributes to the understanding of the mechanisms involved in vitamin C’s ability to help heal and protect the skin. The vitamin is an essential cofactor for the synthesis of collagen, the predominant protein in skin and other connective tissue.

This research is particularly relevant for skin disease due to sun damage, and that scientists now believe that the free radical theory of disease also applies to the aging of the skin. Free radicals are unstable small molecules generated by an oxygen environment which require stabilization by the body’s antioxidant system.

Editor’s Note: Numerous peer review research studies show the benefits of vitamin C for anti-aging, strengthening the immune system and preventing eye disease. For more information on overall body and eye health through a healthy diet and lifestyle, go to Natural Eye Care for Better Vision and Overall Health.