The rigid coronavirus social curbs imposed not so long ago and the sketchy and often contradictory claims made to justify them have spurred widespread doubt among Americans over a blanket “trust the science” narrative voiced by health establishment officials. Now that the pandemic has receded, it’s interesting to ponder how this new-found skepticism will affect other sweeping claims made by the profession. As summer approaches, so does a perennial modern medical campaign: Take cover, that bright yellow sun in the sky can kill you.
The subject appears in dominant media newspapers and on big-box television networks with the same regularity as popsicles in July. The headline to a cheeky yet serious New York Times article on May 29 says it all: “How to get absolutely no sun this summer.”
A Big Ball of Killer Destruction Pointed Right at You
Dermatologists raising the alarm about skin cancer are a constant in all such stories. The Times’ piece was no exception. “Is there such a thing as a safe tan? ‘No,’ said Dr. Maressa C. Criscito, an assistant professor of dermatology at New York University Langone Health. The prolonged effects of sun exposure, she said, include sunspots, skin discoloration, early signs of aging and skin cancer,” the article warned.
As per the template, calls to douse oneself with sunscreen soon follow. But that’s not enough.
“Sunscreen is just one piece of the puzzle, according to Dr. Criscito, who advises adding garments with ultraviolet protection factor,” The Times continued. “‘Coupling your sunscreen with a hat, or UPF clothing, or sitting under an umbrella, or going indoors for lunch during the high, peak UV index – those are all things that you could do in addition to your sunscreen application,’ she said.”
Wait, there’s more. Did you know that even having windows can pose a lethal threat?
“And don’t think just staying inside is the solution, either. Dr. Criscito pointed to a famous photo published in The New England Journal of Medicine in 2012 that showed a 69-year-old trucker who experienced significantly more skin damage on the left side of his face than on the right because of the UVA rays it had been exposed to through the driver’s-side window during his 28 years on the road. ‘Even through windows you could get UV exposure,’ she said.”
In short, what we have here is a scare campaign that mimics the COVID hysteria to an astonishing degree. And it’s been going on for decades. Both topics have one other thing in common: The medical groups cited to justify these harsh health regimens are wholly compromised by tight financial ties to Big Pharma companies that just so happen to profit from the recommendations they make.
Doctoring the Sun
Remember the olden days of COVID? “Numerous big-box media outlets have dutifully reported that the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), ‘an organization of 67,000 pediatricians,’ has recommended that all children over the age of two wear masks at school. What is not being mentioned is that this group’s current ‘corporate partners’ and ‘top 10 donors’ include Big Pharma goliaths Johnson & Johnson and Merck, as well as multinational corporations, such as Nestle, that sell health-related products aimed at children,” Liberty Nation reported in July 2021.
This same game has long been played with the annual summer sun scare. If anything, the cash connections are even more brazen in dermatological circles.
“The biggest mistake people make is this false sense of security that a high SPF number is enough,” Dr. Shereene Idriss, a New York City dermatologist, is quoted as saying in The Times’ piece about sunscreen use. “They’ll only use it at 8 a.m. before leaving the house … But the reality is, it doesn’t last all day.”
(Photo by Lea Suzuki/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
The paper added, “Dr. Idriss said that she supplements her own sun protection practices with UPF rash guards and UV visors that completely shade her face and neck. ‘I’m making it chic,’ she said. ‘I’m going with it.’”
Idriss is “a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology,” the bio at her website reads.
“The AAD’s Corporate Partner Circle membership is our highest level of corporate recognition and is awarded to partners who support the Academy at $100,000 annually and above for at least three consecutive years,” reads the text for the 2023 Corporate Partner Circle at the American Academy of Dermatology website.
Under the “Pinnacle $750,000+” listing, one finds Big Pharma behemoths AbbVie, Bristol Myers Squibb, Johnson & Johnson, and Pfizer. Johnson & Johnson is a noted maker of several popular sunscreens.
A second credentialed organization also is frequently cited in establishment media sun-scare stories. “Memorial Day kicks off the unofficial start of summer – and skin dangers,” reads the subheading to a May 25, 2018, article by ABC News.
“Regular daily use of sunscreen can reduce the risk of melanoma, the deadliest type of skin cancer, by 50 percent and squamous cell carcinoma by 40 percent, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation. It can also decrease the rate at which skin wrinkles and spots,” the network wrote.
An exhaustive list of Big Pharma companies is displayed. It includes big-brand sunscreen manufacturers Avon, Banana Boat, Coppertone, and Sun Bum, to name just a few.
Let’s review. ABC News “reports” that the Skin Cancer Foundation recommends sunscreen use as a medical necessity. The Skin Cancer Foundation is funded by a slew of sunscreen manufacturers. What does this say about the state of modern credentialed medicine and the dominant media organs that platform this material?
As with anything, the solution for healthy sun exposure is for people to educate themselves rather than mindlessly fall in line with monolithic scare campaigns that line the pockets of large corporate interests. There are compelling research-based alternative opinions on this issue. A healthy diet, reduced exposure to chemicals (as opposed to slathering more on your skin via sunscreen), exercise, and living a healthy lifestyle in general all play a part in the human body’s ability to absorb and utilize the known benefits of being out in the sun.
