Ahh, Summer Solstice. How will you celebrate the Solstice? Do you gather with friends, have a bonfire or just take some time to plan your summer vacation?

Ancient Northern European pagans celebrated with bonfires, festivals and rituals.  The Finnish would build fires and couples would leap through the flames, believing their crops would grow as high as the couples were able to leap.

Midsummer was thought to be a time of magic, when evil spirits were said to appear. To thwart them Pagans often wore protective garlands of herbs and flowers. One of the most powerful of them was called,“chase devil”, which is known today as St. John’s Wort and is used by modern herbalists as a mood stabilizer.

We may not have to protect ourselves with garlands to thwart evil spirits but we certainly have to protect ourselves from the harmful rays of the sun on these long summer days! Remember to choose reflective sunscreens with zinc oxide and to stay away from chemical substitutes.

Did you know that there are vitamin supplements that can help in the prevention of skin cancer? Vitamin D3 is one of these and is now being recommended by dermatologists! Studies have shown that most of us livings in the northern hemisphere are dangerously low in Vitamin D. This may have actually contributed to the rise of skin cancers over the last decade.

What is the best dosage to take? It is higher than most people think. They used to say 400 i.u.’s a day but not anymore! Children below the age of 5 should take 35 i.u.’s per pound of weight. Children 5-10 should take 2,500 iu’s: and adults should take 5,000 i.u”s. People with autoimmune thyroid issues should take more. As is true with all supplements, not all Vitamin D formulations are created equal; choose a good brand like Nutri-West rather than the cheapest one at your local box store.

Just as important as Vitamin D3 are antioxidants, C, E and glutathione; some of the best free radical scavengers around! Nutri-West E-Tocotrionols is my favorite Vitamin E formulation with excellent blood sugar lowering properties and of course the Lifewave Glutathione patch can’t be beat for it’s antioxidant benefit!