Oz .5
The results are in:
They identified 479 recommendations from The Dr Oz Show and 445 recommendations from The Doctors, finding that on average, each episode contained about a dozen bits of health wisdom.
By randomly selecting the episodes, instead of cherry picking the worst offenders, their findings give us a true picture of the quality of the health claims that are being made.
And what they found was disappointing but not exactly surprising: about half of the health recommendations had either no evidence behind them or they actually contradicted what the best-available science tells us. That means about half of what these TV doctors say to their millions of satellite patients is woo, and potentially harmful and wasteful woo at that.
Honestly, is anybody surprised at this? These shows are all about entertainment not about reality. In other words, there is a secondary agenda. Facts are twisted, squeezed and massaged to make good programming. The doctors do get famous and make a lot of money but they do so by selling out and selling their souls. Just know this. If you were offered the same deal with all the fame and glory, would you take it? Even if they promised, in the beginning, that you would have full control over what you say and do? You would be hard pressed to say no. Soon, however, it would all change. You become their bitch and get convinced to do their bidding more and more on each episode. By the end it is hard to leave or get off the stripper pole because the money is too good and you just don’t want to start over. Here is the question. What is the difference between Dr. Oz, The Doctors or being a hospital-employeed physician? My description above pretty much sounded the same.
Dr. Oz showed his attitude toward real healthcare–and the people most critical in delivering it–several years ago when he danced with a bunch of skimpily dressed women in “naughty nurse” costumes. And that wasn’t even entertaining, it was just stupid.
We would all be too boring. How many times can you say there are no magic bullets, no magic spells, no quick ways to lose that 30 pounds you are carrying around. Or that the cheapest moisturizer is as good as the one you are paying $49.00 a tube for. Or use sunscreen. Or exercise. And take your medication as prescribed. And BTW, unless you have really severe pain don’t have oxy in the house. Oh, and make sure you and your kids are fully immunized. Wash your hands alot (goes for us too). And those Z-Pacs you ask for for that cold, forget it.
OK. Show over. Just made 80% of the population healthier.
Dave
Ha ha, bravo! I was thinking of that exact comparison just before I got to your punch line.