If the name Michael Holick means anything to you, you will recall that he was asked to resign from a post in Boston University’s dermatology department in February 2004 for promoting “sensible sun exposure” in his book The UV Advantage.
Holick’s thesis – which was apparently anathema to Boston University derm department chair Barbara Gilchrest – is that most people who live in the US north of Atlanta are vitamin D deficient because one of the key sources of that vitamin is the sun. (Vitamin D is essential for the absorption of calcium and thus strong, healthy bones.) And even when the sun shines brightest, and for the longest, during the summer, we’re told to shun the sun and slather our bodies in high SPF sunscreens to defend against skin cancer.
"They have vilified the sun and me...."
Update:
Here's a good podcast on Vitamin D. Good general info on the science of Vitamin D by Health Chat Drs. Greg Eckel and Greg Nigh, naturopathic physicians and licensed acupuncturists. Drs. Eckel and Nigh are primary care physicians at Nature Cures Clinic. They are experts in alternative and complementary health care. You can learn more about them at naturecuresclinic.com.
I don't know these guys but this was a really good basic primer on Vitamin D.
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