Upon Emerging from Writer's Block

Spring thinking is soggy--
rain dampens the muse.

Please Summer, bring wisdom...
which sunscreen to use!

Me and Gisele Bundchen

I guess you can be gutsy when you are the highest-paid supermodel in the world.   Gisele Bundchen has taken a public stand on some pretty controversial topics including advocating natural childbirth, not using baby formulas with sugar and soy in them and now she is saying that she doesn’t like the "poisons" in sunscreens.   Brave girl!   The National Cancer Society really took umbrage!   But EPA studies indicate she may be right.   Use a sunscreen but be careful of ones containing parabens (preservatives labeled methyl-, propyl-, butyl- and ethyl- ), oxybenzone, PABA and vitamin A retinol and retinyl palmitate, octyl salicyclate, avobenzone, cinoxate, padimate O, dioxybenzone, phenylbenzimidazole, homosalate, sulisobenzone, menthyl anthranilate, trolamine salicyclate and octocrylene.  Oxybenzone is a hormone disruptor and retinyl palmitate has been linked to cancer.   (My medical insurance company just sent me a list of things that would put me at risk for skin cancer but it doesn’t say a thing about any of those!   I guess they didn’t get the message.)   Gisele is promoting a new line of natural skin-care products (everybody has an agenda!) but I like her thinking.   It’s nice to know that there is someone else out there with beauty and brains!

Update:  Sunscreen and Melanoma--Nadine Artemis

http://www.longevitywarehouse.com/Articles.asp?ID=621