June 1, 2014

Dr. Phillip Autier
Research Director at IPRI
International Prevention Research Institute
Cours Lafayette 95
69006 Lyon, France
Dear Dr. Autier,

I keep stewing over your quote in the Daily Mail and am indeed insulted at your allegations. You were quoted by Jonathan Gornall “The ‘sunshine supplement’ is hyped as a miracle cure, but experts say don’t waste your money on vitamin D pills” Daily Mail, 24 March 2014 as saying: “The vitamin D fad, he says, is just ‘a commercial promotion campaign’ in which sellers of supplements, UV lamps, fortified foods and blood tests are ‘taking advantage of disease-mongering around so-called vitamin D deficiency.’”

Sir, I suffered for almost three decades from what cannot be any other way categorized as other than vitamin D deficiency. I had back pain all during this period as well as much incapacitation. In addition to the suffering from the pain, I had sleep apnea as well as other health issues. After taking vitamin D and other supplements, I avoided more back surgery, after two failed surgeries, and am healed from severe sleep apnea. I no longer need pain meds and take no pharmaceuticals at the blessed age of sixty-three. To insult organizations like GrassRoots Health with its many dedicated life-long expert researchers of vitamin D is an atrocity as millions around the world suffer from the diseases created by vitamin D deficiency.

After reviewing the consortium of IPRI that includes, Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim International, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, Merck, Pfizer, Roche, and Eli Lilly, I can believe nothing else than your sponsors have confused the reasoning of your well educated scientific mind.  I can only state that you are nothing more than a shill for the pharmaceutical companies. I do expect a new paper soon, after your review of the more than forty controlled clinical trials, that refute your original findings. You sir, have shamed the scientific approach of evidence based medicine.

Sincerely,

Mark Pegram
Vitamin D Deficiency Survivor