Let the Sun Shine in, or Don’t
Filed under: Uncategorized — Giulianna Maria Lamanna @ 8:24 PM
Spring is in the air, and we’re ready to get back outside, but sunshine ain’t what it used to be. Primitive living involves spending a lot of time outdoors, but people nowadays have much more to worry about vis-a-vis the sun than our hunter-gatherer ancestors, especially those of us with skin the color of unbaked cookie dough. “Since the 1930s, the global incidence of skin cancer has been increasing by 4.2 percent a year. Back then, the risk of developing malignant melanoma was one in 1,500. [By 1996, it was] one in 128.” (E Magazine)
So how do we prevent skin cancer without modern sunscreens? Well, the good news is that there’s no evidence that sunscreen actually prevents skin cancer, and on the contrary, may actually do serious damage. Oops. Okay, maybe that’s not such good news, but I bet now you feel better about abandoning sunscreen in favor of natural sun protection!
Most effective sun protection has less to do with what you slather on your skin and more to do with lifestyle. “Avoiding the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when the rays are most powerful, is the best option for protection against UV rays, dermatologists say.” (from here) Interestingly enough, this dovetails nicely with the tradition of the siesta, which also complements our natural sleep schedule. Funny how things work out when you stop trying to fight nature, huh? Anyway, hanging out in the shade rather than direct sunlight also helps. Like, say, spending most of your time in a nice, shady old-growth forest. Just sayin’. Clothing that covers your body and broad-rimmed hats are also recommended. (This might be a good time to mention that on page 164 of the book Primitive Technology: A Book of Earth Skills features illustrated instructions on how to weave your own visor out of cattail leaves.) And, of course, you should drink lots of water, but that advice goes for just about any situation. Don’t want skin cancer? Drink water. Got acne? Drink water. Can’t get a date? Drink water. Basically, if you’re not drinking everytime you get a bit thirsty, punch yourself in the face. Then drink some water, because you’re probably going to want to replace some of that fluid you lost in blood.
Speaking of consuming things, apparently, there are even dietary measures you can take to protect yourself from the sun:
There are a few, little known dietary secrets for sunburn protection. I tried several of these last summer and was impressed with the results. One approach is to simply consume more good fats and calcium. Some of the best sources of good fats are salmon, sardines, or flaxseed oil (6-12 capsules or 1-2 Tbsp.) The best calcium tablets are usually found in health food stores. Take 2-4 of these in citrate or chelated forms, preferably with magnesium added. You can also try mixing flaxseed oil into yogurt (a source of calcium), or try guacamole with milk, cottage cheese or yogurt before or during your stint in the sun. The longer you stay in the sun, the more of the above you should consume.
There are also natural ways to increase your production of melanin, the skin pigment that is responsible for the tan we get, as well as our natural sunburn protection. Take 2 capsules of L-Tyrosine (an amino acid) 2 times a day along with 1 or 2 tablets of chelated copper (total of 5 to 6 mg.) Tyrosine also helps with mood, alertness and stress resistance. Copper, however, can worsen depression in some individuals who are prone to copper excess. Most people can use it safely during the suntan season without incident.
Other dietary factors that have shown promise for reducing the risk of skin cancer are antioxidants, such as vitamins C & E and beta-carotene. While these nutrients are helpful, we shouldn’t overlook the importance of a diet high in fruits, vegetables, and certain herbs, which cumulatively provide even greater antioxidant protection from damaging UV rays.
But let’s say you miss sunscreen so much that you feel inadequate and cancer-ridden unless you’ve slathered something all over your skin. Well, there’s a solution to that too:
Recent research shows that green tea, a featured ingredient in many natural sun-protection products, is indeed an effective sunscreen. A 1999 human study published in the journal Photochemistry and Photobiology found that topical application of green tea may protect against the sun’s UVB rays. This supports the findings of previous animal studies, which have also suggested that topical application of green tea may protect against the sun. The major polyphenolic constituent in green tea, epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), is probably responsible for green tea’s protective effect.
Other ingredients commonly featured in natural sun-protection products include titanium oxide and zinc oxide, vitamin C and moisturizing ingredients, such as aloe vera and jojoba and shea butters.
Emu oil and black tea gel are also rumored to be helpful in protecting your skin from the sun. Obviously, many of these ingredients are only available in certain climates. (To save you time, in case you didn’t know this, green tea and black tea come from the same tree, which naturally grows in tropical and sub-tropical climates but can be grown as far north as Cornwall, in the UK.) First, buy some natural sunscreen with these ingredients, then check out if you could theoretically forage for any of them in your bioregion.
What about working up a bit of a tan (if physically possible) so one doesn’t go straight from white to red. I.E. just naturally spend a bit more time outside, so that you can spend more time outside without burning.
Comment by Fen — 16 April 2008 @ 1:01 AM
Eating paleodiet, I’ve gone from burning consistently at the half hour mark (as a child and teenager), to hanging out for four hours straight without a shirt at midday, without problems, even when fishbelly white from our rainy winters here.
Knowing that certain plants and substances can make our skin “sun-sensitive”, I definitely think sunburns result from a far more complex interaction than just “too much sun = sunburn”.
Comment by Willem — 16 April 2008 @ 12:05 PM
Hey Guili
I really enjoyed this article. Well researched and directly communicated, and a shockingly underappreciated message. I have avoided sunscreens since I was little since I thought they gave you a false sense of security. And at the same time thought it was odd that Australia’s “Slip slop slap” campaign only seemed to accelerate the melanoma rate.
The hard sell by the vitamin and supplement industry is the only off putting part- how exactly do you topically apply green tea in a form that doesnt just wash/sweat off, other than buying their expensive creams “now with antioxidant green tea!” (and inevitably based on cheap industrial foundation chemicals)?
I think I would rather stick to my broad hat, long sleeved cotton shirt, and having an excuse to snooze in summer between 10 am and 3 pm (also a good time to sit around threshing and winnowing my grain crops).
Comment by void_genesis — 16 April 2008 @ 6:08 PM
Wow, void_genesis! Thank you, seriously. You never like anything I write! I feel like those kids in that Life commercial… “He liked it! Hey, Mikey!”
Sorry for the “hard sell” — those were the best articles I could find on the subject, and most people assume that you’ll want to buy something to replace sunscreen, so naturally they’ll recommend that. Folks who’d rather not buy anything aren’t really on the majority’s radar…
I think you can literally brew some green tea and rub it on your skin. (After cooling it off first, of course. Which, come to think of it, will probably also feel really nice on a hot day.) I’ve heard of taking baths in herbal decoctions for various skin ailments, and the article did say “topical applications of green tea,” not “green tea extract” or anything like that. As for washing/sweating off, even sunscreens, natural or otherwise, come off with washing and sweating. I don’t think there’s anything you can put on your skin that won’t wash off, at least nothing you’d WANT to put on your skin. As for the vitamin supplements, ideally you’d get those vitamins from the food you regularly eat, so you wouldn’t need to buy them in pill form. (See Willem’s comment above.)
But like you yourself said, all that stuff is just icing on the cake. I think the most noticeable benefits come from just covering your skin, staying in the shade, and taking siestas.
What about working up a bit of a tan (if physically possible) so one doesn’t go straight from white to red.
I’m apparently genetically incapable of doing that, so I can’t say. If you find out, for the love of God, tell me. Before bikini season, if possible.
Comment by Giulianna Maria Lamanna — 16 April 2008 @ 8:52 PM
Hey Guili
I was half expecting a “I don’t care what you think anyway” kind of response so I was relieved to see you weren’t defensive. I have been really tough on a lot of your earlier posts and under-appreciative of your attempt to reach out to those who are more interested/aware/concerned with more than utilitarian subjects.
Out of interest how is the credit crunch/impending financial death spiral in the USA (and soon to be world) impacting your plans for rewilding? On my end it is tipping growing ~permaculture style farming of many staple crops from financial break even toward a clear advantage. I am confident I am ahead by working one less day a week to grow my own food now. I am rushing to buy some tools I could definitely use, but also holding back on other purchases in anticipation of a slow down and fire sales to move stock- timing is tricky. Is it improving the dynamic or complicating things for you?
Comment by void_genesis — 16 April 2008 @ 10:32 PM
Really, we’ve expected something like this would come next. And, we expect it to get a lot deeper before things break. So really, so far, everything has gone as expected. The only hiccup came from my family, not the economy; they gave away our land, so now we have to buy new land and begin our permaculture all over again, and now do it with the whole credit market retracting.
Comment by Jason Godesky — 17 April 2008 @ 6:10 AM
the current state of the credit market may not have a large impact for what you want. loans for undeveloped land are very different than home loans (they generally require a larger downpayment, for example) and i’m not sure that the credit crunch has impacted those types of loans.
if you haven’t already, you may want to ask around at some loan companies and get a handle on the situation for your area.
also, thanks for the article. i generally don’t burn much myself, but both my wife and daughter are prone to it, so i find it very interesting
Comment by jhereg — 17 April 2008 @ 7:53 AM
Yeah, in June or July we’ll start searching in earnest. We kind of got caught with our pants down here, moving to a new apartment in June (which tells you why Toby’s People issue #1 comes out in June!). Once things settle down on that, we’ll start looking into the land situation.
Comment by Jason Godesky — 18 April 2008 @ 6:16 AM
Hey Giuli,
I liked this one, too…
On the green tea thing… I suspect you could brew the tea with mineral oil or olive oil or whatever and then use it like any tanning oil on your skin… help it stay put and moisturize all at once…
Also… I know what you mean about not tanning… you know my complexion… but you have also seen me pretty damn tan. The difference? In recent years I have spent a lot of time out of doors beginning very early in the season, and continuing with great regularity throughout the summer. In fact, last year when I moved to Denver, I burned a little the very first day that I visited here in March (remember this is a mile high), after only a few minutes in direct, midday sun. But then spent hours and hours outside in the sun throughout the later spring and summer… and never got a single sunburn. Surprised the h*ll outta me, but something interesting was going on……..
We’ll have to see what happens this summer… I’m going to be outside ALL the time except when I’m working (or maybe even most of that time), and I’ll be a mile and a half up, so I will need to see how my skin feels about that
Janene
Comment by Janene — 18 April 2008 @ 12:14 PM
ahem … excuse me, but is this a place where we’re talking about living simple?
so … er… buying the vitamin-stuff and gels and oils. isn’t that off the mark?
I thought that the fewer naturally-produced oils you removed from your skin - through excessive face-washing with soaps/showerings/hairwashing etc the more the body retains its natural surface balance.
A simple example is vitamin-D : sunlight on naturally oily skin produces vit D. Strip the skin of its oily function by repeated washing of the face/body = no vit D.
Keep it simple! Buy less - not more.
Oh, and please - can we stop drinking all that water? Yes the body needs X amount of water passing through it per day . . . but that should come from the fruit and veg that you eat [they DO form the bulk of what you eat every day, right? That is - threequarters of your intake is simple fibrous stuff like beans, grains and green/red/yellow stuff . . .] so stop the plastic-water-bottle-madness. The water is often poor quality, you don’t need it, and the cost of the plastic, the shipping, the disposal is ruinous. It’s not doing you or la planette any good.
I could write a book on all this - only it would be one page long, and we’d have lost a bunch of trees and I’d be no nearer to buying that boat . . .
Comment by richardfrance — 18 April 2008 @ 2:09 PM
this isn’t the fugly forager, rf, and no one mentioned bottled water
I liked the article, Giuli. More people should know about commercial sunscreen–that it’s probably something dangerous. Nobody I tell believes me on that. I’ll start taking a little more tyrosine and flax oil since I already have some. I just got my first face burn of the year yesterday… It’s funny how you suddenly have something else to worry about after so long. Last summer I managed to get a good tan by exposing myself for like an hour a day at most until the sun didn’t bother me at all (and I’m one of those ghastly types… I can just tan for some reason… maybe it’s the Sicilian influence). Aloe vera helped me out a lot whenever I got a bit burned–it can be the difference between all your skin flaking off and leaving you white and cancerous, and a few uncomfortable days followed by a nice tan.
I’ll be sure to drink a lot of tea again since you mention that helps. I’ve heard that the differences between the types of tea (except maybe roasted…) are less than they’re made out to be, but it might be helpful (and it’s certainly tasteful) to drink some green, some black, or whatever you like. I think it’s really cool that tea bushes/trees can grow in Cornwall. I wonder if you could grow them in the Wilamette Valley or the Vancouver Valley or SE Vancouver Island? Maybe the Chesapeake Bay?
Comment by Singanothertime — 18 April 2008 @ 6:59 PM
Eight onces of water/day? Missing a “y”, yes…?
-Jim
Comment by JCamasto — 19 April 2008 @ 3:21 PM
Thanks for the article! I realized last summer via Mercola and others that most sunscreens are toxic, and thought: well, what about mud? If it’s really hot, that might help both cool and protect from the sun. Also, one more reason to work toward a forest canopy.
About green tea: does kombucha count? Does fermenting it hinder its sunblock effectiveness? What about black tea?
On that note, what primitive options are there for kombucha vessels? I guess terracotta or the like would be fine, in lieu of metalworking and glass making. Are any of those really do-able in a feral context? I suppose there’s also the fantastic option of salvage while it lasts if any of our afterculture descendents really wants kombucha.
Comment by Archangel — 20 April 2008 @ 3:29 PM
Yes–who said anything about buying vitamin supplements or gels? Willem mentioned diet, and we’ve talked about the paleo diet and nutrition quite a bit, but if you need us to repeat it for you, those vitamins should come from your diet, and if you don’t get them there, then you really need to take another look at what you eat.
Not exactly. Yes, you see a lot of Americans especially with that problem because they bathe far too often. But you can go to the opposite extreme and not bathe enough. It doesn’t work as simply as the less you wash the healthier you get. You’ve got to find the right balance.
Really, we don’t get nearly enough water, and it poses one of the biggest health problems we have. Your body uses water not just as a medium, but as an active nutrient involved in metabolism as well. You need a lot more water each day than most of us get, and mixed into sugary drinks or even teas won’t suffice.
But again, why in the world would you jump straight to bottled water based on that? Yes, bottled water poses a lot of problem, which tells you why no one said anything about drinking bottled water. You need to drink a lot of water, and most of us don’t, but that doesn’t mean you should drink a lot of bottled water. I mean, water does occur in nature from time to time!
That actually wouldn’t make for a very good diet at all. Like I said, we’ve discussed paleo-diet a lot, and while agrarian people have generally eaten like that and suffered from almost constant disease and early death, healthy cultures typically get at least half their food from animals.
Well, for that you’d want to apply it to your skin rather than drink it, but hey, drinking green tea doesn’t hurt, either.
Archangel - a few months ago, I’d never even heard of Kombucha. I heard a woman say she had a kombucha baby on the way, and I thought she’d become pregnant. Now I see it everywhere. Whence the sudden craze? As far as primitive options for it, I haven’t the foggiest. I don’t even really know how (or why) to make it in a civilized context.
Comment by Jason Godesky — 21 April 2008 @ 7:22 PM
hah!
i’m not sure what the sudden craze is about- though it’s what caught me. maybe it’s a new manufacturer or two on the block making and selling them? what’s gotten me interested in it is the thumbs up the weston price folks give to it. granted, i have my issues with them (especially with their magazine’s recent article suggesting that the appropriate response to climate change is not reforestation but in fact to expand Salatin-esque dairy farming more or less everywhere), but i like a lot of their suggestions about nutrition.
their contention, based on the good dentist’s work, is that all indigenous diets had fermentation traditions. some of them were liquid ferments (mead in the leather satchel probably being the first), others were vegetable or meat ferments. these foods, much like the dietary vitamins you were discussing with richardfrance above, did the job for us in terms of keeping our intestinal ecology full of beneficial bacteria before ‘probiotic’ supplements were around. (also, eating a diet with fewer starches helped to prevent some of the icky stuff out-competing the good stuff). also, it explains why so many of us like soda: we remember and wants fizzy beverages, and since these fermented ones aren’t common, we drink the sugary carbonated substitutes. in any event, it’s quite tasty and satisfying.
i like it, too, because it’s my first big step into cultivation. i feel like a nursery director separating and propagating my cultivar, and spreading it to others to do the same. everyone gardens after all, in their own way.
Comment by Archangel — 21 April 2008 @ 8:31 PM
WOW, I totally fucked that up. Apparently, I meant “eight eight-ounce glasses of water a day,” but I just checked Snopes (I know, I know, they have a conservative bias, but this doesn’t really have anything to do with politics) and apparently, that rule of thumb doesn’t make any sense even when I haven’t mangled it.
Um… I’ll be changing the article now. lol
Comment by Giulianna Maria Lamanna — 22 April 2008 @ 8:32 AM
The San of the southern African deserts used powdered red ochre mixed with eland antelope fat to rub on their bodies for sun protection (and looks). What about butter or olive oil mixed with powdered red ochre? There’s lot of outcrops of that around where I live (Mojave Desert, USA).
Comment by lizard — 29 April 2008 @ 6:27 PM