All life on the planet and everything in nature depends on the sun. Without the sun, there would be no life on the planet. All life depends on the sun. Plants convert sunlight into energy, and all animals need plant life or other animals in order to live. All life in nature depends on the sun. We as humans are part of nature. We need sunlight like everyone else.

Sunlight is essential to your life and health. This often brings up the concern of skin cancer. People are told that the sun causes skin cancer and that they should use sunscreen to prevent skin cancer. This is a great theory about medical symptoms and the disease care profession. Skin cancer is increasing because people are supposedly spending more time in the sun, and this is the supposed “proof” that skin cancer is caused by the sun. Did the experts realize that most cancer cases are on the rise? Does the sun also cause these cancers?

Well my friends, I have a question for you. How many other bad things are on the rise that people are doing? Bunches. Just because the sun hits the skin, the powers that be say that’s the only thing that “causes” skin cancer. They are looking for the only cause and the only cure. Remember, there is no single cause of anything. There are only contributing factors.

In my opinion, it’s not the sun that contributes to cancer, but getting sunburned. Most people stay out of the sun for months; then they play weekend warrior and are out in the sun all weekend, often getting sunburned. My inner knowing tells me that it is this burning that is the main contributing factor to skin cancer, not actual sun exposure.

So if you don’t prepare for sunlight and you know you’re going to be in the sun for a long time, use a chemical-free sunscreen.

The irony about sunscreen is that what most people use actually contains a chemical known to cause cancer. The FDA says that PABA is a known carcinogen or causes cancer, and yet it is found in most sunscreens. How ironic. There are PABA free sunscreens that use different “new” chemicals. My opinion is that the chemicals that replace PABA will soon also be identified as carcinogens. Just give them time. Even PABA was labeled “safe” by the FDA at first.

My recommendation: get a good chemical-free sunscreen. Many health food stores will have them. Or you can find a place near you that sells them on the web. Avalon Organics is the sunscreen that I recommend and use. Unfortunately, they are not available everywhere at the moment.

The easiest way to get sunlight is to go outside. Go outside every day without contact lenses or any type of glasses and expose much of your skin to the sun. For you this might not be feasible, because you live in a place where there is a thing called winter. So an acceptable alternative is to get some quality full spectrum light bulbs for your work and home. These are light bulbs that emit light similar to that of the sun. You can also order them online, full spectrum solutions is the brand I use. But be careful; Not all full spectrum bulbs are the same. Most full-spectrum bulbs in brick-and-mortar stores aren’t much of an improvement over regular lights.

A fun alternative is to head south for the winter. Go somewhere where you can hang out in the sun without glasses or contacts, with much of your skin exposed to the sun.

Either way, it needs sunlight year-round to be fully healthy.