I've read recently that the chemicals in the popular sun blockers may actually be making things worse instead of better.  It seems that the sun-blocking chemicals could actually absorb the sun's radiation and then transfer through the skin into our bodies.  Being highly energized by the sun the chemicals become potent free radicals (atoms or molecules that are highly reactive with other cellular structures because they contain unpaired electrons).  We take anti-oxidants to help reduce the effects of free radicals.  It seems counterproductive to slather something on our skin only to have it become a source for trouble once it gets inside our bodies.

I think sunshine has been given a bad name.  Even television advertising is encouraging all of us to coat ourselves with the newest sun blocking chemicals.  I advise everyone I know to be cautious about using those products.  First, they may actually be part of a much larger problem.  Second, they can give a user a false sense of security.  The advertising suggests that you are PROTECTED once you're buttered up.  That can easily lead to overexposure.  And, as I said above - overexposure seems to be the real culprit when it comes to UV rays and skin problems.

Back to tanning salons.  I went there first because I wanted to get ready for a trip to Cancun.  It seemed a good idea to get started with the sun and not leave it to the southern sun to do the dirty work.  I admit that I liked the experience - and I did not suffer any side effects from sun exposure during our trip. 

Recently I signed up again for salon tan because I though I'd look better in my formal attire at a family wedding (yes, guys want to look nice too!).  Again, I liked the experience.  And, I've continued to return regularly for 10 to 15 minutes of tanning.  One of the workers at our local salon says the "Tanning is Gooood!"  When done properly and in moderation I agree.  It feels good and I miss it when I don't get over there at least weekly - especially during the winter months. In addition a test for vitamin D suggested that I might actually be deficient. I take cod liver oil every day (Carlson's), but that doesn't seem to be enough. I live in the Chicago area so visits to the outdoors is only a possibility a few months a year.

Am I just a nut about exposing my skin to the UV rays in a tanning bed?  Are there other people who like it too - and not just because their skin gets a nice tan glow? Well, it seems I'm not alone.  A recent report contains this statement, "We believe that ultraviolet light has an effect on mood that tanners value," says researcher Steven Feldman, MD, PhD, a dermatologist with Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C. His study appears in the current issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology." http://my.webmd.com/content/article/90/100581.htm

Maybe it's all part of the "great conspiracy" to destroy my health.  But, maybe it is ok to visit a tanning salon - if a person doesn't overdo it.  Maybe its ok to be out in the sun without a chemical coat - if I don't stay out too long.  Maybe the sun actually keeps us healthy by making vitamin D.  And, maybe energizing sun rays can actually make me feel good.  Wouldn't it be an odd thing if natural sunlight was better for us than all the antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs our health system throws at us?  If free sunlight could actually help us who'd buy the drugs - and who'd apply the sun blockers?