ETS Tanning Bed Blog

Studies are finding pre-menopausal women in early stages of breast cancer also suffer from Vitamin D deficiency, indicating there might be a link. Vitamin D is a booster of the immune system and helps the body fight off a variety of bacterial infections – and possibly more. There’s an increasing amount of evidence which shows breast cancer is less likely in women with high levels of Vitamin D.

Researchers at Columbia University reported that in their study of 103 pre-menopausal women with early stage breast cancer, 74 percent of them had a Vitamin D deficiency . This was supported by results of other studies in Toronto, Canada, which showed the same category of women had better treatment outcomes when they had adequate levels of Vitamin D in their blood.

The reports also show these deficiencies may not be corrected with a daily supplement of 400 IU/day (the generally recommended amount) especially during winter months due to lack of sun exposure, a primary source of Vitamin D. Some of this can be made up with safe (limited exposure with UV-B rays) indoor tanning which stimulates production of this valuable vitamin in the skin. New information indicates as much as 1000 to 1500 IU of Vitamin D per day may the amount required to be effective for breast cancer prevention.

Experts have begun singing the praises of vitamin D, a primary source of which comes from UV-B rays found in sunlight and tanning beds. Many tanning salons have beds with high UV-B ray output, like our SS755 Tanning Bed which makes it ideal for people in cold winter climates who want to not only maintain their tan, but feel good and get a healthy dose of vitamin D.

The recent swine flu scare had everyone worried about their health, but there’s good news for those “ounce of prevention” types and it’s called Vitamin D. Having enough is important because recent studies have shown when levels of vitamin D are low, we’re more susceptible to colds and flus. So while not exactly a cure, it is effective in staving off those rampant viruses floating around at the office.

Vitamin D is actually a hormone which encourages and empowers your immune system through the production of cathelicidin (a protein that fights bacteria). Its two biggest sources are the sun and fortified milk – but you can also take supplements or visit your local tanning salon for some full spectrum UV light therapy. The latter is also a recognized treatment for seasonal affective disorder (winter blues) and much cheaper than a Mediterranean cruise.

Dr. Jan Gurley — Doc Gurley — a medical blogger for the San Francisco Gate, speculates that increased vitamin D intake in the summer is one the reasons the flu tends to disappear in the summer . She also says ultraviolet lights can help kill the influenza virus on surfaces .

Most people can take up to 1,000 IU of vitamin D per day, but if you're not sure, just get a blood test and let your doctor help you find your optimal level.

Vitamin D is quickly turning into the wonder vitamin of this decade. It's easy to get (sunlight in the summer, tanning salons in colder weather), inexpensive (sunlight is free, most tanning salons have membership programs, and vitamin D milk is $3 per gallon), and it can help fight a number of different ailments, including certain cancers, seasonal affective disorder, and even the basic flu.

There just may be a reason multiple sclerosis (MS) is less common in countries that have more year ’round sunshine. At least, there is new research which indicates Vitamin D (acquired orally or through the skin via sunshine or UV-B rays from indoor tanning beds) helps in the treatment of the disease.

MS is a medical disorder in which the body doesn’t recognize itself. As a result, the body’s own immune system attacks and eventually destroys the sheath (covering) that protects the nerve fibers, reacting as if it were a foreign substance or an infection.

Vitamin D is well known as an immune system booster . Now, however, medical research from Louisiana State University School of Medicine and the Oregon Health and Science University indicate Vitamin D may also help regulate the immune system.

In fact, other researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston have stated vitamin D deficiencies have been linked to MS, rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, and certain types of cancer .

Clinical trials are now in phase II to gauge the effectiveness and necessary amount for MS treatment. In an official statement, researchers say they believe Vitamin D therapy research will provide “more therapeutic options,” and hope their findings are “a major advance in the global effort to alter the natural history of this chronic disease.”

There is also the mood-enhancing benefit of UV-B rays. And if you have a tight day schedule or live in a country (or region) that does not get year ’round sun, you can easily add indoor tanning to your UV-B regimen. Contact your local tanning salon for information on pricing and membership.

This month, the American College of Sports Medicine published an article in their Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise journal that says vitamin D can actually help athletic performance .

While a few sessions of indoor tanning isn't going to turn you into Shawn Johnson or Michael Phelps, the article, titled 'Athletic Performance and Vitamin D' , found that because vitamin D is actually a steroid hormone that regulates over a thousand vitamin D-responsive genes, it may postively affect athletic performance. The article cited a number of studies, including a German study that found increased exposure to UV-B rays improves athletic performance.

Other cited studies found that athletic performance peaks seasonally with those peaks corresponding to prolonged exposure to sunshine, UV-B rays and vitamin D. Another study mentioned in the article found that regular sunshine and optimal vitamin D levels can actually increase the number and size of Type II muscle fibers - the muscle fibers known as our "fast twitch" fibers which are key for athletes.

Athletes who already participate in outdoor sports — long-distance runners, cyclists, baseball players and soccer players — have plenty of vitamin D, but it's the indoor and winter athletes who could probably use the extra vitamin D boost to aid their performance.

And because vitamin D deficiencies can actually be dangerous for an athlete (for all of us, actually), resulting in bone loss, increased risk of injury and a weakened immune system, it's critical that these sports enthusiasts keep a close eye on their vitamin D levels.

So, what does this mean for our Olympic athletes? Will we see our luge and speed skating teams preparing for Vancouver 2010 with indoor tanning sessions and lots of sunshine? Maybe. I can tell you this much - sunshine and UV-B rays aren't illegal.

Even Forbes, a business magazine, is getting on the vitamin D bandwagon with an article about the importance of vitamin D that covers a new study promoting the connection between sunshine, UV-B rays and your overall health .

What I like about this latest study from the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine is that the author, Dr. Adit Ginde, stresses that fortified food typically isn't sufficient enough when it comes to vitamin D. Too often, I think most people assume that because a food is fortified with vitamin D that they're fine, but the truth is there's just no substitute for sunshine and UV-B rays when it comes to your health.

In fact, according to Dr. Ginde and his co-authors, more than 75% of the U.S. population suffer from some form of vitamin D deficiency. The cause? According to the study, it's our society's hyper-awareness of sun exposure and subsequent overuse of sun block along with a trend towards spending less and less time outside. (Look, when people are telling you to put on a high-SPF sunscreen and big floppy hat just to get your mail, it's getting a little silly.)

The answer? Get some sunshine, it's good for your health.

But what if you can't get outside or, like me, you live in Indianapolis during the winter? Well, you can get those same UV-B rays through indoor tanning. Indoor tanning machines provide the same UV-B rays that the body uses to synthesize vitamin-D, meaning 10 minutes in a bed one to two times a week may be all you need.

I recently stumbled across a 2008 study, done in part at the University of Washington, that found vitamin D administered to patients suffering from chronic kidney disease can actually reduce mortality rates by about 26 percent.

Instead of obtaining vitamin D through exposure to UV-B rays, a portion of the 1,418 patients in the study were administered calcitrol, an oral and activated vitamin D supplement. This was to ensure that vitamin D intake and levels could be carefully monitored and tracked.

Both interesting and comprehensive, this study also shows that vitamin D exposure and absorption is important to our health and in ways that go beyond basic bone issues.

Over the past several months, we've seen sunlight go from being the fiery demon that's been vilified by prohibitionist dermatologists to the wonder vitamin responsible for preventing so many ills. From cancer prevention to reduced mortality rates in those suffering from kidney disease, vitamin D is proving itself to be the miracle hormone. This study is just one more reinforcement as to why all things, including sunlight and indoor tanning, should be done in moderation, not avoided completely.

And no, you don't have to take calcitrol in order to obtain sufficient vitamin D levels. You can get vitamin D by exposing yourself to 10-15 minutes of direct sunlight several times a week. If you can't get outside or live in a climate that doesn't provide an excessive amount of sun, you can get all the UV-B rays you need with just one to two short indoor tanning sessions a week. Call your local tanning salon to see what kind of membership packages they have available for you.

When I was a kid, we played outside every day from about April to November and if it wasn't too cold in the winter, our mothers sent us out in the snow. Today, kids are inside playing video games, watching movies, surfing the Internet and simply not getting the sunlight and vitamin D they need to maintain their personal health.

While I don't want to turn this into a story about how I had to walk ten miles to school (it was actually only eight), I think this downturn in sun exposure could translate into a downturn for our children's health.

For instance, did you know that rickets is actually making a comeback ? Rickets?! Yes, the same disease that plagued mine-working children during the Industrial Revolution in sun-starved Britain . That rickets.

In the early 1920s, it was Johns Hopkins researcher Elmer McCollum who discovered the connetion between rickets and vitamin D. In fact, it was McCollum who "discovered" vitamin D by curing rickets after heating cod-liver oil (a commonly-believed cure at the time), which destroyed its vitamin A properties, but left an unknown nutrient. McCollumn named it D, since vitamins B and C had recently been discovered.

Although most of our milk products, and even eggs, are fortified with vitamin D, it doesn't seem to be enough to stop this previously eradicated disease. Another alarming statistic cited in the article linked above (Vitamin D Levels in Kids are So Low that Rickets is Back with a Vengeance) is that kids' bones are developing normally, but are significantly softer.

The consequence of lower vitamin D is more breaks. Forty-six percent more girls are breaking their arms than compared to 40 years ago and 32 percent more boys. Scientists and doctors believe this may be the result of widespread vitamin D deficiency, which has been brought about because of reduced sun exposure.

With kids either staying inside or being constantly lathered with sunscreen, they're simply not getting the sun exposure they need. And truthfully, it's not that much - just 10-15 minutes of direct sunlight 2-3 days per week to get those all-important UV-B rays. By increasing a kid's vitamin D levels, we can reduce rickets, and even prevent future diseases from occurring when they're adults.