Compounds That Help Protect Against Melanoma Skin Cancer

Adding these antioxidant rich compounds to your diet can improve your skin’s natural defenses:

Caffeic Acid: Found in spinach leaves, olive oil, apples, coffee, wine, and cabbage
Tannins: Contained in a variety of fruits and vegetables, nuts, coffee, and tea
Resveratrol: This type of stilbene is found in grapes, berries, and peanuts. Resveratrol helps to inhibit the over-production of melanin
Anthocyanins: Eat blackberries, bilberries, and honeyberries
EGCG: Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) has an anti-proliferative effect on cancer cells. Green tea is a rich source of this cancer fighting compound
Quercetin: Protects against genetic alterations leading to irreversible carcinogenesis. Eating whole apples, including their skin, helps protect against harmful UV damage
Ursolic Acid: Holy basil tea contains ursolic acid which shuts down cancer growth and down-regulates the genes associated with cancer growth
Luteolin: A major anticancer flavonoid, luteolin is found in medicinal herbs like chrysanthemum flowers, as well as in fruits and vegetables including celery, parsley, broccoli, carrots, and cabbage

Natural Strategies for Melanoma Skin Cancer Prevention

Use Plants for Topical Skin Healing

Plants offer an economical and effective way to improve a variety of skin problems such as sunburns, open wounds, and infections. Try the following natural remedies next time you find yourself in need of providing skin pain relief:

• Massage a few drops of flax oil over cuts and burns for improved skin regeneration.
• Cleanse a skin infection by swabbing honey onto the affected area for natural antimicrobial results.
• Use Poly Herbal Cream containing plant extracts to heal from burns and wounds.
• Apply citrus essential oils such as lemon to reduce pain and inflammation, eliminate scars, and improve circulation to wounds. Other oils such as oak wood, mate leaf, sappan wood, and Populus nigra are effective agents for skin repair.

Vitamin D for Skin Cancer Prevention

Vitamin D exposure is critical to the function of an endless number of life-essential processes. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to a variety of skin ailments including psoriasis, dermatitis, scleroderma, and vitiligo which is a disease resulting in the loss of patches of skin pigmentation. Vitamin D is essential for healthy skin by promoting DNA repair, hormone responses with anti-carcinogenic abilities, and stimulating enzymes required for melanin production.

Safe Sun Exposure is Essential

Can the Wrong Sunscreen Cause Skin Cancer?

Our bodies are constantly burdened by chemicals in our environment. Even the “protective” sunscreens we slather ourselves with contain skin damaging toxins.

Titanium dioxide gives sunscreen its white appearance and is a microscopic metal that binds with impurities. Studies do not definitively conclude that titanium dioxide exposure to skin cells causes immediate cell damage but suggest thattitanium dioxide creates cellular changes and possibly abnormalities from long term exposure. This metal does cause an increase of inflammatory gene expression suggesting it is not as safe as retailers would like you to assume.

Another common toxin which promotes cancer growth is BPA (bisphenol A). BPA is an environmental toxin found in the water you are drinking from plastic bottles and contaminated food microwaved in plastic containers. Both the kidneys and liver aid in removing BPA from the body and are regularly exposed to toxic chemicals. Avoiding all use of plastic materials, especially for food and water storage, can limit your exposure to such carcinogens.

Detoxify Your Liver & Kidneys to Lower Cancer Risk

Along with the skin, the liver and kidneys are also major organs involved in converting vitamin D from sunlight and food. Vitamin D deficiency can result when toxic waste accumulates in these organs preventing its absorption and requiring detoxification.

Milk thistle contains a detoxifying agent known as silymarin. Silymarin promotes liver and kidney function and flushes toxins from the gastrointestinal tract. Preventing skin cancer growth is as safe and enjoyable as sipping on milk thistle tea. Also consider taking a supplement containing 200mg of milk thistle daily to cleanse your organs of environmental hazards.