Health Buzz: Tanning Bed Use May Lead to Addiction, Study Warns

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villy of 4:08PM April 28, 2010

http://godanena.t35.com

villy of 4:02PM April 28, 2010

Our bodies need sunlight, water and oxygen to live. Dermatologists have convinced people that UV exposure will kill you and now 75% of the world is Vitamin D deficient. Do you think there is a connection?
Dermatologist use the same tanning beds in their offices as you find in tanning salons. The only difference is they bill your insurance company $100 to $150 for a tanning session. If there are no tanning salons what a profit center for the Dermatologist. If you fear the sun will kill you what a profit center for the SPF companies. These just so happen to be the two industries that are pumping millions of dollars into the skin cancer campaigns on TV, in the press and in Washington DC.
Common Sense says the benefits of UV exposure far out weigh the risk of dying from skin cancer.
The 8,000 people that die of melanoma each year is tragic but not nearly as tragic as the millions that die from diseases associated with Vitamin D deficiency.
Vitamin D deficiency has been shown to play a role in almost every major disease, including:
17 varieties of cancer (including breast, prostate and colon), osteoporosis and osteopenia, heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, infertility and PMS, Parkinson's, depression, Alzheimer’s and chronic fatigue syndrome.
Using indoor and outdoor UV exposure in moderation is a key to looking good, feeling good and being healthier.

Jake of MO 1:17PM April 21, 2010

I think everything could become a habit. However, I have found my lifesaver during the cold Nebraska winters and that would be tanning beds. I was told that I might be suffering from seasonal depression a few years ago and thought my Dr. was crazy. In a news article I read it said to try tanning beds during the winter and so I did. Well, I don't consider myself "addicted" only going 3 times a week. The option of using a tanning bed in winter has completely changed my moods. I am awake and happy and it's a feel good thing, oh and I'm off the drugs!! Works great for me!!

Deb of NE 4:49PM April 20, 2010

The bottom line, addicting or not, exposure to UV Radiation leads to skin cancer and that kills people. Of the 8,000 or so deaths in 2009 in the United States from Melanoma, I would be you any amount of money that the majority percentage of those people had higher than normal exposure levels to UV Radiation from sunlight be it indoor or outdoor.
It might not be addicting but it kills. Stop pumping the over hyped propaganda about Vit D and the "benefit" of UV Radiation Exposure. You can get the amount of Vit D stimulated in your body from going outside, looking up at the sun and standing still for 5 minutes. You can also take a pill.
Indoor tanning and the industry that support it is a $5BN profit machine that is no better than the tobacco pimps that pump their product into the streets on a daily basis and kill people by the thousands all in the name of the dollar.
The ITA and its whores are all deserving of nothing less than being shut down and put out of business. Killers, the whole lot of you.

Me of HI 4:46PM April 20, 2010

The Mosher and Dannof-Burg study (April/Archives of Dermatology) claimed that tanning "may meet criteria for addiction and (tanners) may also be more prone to anxiety symptoms and substance use."
That is quite a claim and, therefore, the question must be asked - is tanning addictive?
First of all, if tanning (outdoors or indoors) is really addictive, it (tanning) would be listed as an "addictive substance" by DSM4 or "proposed" for inclusion in DSM5 and since it isn't listed, mental health professionals do not think that tanning is addictive. [The DSM (Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders) is published by the APA (American Psychiatric Association) and is the "official" document for classifying mental disorders.] http://www.dsm5.org/Pages/Default.aspx
Next, if this study had "hard evidence" to prove that tanning is addictive, this study would have been important enough to be published in a journal read by mental health professionals and not in a journal read by skin doctors who have no expertise/experience dealing with mental health issues. [Note: An enterprising journalist should ask the authors whether or not they tried to get this article published in a mental health publication.]
Finally, it is unacceptable that Mosher and Danoff-Burg failed to mention that the incontrovertible benefits of controlled ultraviolet radiation exposure, i.e., (a) stimulating the cutaneous production of vitamin D and (b) the development of photo-protective facultative pigmentation (a.k.a. a "tan") far outweigh the minimal and manageable risks involved.
Since when does any activity (i.e., running, walking, playing tennis or golf, swimming or tanning) that makes you feel and look good and that provides enjoyment qualify as being an addiction?

D. L. Smith of AZ 3:23PM April 20, 2010

For the record, I don't tan, but I think all this tanning business is being blown way out of proportion.
"Addicted tanners are those who continue to use tanning beds despite the known health risks, according to study coauthor Catherine Mosher..."
What a seriously ridiculous definition. So by this same definition, anyone who continues to drink soda must be a cola addict since we all know that drinking soda is bad for our health.

jay of KY 2:43PM April 20, 2010