That view, however, has made Holick the second most reviled man among dermatologists (they pretty much think George Hamilton is the devil). Holick's new book, The UV Advantage—which advocates getting crucial daily doses of vitamin D from brief but direct exposure to sunlight with no sunblock—was derided as "scientifically unsound and misleading" by the American Academy of Dermatology and "an embarrassment" by Holick's friend and former boss Dr. Barbara Gilchrest, who in February forced him to resign as a professor of dermatology at Boston University. "It's flabbergasting," says Holick, 58, who still teaches medicine and biophysics at BU. "How can you ostracize someone in this day and age for thinking a bit differently than you?"
Gilchrest—who declined to comment—and the majority of dermatologists insist any prolonged direct exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays can lead to skin cancer. Holick, a highly regarded vitamin D researcher for 20 years, disagrees. He says getting what he calls "safe sun"—depending on your skin type and where you live, about 10 to 15 minutes a day without sunblock is usually enough, after which you should apply protection—can remedy vitamin D deficiencies, which increase the risk of cancer, diabetes and other diseases. "Some people are reacting as if he were actively promoting that you overdo it, when all he's saying is that the sun is not intrinsically evil," argues one of his defenders, Dr. James Leyden, professor emeritus of dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Medicine. Many of Holick's critics, Leyden suggests, are hypocrites. "Go to a meeting of dermatologists and see how many are suntanned."
Some of them might just be red with anger. Holick's preaching "is somewhat irresponsible," says Dr. Darrell Rigel, clinical professor of dermatology at the New York University Medical Center, expressing the view of the dermatology community. "One American dies every hour of skin cancer. Just walking in and out of your car or your office, you are exposed to UV radiation. So to intentionally expose yourself defies common sense." Holick insists he is hardly calling for naked cookouts at the beach. "There's a huge difference between a little sun exposure and burning your skin," he says. "Adults who want to tan because it makes them feel better should do so, but they should do so responsibly."
The New Jersey-born son of a machinist, Holick has never had a problem speaking up. In kindergarten he was known to tutor his teachers about reptiles and dinosaurs. After getting his masters and Ph.D. in less than two years total, Holick faced down skeptical colleagues to invent vitamin D-based treatments for kidney disease and psoriasis. Intense and tireless (he sleeps about four hours a night and is "always the first person at supermarkets, waiting for them to open," says son Michael, 25, a paralegal), Holick lives in a Boston suburb with his wife, Sally, 57, a former chemistry professor, and their daughter Emily, 19, a college student. Their house, naturally, is solar-powered.
As for being pilloried by his colleagues, Holick's main complaint is that "he hasn't had a chance to really present his views before the controversy was raised," says Sally. But no matter how much more roasting he has to endure from the dermatology establishment, Holick plans to keep spreading the word in lectures and interviews, secure in his belief that, like Galileo—if not George Hamilton—he will be proved right. "The benefits of sun exposure are not filtering down to the public," he says. "I want them to be aware the sun can be our friend."
Alex Tresniowski. Debbie Seaman in Sudbury, Mass.
- Contributors:
- Debbie Seaman.
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
