100 Perks of Having Cancer: Plus 100 Health Tips for Surviving It (54 page)

without sunscreen because you couldn’t find the right one.

We often don’t think about applying sunscreen to kids unless we

are at the beach, but just one burn to a child doubles their risk of

developing skin cancer later in life. Kids need protection every day!

It’s a good habit to get into applying sunscreen before they go out

to play or when getting ready for school. Children should be wearing

at least SPF 30, and it should protect against UVA and UVB rays. Ide-

ally, sunscreen should be applied every two hours when outside or

after swimming if possible. Babies and toddlers should be kept out

of the sun or covered as much as possible. Badger brand (www.badger

balm.com) makes wonderfully safe sunscreen products for the whole family.

(Nope, not getting a kickback from Badger. Just like ’em.)

What’s the difference between UVA and UVB? (Other than one letter?)

UVA (ultraviolet A) rays penetrate deeply into your skin and do long-

term damage like wrinkles and “leather skin.” We’ve all seen the horrific

effects of UVAs on older sun worshipers we see at the beach with elephant

skin. UVA rays may also directly cause melanoma, the most serious kind of

skin cancer.

Perk #55: Cancer Taught Me a Lesson About Loving My Body

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UVB (ultraviolet B) are shortwave rays that are mostly responsible for

causing painful sunburn and are also the main cause of basal and squamous

cell skin cancer, as well as melanoma.

Needless to say, you should be wearing a sunscreen that protects from

both.

What’s SPF?

SPF means “sun protection factor.” It indicates how long you can go out in

the sun before you start to burn. An SPF of at least 30 is recommended for

everyone. It is a little known fact that any SPF higher than 30 only blocks

an additional 4 percent more UVBs. It won’t hurt to use a higher SPF,

though, and it adds a margin of error if you aren’t applying the sunscreen

as often or as heavily as you should, but the very high SPFs don’t necessarily

mean higher protection. In fact, the FDA is phasing out all products with

an SPF over 50 because they offer no additional sunscreen protection when

compared with the SPF 30 products.

But I want to look tanned!

I know we all want that “healthy glow,” and you might want to believe

that tanning beds are a safer option to sunbathing. However, tanning beds

are just as dangerous (if not more so) than lying on the beach. One derma-

tologist refers to tanning beds as “suicide beds.” (Move over, Dr. Kevorkian!)

In 2011, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for

Research on Cancer (IARC) concluded that indoor tanning does cause

melanoma. You are 75 percent more likely to get melanoma if you use a

tanning bed regularly, and the risk increases with more use.

Considering there are more tanning salons than streetlights in cities

today, it’s no wonder that melanoma is the fastest-growing cancer, increasing

by the rate of 2 percent each year since 1997. It is also the most common

form of cancer in people aged twenty-five to twenty-nine.

Ladies, there’s nothing wrong with “faking it.” There are wonderful,

healthy self-tanning lotions on the market. There are even self-tanners

with sunscreen built in. If you want to get a tan, get it the safe way. Lavera

(www.Lavera.com) is one company that makes several wonderful products

that are healthy and tan your skin beautifully without the sun’s rays and

without chemicals and preservatives.

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100 Perks of Having Cancer

Here are some more fun sun facts:

●
The sun is strongest between 10 AM and 4 PM, so try to remember to take

precautions during these hours: avoid

direct sun, have children play in the

shade, and don’t take babies and tod-

dlers out if you can help it.

●
Look like a movie star while you pro-

tect your eyes and prevent crow’s feet

by wearing UV-blocking sunglasses

(attitude optional).

●
Wear hats that shade your face and

neck and make a fashion statement

while you reduce your risk of skin

cancer.

●
Use extra caution near water, snow, and sand because they reflect light

and can intensify the damaging rays of the sun. Sunburns don’t only hap-

pen at the beach, ya know.

●
Keep in mind that you still need protection in a car, as side window glass

does not offer protection from UVA rays, which can cause deep skin dam-

age and melanoma. Windshields usually provide full UVA and UVB pro-

tection, but check with your auto manufacturer.

Note:
Even though sunscreens are more effective than ever, melanoma

is one of the cancers that is on the rise. There is some growing controversy

in the global community that has to deal with the efficacy of

You can still have

sunscreen
alone
to prevent melanoma. Some believe that the use

fun; just remember

of sunscreen gives people a false sense of security, so they feel

to respect the sun!

safe spending extra time in the sun. Recent research advocates

the use of sunscreen along with covering up (long sleeves, hat,

and such) and avoidance of sun during midday (10 AM to 3 PM) to truly

decrease your risk of skin cancers.

Perk #56

A Surprise Visitor

I
am very fortunate to be one of five sisters. I am especially blessed that two

of these sisters, Sherry and Juana, live close by. They have been an integral

part of my support team. Although sister Lynette lives in Florida, she was

able to come visit with me soon after my diagnosis, and I enjoyed an awe-

some stay with her the following January. However, sister Lessy lives in a

land far, far away (Calgary), and I had not seen her in nearly two years at

the time of my diagnosis. It is never easy to be away from your family, and

this becomes even more true when you are facing cancer.

(left to right) Lessy, Juana, Sherry, Lynette, and Flo

One day, I got the surprise of my life when she unexpectedly strolled

into my kitchen! Normally when Lessy comes to visit, I see very little of

her, since she has so many other relatives and friends to see. But this time,

she devoted her entire visit to spending time with me and transporting me

I 223 J

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100 Perks of Having Cancer

to my medical appointments. What an unexpected and delightful perk! As

an added bonus, Lessy is into various alternative-healing modalities, such

as Reiki and craniosacral therapy, so I took advantage of a few freebies. My

aura had never been cleaner and my chakras were completely balanced by

the time her stay ended.

It is okay to take advantage of your siblings when

you have cancer. That is what they are there for.

(Besides, you would do the same for them.)

HEALTH TIP #56

Take Advantage of All Your Diagnostic Options

B
eing a cancer patient, I can’t help but think of all the radiation I’ve been

exposed to over the course of my illness. And with Japan’s nuclear

power-plant mishap, and everything I am reading about radiation in cell

phone use, I thought I would do some extensive research on the subject.

(
Hmm
, I wonder if sitting in front of my computer is irradiating me?)

Surprisingly, radiation is completely natural. There is radioactivity all