Is Dr. Oz a Quack?

[Cat Whisperer]

My sister watches Dr. Mehmet Oz (first discovered on Oprah Winfrey) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mehmet_Oz) religiously and takes everything he says as canon. I've watched a bit of his show, and while I don't think he's completely out-to-lunch, I think he has some potential to take people down the wrong path. I'm not entirely sure he's a quack, but I'm not entirely sure he's safe, either. What do all y'all think?

Link to a Dr. Oz segment talking about alternative medicine. (http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/alternative-medicine-controversy-pt-1)

[Greg Charles]

I've just barely heard of him, but Dr. Phil was similarly inflicted on us by Oprah Winfrey, and he was clearly a quack.

[GilaB]

I have a friend who used to work with him back when he was a regular old cardiothoracic surgeon at New York Presbyterian Hospital (a gig he still has) and not a TV star, and back then, he mentioned that Oz was an excellent surgeon. It stuck with me at the time because I thought the name was funny. I have only seen his program once (he was saying sensible things about how posture can cause back pain, and used licorice strings to explain muscle knots), and can't speak to the quackiness of it, but my guess is that he's a decent heart surgeon.

[Claire Beauchamp]

Not a quack. Real doctor. May be more open to alternative medicine than a lot of traditional doctors, but that's not a basis for an accusation of quackery.

[RedBloom]

While I don't know about him all that well, I folloewd him on Facebook to get the latest and greatest health news. Every. Damn. Update. was a frightening headline along the lines of: "How diet coke will cause a bleeding brain" or " Broccoli: Cancer's best friend". Got so sick and tired of the preventative scare mongoring that I let him go. I'm much happier now, holding myself to his perfect health standards is nearly impossible.

[Leaffan]

I've watched him a few times and he didn't register on quackometer.

My dad was the head of a medical lab and my mum was a registered nurse, so we got a pretty level baseline of medical information growing up.

[muldoonthief]

He had John Edward (http://www.tvguide.com/News/Dr-Oz-Says-1030667.aspx). on a few months ago to teach people how to unlock their psychic power. He said it "changed my life." In my mind that makes him an utter & dangerous quack.

[Cat Whisperer]

I'm not questioning whether he's a medical doctor or not; he obviously is. I'm just not sure if he's doing more good than harm with a show that seems to be heavy on the junk science.

[Leaffan]

He had John Edward (http://www.tvguide.com/News/Dr-Oz-Says-1030667.aspx). on a few months ago to teach people how to unlock their psychic power. He said it "changed my life." In my mind that makes him an utter & dangerous quack.

Yikes. My quackometer just red-lined.

[Markxxx]

He's got a good reputation, the thing is when you try to medicine on TV, you have to combine your knowledge with showmanship to produce decent ratings.

This makes you look less than authoritative than you would would in a private practice.

[Little Nemo]

But to give the man credit, he was great in Arrested Development and Juno.

[Unauthorized Cinnamon]

Yeah, he has an M.D., but he's so quackerific, his voice doesn't echo! Check out Science-Based Medicine's recent articles (http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=12278)(linked one has a link to another one). I've heard tell that he invited some woomeister to "assist" in his surgeries - Reiki or therapeutic touch or some nonsense. He's just terrible, and if you mention him to anyone in the skeptical movement, you'll most likely see a very pained expression.

[Mama Zappa]

He had John Edward (http://www.tvguide.com/News/Dr-Oz-Says-1030667.aspx). on a few months ago to teach people how to unlock their psychic power. He said it "changed my life." In my mind that makes him an utter & dangerous quack.

Egad.

He lost me when he suggested that people with Restless Legs Syndrome try the "bar of soap under the sheets" trick. Admittedly, with that one, he didn't come out and SAY that "this will help"... but he did basically say that "some folks thing it does" and "couldn't hurt". Which would have been fine, if he'd follow it up with "but there's absolutely no scientific reason to believe it will do a damn thing".

[Stoid]

I've just barely heard of him, but Dr. Phil was similarly inflicted on us by Oprah Winfrey, and he was clearly a quack.

No, he's not.

There is an ocean's difference between having a grating personality and being a quack. There's no question that Dr. Phil can be stunningly obnoxious in his delivery, attitude, folksy bullshit, nepotism, pandering, whatever. But the actual content is generally good to excellent. I think his first book,"life Strategies" is downright brilliant - he wrote it before his head swelled up and he got a taste of how much money he could make recycling and pandering and getting his wife to write books (!!).

From a review: (http://www.amazon.com/Life-Strategies-Doing-Works-Matters/dp/B000ETQQ14/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1305599562&sr=8-1)

He deals with concepts such as self-reliance, individual responsibility and similar notions often downplayed (or ignored outright) by other authors seeking to play into the culture of victimization. You will find none of that in Mr. McGraw's book; his main theme is that we are responsible for our own lives and we do not have to allow ourselves to be knocked about like a punching bag on a windy day.
Bingo.

So, hate his presentation, his language, accent, self-important shit, whatever.... but he's no quack.

[Kolga]

Dr. Oz started out as a decent, evidence-based medical expert on Oprah, but has degenerated into a shill for woomeisters of all types.

Dr. Phil does not hold a license to practice psychology in any state, which does not make him a quack, but makes him an unreliable "expert." He's not a treatment provider, he's an entertainer. In that respect, he's as reliable a psychology expert as Rush Limbaugh is as a "news commentator."

[SenorBeef]

Undoubtedly a quack. He promotes shit that he knows doesn't work because Oprah pushes all her minions to embrace quack bullshit.

He's not a complete quack since he's actually a doctor and on non-quack issues might give solid advice - but that actually makes him more dangerous. To have him giving good advice and being an actual medical expert makes people assume that when he talks about stuff he knows he's bullshit that it's legit too. He's scum, part of the Oprah sphere of retarded fuckery promoting all sorts of psuedoscientific garbage.

[SeaDragonTattoo]

I think Oz was great when he did Oprah shows, which were either segments or dedicated shows, but with time between them to plan decent subjects. Now, with his own show, subjects have delved into junk just to be able to come up with material for so many shows. It's just another sad example of something good gone bad due to overexposure. I think he was stupid and greedy to start a show that would inevitably have to go down that route in order to keep an audience. If he kept it intelligent and "real," medically-based, he would have to start actual med school lectures.

He's a legitimately good doctor who got the showbiz bug and is now going the route of woo woo.

[friedo]

Not a quack. Real doctor. May be more open to alternative medicine than a lot of traditional doctors, but that's not a basis for an accusation of quackery.

You know what they call alternative medicine when it's proven to actually work? Medicine.

Oz is an MD and by all accounts a competent surgeon, but he constantly promotes quackery and nonsense on his show.

[psychobunny]

Regarding his show-he's a quack. As a cardiothoracic surgeon-I reserve judgement. He may be excellent. However, as a trained cardiothoracic surgeon he has not taken care of any medical patients for a minimum of 7 years, he is not required to keep up with medical advances in any non-surgical areas, he does not undergo periodic testing on medical treatments or preventative care and he should not be holding himself out as an expert in preventative care or alternative medicine which are not his fields. Yes surgery is difficult but it's ridiculous to assume that surgeons know all of what medical doctors do and also perform surgery. I can't tell you how many times a surgeon has consulted me for the most basic medical conditions like anemia or thyroid disease.

Overall, Oprah has a horrendous track record with her medical "experts". She apparently does not vet them at all.
For example:

Dr. Jan Adams-who operated on Kanye West's mother alledgedly without appropriately clearing her for surgery. He's had several malpractice claims as well as DUI's and nothing to indicate that he is an "expert" . He's not even board certified in plastic surgery.

"Dr. Phil" - who was working as a jury consultant after giving up his practice of psychology after being accused of an improper relationship with a 19 year old patient. Rather than undergo supervision, he elected to give up practice entirely and start a new career. He had to undergo ethics classes, and formally surrendered his license in 2006.

While these people may have some good advice, they are not qualified as experts, and given the amount of junk science on Oprah I wouldn't trust anything one of her 'experts" says.

[Stoid]

Regarding his show-he's a quack. As a cardiothoracic surgeon-I reserve judgement. He may be excellent. However, as a trained cardiothoracic surgeon he has not taken care of any medical patients for a minimum of 7 years,

Where do you get that? As recently as October of last year he was still performing surgery (http://njmonthly.com/articles/lifestyle/people/the-doctor-is-in.html) one day a week.

[Cat Whisperer]

<snip>
Overall, Oprah has a horrendous track record with her medical "experts". She apparently does not vet them at all.
For example:

Dr. Jan Adams-<snip>
"Dr. Phil" - <snip>
Jenny McCarthy (I'd put a smiley after that, except I don't consider what she's responsible for funny in any way).

[alice_in_wonderland]

I dunno about 'quack' but I saw a segment where he basically said that you should have infant boys circumcised because it prevents all sorts of diseases, problems with the foreskin and is medically necessary. Where I'm living, the insurer (Alberta Health) has now deinsured the procedure and indicates that it's 'not medically necessary.'

I found his statements absurd.

Further, he tends be obsessed with bacteria everywhere. I remember one segment where he suggested that women should wash their makeup brushes every day. Good grief - a good make up brush is $100 - if you washed it daily it would be bald in about 6 months instead of lasting 20 years like they're supposed do. Unless a woman has an active skin infection (in which case she probably shouldn't be wearing make up) or has very bad acne (ditto) or shares her brushes with random people (ew) washing them every 3 months or so is perfectly fine. Good grief - there's more bacteria growing in your cosmetics daily than would grow on the frikin' brush - talk about over kill.

[horsetech]

Where do you get that? As recently as October of last year he was still performing surgery (http://njmonthly.com/articles/lifestyle/people/the-doctor-is-in.html) one day a week.

I think psychobunny means "medical patient" as in internal medicine (which encompasses many things including primary and preventative care), as opposed to surgery.

[Sarahfeena]

I think psychobunny means "medical patient" as in internal medicine (which encompasses many things including primary and preventative care), as opposed to surgery.

Yes. That's one of the problems I have with him, and I agree completely with psychobunny. I understand he is an excellent surgeon, but his field is highly specialized, and I don't know if he should be giving out the kind of general medical advice that he does, given that internal medicine is not his area of expertise. And I am very very wary of anyone who would endorse alternative therapies such as Reiki. Very wary. I admire Oprah for many things, but I think it's shameful the way she promotes junk science and quack medicine on her show.

[Maus Magill]

He pinged my quack-o-meter when he sat next to Jenny McCarthy on one of Oprah's shows while she went off about vaccinations and how they cause autism, and HE DIDN'T SAY A DAMNED THING.

But then this happened:He had John Edward (http://www.tvguide.com/News/Dr-Oz-Says-1030667.aspx). on a few months ago to teach people how to unlock their psychic power. He said it "changed my life." In my mind that makes him an utter & dangerous quack.

Now my quack-o-meter is broken.

[Unauthorized Cinnamon]

Further, he tends be obsessed with bacteria everywhere. I remember one segment where he suggested that women should wash their makeup brushes every day. Good grief - a good make up brush is $100 - if you washed it daily it would be bald in about 6 months instead of lasting 20 years like they're supposed do. Unless a woman has an active skin infection (in which case she probably shouldn't be wearing make up) or has very bad acne (ditto) or shares her brushes with random people (ew) washing them every 3 months or so is perfectly fine. Good grief - there's more bacteria growing in your cosmetics daily than would grow on the frikin' brush - talk about over kill.This is a great example of how he has embraced the formula of Oprah-ish infotainment. From the stuff I'm forced to endure at the gym, it seems that there are two main things the daytime talk shows peddle: gossip and fear (OK, three things - makeovers). I don't know if the housewife demographic is actually drawn to fearmongering, or if you just need to flog the terror to make them (us) buy the Clorox products and such that pay your bills, but it's ridiculous. I'm a pretty over-the-top germophobe, and even I think their scare segments on these things are ridiculous.

[Sparky812]

I don't think he is a quack per se, but all those freakin fear-mongering "doctor" shows are really getting on my nerves. My wife is home on maternity leave, so everyday I get a lecture on how my favorite foods that are bad for me, or how I'm brushing my teeth wrong, or why I should drink green tea, etc..

[Cat Whisperer]

I'm at or near saturation with fear-mongering about food and vitamins and stuff - I'm going to eat what I want when I want in moderation, and call it good.

[cruzau]

Anyone worth their salt working in the health care profession can see that he is an absolute phony! His ideas regarding immunization schedules and diets are best left to experts such as public health nurses and registered dieticians. He makes me cringe with his so-called advice. Its almost criminal because people have a hard enough time trying to sort legitimate health information from crap without his crazy rantings. ->RN and Public Health Nurse

[cordylus]

My vote is for quack. There is a really interesting segment on the skeptics guide to the universe podcast where Dr. Novella (he's the skeptic in the video in the OP) discusses his appearance on the Dr. Oz show. I'm actually surprised nobody else mentioned it yet. I figured the dope would be crawling with SGU fans.

Link (http://www.theskepticsguide.org/archive/podcastinfo.aspx?mid=1&pid=302)

[Cat Whisperer]

I was thinking about this thread after hearing about Dr. Oz declaring apple juice contains dangerous levels of arsenic. (http://calgary.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110914/fda-apple-juice-oz-110914/20110914/?hub=CalgaryHome) I like the FDA's response to him: the FDA essentially says that yes, there is some arsenic in apple juice, but most of it occurs naturally and the amounts are perfectly safe....The FDA goes on to say that it believes that it would be "irresponsible and misleading" for "The Dr. Oz Show" to suggest that apple juice contains unsafe amounts of arsenic based solely on tests for total arsenic. Isn't there enough actual news and problems in the health world that he doesn't have to make shit up?

[Alan Smithee]

So basically, the verdict is that he's fine of you need someone to do surgery on your heart, but you should keep him away from your BRAAAAINS!!!

[cerberus]

More like this: if you need cardiothoracic surgery, stick with someone who spends most of his or her time actually working full time in that area.

Which means that he is spending most of his time advocating areas of medicine or science in which he has neither training nor certification. And he does so posing as an expert, with his basic MD, with no actual credentials in
nutrition or preventive medicine. Even though he's perfectly capable of earning them.

[Ambivalid]

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CC0QFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencebasedmedicine.org%2Findex.php%2Ffor-shame-dr-oz%2F&ei=xnp5TrqcI8SBtgfr65DxDw&usg=AFQjCNFtEYsBPth-D5RkApp9VMq6WU6xjg

I don't know how anyone can be anything but a quack who embraces the likes of Dr. Joseph Mercola. :rolleyes:

[BigT]

More like this: if you need cardiothoracic surgery, stick with someone who spends most of his or her time actually working full time in that area.

Which means that he is spending most of his time advocating areas of medicine or science in which he has neither training nor certification. And he does so posing as an expert, with his basic MD, with no actual credentials in
nutrition or preventive medicine. Even though he's perfectly capable of earning them.

And that is why I would call him a quack, even though he's a real doctor.

[medicated]

My vote is for quack. There is a really interesting segment on the skeptics guide to the universe podcast where Dr. Novella (he's the skeptic in the video in the OP) discusses his appearance on the Dr. Oz show. I'm actually surprised nobody else mentioned it yet. I figured the dope would be crawling with SGU fans.

Link (http://www.theskepticsguide.org/archive/podcastinfo.aspx?mid=1&pid=302)

Actually, I was just about to mention it. Curses and drat!

Anyway, undoubtedly a quack. By all accounts he's a very good surgeon, but so what? There's no shortage of experts out there who step way outside of their fields and forget that expertise in one area is not expertise in all areas. I'll trust him when he speaks about (say) fixing an aorta, but when he talks about so-called alternative medicine he quacks loudly enough that it hurts my ears.

[WordMan]

Is Dr. Oz a Quack?

The phrase you are looking for my dear is "media whore." ;)

I am friends with a physician colleague of his - he has the reputation of being an excellent surgeon and clincian. But his actions - and write ups I read in The New Yorker and other sources - make it pretty clear that he will do anything to get in front of a camera.

[billfish678]

Undoubtedly a quack. He promotes shit that he knows doesn't work because Oprah pushes all her minions to embrace quack bullshit.

He's not a complete quack since he's actually a doctor and on non-quack issues might give solid advice - but that actually makes him more dangerous. To have him giving good advice and being an actual medical expert makes people assume that when he talks about stuff he knows he's bullshit that it's legit too. He's scum, part of the Oprah sphere of retarded fuckery promoting all sorts of psuedoscientific garbage.

Oh God yes. Sometimes I wonder how much "societal damage" Oprah's caused over her career.

IMO Dr. Oz has fallen to what lots of smart, successful people do, particularly when they get famous. Because they are pretty smart/talented/successful they often get this idea that this applies to anything they do/try/think about. Which, if you think about it is pretty damn stupid, because it usually take a person years of hard work/education/training/blood sweat and tears to become "great" at just their special "thing". And then, all of a sudden, they believe they have the answer to some other complex problem that they have maybe done a few evenings reading and thinking about.

[sparky!]

My vote is for quack. There is a really interesting segment on the skeptics guide to the universe podcast where Dr. Novella (he's the skeptic in the video in the OP) discusses his appearance on the Dr. Oz show. I'm actually surprised nobody else mentioned it yet. I figured the dope would be crawling with SGU fans.

Link (http://www.theskepticsguide.org/archive/podcastinfo.aspx?mid=1&pid=302)

I started reading this thread in order to mention that! SGU is a really great podcast.

[PunditLisa]

I don't think he is a quack. I just think that there isn't sufficient material to make an interesting daily show. With boredom comes craziness. Look at all the 24/7 news stations. Without something catastrophic to cover, such as a tsunami, there just aren't enough interesting stories to fill up that much air time. Enter the craziness. Next thing you know 15 programming hours per week is dedicated to the Tot Mom murder trial.

Dr. Oz would probably put on a great show if it was made into a bi-weekly or monthly program.

[Cat Whisperer]

<snip>
Which means that he is spending most of his time advocating areas of medicine or science in which he has neither training nor certification. And he does so posing as an expert, with his basic MD, with no actual credentials in
nutrition or preventive medicine. Even though he's perfectly capable of earning them.That's what really bothers me about people like him - he is a doctor, and by all accounts a very good one at what he's trained in, but he lends his credibility to things that don't deserve it, and many, many people don't use any critical thinking to differentiate Dr. Oz, thoracic surgeon and Dr. Oz, expert on apple juice. I'm not sure who to blame for that.

[Toucanna]

[slight hijack]

"I'm not a licensed psychologist, but I play one on TV!"
{snip}Dr. Phil does not hold a license to practice psychology in any state, which does not make him a quack, but makes him an unreliable "expert."...he's as reliable a psychology expert as Rush Limbaugh is as a "news commentator."
It pains me, physically and mentally to type this, as I cannot stand Phil McGraw, but he can be considered a reliable expert on psychology.

That he no longer holds a license to practice does not mean the psychological concepts he espouses are unsound. If you strip him of his folksy, good-ol'-boy, just-tellin'-it-like-it-is smug sense of righteousness charm, the underlying concepts are basic ones taught in mainstream training programs for psychologists, social workers, counselors, etc. and are found in many publications written for the layperson.

FWIW, I have "channeled" Dr. Phil a few times, by delivering advice to some people in the style he uses. They were the sort of people who would find him credible and authoritative.

I beg of you (generic "you") not to interpret my defense of the psychological school of thought McGraw espouses as support for or endorsing his sense of ethics, morals, manner of putting his training into action, way of expressing himself, politics, religious beliefs, attitudes towards gender dynamics, choice of professional associates, career choice(s), or anything else to do with him. I would really appreciate that. Thanks.

I always wondered if Ohpree put Dr. Pill on her show as quid-pro-quo for getting the beef lawsuit tossed out. Suspsicious minds want to know![/slight hijack]

[Meatros]

The Drs on White Coat Underground (http://scientopia.org/blogs/whitecoatunderground/?s=Dr.+Oz) do not think highly of him.

"Dr. Oz, you're not helping diabetics (http://scientopia.org/blogs/whitecoatunderground/2011/02/24/dr-oz-youre-not-helping-diabetics/)"

[Ike Witt]

It seems like the only quack free doctor on TV is Sanjay Gupta on CNN.

[Bob Ducca]

I was surprised to see Dr. Oz quoted quite a bit in the excellent Mary Roach book "Stiff" just because he's a heart expert. This was before he was brought to us by Oprah. I think the book came out in 2003 and his first appearance on Oprah was in 2004.

[freep5637]

Where do you get that? As recently as October of last year he was still performing surgery (http://njmonthly.com/articles/lifestyle/people/the-doctor-is-in.html) one day a week.

Different regulations for different doctors. medical doctor vs. surgeons equals totally different areas of medicine and expertise.

[omahajoe]

I watched the Dr. Oz show for about 1 year. I have no idea if he is a quack or not, however I have done some preliminary calculations. I estimate that it will take about $4,500 to hire a contractor to tear out my medicine cabinent and replace it with one that is the size of my garage.

That is how large a medicine cabinet I will need to store all of the vitamins, minerals, herbs, home remedies, new age treatments, supplements, etc., etc., etc., that he recommends for every healthy person to take.

Of course, for those who are not healthy, he has hundreds of more recommendations. They will require a medicine cabinet about twice as large as my garage because I am a healthy human being.

My layman's opinion is to immediately hit the remote and change channels if you happen on this dude's show. You will subtract about 8.75 years from your life expectancy if you take him seriously with his obsessive compulsion to find death in every aspect of human behaviour... just saying.

[Lord Il Palazzo]

Almost all of my knowledge of Dr. Oz comes from occasionally hearing a segment he does called The Daily Dose that is broadcast on my local news radio station. Each one is about a minute long (if that) and features health advice ranging from useful (food X is a good source of Nutrient Y which helps prevent Health Problem Z and the like) to mind-numbingly obvious. The worst was one saying that, in order to eat healthier while eating out, the secret is to look at nutritional information and use that to make decisions (shocking, I know.) I'm not sure I would call him a quack, but I certainly don't place much stock in him.

[Allecher]

Oz is the only person to have received James Randi's Pigasus award (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pigasus_Award) two years in a row. He does have a "folksy" demeanor but ultimately he promotes many quack procedures.

[astro]

His CV seems to point to a very high level of intelligence and drive.

Early life

Mehmet Oz was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to Suna and Mustafa Öz who had emigrated from Konya Province, Turkey.[2][3] Mustafa Öz was born in Bozkır, a small town in central Turkey. Mustafa Öz earned scholarships that allowed him to emigrate to the United States as a medical resident in 1955. Suna Öz (née Atabay) who comes from a wealthy İstanbul family is the daughter of a pharmacist with Shapsug descent on her mother's side.[4][3]

Oz was educated at Tower Hill School in Wilmington, Delaware. In 1982 he received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University.[5] In 1986 he obtained a joint MD and MBA degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and The Wharton School.[6] He was awarded the Captain’s Athletic Award for leadership in college[7] and was Class President followed by President of the Student Body during medical school.[8]

[edit] Career

Oz has been a professor at the department of Surgery at Columbia University since 2001.[9] He directs the Cardiovascular Institute and Complementary Medicine Program at New York-Presbyterian Hospital.[10] His research interests include heart replacement surgery, minimally invasive cardiac surgery, and health care policy. With his collaborators, he has authored over 400 research papers, book chapters and medical books and has received several patents. He performs around 250 heart operations annually.[11]

Oz is the founder and chairman of HealthCorps, a non-profit organization that pays a small stipend to recent college graduates to spend two years in high schools mentoring students about health, nutrition, and fitness.

In 2009, Oz joined Jeffrey T. Arnold (founder of WebMD) as co-founder of Sharecare, Inc.,[12] providing an interactive QA platform that allows industry experts to answer health-related questions.[13]

[SenorBeef]

How does a high level of intelligence and drive battle the idea that he's a fraud? He'll apparently use that intelligence and drive to find success by sucking Oprah's supersititious tit.

[pullin]

A quack? Nonsense.

On one show he claimed that men should be having sex at least 4 times per week for health reasons. :p

Clearly the man is a sage.

[Jackmannii]

His CV seems to point to a very high level of intelligence and drive.Being very intelligent does not make one immune to falling for quackery.

Just google "Nobel disease" to come up with a depressing list of Nobel laureates who've touted non-efficacious cancer therapy, homeopathy, HIV/AIDS denialism and even shilled for HerbalLife.

Dr. Oz may be a bright guy, but he's also given credence to faith healers, antivaccine propaganda and notorious quackery promoters like Joe Mercola. He helped to make Oprah's show woo-friendly.

[Tom Tildrum]

Say what you will about Dr. Oz, but I loved him as Fozzie Bear.

[ZipperJJ]

Say what you will about Dr. Oz, but I loved him as Fozzie Bear.

Did you know he also has a cameo in The Blues Brothers?

[Kolga]

Dr. Oz may be a bright guy, but he's also given credence to faith healers, antivaccine propaganda and notorious quackery promoters like Joe Mercola. He helped to make Oprah's show woo-friendly.

I completely agree with the second part of your sentence, but have to disagree with the first. I'm not convinced that a "bright guy" would honestly support the woo that he's introduced to the public using Oprah's massive publicity machine. Which makes him either not bright, or a huckster.

[Qadgop the Mercotan]

I completely agree with the second part of your sentence, but have to disagree with the first. I'm not convinced that a "bright guy" would honestly support the woo that he's introduced to the public using Oprah's massive publicity machine. Which makes him either not bright, or a huckster.
People can be really smart in some areas and really, really stupid in others. "Blinded by one's own brilliance" is a fair descriptor.

QtM, who is frighteningly smart in some (mostly useless) areas and extremely ignorant in others, and who is only now realizing just how pathetically little he really knows. :smack:

but I know enough to not trust Dr. Oz

[Czarcasm]

QtM, who is frighteningly smart in some (mostly useless) areas and extremely ignorant in others, and who is only now realizing just how pathetically little he really knows. :smack:Don't worry-we're here to let you know just how ignorant you are...'cause that's what friends are for. :D

[Cat Whisperer]

I completely agree with the second part of your sentence, but have to disagree with the first. I'm not convinced that a "bright guy" would honestly support the woo that he's introduced to the public using Oprah's massive publicity machine. Which makes him either not bright, or a huckster.
I think Dr. Oz is very intelligent, and he's also an excellent businessman. Unfortunately, people buy what he's selling related to medicine and health because of the M.D. after his name, and that doesn't seem right to me.

[Kolga]

People can be really smart in some areas and really, really stupid in others. "Blinded by one's own brilliance" is a fair descriptor.



But he has to know, HAS to know, that the anti-vax propaganda is nonsense. If he's any kind of doctor at all, he has to know that. And don't even get me started on the Mercola stuff.

I guess I just feel better thinking that a doctor is being a dishonest huckster than truly believing in magic.

[SenorBeef]

Dr. Oz may be a bright guy, but he's also given credence to faith healers, antivaccine propaganda and notorious quackery promoters like Joe Mercola. He helped to make Oprah's show woo-friendly.

You have the cause and effect reversed - Oprah used him because she promotes all sorts of woo, and he was willing to sell his principles for a buck.