Mr. Belvedere Posts an Excellent Response

[eileen]

Mr. Belvedere has posted an excellent article. We are proud to have you on Tantalk Mr. Belvy!
The Link to his response: http://responsiblemarketing.com/blog/?p=236

While you're at it visit the page and vote in the poll. :)

Here is Belvy's Response.

<LI id=comment-283> mr belvedere Says:
April 8th, 2008 at 11:32 pm “Conspiracy” might be the wrong word to describe what I call “The Establishment”, has been doing for the past 5-10 years in regards to its message to the consuming public. What they do, is tell the American people that the sun, and even worse, TANNING BEDS, cause skin cancer and make you look old. They know good and well that Americans can’t, and WON’T avoid the sun. So, they convince the consumer of the “inherent dangers”, and then provide them with a solution to their dilemma: sunscreen, anti-aging/wrinkle removal creams. What they don’t do is point to a single, credible study that proves conclusively that UV exposure causes skin cancer (that’s because there isn’t one); advertise that professional grade tanning equipment is used in many medical facilities, and in some cases, patients get a prescription to visit professional tanning salons for various conditions; and they don’t tell you just how well their decadelong campaign has worked, as evidenced by the epic lack of Vitamin D in North America (including Canada) residents and its consequences.
I’ll concede the possibility that there may be a link between “overexposure” and skin cancer and other conditions. But when you look at the data, I’m sure you’ll find the majority of reported cases of the various skin cancer types is in the age group that that grew up and were under the age of 30 between the latter half of the 50’s, and through the latter half of the 70’s. The culture of that era in the U.S. enjoyed tremendous prosperity, and also increase in outdoor leisure activities. It was also a time when there was no great “sun scare”, no effective sun screen products available, and many occurrences of UV overexposure over the years. The Establishment points to this data only to make their case without publicizing the peripheral factors responsible for it. They also fail to report the data that suggests that skin cancer and other skin conditions is just as likely to be genetic, and/or caused/triggered by environmental pollutants, topical chemicals in various products, and ingested chemicals that have become prevalent in our society over the last 30 years. As for “skin aging” and wrinkles, well, that’s what happens as you get older whether you get any sun or not. Skin aging is more the result of diet and lifestyle than sun exposure. And they certainly aren’t going to tell you that your skin, eyes, and internal organs, not to mention your psyche and general well-being depends on the sun and UV exposure on a regular basis. A good, caring doctor might tell you this; and many have, but you hear very few if any say it anywhere other than in the quiet confines of the examination room. Why? Because they can’t afford to go against The Establishment.
So, we can’t and won’t avoid the sun - what to do? Well, the body has a solution for this. It’s called melanin. Now, different skin types develop different levels of melanin at varying rates. This is the human body’s natural defense against sustained UV radiation. But based on the skin-type, sometimes a person gets more UV radiation faster than their skin can react and produce melanin; which consequently results in a sunburn. Repeated skin damage of this magnitude over several years is probably bad, which I believe explains the number of cases seen today in the 50 to 80 somethings that came up during the 50’s through the 70’s. At any rate, the key is moderate exposure, which is different for every individual to some degree, which brings us to indoor tanning salons.
The sun is always there, but we can’t always get it, or get enough of it (the northern hemisphere, like Seattle and New England for example). Sometimes there can be way more than the person can handle (the southern sunbelt and the west coast). Some days are cloudy and cold, and some days there is so much pollution that the UV rays are scattered. The point is there are too many external factors affecting outdoor tanning for any individual to know for sure how much they are getting, or how fast they are getting it with any certainty. The inddor tanning industry has perfected this down to a science with individual skin-typing methods, and specific UV outputs of lamps and equipment - there is no guessing involved. And with the professional indoor salon, it doesn’t matter what the weather is like or what time of day it is (for those folks that might work indoors all day). And the real beauty of it is that the UV exposure you get from a tanning bed is no different than the UV you get from the sun (UV exposure on the skin is the required “enegizer” for triggering Vitamin D synthesis in the body), except that the proffesional salon is a controlled environment.
The ad campaign started by the ITA is not a “marketing” campaign in the traditional sense. Yes, it is true that the industry is dying thanks to The Establishment’s efforts to terrify the consuming public into buying products and seeking services; and avoiding tanning salons. They have unnecessarily villified the indoor tanning industry and the thousands of people that work in and rely on it for their livelihood. Bringing the truth about tanning and the sun into the public eye is the purpose of the ITA’s campaign. The Establishment’s tactics over the last 10 years has done more harm than good when it comes to the overall health of the general public, and all in the name of profit and power. The indoor tanning salon owner of today is a small-business person with a family and bills, and The Establishment has been making it nearly impossible for many of them to stay in business. The ITA campaign simply seeks to change that by informing and educating the consuming public about the truth of the sun and tanning, and that the indoor tanning industry is not a villainous, “profit at any cost” group of professionals.
I thank you for reading this, and hopefully, considering what I have said here with an objective mind.
-mr belvedere

[Gidget]

Wow, really good article, way to go Belvy!

[unity]

Wow! That was awesome!

[Shantilly]

Good Stuff!!! KING Belvedere!!! I am proud to no you!!!

[mr belvedere]

hehe Thanks for the kudos! I hope people other than choir read that blog and have a change in their opinion. Good luck out there! -Belvy

[Brian Oshman]

Well done.

[Brian Oshman]

I printed that out and gave it to my Son to take to hiis health class tomorrow. He has to bring in an article once a week about health and this fits the bill.

[mr belvedere]

Thanks, Brian - you're a tough nut to crack, so I truly appreciate this accolade from you. -Belvy

[nlabtec]

Good writing we need writing like this. As you said hopefully other people will read this at take it to light.

[Robbie S]

" Yes, it is true that the industry is dying thanks to The Establishment’s efforts...

... and The Establishment has been making it nearly impossible for many of them to stay in business. "

Does anyone seriously believe this crap?