Woodford Files

This issue of Vitality has dirty knees.

From our Annual Guide to Organics, to a feature on Local Harvest in the Raw, to a report on City Slickers at the Farm – our writers have been down in the trenches digging up stories that highlight organic trends across the province. Overall it appears that local organic farms are flourishing, with demand often exceeding supply. And more farmers are transitioning every year.

Why does it matter? In the sense that we eat our environment every day, there is much to be gained from nourishing the soil and the plants that grow upon it, because sooner or later they end up on our plate. Organic farming does that, and in return we are nourished. “Organic produce actually delivers more nutritional bang for the buck,” writes Barbara Kingsolver in her wonderful book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. “Several studies ... have shown fruits and vegetables grown without pesticides and herbicides to contain 50 to 60 percent more antioxidants than their sprayed counterparts. The same antioxidants that fight diseases in the plant leaf work similar magic in the human body, protecting us ... against various diseases, cell aging, and tumour growth.” (www.animalvegetablemiracle.com)

So spending extra money on organic food buys extra disease-fighting power, with added ecological benefits for the wellbeing of future generations (the birds and bees like it too). And supporting local farmers strengthens our local economy, environment, and community.

Further on the subject of local treasures, herbalist Michael Vertolli turns the spotlight on Sumac, a tree that grows wild in parks and woodlands around Ontario. What may surprise you are the many medicinal properties of Sumac’s brilliant red fruits, and the ease with which we can harvest them. Vertolli’s recipe for Sumac Sun Tea is on the top of my list of wild things to try this year.

Helke Ferrie’s feature this month captures the latest developments behind rising global opposition to genetically modified food, and begs the question – why is Canada not getting onboard the no-GMO bandwagon? It’s an interesting view of the GMO versus Organic (read corporate profit versus human health) debate that is getting louder around the world.

And if the summer season has got you hot and bothered, check out our feature by Adina Stanescu on using Chinese herbs to turn down your internal thermostat. The crux of the matter is inflammation – and how the fires of inflammation burning within us are fanned by the heat in our environment. Fortunately, strategic use of anti-inflammatory herbs and nutrients can reduce or even eliminate the discomforts of seasonal heat and humidity.

Incidentally that’s me in a picture taken by Julie Daniluk at the recent rally against Bill C-51. It was a boisterous gathering of folks committed to preserving our access to natural health products. For an update on where things are at now, see the C-51 update.

On another note, I’d like to rant for a minute on the hazards of sunscreens. These days, everyone from the weatherman to your mother is telling you to put sunscreen on before you go outside. Unfortunately, that idea is based on old research which had us thinking that sunscreens prevent skin cancer. However, while sales of sunscreen in the U.S. have gone from $18 million in 1972, to $640 million in 2005, the incidence of skin cancer has increased threefold.

How can this be? According to the book Solar Power by Marc Sorenson, EdD, vitamin D is the essential nutrient being blocked by sunscreens. In a lengthy review of the book, writer Katherine Duff states: “The author explains that sunlight ultraviolet B contacts the skin where a particular type of cholesterol is stored. Some of the cholesterol is converted to Vitamin D and transported to the liver, then to the kidneys and other tissues, then it is converted to calcitrol as needed. Calcitrol is then able to bind to Vitamin D receptors throughout the body. Sunscreens stop 99% of this process.”

Solar Power goes on to discuss the many processes vitamin D affects to prevent cancer growth, which includes slowing of cancer cell proliferation. According to Duff, “Sorenson builds the case that our anti-sun mentality and use of sunscreens is responsible for the burgeoning number of internal cancers that face us today. Several cancers are examined in light of criteria not often found in cancer discussions, that being, of course, the role of sunlight and cancer statistics.”

As for myself, I never wear sunscreen because it fools you into thinking you can stay out in the direct sun longer than you should - it does this by turning off an important signal, burning skin. In other words, if you don’t have any sunscreen on, your skin will tell you pretty accurately when to get out of the sun.

Here in the northern hemisphere, where Canadians are chronically vitamin D deficient, I believe that sunscreens do more harm than good.

For a more natural approach, I start to build up my sun exposure in early summer gradually (10 minutes a day), and then increase it over the summer. (If you’re able to sunbathe in the nude for 10 - 15 minutes a day, so much the better. Getting sunlight on your lower back is a great battery charger for the kidneys.) If I’m going to be outdoors all day, I stick to the shade and wear a hat. If my skin occasionally gets burned, I get out the aloe vera gel (the good stuff from the health food store) and smoothe it over the affected body parts, which quickly soothes and heals the burn.

If skin cancer is a concern, it’s better to pay attention to your diet than to what brand of sunscreen to use. Taking plenty of antioxidants like vitamin C, E, and B complex is scientifically shown to provide excellent protection against free radicals formed by sun exposure. Avoiding adulterated oils (hydrogenated fats like margarine, or heat treated oils like soy, canola, and corn) – and instead choosing cold pressed omega-3 rich oils (fish oil, flax, hemp, etc) will go a long way toward reducing cancer-causing inflammation. And avoiding processed meats and acid-forming foods in favour of alkaline-forming fruits and vegetables will allow your skin to detoxify and repair itself efficiently.

So if you’re crazy enough to take my advice and go sunscreen-free this summer, just remember to always wear a hat or scarf in the direct sun to avoid sunstroke, and if you feel your skin start to burn, make a run for the shade. If your skin starts to feel a little dry or wrinkled, smoothe on some pure shea butter or cold pressed coconut oil to get that healthy glow back.

That's my recipe for deriving maximum benefit from solar power while minimizing the risk of sun damage. And so far it’s working for me.

(Katherine Duff’s review of Solar Power was published in the July issue of Townsend Letter. To order Solar Power, go to www.sunarc.org, an incredibly informative website about the relationship between lack of sunlight and various diseases, including Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, and cancer. A quote found on the home page goes like this:

“It's the great cancer cover-up. Panicked into avoiding sunlight by health experts, we are now dying in the thousands from diseases linked to deficiencies of vitamin D. But still the exaggerated warnings come.” - Oliver Gillie)