- Sunshine is one of our most sought-after natural phenomena.
People long for it to appear, strip off in its presence and spend large
sums of money to pursue it around the world.
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- Now a leading professor has been sacked for daring to
suggest that the sun has some benefits for health. In a challenge to the
dermatologists who view sunshine as an enemy, Michael Holick, a professor
of medicine, dermatology and physiology at Boston University Medical Centre,
has written a book arguing that sunlight can help prevent cancer and heart
disease, strengthen the bones and alleviate depression.
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- In The UV Advantage, to be published next month in the
United States, Professor Holick recommends people spend a few minutes,
two to three times a week depending on skin type, exposed to the sun or
lying under a sun lamp without sun cream to ensure they get enough vitamin
D.
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- He says he does not advocate tanning or sun worship but
"moderate" exposure, sufficient to gain its benefits. "I
am advocating common sense, something often in short supply in America's
approach to health," he said. "Our society doesn't seem to believe
in a happy medium, only in extremes. The notion that we have to protect
ourselves from the sun all the time is misguided and unhealthy."
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- He cites evidence suggesting that vitamin D has a role
in preventing a range of diseases including breast, bowel and prostate
cancers, diabetes and multiple sclerosis, and that production of the vitamin
is reduced by more than 97 per cent in skin protected by sunscreens. Sunlight
is also an effective cure for depression, he says.
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- But his theories have infuriated his superiors and he
has been disowned by the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD). He has
been forced to resign from the department of dermatology at Boston University,
although he remains head of the bone health care clinic and director of
the general clinical research centre.
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- Barbara Gilchrest, the chairwoman of the department of
dermatology at the university, said: "I read better things in ladies'
magazines. [Holick's book] is an embarrassment for this institution and
an embarrassment for him."
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- Dr Gilchrest, who is an expert on melanoma, the lethal
form of skin cancer which has risen sharply in Western countries in recent
decades and is linked to sun exposure, told The Boston Globe: "[Vitamin
D deficiency] is hardly an epidemic. What I see every single week is people
with skin cancer." She added: "I would ask anyone to resign his
appointment in the department if I felt that person was conducting himself
in a way that was professionally irresponsible, potentially dangerous to
the public and not conforming to what I think are very high standards for
reporting scientific information."
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- The AAD said Professor Holick was irresponsible and compared
his advice on the benefits of the sun to suggesting that smoking might
be used to combat anxiety. Its president, Boni Elewski, said: "Any
group, organisation or individual that disseminates information encouraging
exposure to UV radiation, whether natural or artificial, is doing a disservice
to the public."
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- Professor Holick's critics have highlighted his links
with the Indoor Tanning Association which hosted the launch of his book
and has pledged $150,000 (£84,600) towards his research. He also
discloses in the book that he is developing an anti-wrinkle cream which
he hopes to have on the market in three to four years.
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- His supporters say he is a creative thinker who has helped
develop treatments for psoriasis and measures to promote bone health.
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- Professor Holick's approach to sun exposure has been
welcomed by some medical experts in Britain.Neil Walker, the chairman of
the UK Skin Cancer Prevention Working Party, believes it is draconian to
tell sunbathers there is "no such thing as a safe tan". He said:
"If dermatologists say 'never go in the sun' people are going to look
at us as idiots. We have to find a way of putting the message across about
the most damaging behaviour which is why I tell my patients not to bake
or burn.
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- "There are lots of people who have this almost religious
conviction about the dangers of the sun. My view is that we have got to
look at things practically."
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- SUNSHINE DEBATE
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- BENEFITS * Sitting in the sun is enjoyable, relaxing
and makes people feel better. * It cures seasonal affective disorder. *
It triggers the skin's production of vitamin D, a lack of which has been
linked to cancer, heart trouble, high blood pressure, diabetes and multiple
sclerosis. * For most white adults in the UK, five to 10 minutes of sun
exposure (without sunscreen) two to three times a week in summer would
be enough to benefit.
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- RISKS * About 50,000 people a year in the UK develop
skin cancers. However, most are minor lesions which are easily removed.
* There were 7,000 cases of melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer,
in 2000, up 24 per cent in five years. * The rise in melanoma is linked
with the growing numbers holidaying abroad. * People who get sunburnt are
at higher risk of melanoma than careful sunbathers. * Exposure to the sun
accelerates ageing.
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- © 2004 Independent Digital (UK) Ltd http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health_medical/story.jsp?story=514712
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