What happens when the solution is part of the problem?

Seems to be happening a lot these days, but this one is just bizarre.

The idea that sunscreen prevents cancer is a myth

Some statements made in the article:

• The scientific evidence, however, shows quite clearly that sunscreen actually promotes cancer by blocking the body's absorption of ultraviolet radiation, which produces vitamin D in the skin. Vitamin D, as recent studies have shown, prevents up to 77 of ALL cancers in women (breast cancer, colon cancer, cervical cancer, lung cancer, brain tumors, multiple myeloma... you name it). Meanwhile, the toxic chemical ingredients used in most sunscreen products are actually carcinogenic and have never been safety tested or safety approved by the FDA
• Proponents say sunscreen prevents sunburn, but in fact, the real cause of sunburn is not merely UV exposure: It is a lack of antioxidant nutrition. Sunburn is actually caused by nutritional deficiencies that leave the skin vulnerable to DNA mutations from radiation ... if you boost your nutrition and protect your nervous system with plant-based nutrients, you'll be naturally resistant to sunburn.
• If sunscreen is so bad for humans, you might ask, then why do so many doctors recommend using it? This might be hard for you to believe, but it wasn't too long ago that doctors routinely recommended smoking cigarettes, too. The Journal of the American Medical Association, in fact, ran numerous ads promoting Camels as "recommended by more doctors than any other cigarette!" Doctors talked up the "benefits" of smoking cigarettes, urging people to start smoking in order to improve brain function or even -- get this -- make their teeth stronger!
• Doctor-prescribed medications are the fourth leading cause of death in America today. About 100,000 Americans die each year from following the advice of their doctor. Does it really make any sense to get your health advice from a group of professionals who kill more Americans each year than all the terrorists have ever killed in the history of this country?

Like all extreme positions, the truth is probably somewhere in between. His "common sense" questions don't take into account, for example, the man-made effects on the ozone that could have contributed to changes making "natural" sunlight more dangerous. The part about Doctor's recommending Camels though was interesting. So I had to go find one of the old ads for kicks:


Guess that's a risk in believing experts of the known, when the known is such a small fraction of what's yet to be understood or discovered. And of course, if a society's primary value is capitalism, the whole 'truth for the masses' often takes a backseat to 'profit for the few.'