Re: Kids and harmful UV rays while at school
 

OK now what about all this mumbo jumbo lets bag our kid from the sun and douse the poor little sprout in a gallon of sunscreen thing.

VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY!!!!!!!!!

Do the research on vitamin D deficiency.

Over protecting a kid from the sun actually does more harm than good.

Most of you poor mothers out there have been convinced by marketing hype that poor little Johny and Mary will die a fate worse than death if they don't cover up... BS

Re: Kids and harmful UV rays while at school
 

I've had heatstroke as a child. I was around 7 or 8 at the time - got it at school. Not pleasant. I was really ill - and hallucinating (which was quite an experience!)

It can actually happen anywhere - I was in Belguim at the time (not known for it's great sun ;) ) I was very ill for some days and think it included a trip to hospital (I was a bit out of it at the time).

Your heart is clearly in the right place, however, what are the incidences of heatstroke in children in Australia?

As the slip, slop, slap campaign has been so big in Aus and was a governmental sponsored scheme (I guess - as I don't actually *know*), surely this was weighed up as part of the planning for the campaign. Not that I'm naive enough to think that everything put forward by the government (any government) is fantastic - fluoridation of water being one of my bugbears and well, I home-edded for years (verging on autonomous/unschooling) and am known for some anarchist leanings, but still, I would imagine that such things were included - hence my interest re. Vit. D. production.

Is it a case that parents are now so scared by skin cancer (which is a real danger - even in the UK) that they have gone 'overboard' ignoring some of the possible benefits of measured sun exposure.

I'm not very clued up on the UV situation in Australia - because quite frankly I was leaving that pile of reading till a bit further along in the process, 2nd bash at TRA, so trying not to get too excited too early on because another bump would be more unpleasant and disappointing than the first, but I am aware that apparently even on overcast days, suncream is recommended. This was a small warning bell in my mind.

I'll leave it to those who're in Aus to clarify this :)

Re: Kids and harmful UV rays while at school
 

Covering the poor little sprout up sure keeps away the sun but a Vit D defficiency then exposes them to;

breast cancer (25% of breat cancer patients have low Vit D counts)
osteo related condition including muscle wasting
colon cancer
Type 1 diabeties
hypertension
high rates of cell damage

and numerous other complaints they're just starting to understand

Re: Kids and harmful UV rays while at school
 

Yes, the cynic in me did wonder about some of the big bucks involved :(

Not that I'm playing down the dangers of skin cancer - far from it, but the vit. D. thing has cropped up in my mind before.

Re: Kids and harmful UV rays while at school
 

You have to know a bit of sociology and history to get to grips with whats happening now days.

High skin cancer rates are a relatively modern phenomenon - why? They're higher now than they've ever been so whats changed given that 20+ years ago we slapped coconut oil on to get a tan and we all got heaps of sun. So why are rates still rising??

That sets off alarm bells straight away.

The big change is life style. More leisure time (time in the sun) but that's not quite right. It's no sun all week and then go out and get zapped at weekends that does the serious damage.

Strangely out door workers have a lower incidence than indoor workers. Gotta be something in this right?

There's mounting evidence that the next generation will be more at risk because they've had little or no exposure. Trouble with over doing with little kids is that by the time they're teenagers they have a lower value of Vit D (which is known to kill cancers and protect cells from damage).

What we're actually doing by over protecting kids is making them more vulnerable to skin cancers as adults. So as teenagers they wear the skimpy clothes, hit the beach with their mates etc and get zapped more often. Go to any beach and look at all the pale people there slip slop slapping with screens that wash off in first wave. They then hang around thinking they're still OK and get zapped.

cont'd...

Re: Kids and harmful UV rays while at school
 

However, little kids have sensitive skin so it's still wise to use caustion but they need small amounts of exposure.

Tanning is a 'natural' defensive reaction by the skin. The skin produces melanin that is a UV filter and also produces Vit D which protects cells from damage. The result is an ever increasing tan.

People who work out doors have naturally darker tans and consequently better natural protection.

With kids if you get the mix right to actually enhance their protection and facilitate Vit D production. The big thing though is no burning.

cont'd

Re: Kids and harmful UV rays while at school
 

[QUOTE=nzer57;4705417]You have to know a bit of sociology and history to get to grips with whats happening now days.

High skin cancer rates are a relatively modern phenomenon - why? They're higher now than they've ever been so whats changed given that 20+ years ago we slapped coconut oil on to get a tan and we all got heaps of sun. So why are rates still rising?? /quote]

Are they? Is it not that it is better recognised now? Rates of all sorts of things appear to be soaring (if we believe the popular media) - look at rates of ASDs in children, is it not that such things are categorised more now?

[quote: The big change is life style. More leisure time (time in the sun) /quote]

Can't argue there.

[quote: Strangely out door workers have a lower incidence than indoor workers. Gotta be something in this right? /quote]

I'm not aware of the figures, so can't comment upon this. However, if that is the case than yes, I would agree that it would require further investigation.

[quote: Go to any beach and look at all the pale people there slip slop slapping with screens that wash off in first wave. They then hang around thinking they're still OK and get zapped. /quote]

I'm not a beach person (yes, I am a pom who isn't moving to Australia because I believe it'll be barbies on the beach every evening - not that I'm saying that everyone else has this reasoning), so erm, haven't got much experience of that - never seen the interest of lying around on a beach all day (although I know there are other things that one can also do whilst down there).

Re: Kids and harmful UV rays while at school
 

The slip slop slap debate is driven by those who got on the band wagon some years ago when skin cancer became an issue. At that time it seemed wise to adopt a precautionary approach and reduce exposure to the sun. A whole industry sprang up around this notion and skin cancer protection through various agencies soon started to shout it load and clear from the roof tops but have a look at who is funding these campaigns.

It's been known for a decade that research was starting to expose the overhyping of this issue but of course it doesn't get advertising dollars.

That could change soon as health issues surrounding the Vit D deficiency thing become a bigger cost on the health system.

Both my kids are grown up now. As a parent my kids got a bit of screen on their vulnerable bits, nose, cheeks ears, shoulders and then fired out in the sun to enjoy being kids. Last thing I would ever do is buy UV clothing and put them in a protective bubble. That doesn't mean i left them out to fry though. We made they sure they got just enough sun and no more. And hey we lived under the ozone hole in NZ.

Take a sensible approach to sun exposure and you'll have healthy kids now and in the future. Over do the protection thing and you'll almost certainly up their risk factors for a host of other health problems.

I would rather my kids risked skin cancers than the alternatives. Skin condition is easy to monitor and skin cancer has one of the highest cure rates. The other potential health risks you won't see coming and by the time you notice somethings wrong you could be too late.

My wife had a small non malignant cancer taken off the back of her leg. Sure beats getting your breasts lopped off or wearing a cholostomy bag for the rest of your life.

I'll take skin cancer any day.

Re: Kids and harmful UV rays while at school
 

I did this stuff at Uni 10 years ago when I was studying sports science. Can't give you a reference for it unfortunately. Something I happened to run across at the time.

I have read in the past though that the most vulnerable are office and indoor workers who have little exposure then get zapped on weekends when out an about.

The rule I work on is little and often as you build up even a slight tan

Re: Kids and harmful UV rays while at school
 

I knew I was right to leave admin ;)