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kicking off summer with 4 facts that flip the script (+ memorial day goods inside)
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Vermont has more skin cancer than Florida? (and 3 other wild facts to kick off your summer)
Hi!
Here in the US we use Memorial Day weekend to officially kick off summer, and I thought it would be fun to give you 4 facts to use at your holiday parties to raise some eyebrows.....
Vermont has higher melanoma rates than Florida & so does Utah..... by a meaningful margin.
That's not a typo, and it's not cherry-picked.
KEEP READING FOR ALL THE DETAILS (and make some waves at your next holiday party 👀)
Memorial Day Deals:
I'm not running a huge Memorial Day sale this year because we're gearing up for the next Blueprint coaching cohort.
But for my list - I'm making two of my foundational programs available at a much deeper discount than I offer all year through the weekend.
**Leptin Reset, 60 day access, $50 off** - Click here
**Quantum Nutrition, 60 day access, $50 off** - Click here
**Weight Loss Basics (lifetime Access) 50% off - Click here
These are the three programs I send the most people to when they're starting from scratch or rebuilding a foundation. If you've been wanting to go deeper on the metabolic and light side of things, this is the weekend!
**Blueprint Coaching Applications Open**
Applications are open for our next Blueprint coaching cohort, and this round is more robust than any we've run before. 8 weeks instead of 6, with 17 group calls instead of 7. The SKW wellness assistant & private group for questions are included.
If you've been wanting something more guided than a self-paced course, the application is a good place to start.
Apply HERE
Other good stuff on sale for the holiday weekend:
Save 15% off Hydrogen Tablets and Generators with code SARAHK & 30% off Water Bottles with code SARAHKSPRING - CLICK HERE - or Click here to read my article with all the science & FAQS
The hair care I personally love & have used for a while now. This weekend the VIP pricing is actually better than retail, which doesn't happen often, so if you've been curious or you're due to restock, this is the moment. (Click here for my FAQ Hair Document to learn more & get the retail link) - VIP Base Hair System on Sale - Hair System with Split Ends Treatment - Hair System with Split Ends + Hair Oil
Sauna Space is on sale again - my Code SARAHK stacks an extra discount - click here
Black Friday Laundry deal is here for only a few days! Click here to grab 300 loads - through Monday only!!
Hoolest Vagus Nerve Stimulator (the one I personally use & recommend) - click here and use code SARAH10
Air Doctor Air purifier flash sale - click here
Now the wild facts about sunlight (with the science) .....
According to a study published in the International Journal of Cancer (Islami et al., 2020) analyzing UV-attributable melanoma rates by state, Utah comes in at 40.4 cases per 100,000, Vermont at 31.4, and Florida at 29.2. The states that get a fraction of the UV exposure of Florida have higher rates of the cancer we've been told is caused by sun.
We've been told a story about sunlight that doesn't hold up when you actually look at the data, and since many of you will be outside this weekend anyway kicking off summer, this felt like the right time to share
4 facts that completely flip the script.
**1. Vermont and Utah have higher melanoma rates than Florida.**
The conventional explanation for this is that northern states have lighter-skinned populations, use tanning beds more, and have farming communities with chronic sun exposure. All true, and worth knowing. But there's another layer that mainstream sources rarely talk about, which is the pattern of exposure itself.
Floridians get small, consistent doses of sun year-round. That builds skin tolerance, supports a healthy circadian rhythm, and conditions the skin's natural photoprotective systems. Northerners get almost no sun for 8 months of the year, then go on vacation in March and burn themselves to a crisp. Sporadic intense exposure on unconditioned skin is far more damaging than regular, moderate exposure. Your skin is meant to be trained, not protected from the sun entirely.
**2. Night shift workers have higher melanoma risk than the general population.**
The people getting the least sun exposure have elevated rates of the cancer we've been told is caused by sun. Multiple studies, including meta-analyses, have shown this association. The proposed mechanism is circadian disruption, suppressed melatonin (which is a powerful endogenous antioxidant), and the metabolic chaos that comes from eating and being awake when your body thinks it should be sleeping.
Melanoma is more complicated than "sun bad." It's actually deeply tied to the health of your circadian system.
**3. You can make melatonin in daylight, in response to sunlight.**
Most people think of melatonin as the night hormone you make in the dark. And yes, the melatonin from your pineal gland releases at night. But there's a second, separate source. Your mitochondria make their own melatonin during the day, specifically in response to near-infrared light from the sun. This melatonin doesn't make you sleepy. It acts as a powerful antioxidant inside your cells, protecting your mitochondria from the oxidative stress they generate while making energy. So sunlight literally helps you make the antioxidants you need to handle sunlight. It's a self-regulating system that we've been completely ignoring.
**4. You can't make vitamin D at sunrise.**
This one's important because a lot of people get morning sun and think they're covering all their bases. You're not. Vitamin D production requires UVB, and UVB doesn't reach the earth's surface until the sun is roughly 30 degrees above the horizon. In most places, that means somewhere between mid-morning and mid-afternoon depending on the season and your latitude. Morning sunlight at sunrise is critical for circadian rhythm, cortisol timing, and that mitochondrial melatonin we just talked about. But for actual vitamin D production, you need solar noon sun.
The takeaway from all of this. Sunlight is not the enemy. Avoiding sunlight, and then getting it in unconditioned bursts, is.
This weekend, get outside without sunglasses for at least the first 20 minutes after sunrise, and get some skin exposure around solar noon for the vitamin D. Your circadian rhythm, your mitochondria, and your hormones will all be working better by Monday.
And if you missed my free webinar on safe sun exposure that breaks all of this down (and more) - click here to get instant access to the replay!
New Here? my Free Product guide + my Favorite Hair Care products FAQ Guide (updated) & my Updated Chlorine Protocol
Have a great weekend!
Sarah
P.S. Substack subscribers got my full daily and weekly protocol for keeping my skin healthy in sunlight this week, with exact doses, brands, timing, and the sunbathing build-up I do every spring. Click here to read it!
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In Health🌞,
Sarah
