No doctor is telling you to not go outside. The pills are for people who can't be relied upon to go outside enough (or if they do, simply cannot get enough sun to achieve a similar result). It's important to remember that doctors are human beings just like (presumably) you and me and know they're working with other human beings who sometimes (sadly) won't do the things that are absolutely best for them. They work with the tools they have.

I eye-rolled at that guidance too, until a loved one was diagnosed out of the blue with stage-2 melanoma. It's terrifying.

Don't screw around with sun protection. Despite what the internet says, people who work outside get it too.

Why is skepticism of western medicine so heavily downvoted on HN? Doctors have been wrong about things in the past, e.g. tobacco, fats, 6-11 servings of bread/cereal/pasta.