The disinformation playbook problems of US healthcare - Grant
Why Big Pharma Fears Vitamin D3 (The Truth They Don’t Want You to Know) - video March 2026
AI Summary
- (00:00) Big Pharma considers Vitamin D3 a major threat because it is an inexpensive, natural hormone capable of correcting many conditions they currently treat for immense profit.
- (00:36) The modern "sun phobia" campaign was heavily driven by pharmaceutical companies specializing in dermatology. They warned the public against sun exposure while simultaneously selling synthetic vitamin D creams for skin issues.
- (01:42) Sun exposure naturally converts skin cholesterol into Vitamin D and is one of the best remedies for skin conditions. Historically, sanatoriums successfully treated diseases like tuberculosis with sunbathing before the advent of antibiotics.
- (02:47) According to Dr. William Grant, Vitamin D is the most studied bioactive molecule in the world with over 84,000 published papers. Despite this, the medical system manufactures controversy around it to protect its income stream.
- (03:27) A "disinformation playbook" is routinely used to discredit Vitamin D. This involves generating "counterfeit science"—such as government-sponsored clinical trials designed for pharmaceutical drugs rather than nutrients—to intentionally show zero benefits.
- (04:33) Big Pharma buys credibility by heavily funding medical universities, professional societies, and government agencies (like the CDC and FDA) to ensure Vitamin D is ignored in favor of long-term disease management.
- (05:44) Many studies that conclude Vitamin D is ineffective deliberately use tiny, inadequate doses that are entirely incapable of producing a positive physiological effect.
- (06:20) Using the Coimbra protocol, high doses of Vitamin D3 have demonstrated a 90% success rate for autoimmune diseases. These high doses are often necessary to bypass a genetic issue known as "vitamin D resistance."
- (06:55) To effectively combat inflammation and protect against viruses and cancer, it is recommended to do a home blood spot test to ensure your Vitamin D levels are above 50 nanograms per milliliter, which generally requires an intake of at least 10,000 IUs daily.
Transcript
(00:00) vitamin D3 often referred to as the sunshine vitamin plays a crucial role in our health its importance cannot be overstated as it impacts everything from bone health to immune function today we delve into the world of vitamin D3 uncovering its significance and the forces that fear its potential Big Pharma is terrified of vitamin D3 they have great influence over universities especially Harvard University Harvard will not publish anything positive about vitamin D the question is why because it competes directly with Big Pharma many
(00:36) many many conditions that Big Pharma treats can be inexpensively corrected with vitamin D let's just start with the precursor for vitamin d cholesterol the precursor to make vitamin d has also been attacked big this is seed oils right heart healthy why because it doesn't have any cholesterol it's cholesterol free what about the sun has anyone ever told you to stay out of the sun you're going to get skin cancer I'm going to share some interesting data with you there's two main Big Pharma companies Leo Pharma and another one that's called elmerol
(01:10) both of these pharmaceutical companies specialize in dermatology skin related issues both of these companies have developed products in the past that had the ingredients of synthetic vitamin d one drug they combine vitamin d with corticosteroid cream another drug was just vitamin d and what were these for skin problems these are the two companies that started this sun phobia stay out of the sun campaign while they sell you their vitamin d product out of all the remedies that you can do for eczema and psoriasis
(01:42) the sun is one of the best remedies and it causes the cholesterol in your skin to turn into vitamin d the most dangerous skin cancer really stemming from a vitamin d deficiency it usually originates in areas that are not exposed to the sun you really need at least 10,000 Ius every single day to maintain a healthy vitamin d level every aspect of your immune system has receptors for vitamin D back in the early 1900s we had sanatoriums all over the world to get sunbathing sun treatment they would basically lay out in the sun to prevent TB
(02:17) and to handle various health conditions until we develop something called antibiotics and then you saw those sanatoriums go away the amount of corruption and influence of Big Pharma has been widespread ever since that period of time I want you to hear a very short clip by Doctor William Grant who has done extensive research in the area of vitamin D it's interesting to look at the number of papers published on vitamin d to give you an idea of how important vitamin d is according to pubmed.
(02:47) govcomma there have been 84,532 papers published with vitamin d in the title or abstract as of February 18th, 2024 including 4,668 in 2024 the rate of publication has been greater than 4,000 papers per year starting in 2014 thus it is the most studied bioactive molecule despite this record there's still controversy regarding its health benefits why the controversy well Big Pharma and the medical system are not happy with vitamin d because it reduces their income and profits I listened to a presentation about the disinformation playbook
(03:27) by a representative of the union of Concerned Scientists and Learned about the five pillars of the playbook these pillars include the fake where counterfeit science is conducted and it's trying to be passed off as legitimate research the main example of this for vitamin d is all the government sponsored vitamin d randomized controlled trials which are designed based on guidelines for pharmaceutical drugs not nutrients and as a result they don't show any benefit of vitamin D then there's the blitz harassing scientists
(04:01) who speak out with results or reviews inconvenient for industry back in 2018 there was a big hit piece on Michael Holick in the New York Times saying well he can't be trusted because he took money from the indoor tanning industry and the supplement industry come on give me a break the diversion manufactures uncertainty about science where little or none exists again using the results from their clinical trials to counter the results from observational studies fourth the screen they buy credibility through alliances
(04:33) with academia or professional societies well Big Pharma funds all the medical universities to fund clinical trials gives them lots of money and encourages them to ignore vitamin D and all your disease organizations take money from Big Pharma and of course represent their interests and are more interested in maintaining a membership base of people with disease rather than curing them finally there's the fix manipulating government officials or processes to influence policy inappropriately as is well known The Centers for Disease Control in the United States
(05:10) the food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of health have had major influence from Big Pharma that has changed in 2,024 and this should result in changes regarding the acceptance of vitamin D there's tens of thousands of research studies on what vitamin d can do for cancer I mean it's not a trickle of research it's a flood a lot of the research that shows that vitamin d doesn't help are on purpose in other words I think Big Pharma has influenced a lot of the research on these topics all you have to do to sort that out
(05:44) is to look at the studies that don't show a favourable outcome and almost in every one of those studies the amount of vitamin d that they use is so tiny and when you use just small amounts of vitamin d you're not going to be able to create the effects Doctor Coimbra from Brazil who developed the Coimbra protocol for autoimmune diseases the results of using high doses of vitamin D3 it's in the 90 percentile as far as effectiveness and in a recent interview which I will post he told me this that there's something called vitamin d resistance
(06:20) and this has to do with a genetic issue with vitamin D if your genes have some type of problem you are vulnerable to having a vitamin d deficiency because there really is no test that you can know for sure if the vitamin d in your blood is going deep into the tissues into the cells this is also why it's so important to make sure that your vitamin d is at least 50 nanograms per milliliter I'll put the link down below where you can order a kit and you do a little blood spot on a piece of paper send it in and you can find out your vitamin d levels
(06:55) I think a lot of people have a problem with vitamin d just because their genetics are not allowing them to absorb vitamin D even from the standpoint of what vitamin d does for inflammation it can greatly reduce inflammation it's one of the most potent anti inflammatory to protect you from getting cancer as well as you know viruses and things like that Cod liver oil also has a good amount of vitamin D one tablespoon of cod liver oil can give you 10,000 IU's of vitamin D3 that's 20 minutes in the sun if you haven't had your vitamin d tested
(07:31) it'd probably be a good idea to get it tested and if you want more information about doing a home test I will put that link down below but ideally I would recommend to make sure your levels are above 50 nanograms per milliliter"
Disinformation Playbook Charts - Union of Concerned Scientists - 2017
Vitamin D Research, Disinformation playbook against vitamin D, MAHA hope - Grant March 2025
GLASP AI Summary
(00:01-01:31) Dr. William B. Grant, PhD in physics with a 30-year atmospheric sciences career, founded the Sunlight Nutrition and Health Research Center in 2004 after studying UVB radiation and vitamin D since 1999.
(01:31-04:52) Big Pharma utilizes the "disinformation playbook" against vitamin D because it reduces their income, including tactics like counterfeit science, harassing scientists, manufacturing uncertainty, buying credibility through alliances, and manipulating government officials.
(07:30-10:24) Competing vitamin D recommendations exist: The 2011 Institute of Medicine recommends 20 ng/ml focusing only on bone health, while the Endocrine Society recommends above 30 ng/ml, with a new 2024 Endocrine Society committee controversially recommending supplements only for ages 1-18 and over 75.
(10:24-14:06) Most "mega trials" of vitamin D are improperly designed based on pharmaceutical drug guidelines rather than nutrient needs (allowing placebo groups to take supplements, enrolling non-deficient individuals, using low supplement doses, not analyzing by achieved blood levels).
(16:12-21:20) Analysis of prospective cohort studies shows vitamin D concentrations above 30 ng/ml significantly reduce risk of stroke (60%), cardiovascular disease (55%), dementia (50%), and 8 of the 10 leading causes of death in the US, with benefits most evident when follow-up periods are shorter.
(23:43-27:34) Seasonal variations show 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels drop in winter when mortality increases by 30%, with a newly discovered mechanism showing vitamin D accumulates in skeletal muscle cells providing functional storage during winter months.
(27:34-29:05) A recent analysis shows vitamin D supplementation reduced COVID-19 incidence by 60% in randomized trials, by 41% in analytical studies, and ICU admission by 68%, supporting Dr. Grant's early 2020 paper proposing vitamin D's role in reducing COVID risk.
(29:05-31:21) With new leadership at the CDC, FDA, and NIH in 2025, there's hope for greater acceptance of vitamin D supplementation for reducing infectious and chronic diseases, though proper study design for nutrients (restricting to deficient subjects and analyzing by achieved levels) remains critical.
The problems with healthcare in the U.S. - Grant 2017
By William B. Grant, PhD.
Elisabeth Rosenthal, MD, spoke at the Commonwealth Club on December 13, 2017.
Her new book is An American Sickness; How healthcare became big business and how you can take it back . Penguin Press, 2017.
Her main message is that healthcare in the U.S. has morphed from one based on care to one based on business principles of maximizing income and profit. She gave examples of receiving emergency care in other countries for a fraction of what similar care would cost in the U.S.
She also discussed how the healthcare industry has gamed the system, such as by obtaining patents for drugs that slightly extend the capabilities of existing drugs. Turns out that drug approvals by the FDA only consider effectiveness and safety, not cost or comparison with other drugs or approaches. An example she gave was Vanda's new sleep drug, which is just a modified form of melatonin, but is very expensive. (see below).
She also pointed out that insurance companies do not contest charges although they may negotiate them down. One reason they give is that to contest them, they may have to go to court. Another reason is that if the charge is from a large hospital or treatment system, they do not want to anger them and lose their business. Also, insurance companies know they can pass on the costs to the insured.
Not mentioned by her but discussed with another member of the audience is that physicians only recommend standard treatments . In his case, he was diagnosed with 80% arterial blockage and underwent triple bypass surgery at Stanford Medical Hospital. The bill was $500k, which the insurance company "negotiated down" to $300k. However, Dean Ornish, Caldwell Esselstyn, John McDougall, and others have shown that switching to a low-fat vegan diet can clear blocked arteries quickly and without surgery or a large pile of money.
The Disinformation Playbook
Vitamin D does not fit into the business model of health care in the U.S. I recently heard a program at the Commonwealth Club on how tobacco and oil and coal interests and the National Football League cast doubt on evidence that their product was causing great harm. They all followed The Disinformation Playbook Union of Concerned Scientists – Dec 2017
1) The Fake
Conduct counterfeit science and try to pass it off as legitimate research
Examples
How Georgia-Pacific Knowingly Published Fake Science on the Safety of Asbestos
Industry Groups Used Cherry-Picked Science to Avoid Regulation of Chromium
Merck Manipulated the Science about the Drug Vioxx
Fossil Fuel Companies Distorted the Science about the Dangers of Benzene
2) The Blitz
Harass scientists who speak out with results or views inconvenient for industry
Examples
The NFL Tried to Intimidate Scientists Studying the Link between Pro Football and Traumatic Brain Injury
Syngenta Harassed the Scientist Who Exposed Risks of its Herbicide Atrazine
How the Fossil Fuel Industry Harassed Climate Scientist Michael Mann
GlaxoSmithKline Tried to Silence the Scientist Who Exposed the Dangers of its Drug Avand
3) The Diversion
Manufacture uncertainty about science where little or none exists
Examples
How Fossil Fuel Lobbyists Used “Astroturf” Front Groups to Confuse the Public
The Corn Refiners Association Used Front Groups to Spread Disinformation about Sugar and Health
The Indoor Tanning Association Used Misleading Ad Campaigns to Distort Skin Cancer Science
How the American Chemistry Council Sowed Uncertainty about Formaldehyde Risks
4) The Screen
Buy credibility through alliances with academia or professional societies
Examples
How Coca-Cola Disguised Its Influence on Science about Sugar and Health
The Fossil Fuel Industry Hid the Truth about Its Funding of Fracking Research
Philip Morris Funds University Research—with Strings Attached
The Case of ExxonMobil and the American Geophysical Union
5) The Fix
Manipulate government officials or processes to inappropriately influence policy
Examples
How Dow Chemical Influenced the EPA to Ignore the Scientific Evidence on Chlorpyrifos * *
Pfizer Pressured the FDA to Downplay the Risks of Its Arsenical Animal Drug
How the NRA Suppressed Gun Violence Research
BP and Other Companies Exploited a Regulatory Agency to Continue Negligent Offshore Drilling
I looked at the evidence to see whether that is being done for vitamin D and the answer is an emphatic yes.
Vanda's Sleep Disorder Drug Is A Nightmare - TheStreet – June 2013
https://www.thestreet.com/story/.../1/vandas-sleep-disorder-drug-is-a-nightmare.html
Jun 19, 2013 - Vanda's Sleep Disorder Drug Is A Nightmare. ... Tasimelteon belongs to the melatonin family of compounds which helps regulate the 24-hour sleep-wake cycle, also known as circadian rhythm.
Why a drug maker is spending big on TV ads aimed at the blind - May 2016
https://www.statnews.com/2016/05/04/sleep-drug-blind-advertising/
May 4, 2016 - Vanda's drug, sold as Hetlioz, costs $148,000 a year, 76 percent more than when it was first introduced in 2014, according to the research firm Truven ... Non-24 sleep-wake disorder 5, often called “non-24,” is a circadian rhythm disorder in which the body clock is out of sync 6 with the 24-hour cycle of night ...
Non-24-Hour Sleep-Wake Disorder - VANDA Pharmaceuticals
www.vandapharma.com/non24.html
A misalignment between an individual's body clock and their sleep-wake schedule may result in a Circadian Rhythm Sleep Disorder (CRSD). Examples of CRSDs include Shift Work Sleep Disorder, Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder, Jet Lag, and Non-24-Hour Sleep-Wake Disorder.
Henry Lahore, founder of VitaminDWiki, sees 3) The Diversion, frequently
Vitamin D Studies which appear to intentionally confuse the public are frequently wrong - in 5 to 12 ways
I was confused about net neutrality - then found that was confusion was strategy of the lobbyists
The Global Disinformation Campaign Against Ivermectin - The "Blitz"
Pierre Kory substack Nov 7, 2022
Ivermectin pages on VitaminDWiki: Ivermectin and COVID-19 - many studies
See also web
The disinformation playbook: how industry manipulates the science-policy process—and how to restore scientific integrity - December 2021 FREE PDF
COVID-19 Disinformation How to Spot It—and Stop It Union of Concerned Scientists Feb 2021 FREE PDF