Interest in homemade sunscreens is hot, but many of these do-it-yourself brews lack effective sun protection, a new study warns.

Researchers found that only about one-third of homemade sunscreens on the popular information-sharing website Pinterest specified how much sun protection factor (SPF) each “natural” sunblock contained. In some cases, SPF content dipped as low as 2 – far below recommended guidelines for preventing premature ageing and skin cancer.

True broadband protection

Overall, about seven out of 10 sunscreen recipes failed to adequately protect skin from dangerous ultraviolet (UV) rays, the study authors found.

“It is a great sign that consumers are paying attention to what is in their products,” said study author Julie Merten. She is an associate professor with the University of North Florida’s Brooks College of Health.

But she and her colleagues are cautioning do-it-yourselfers to be mindful that if “they do use Pinterest to make their own sunscreen, to be sure it is a formula that offers true broadband protection”.

Unlike commercial sunscreens, the Pinterest recipes aren’t tested or regulated, and could cause harm, Merten and others said.

Merten acknowledged there are “legitimate concerns” about some commercial sunscreens, including reef habitat destruction and hormone-disrupting chemicals. These “align with a societal shift toward more natural and organic products”, she noted.

Recently, a study from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), raised concerns regarding four common commercial-sunscreen chemicals: oxybenzone, avobenzone, octocrylene and ecamsule.

Anti-cancer and anti-ageing benefits

All four chemicals were found to have entered the users’ bloodstreams at levels far exceeding US Food and Drug Administration safety thresholds.

Still, the UCSF study team did not conclude that anyone’s health was at risk. And some experts believe any concerns that might be raised are outweighed by the anti-cancer and anti-ageing benefits of FDA-approved sunscreens.

One of those experts is Dr Steven Wang, director of dermatology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, in Basking Ridge, New Jersey.

“There’s tons of scientific data that sunscreen with SPF of at least 15 reduces the risk for both melanomas and squamous cell cancer, and prevents wrinkles and pigmentation. That’s the benefit,” said Wang.

“But in terms of why people would even think about making a sunscreen at home, I think that is probably based less on science than on fear,” he said.

These are not easy products to make, according to Wang, who is also chair of the Skin Cancer Foundation’s photobiology committee. “Some of the filters they contain are water-soluble, while others are oil-soluble. So molecules can separate, and the end result won’t deliver the protection you’re after. You can’t just whip it together,” he explained.

SPF of 15 or more

Using a do-it-yourself sunscreen that doesn’t work could be more dangerous than using nothing at all, he warned. That’s because “when you put oil on your skin without any blockers, you actually allow the UV rays to penetrate deeply into your skin,” Wang said.

Merten said that could make users vulnerable to sunburn.

The bottom-line? People should be “very thorough in their research if they decide to use homemade sunscreens, and to use ingredients such as zinc and titanium oxide with proven UV blocking ability,” Merten said.

The FDA recommends sunscreens with an SPF of 15 or more, while the American Academy of Dermatology’s recommended minimum is SPF 30.

Most experts advise applying sunscreen a half hour before heading outdoors. Reapply at least every two hours, more often if you’re swimming or sweating.

The report was published in Health Communication.

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It’s not six completely new hospitals – some involve redeveloping existing buildings and sites.

The new Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) Winnie Byanyima was in Soshanguve, a township north of Pretoria, on Friday for a clinic visit, a town hall engagement with the local community, and to partake in activities of a new civil society clinic monitoring project called Ritshidze.

The visit was one of Byanyima’s first engagements as head of UNAIDS and came two days ahead of World AIDS Day.

Byanyima (60) hails from Uganda and is an experienced diplomat and activist. Prior to starting in the UNAIDS top job in November, she was the executive director of Oxfam International. Before that she served as director of gender and development at the UN Development Programme.

Her recent appointment at UNAIDS was widely welcomed among activists, particularly gender activists unhappy with the handling of allegations of sexual harassment at UNAIDS under her predecessor Michelle Sidibé.

Communities matter

After a visit to a clinic in Soshanguve Byanyima was impressed with how the community is taking charge of what they need. “The theme of this report this year is that communities matter; that we must invest in communities and that it is communities that make things happen for their people and that is what I’ve found here.”

She said the community served by this clinic is helping the health professionals to give them what they need. “Because it is communities who know what they need and it is communities who need to supervise and speak out and demand from duty bearers to deliver.

That is important.”The Ritshidze project is a new community-led monitoring and accountability initiative of HIV and TB services in high burden public healthcare facilities in South Africa. On Friday Byanyima had first-hand experience of how this project works.

Byanyima observed that she found a clinic that works despite challenges.  She praised healthcare workers for their creativity in handling these challenges. “[They] turned a toilet into a consulting room; removed the toilet and kept the sink and even though there is no bed here, there’s space for a patient to be examined – so, it is still working.”

She noted that challenges around space and staff shortages result in long queues and waiting times. “And this is the type of things the community is noting in their monitoring forms. So, this gives me hope that people can speak and be heard.”

She also stressed the importance of communities asserting themselves as rights claimants and making it clear to dutybearers that they are checking on them.

Testimonies

After the clinic visit Byanyima heard testimony from local community members who gathered in the Halala community centre hall in Block H in Soshanguve. These included reports of multiple service delivery failures in public sector clinics and hospitals – the type of issues the newly launched Ritshidze clinic monitoring  project wants to change.

People reported long waiting times – sometimes arriving at clinics at 04:00 in the morning and only leaving 12 hours later. Some people reported bad attitudes from nurses as well as from security guards and cleaners. Worse still some said, is the inefficiency and unprofessional conduct from nurses that has compromised their healthcare.

People also spoke about intermittent stock-outs, non-functioning and dirty toilets and emergency services that never arrive on time, if at all.Senior representatives of the Department of Health accompanied Byanyima to the clinic but did not attend the community meeting.  

A TAC member who stood up to tell her story, declared how she is living her life positively on treatment but also highlighted the fact that she knows she gets better treatment because she’s a community activist.Others are not so lucky.

One 35-year-old women’s testimony silenced the hall. As she spoke her voice cracked and her eyes filled with tears. She said that she is HIV positive and a single, unemployed mother to two teenagers. She developed an anal abscess in 2017 that has resulted in two botched operations. Now her life is ruined and she says she has little hope for her future.

Goodness Mbatha, a community monitor from the Ritshidze Project, who met the woman during a door-to-door campaign in January, said  the woman was diagnosed with HIV in 2006 and she knows that her daughter who washes her and cleans the unhealed sores is at risk of infection.

“She wants so little – some pads from the hospital, maybe even some gloves so that she can minimise HIV infection risks,” said Mbatha. Vionne Visagie, a woman living in Winterveld, also raised her hand to speak in the hall.

She said: “I am not HIV positive but I’m living positively with HIV”.  It brought on claps and cheers of “Yes Girl!” from the audience. Visagie (32) spoke to Spotlight after the dialogue. She said standing up in a hall and giving a positive message is important. She has felt that way since she was diagnosed with HIV 13 years ago.  She found out her status a year after her son was born.

Though he was born HIV negative, she believes that she contracted HIV from a boyfriend at the time and her son contracted the virus through her breast milk. “This is the part that is difficult for me. My son developed problems from the HIV and he had something like a stroke so he’s not alright and lives with my granny in Shoshanguve now. Every time I look at him, I think ‘if only’. People don’t understand that pain,” Visagie said.

“What hurts me most is that the neighbours wouldn’t let the other children play with my child and even now he gets sick from pneumonia all the time and I can get a phone call at 2 or 3am from my granny saying she’s at the hospital. Every time I think maybe it is going to be his last day.” 

Sibongile Tshabalala, TAC chairperson, who facilitated the dialogue, said: “People think we are exaggerating when we hear these stories but this is how people living with HIV are being made to lose their dignity… it is difficult to hold back our tears.”

In solidarity

Byanyima pledged solidarity as she addressed the community at the end of the dialogue. She said her report will focus on communities, in recognition of the fact that community courage and action is what pushes back ineffective governments and weak leadership.

“It’s also communities that know best what people need,” she added.“I have come here today and I see you standing up and I salute you and I praise you – keep doing what you are doing,” Byanyima said.

She said that patients should not be treated like they had to grovel for decent care from service providers and access to life saving therapies.

Byanyima also had a word for the people who shared their stories of living with HIV/Aids.

“I have seen people crying I have seen your pain – this is a struggle for life but you are the heroes who are speaking out against stigma,” she said. The event was organised by the Ritshidze project, a new community-led monitoring and accountability initiative of HIV and TB services in high burden public healthcare facilities in South Africa.

The project is a collaboration between the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), Positive Action Campaign (PAC), Positive Women’s Network (PWN), the National Association of People Living with HIV and AIDS (NAPWA), and the South African Network of Religious Leaders living with or Affected by HIV and AIDS (SANERELA+).

Other partners include Health GAP, amfAR, and Georgetown University’s O’Neill Institute.

*Note: The TAC is mentioned in this article. Spotlight is published by SECTION27 and the TAC but is editorially independent – independence that the editors guard jealously. Spotlight is a member of the South African Press Council.

*This article was produced by Spotlight – health journalism in the public interest.

^{Image credit: Denvor De Wee, Spotlight}

Vaping has been the topic of many controversial headlines – but the dangers of this relatively new practice are not yet as clear as those of traditional combustible tobacco products.

Yet, experts claim that vaping is significantly less harmful than cigarette smoking. And now, a major study conducted by the University of Dundee concluded that cigarette smokers who switch to nicotine-containing vaporisers could significantly improve their vascular health.

The two-year trial hosted by the university’s Medicine School, found that the smokers who switched to vaping products such as e-cigarettes showed significant improvement in their vascular health after only four weeks, according to an news article.

This study also found that those smokers who transferred to vaping only had better health compared to those who used both tobacco cigarettes and e-cigarettes (also referred to as dual usage).

The findings were published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and this study has been the largest undertaken to date to determine the implication of heart health.

Not 100% safe

But, this optimistic outcome comes with a caveat, which should be emphasised to avoid any misunderstanding.

Professor Jacob George, Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and Therapeutics at Dundee and Chief Investigator of the trial, said that even though vaping is considered less harmful, it is not 100% safe and may still carry health risks:

“It is crucial to emphasise that e-cigarettes are not safe, just less harmful than tobacco cigarettes when it comes to vascular health. Smoking of any kind is a preventable risk factor for heart disease.

“They should not be seen as harmless devices for non-smokers or young people to try. However, for chronic tobacco smokers there were significant improvements in vascular function within a month of switching from a tobacco cigarette to an e-cigarette.

Fewer harmful chemicals

“To put into context, each percentage point improvement in vascular function results in a 13% reduction in cardiovascular event rates such as heart attack. By switching from cigarettes to e-cigarettes we found an average percentage point improvement of 1.5 within just one month. This represents a significant improvement in vascular health. We also found that, in the short term at least, regardless of whether the e-cigarette does or does not contain nicotine, a person will see vascular health improvements compared to smoking a traditional cigarette. The longer term impact of nicotine requires further study and follow-up.”

Professor Jeremy Pearson, Associate Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation, said the following in a news report: “Our hearts and blood vessels are the hidden victims of smoking. Every year in the UK, 20 000 people die from heart and circulatory disease caused by smoking cigarettes – that’s more than 50 people a day, or two deaths every hour. Stopping smoking is the single best thing you can do for your heart health.

“This study suggests that vaping may be less harmful to your blood vessels than smoking cigarettes. Within just one month of ditching tobacco for electronic cigarettes, people’s blood vessel health had started to recover.

“Just because e-cigarettes may be less harmful than tobacco doesn’t mean they are completely safe. We know they contain significantly fewer of the harmful chemicals, which can cause diseases related to smoking, but we still don’t know the long term impact on the heart and circulation, or other aspects of health. E-cigarettes and vaping should never be taken up by people who don’t already smoke, but could be a useful tool to help people to stop smoking completely.”

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Compiled by Marelize Wilke

Long-term treatment with gabapentin, a commonly prescribed drug for nerve pain, could help restore upper limb function after a spinal cord injury, new research in mice suggests.

The runaway train that is climate change is about to blow past another milestone: global fossil-fuel carbon dioxide emissions will reach yet another record high. Driven by rising natural gas and oil consumption, levels of CO₂ are expected to hit 37 billion tons this year, according to new estimates from the Global Carbon Project, an initiative led by Stanford University scientist Rob Jackson.

Metformin is the most commonly prescribed type 2 diabetes drug, yet scientists still do not fully know how it works to control blood sugar levels. In a collaborative effort, researchers from the Salk Institute, The Scripps Research Institute and Weill Cornell Medical College have used a novel technology to investigate why it functions so well. The findings, which identified a surprising number of biochemical “switches” for various cellular processes, could also explain why metformin has been shown to extend health span and life span in recent studies. The work was published in Cell Reports on December 3, 2019.

The Pacific nation declares a state of emergency as 60 people die of measles.

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Self care is all about taking care of your mind and body, so you feel less stress and more joy. Considering the hectic pace of the work world, most of us could benefit from more self-care during the workday—to crank up productivity, form stronger relationships with coworkers, and ace performance, says psychotherapist Suzie DeVaughn, owner of Self-Care Specialists in Wichita, Kansas.

If you already have a self-care routine at home or at the gym, then you know how it can make you feel happier and more in tune with yourself and your needs. So try incorporating these expert-backed easy moves into your workday as well. They'll help you shake off motivation killers like anxiety and stress and give you the tools to thrive from nine to five.

RELATED: Laverne Cox Has the Most Unique Self-Care Routine We've Ever Heard

Nourish yourself at lunch

With breakfast the most important meal of the day and dinner a time for reconnecting with loved ones, lunch tends to get short shrift. (They don't call it a sad desk salad for nothing, right?) Instead of wolfing down another on-the-fly veggie bowl or sandwich, make your midday meal more of an opportunity for nourishment. Pack or order foods you love that offer energizing protein and complex carbs, which can put you in a brighter mood and help you power through the afternoon. 

Check out a #funny site

Chase away stress by scrolling through the latest adorable animal viral video at @cutepetclub or watching a Saturday Night Live clip on YouTube you missed over the weekend. Laughing can prompt the release of the feel-good hormones endorphins and in turn make you feel more relaxed and revived. Even a few minutes in the break room with a coworker whose stories always crack you up will do the trick. 

Get up, stretch, and move

Stretch your arms and legs at your desk, do laps around the office, walk up and down the stairs, or take on some other activity that allows you to move your body. “When we start to feel our body signaling that we need a break, stepping out of your workspace for 5 to 10 minutes can help shift perspective and gain mental clarity,” says DeVaughn. “Running quick errands, going to make coffee or tea, or visiting with a co-worker are very helpful for rejuvenation.”

If you can get outside at some point during your workday, go for it: A 2017 study echoed previous research, finding that exposure to sounds found in nature has a soothing effect on the heart and brain.

Calm yourself with essential oils

Lavender, wild orange, and bergamot therapeutic-grade essential oils can relax and uplift you, says Krista-Lynn Landolfi, life coach and self-care specialist. Hiding a small stash of these in your desk drawer and occasionally dousing some on a cotton ball you can sniff will help revive your spirits without disturbing others sitting next to you. (But ask your deskmates if they have a hypersensitivity or allergy to these oils before you use them, just in case.)

Declutter and decorate 

A messy environment can intensify the tension and anxiety you already feel, says DeVaughn. No need to be a super organized neat freak if that's not your natural style. And yep, today's open-concept workplaces don't give even high-up employees much room to personalize. But take some time every week to organize your workspace and decorate it with family or pet photos, artwork that resonates with you, or quotes that inspire you. 

RELATED: 15 Ways to Add Self-Care to Your Workout Routine

Snack smartly

Vending machine runs are convenient, but you know that diet soda and sweet treats aren't exactly the best snack choices when you're racing against a deadline or feeling overwhelmed by a report. “When people are filling themselves with caffeine and sugar, it's going to give them a frenetic energy and create an ultimate crash,” explains Landolfi. Avoid that by opting for high protein nuts, filling air-popped popcorn, or a healthy smoothie.

RELATED: What Is High-Functioning Anxiety–and Could You Have It?

Repeat an inspiring mantra

The way we talk to ourselves shapes our performance and attitude. It's a good reason to come up with a go-to saying or a list of affirmations to recite out loud (or quietly to yourself) when you’re feeling doubtful or need a confidence boost, suggests DeVaughn. “I am the Beyoncé of this office" has a powerful ring to it, as does “I will succeed on this project with ease."

Take 3 deep breaths

You've heard that inhaling deeply can help energize and calm you. But Landolfi is a fan of a breathing exercise called "three to be free" breathing. Three times a day, stop what you're doing and take three deep breaths to free the tension, stress, and worry that has been build throughout the workday, she says. What makes this self-care move so good for work is that you can do it discreetly while you're sitting at your desk, and even your closest cubicle neighbor won't be disturbed.

RELATED: 9 Self-Care Gifts You Can Buy Yourself on Amazon

Speak out in a meeting

Doing something bold—writing a memo outlining your concerns over a new project, for example, or volunteering to take on a client who you know will challenge you—can put you back on your A game at the office. Why's that? Accomplishing something that you once feared can give you the adrenaline rush that you need to finish the day strong, says Landolfi. You'll feel more a part of your team and more invested in your work.

Pat yourself on the back

Take stock of what you've accomplished on the job once a week or so—and congratulate yourself for your efforts and anything you've done to boost the bottom line or improve performance. Reminding yourself of your contributions gives you a psychological boost and helps you feel more positive, which is the ultimate goal of self care.

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Miroslava Duma has let her 1.6 million Instagram followers into a pretty major secret: she has been battling a rare lung disease. In a lengthy post on Sunday, she revealed that she was given just 7 months to live when she was diagnosed earlier this year.

“It was crazy scary then, but looking back, I realise that the past few months of recovery were possibly the happiest months of my entire life,” the fashion influencer and businesswoman wrote alongside a photograph of herself.

In the US, a rare disease is defined by the National Institutes of Health Office of Rare Diseases as one that affects fewer than 200,000 people; however, it is estimated that at least 1 to 2 million Americans suffer from rare lung diseases. It’s not clear what specific disease Duma has (or if she still has it), what treatment she has received, or when exactly she was diagnosed.

RELATED: These 3 Women Were Each Diagnosed With Advanced Lung Cancer—Even Though They Never Smoked

What is clear from her Instagram post is that the experience has been life-changing.

“I suddenly stopped running the marathon and realised how much I love life, how beautiful our world is and how much I want to stay here—with the people I love,” wrote the 34-year-old mom of three, who is married to fellow entrepreneur Aleksey Mikheev. “For the first time in my life, I saw the bright blue of skies. And the beautiful green of trees. As if I had lived on a different planet before. I wake up happy, just because I can spend one more day here.”

Duma went on to say that she has shifted her mentality and is no longer concerned about external validation. “My entire life I was seeking approval and obsessing over ‘likes’ both in physical and virtual worlds, without realising that I actually had to learn how to ‘like’ myself first,” she wrote. “Success to me today is not measured by external indicators anymore, but by what’s inside. It is measured by my own health, and the health of those I love.”

RELATED: 7 Causes of Lung Cancer in Nonsmokers

She believes her busy, high-pressure lifestyle was partly to blame for her poor health. “Years of self-criticism and doubt, stress, dieting, physically, mentally and emotionally pushing and pushing myself got my immune system to collapse and I had made myself fatally sick,” she shared. “I now realise that these past months were almost the most creative months of my entire 34 years."

She finished the post by thanking the “wonderful people” in her life, adding, “I love you with all of my heart (and my lungs).”

RELATED: This Woman Thought She Had Pneumonia—but It Turned Out to Be Stage 4 Lung Cancer

Duma was a regular on the fashion scene in the early 2000s, regularly photographed at New York and Paris Fashion Weeks. She served as project director at Harper’s Bazaar and has also freelanced for the Russian editions of Vogue, Forbes Woman and Glamour.

In 2011, she founded Buro 24/7, a website devoted to art, film, fashion, and music, and in 2017, she founded Future Tech Lab, an investment and technology company.

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