My last blog post reviewed a book by Dr. Michael Holick, one of the world’s experts on vitamin D, who recommends sensible sun exposure to experience the benefits of adequate vitamin D.  In that post I touched on the idiotic extremes the dermatology mainstream have adopted to discourage people from spending time in the sun.

It’s worse than I thought.

Not long after posting, I came across a McClatchy column in our local paper pushing the perspective of most dermatologists, a perspective that’s so unbelievable that it almost reaches comedic proportions. (Our local paper requires paid registration, so I’ve linked here to a paper that doesn’t.) The piece serves to show in spades the way dermatologists think (if that’s what you call it), and lets us know why their advice should be taken with a huge grain of salt.

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“If I had to give you a single secret ingredient that could apply to the prevention — and treatment, in many cases — of heart disease, common cancers, stroke, infectious diseases from influenza to tuberculosis, type 1 and 2 diabetes, dementia, depression, insomnia, muscle weakness, joint pain, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, and hypertension, it would be this: vitamin D.”

During the whirlwind that has been my life of late, I managed to make my way through Dr. Michael Holick’s terrific book The Vitamin D Solution from which the above quote comes.  Before I get started on my review, in the interest of full disclosure, I’ve got to tell you that of all the books I’ve reviewed on this blog since its inception, this is the first and only one that I’ve been sent gratis by the publisher.  It was strange how it came about.  I learned of this book long before it was published and had pre-ordered it through Amazon.  A few weeks or so after my pre-order, I received an email from the publisher’s PR agent for this book asking if I would like a pre-publication copy for possible review.  I sure would, said I, and promptly canceled my Amazon order.

I’ve been a fan of Dr. Holick’s for years now, reading every paper he publishes, which is a considerable job given his prolific output.  I’ve corresponded with him a time or two on a few issues and he has always been very generous with his advice.  I consider him THE authority on vitamin D.  So, I was eager to dig into his book.

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I’m going to reveal the only medical problem I have (at least that I know of) other than the propensity toward obesity when I eat too many carbs.  I’m going to explain how the direct response business works.  I’m going to talk about the problems direct marketers have in dealing with our servants in Washington. And I’m going to tell you how you can get the best nutritional supplement I’ve ever seen in action absolutely free.  How’s that for a pleiotropic post?

First the medical problem.  I’ll reveal it in true AA fashion.

I am a GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disorder) sufferer.

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MD and I just got back from yet another cross-country trip, which gave me the opportunity to catch up on my reading.  While reading a golf magazine, of all things, I came across an article that demonstrates why all such articles should be taken with a grain of salt.  I can’t tell you how many letters MD and I get from people who become concerned because they read a piece in a magazine or newspaper that, for whatever reason, got under their skin.  So, I thought dissecting this article like I did a while back with a scientific study would be instructive.

Before taking these kinds of pieces seriously, you’ve got to realize how they are structured.  And believe me, they are as structured as a sonnet.

Freelance writers are always trying to get their pieces sold, and they write them to a formula that most magazines demand, which is why most of them are pretty much the same.  Just switch the experts and the subjects and you’ve got an article on most anything.  Magazine editors give writers assignments often telling them what they want the article to say and how many words they want it said in.  The writer’s job is to follow the format, cram the info into the required number of words and sound authoritative.

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