Is it ok to use the flax seed oil in place of sun screen?

Alama, Gary and Alofa cycling in Tonga 2011
Gary's sun protection provided by a very
fashionable white shirt!

Hello, I wanted to know is it ok to use the flax seed oil in place of sun screen? Was looking for a healthier option. I work outdoors here in the USA.
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Gary:
Flax oil is wonderful for the skin, as is coconut oil.  Both can be used to maintain skin health.  However, they offer no protection at all against sunburn.

For about ten years now I have been exploring ways to reduce my reliance on sunscreens and I can advise that I have been able to reduce my sunscreen use by at least 50% while improving my skin health.  This is despite being out in the sun a lot more nowadays (I used to avoid the sun in compliance with the skin cancer terrorism warnings).  We are about to go on a cycling tour in the tropics and this will include hours exposed to blistering sun.

Here's what I do in anticipation of being in the sun for long periods:

• I take Astazan daily.  Astazan is a potent fat-soluble anti-oxidant that soaks up neutralises the free radicals that are produced when UV radiation strikes the flesh.  This prevents the free radical damage that causes cell damage.  Astazan needs to be taken daily for at least a few weeks prior to the sun exposure.  What you will notice is your skin will tan much quicker and the tan will last much longer.
• You can support the Astazan with Algotene which is another potent source of anti-oxidants, including astazanthin.  Algotene is a marine phytoplankton which has adapted to survive in the harshest of UV conditions.
• Wear a broad hat and a long-sleeve shirt and use judicious amounts of sunscreen on areas like the back of the neck and front of the thighs.

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The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation.  Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness.

When running, what should I be doing to protect my skin from sunburn?

Gary
Re Vitamin D
Sun exposure is one of the major recommendations - fine. However I usually have a good covering of "30" sunscreen on all my exposed parts - I burn relatively easily.Does this sunscreen affect the generation of the desired vitamin D? I gather UVB is the radiation required to generate vit D but I suspect it is also screened significantly by the sunscreen.
So for a typical 2-3 hour run what should I be doing?
Regards
Peter

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Gary advises:

Sunscreen negates the health benefits of the sun with regards to vitamin D production. However; during a long run it is essential that you take steps to prevent sun burn which is what causes skin cancer.

I recommend that you cover up wearing a hat and a loose long sleeve shirt, or a T-shirt and then lathering sunscreen on the exposed areas. While there is debate about the toxic effects of sunscreen lotions, I remain in favour of judicious use in the meantime.

If you are fair-skinned, then your exposure of skin should only be for as long as is necessary to cause a slight pinkness by end of day. Nothing more is necessary for vitamin D production. Expose as much of your body as possible for no longer than about 10 minutes of midday sun - longer if you have dark skin. So, if you are running, whip the shirt off for about 10 minutes and then put it back on and complete the run.

Eating a handful or two of dark berries per day can give your skin some additional resistance to sunburn. Vitamin C and MSM reduce the damaging effects of sunburn. Take about 2,000 mg of vitamin C per day and up to 6,000 mg of MSM per day and see what happens. Incidentally, MSM will increase endurance and reduce muscle and joint pain. Both are available from my store http://www.myotec.co.nz/

For more information about this important topic, do a search of my website using key words like "sunlight" or vitamin D"

Blueberries may reduce colon cancer risk by over 50%

The researchers studied 18 rats in which colon cancer had been induced in a manner similar to human colon cancer development. All of the animals were placed on a balanced diet, with half of the animals' diets supplemented with pterostilbene. After eight weeks, the rats fed pterostilbene had 57 percent fewer pre-cancerous colon lesions compared to the control group. The researchers also noted that pterostilbene inhibited certain genes involved in inflammation, considered a colon cancer risk factor.
http://www.newstarget.com/021951.html


Gary Moller comments:
If a drug was invented with a fraction of this effectiveness then it would be a Nobel winning sensation.

While the focus of the research quoted above is a compound found in blueberries, I think the benefits are similar with all dark berries to a greater or lesser extent. It is the dark compounds in the berries that do the job. Another interesting benefit of eating dark berries is they may reduce sensitivity to sunlight and reduce the damage from too much sun.

Check out my Super Smoothie recipe which traditionally includes dark berries as essential ingredients for super nuttrition.