As your tanning salon representative in Washington, I have been educating anyone on Capitol Hill who will listen to the facts surrounding UV light, sunbeds, and our industry’s scientifically-supported position. However, making this message resonate with legislators has been a difficult task considering that they are bombarded every day with issues they believe are far more critical to our country’s health and well-being.
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I have found that it is difficult (and frustrating) to motivate people to action when you’re delivering a message that lawmakers and bureaucrats are not hearing from government agencies, healthcare leaders, the media or anyone else. Though that doesn’t stop me from delivering this message every single day, I have dreamed of the day when something else would help me to open their minds to at least consider the scientific truth regarding the effects of UV light.
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That day may be here.
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This past year has brought us the coronavirus pandemic and a world of hurt for small businesses, especially tanning salons, forced to shut down during our prime earning months. It was just one more blow to hardworking salon owners unfairly targeted with overregulation and taxes. However, many believe the pandemic may have a silver lining for those of us who make a living providing people with UV light for cosmetic tanning. Dozens of scientific papers and studies about vitamin D and UV light’s potential effects on the coronavirus have surfaced from sources all over the world.
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I’m hopeful that this is the beginning of a long-lasting appreciation for UV light that will help change the way tanning businesses are treated.
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The role of vitamin D and UV exposure on coronavirus mitigation has become quite compelling, not only because of the sheer volume of reports, but also their sources. Soon after the pandemic struck, Tom Frieden, a former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), wrote an article for Fox News suggesting that vitamin D could be beneficial against the virus. It says a lot about the general regard for vitamin D and UV light that the former leader of the country’s health protection agency pointed to it first when trying to identify ways to subdue the greatest health crisis in a century. In the article, Frieden wrote, “As we race to develop effective treatments and a vaccine against COVID-19, people are looking to reduce their risk of getting sick. One thing that might help is as obvious as the sun in the sky and as close as your medicine cabinet – vitamin D.”
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It’s exciting for me to see that the scientific message I’ve been delivering in Washington for years is now corroborated by such powerful sources. It gives me renewed energy and hope that the tide is turning and Washington’s misguided perceptions about UV light will soon change. More importantly, I’m hopeful that this is the beginning of a long-lasting appreciation for UV light that will help change the way tanning businesses are treated.
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Regardless of what this renewed outlook may bring, one thing you can count on for sure is that I will be spending my days (and evenings) spreading sunshine all over Capitol Hill.
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