What Really Is Skin Cancer?

There are three distinct types of skin cancer. They are basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma.

Of the three types, Malignant melanoma is the most serious type because this type of cancer can spread to other organs in the body (metastasis) and lead to death.

Melanoma is usually pigmented or colored and is more dangerous. Many moles aren't cancerous, but it's vital to be monitored by a physician to keep an eye on them.

As advances in medicine are made, the range of treatment options have proved successful. Current treatment may include surgical removal, chemotherapy, radiotherapy or biological therapy, depending on the type of skin cancer. When any type of skin cancer is found early enough, it is much easier to treat. If it is diagnosed late, the treatment is not as effective.

Malignant melanoma is more prevalent in women than men and it is one of the most common cancers in people in the age range of 20 to 35. It affects people who work indoors more than those who work outside.

The non-melanoma skin cancers affect more men than women. It also affects older people, particularly those who have spent considerable time working outdoors. Too much exposure to the sun and getting frequent sunburns in childhood as well as the teenage years can make you more prone to developing it later life.

According to statistics, individuals that are most at risk of developing this disease are people with light or fair skin, freckles, who burn easily in the sun and who already have moles and/or spend too much time in the sun without protection.

Dark skinned individuals rarely get this, but everyone must be careful. There are some rare, inherited skin diseases that can make people highly sensitive to sunlight and therefore much more likely to get any type of skin cancer.

It is not always possible to differentiate between the various skin cancers and benign skin conditions by examination alone. The physician may order a biopsy. Once the biopsy is examined and if it is confirmed as cancer, then the best treatment option available will be implemented to remove it.

Mickey Lieberman is a Computer Consultant with over 30 years of experience working with both IBM mainframes, in various capacities and PC's. My skin cancer was detected early before it spread.

Original article

What Really Burns and Damages the Skin?

A person who consumes polyunsaturated fats in his diet and exposes his skin to ultraviolet light to the point of reddening produces hormone-like substances called prostaglandins from the linoleic acid contained in the fats. Prostaglandins suppress the immune system, thereby contributing to tumor growth. In addition, polyunsaturated fats are accompanied by free radical production, which can damage cells. If you add sunscreens to the skin, you have the right combination of chemicals to produce skin cancer, especially on areas that are more exposed to the sun than others.

In nature, oils never occur in large quantities. To obtain one tablespoon of corn oil in natural form you would have to eat 12-18 ears of corn. Since oil extraction from corn, grains, and seeds became possible 80-90 years ago, consumption of polyunsaturated and unsaturated fats (thicker oils) as salad and cooking oils has increased dramatically in the industrialized world. The average person today consumes 16 times more of these fats than a person did 90 years ago. (It easier for the digestive system to deal with oils that are expelled from foods with a higher concentration of oil, such as olives, coconuts, avocados etc., than from small nuts and seeds, such as almonds and linseeds)

That does not include all the other fats contained in today's foods.The lack of exercise, fresh air, and foods rich in nutrients make it even less possible for a human being to cope with such large amounts of unnatural fats. They impair the digestive power and lead to a buildup of toxins and subsequent crises of toxicity. The presence of excessive amounts of free radicals indicates that the body is full of toxins. Once they enter the skin tissue, even short-term exposure to ultraviolet light can burn and damage skin cells.

If your eyes and skin are sensitive to sunlight, this indicates that your body is toxic. Your subsequent effort to avoid the sun may result in serious light deficiency, which can lead to serious health problems. The fact that cancer of all kinds increased when sunscreens were introduced is hardly surprising. The UV light entering through the eyes also stimulates the immune system. Today, more than 50 percent of the U.S. population wears prescription or sun-protective glasses, which are able to block out most UV light. The latest fashion is to wear plastic glasses, which also block out all UV light. The same holds true for plastic contact lenses. Indoor activities, sunscreens, clothing, UV-repelling windows, etc. make certain that we receive very little of it. Without regular exposure to sunlight, however, the immune system decreases its effectiveness with every year of age. With sunlight, the use of oxygen in the body tissues increases, but without it, our cells begin to starve for oxygen. This leads to cellular malfunction, premature aging, and even death.

Starved of a balanced sunlight diet, we tend to look for help elsewhere, even though nature is ready to cure us at any time. It is very unfortunate that sick people are mostly kept indoors, often with curtains drawn and windows closed. One of nature's most potent preventive and curative powers is there for everyone to use.

[This is an excerpt from the book TIMELESS SECRETS OF HEALTH AND REJUVENATION by Andreas Moritz, available on http://www.ener-chi.com/book.htm]

Writer and practitioner in the field of Integrative Medicine and author of 13 books on various subjects pertaining to holistic health, including 'The Amazing Liver & Gallbladder Flush' and his latest book 'Vaccine-Nation: Poisoning the Population, One Shot at a Time', Andreas Moritz can be contacted on http://www.facebook.com/enerchi.wellness

Original article

Skin Cancer: What Really Causes It and How Can You Protect Yourself?

When you were a kid, there was probably not much said about sun protection. Most of us remember long, sunny days at the beach or on vacation where we got very badly sunburned, and had to sit things out for a day or two afterwards. This seemed like just a harmless regular childhood experience, until we grew up and found out that not only does sun exposure cause skin damage and skin cancer, but that the damage is cumulative, meaning that every bit of exposure to the sun's radiation we've had over our lifetimes has added onto the last. This lifetime amount along with several bad burns during childhood is said, along with certain hereditary and lifestyle factors, to put some at higher risk for skin cancer. The three most dangerous skin cancers are basal cell cancer, squamous cell cancer and the more commonly known melanoma.

In recent years, the prevailing wisdom has been that it is essential, especially for fair--skinned individuals and those out during peak hours and/or in the tropics, to wear a protective sunscreen lotion. Based on the advice of doctors and dermatologists, billions of people began buying sunscreen lotions for themselves and their kids, as skin cancer rates, even among children, began to skyrocket. But what is the cause of all this skin cancer? Is it all due to our thinning ozone layer, as most of us commonly believe? Could it be that the chemicals in sunscreens themselves have contributed somehow?

When I first heard the theory that sunscreens cause skin cancer, I, like so many, was so indoctrinated in the 'sunscreen as protection' camp that the idea seemed almost heretical. The gentleman who told me about it, however, was a very thoughtful, intelligent and well-read doctor whose word I trusted. He was a curious and voracious reader, and he cited the situation in Australia as evidence and suggested I read further myself (a good sign in my books). Sunscreen was first introduced en masse, he told me, in Australia, and the ensuing climb in skin cancer rates when represented on a graph looks almost identical to the graph expressing increasing use of sunscreen. Many, many scientists, he told me, are beginning to make a connection between the harmful chemicals in most commercial sunscreens which get absorbed through our skin and the formation of skin cancers so prevalent today. This same doctor went on to tell me that sunburn allows our body's natural defences against the sun to build up, and it was the sun blister on his nose, in fact, which prompted the conversation. He will never allow his children to wear sunscreen. So what are we to do?

Until the air clears, so to speak, there are other precautions we can take to protect ourselves from the strongest and most damaging of the sun's rays. We can wear protective clothing such as light, long sleeves and wide-brimmed hats, and quality sunglasses; we can stay out of the sun when it is at its strongest, and limit the duration of our exposure. We can choose natural, chemical-free sunscreen lotions.

While getting some sun is undoubtedly good for us - essential in our formation of Vitamin D and vital for the health of our hearts and minds - we can choose to take reasonable precautions as discussed and keep our skin beautiful and healthy for many years to come.

Shauna writes about a variety of health issues for her vitamin website, including the benefits of various vitamins, and the exciting new connection between astaxanthin & Alzheimer's prevention. Visit today and get your health on track!

Original article