After picking my daughter up from preschool last week, I noticed that she smelled of summer. Sweat and dirt of a three year old, yes, but also the telltale smell of sunscreen. As soon as the sun comes out we slather ourselves with high SPF sunscreen fearing skin cancer, moles, and wrinkles. In fact, so intense is our fear that many of us use sunscreen throughout the year, even if we never see the sun. Almost all face lotions and a whole slew of make-up now contains SPF for those few moments during the day in which we venture through parking lots to our cars for lunch. The fact of the matter is that we NEED the sunlight for our health and sunscreen blocks all of the health promoting benefits we get from the sun.

The most important nutrient we get from the sun is Vitamin D. Vitamin D is actually a hormone which helps us absorb Calcium. Vitamin D has always been an important component of bone health and is used to prevent and treat Osteomalacia, Rickets, and Osteoporosis (the reason that milk has been fortified with Vitamin D). In recent years, however, we have been inundated with research proving that Vitamin D is much more important than we thought. Not only is it important for our bones, it is important for our overall health.

Vitamin D deficiency is now thought to be a major contributor in many diseases. Autoimmune diseases such as Rheumatoid Arthritis, Multiple Sclerosis, and Diabetes are higher in those deficient in Vitamin D. Women who avoid the sun are more likely to have menopausal symptoms, PMS, fertility issues, and Breast cancer. Higher rates of heart disease, including heart attacks, stroke and congestive heart failure are linked to deficiency. Vitamin D deficiency is also associated with mood disorders such as depression and Seasonal Affective Disorders, memory loss, migraines, back pain, and any kind of chronic pain. The list goes on and on.

While we may drink our fortified milk and take our multivitamins, we are still falling short of our daily Vitamin D needs. The current Recommended Daily Allowance set by the FDA for Vitamin D is 400IU, which is a typical dosage in a multivitamin. Researchers now think that our actual requirements are more along the lines of 1000 IU to 4000 IU a day. This is far above what most people are getting.

It is obvious to me that if we are finding that an overwhelming majority of our population is deficient in this valuable nutrient, we need to find a way to get more of it. The more we can normalize our Vitamin D levels, the more diseases we can prevent. While supplementing with a high quality Vitamin D is effective and necessary in some cases, we can certainly get Vitamin D the way nature intended and get a little tan.

The debate goes on between the safety of the sun and the risks of developing skin cancer, a very real and scary disease. While I am not a fan of bathing myself, my kids, and my patients in the chemicals in sunscreen, I do fear skin cancer (and wrinkles) like the rest of you. However, I also think that the benefits of being tan outweigh the risks of Vitamin D deficiency.

My solution? Skip the sunscreen, unless you plan on being in the sun for longer than an hour and cannot cover up. Instead, work your skin up to a nice healthy glow by starting with five minutes of unprotected sun exposure a day and gradually, without getting sunburned, work up to an hour of unprotected sun exposure each day. This should provide you with adequate Vitamin D to prevent a myriad of very serious health issues while protecting you from skin cancer.

Dr. Eliza Klearman is a Naturopathic Doctor and Acupuncturist practicing in Eagle. For more information call 970-328-5678 or email Liza@DrKlearman.com.