An open letter to Doctor Oz

beachgod

Plus anybody who reads this thread and is still stupid enough to fall for Oz's quackery deserves to waste their money on his snake oil. I've been suckered into some of these falsehoods before (acai and green tea but not due to Dr. Oz, just internet hype) and laugh at myself in disgust for being such an idiot. Live and learn. Or not.

So you laugh at people who fell for the same thing you did? This isn't about what I or anyone else has or has not bought in the past. It's about an abuse of power and trust. And taking control of ourselves and what we allow to be shown.

There's plenty of information here to sway an intelligent reader from buying into his spiel; I was ignorant when I fell for the hype. I totally agree with your points in the OP but I guess the thread got derailed a little by the reply that I ended up quoting and replying to, especially since I've never watched his show and went by reviews on other sites. My bad.:flowerforyou:

Unfortunately I seriously doubt we can allow what will and won't be shown on TV. You have the choice to watch his show or not and that's about it. If enough people don't watch it, ratings will drop and it'll get cancelled. I don't see that happening anytime soon although it'd be nice.

Pamelicious1988

I have to thank Dr. Oz for jump-starting my new lifestyle. I tuned in to several weight loss and nutrition–related episodes, which got me thinking about natural superfoods and incorporating them into my daily diet (and morning smoothies). I read about garcinia cambogia, then watched his program about it; I started taking it two months ago, and it has eliminated my sugar cravings and given me control over my appetite. (I bought the supplement on Amazon. Dr. Oz doesn't sell it. He says so, and it seems he can't stop vendors from promoting their products with video clips from the show.)

Net result, along with MFP food diary: 20+ lbs. lost. I noted his Two-Week Rapid Weight Loss Plan (I don't usually do diet plans); picked up a few tips about portions and how to load up on low-calorie, nutrient-dense foods; and took away his Detox Vegetable Broth recipe, which I make in big batches, then drink a 16-oz. glassful before meals (and add it to my water ticker). While I understand how people might feel about Dr. Oz, I find his shows informative and his enthusiasm genuine.

motivatedmartha

Great post, OP!

Wait...you mean this ISN"T TRUE???? But it's in a magazine!

What's sad is how many people will see this post and buy the magic potion. And the magazine.

Even the cakes look fake!!!

jmv7117

Let me start by saying I do not like Dr. Oz, i do think he pitches quick fixes and spreads fear through his show. However, he does not actually endorse products you see him attached to onlin, and the facebook ads are also using him without his consent. He often states this on his show or in interviews, he does not sell supplements, and the ads will use any face that sells.

I like some aspects of the Dr Oz show and at the same time question other aspects. Quite frankly no one should be taking his show as the absolute gospel. In fact, they should not even be taking their own doctor's advice as the absolute gospel! Do your research, ask questions and if necessary get second opinions. You should be a partner in your health care and are responsible for getting the best care possible for yourself.

In a recent Dr Oz show, I actually gleaned a hint as to what was causing one symptom I was having SO it was research time. Based on that research, I made one change that has resulted in a decrease in the severity of that symptom. The thing is, I may not have suspected the root cause had I not happened on his show that day. He does present a lot of good information in a visual manner that laypersons can understand. On another recent show, he was actually confronting a firm that was using his likeness and implying he endorsed their product when in fact he does not. Unfortunately there is that type of thing happening and even with lawsuits, some folks are going to be inadvertently hurt DESPITE the fact his name and likeness is being used without his permission or even knowledge.

jmv7117

An open letter to “Dr.” Oz.:

My whole life I have been fat. There have been ups and downs, but it always comes back to that. My whole life there have been snake oil salesmen offering me an easy fix. Two pills a day, and I can be skinny just like this mystery tribe in the Amazon nobody has heard of until this past year.

After the first couple hundred dollars I gave up. No matter how late at night I was watching TV and eating Fritos I would NOT pick up that phone. Sure, I’d spend the rest of the night dreaming that there was a pill out there, and I could forget about the work I would surely have to do to get rid of this weight that went on so enjoyably.

And then you came along. So charming and engaging. You were on TV. Oh, you didn’t start off as a salesman I’m sure. I remember watching you as you progressed. You started off with interesting facts about my body. You had engaging visual aids. Every show wasn’t about a new magical weight loss cure.

This letter won’t affect you in any way, I’m sure you sleep like a baby at night, most likely on 1800 count Egyptian cotton sheets. But I want to explain to you the effect you have on people like me. And I want to explain what Gross Moral Turpitude is Sir. Because unlike the person you seem to think I am, I am fat, NOT stupid.

What you do when you pitch these quick fixes from your pedestal of trust is steal time. The time I spend researching your raspberry ketones or your garcinia cambogia is time I could be researching valid exercise programs or planning my meals for the week. You rob me of my ability to think for myself. You fill my head with hope that has zero chance of being fulfilled. I am a smart woman, but I am still human, and oh, don’t you work that angle.

Gross Moral Turpitude: conduct that is considered contrary to community standards of justice, honesty or good morals.

When you were first offered that contract to push raspberry ketones and have your face plastered all over the internet, did you have a qualm of guilt? I’m genuinely curious. When you see your face all over Facebook “informing” us of the “latest wait loss brekthrough!!!!” [misspelling intentional] do you pause for a moment?

You have broken every rule of good morals, and you actively hurt and dismiss the community you preach to so convincingly. For make no mistake-at this point you are less a doctor and more a preacher.

In a country that has so many lawsuits, I'm not sure why you haven't been targeted yet, but I cheer the day. The harm you cause, is long lasting.

Folks can also be sued for making libelous and/or malicious statements. At some point Dr Oz may just decide to do just that!

cadaver0usb0nes

Let me say one word... OPRAH. That cow creates monsters.

Gohomebay

and today on Dr Oz, eat your desert at breakfast yup peeps proven to loose weight so grab those donuts and cupcakes, but dont ever eat them at any time of the day....what happened to just plain old simple eating. I donno i guess i have always felt it obvious. I know when I am eating nutricious foods and when i am not. I do still read labels on packaged food to learn and keep me on the ball. I wish he would stop talking about all the different diets every other day he contradicts all the theories weekly

ndj1979

in….because I hate when someone says "Dr. Oz said on his show…."

ndj1979

:drinker: I think he started off meaning well, and it's not like he personally needs the money, given that he's a highly successful surgeon. Nor is he stupid, obviously. But somehow his show has been hijacked and turned into a sideshow. Every once in awhile something interesting gets said, but it's drowned out by the sales pitch for the latest fad. It's sad, really.

Highly successful surgeons make a few hundred thousand dollars a year, not the millions he is making now.

Fair enough. He could have done a few shows and still quit while he had his reputation intact if upper middle class wasn't good enough for him, though.

hell, if someone wants to pay me millions to push a bunch of BS diet products, I will be more than happy to do so ….

SkimFlatWhite68

Fortunately I have never watched Dr Oz. I know who he is, but I don't even know if we get his show here.. Probably a good thing. Not really sure what raspberry ketones are either, but I am sure that I don't need any.

It's nice to be blissfully ignorant sometimes.

SunofaBeach14

:drinker: I think he started off meaning well, and it's not like he personally needs the money, given that he's a highly successful surgeon. Nor is he stupid, obviously. But somehow his show has been hijacked and turned into a sideshow. Every once in awhile something interesting gets said, but it's drowned out by the sales pitch for the latest fad. It's sad, really.

Highly successful surgeons make a few hundred thousand dollars a year, not the millions he is making now.

Fair enough. He could have done a few shows and still quit while he had his reputation intact if upper middle class wasn't good enough for him, though.

hell, if someone wants to pay me millions to push a bunch of BS diet products, I will be more than happy to do so ….

I guarantee he was making more than a few hundred thousand a year, but he has completely sold out since then. It's a shame he was willing to give up all credibility for it.

jofjltncb6

Amen.

bethlaf

all of this

rosehips60

There's an old saying that goes, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."




He only fooled me once, I actually bought the green coffee bean extract pills he was selling. I gained 4 pounds the first ( and only) week. I sent them back and thankfully was only out the cost of shipping. Yup, fooled me once but NEVER again will I try to take the easy way out.

ChaplainHeavin

The problem with the fairy tale about Jack and the Beanstalk is that he got rewarded for falling for a lie and being incredibly naïve.

bethlaf

he claims he endorses none of these products , and i get that.... What i dont get is if he endorses none of these products why does he not have a legal team the size of texas chasing the profit mongers who "take his name in vain"

i mean raspberry ketones green coffeebean garcinia cambogia hoodia nightmares advertising "as seen on Dr Oz" what he needs to do is TM his "name" and then sue the living daylights off these people, and that would stop the snake oil people for a week or two...
of course eventually he will no longer be popular... anyone remember jenny jones show or sally??? anymore ?? nope , flash in the pan...

SunofaBeach14

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2013/01/can_you_trust_dr_oz_his_medical_advice_often_conflicts_with_the_best_science.html

An excerpt:

"A legion of doctor-bloggers has dedicated thousands of hours to dissecting and debunking Oz’s claims. One of them is Steven Charlap, a preventive medicine physician in Delray Beach, Fla. “Patients were bringing in shopping carts full of different pills,” Charlap recalls. “When I would ask them, ‘Why do you take a certain pill?’ I found very often, the response was, ‘I heard about it on the Oz show.’ ”

To understand where his patients were getting their health advice, Charlap began watching the program. “I was shocked that someone with his credentials— someone who apparently still operates on patients and therefore must still be fully cognizant of a physician’s first priority, which is to do no harm —would be recommending all types of different pills, many that had never undergone rigorous scientific scrutiny, as miracle cures or magic pills to a very susceptible audience.”"

snowflake954

I think the problem is with all this stuff is it gives you hope, and then once you fail it makes you feel like you can't do this.

I was honestly convinced that I couldn't lose weight on my own. I had given up even trying because I knew I'd fail and just end up gaining the weight back, and the yo-yoing wasn't doing me any good.

I had decided to get surgery to lose the weight, but decided to give it one last try to lose the weight on my own before the surgery.

I've got a goal of 227 to lose and I've lost 107. I know in my heart I'm going to reach that goal, there's no doubt in my mind.

The thing is, how much time did I waist waiting on that "magic" pill, or trying the "snake oil" plans and failing, then convincing myself I couldn't actually do this on my own.

Just get out there and do it, it can be done. You don't need a "magic" pill, you can do it all on your own.

You are super----good for you, and keep going!

amy1612

Wait...you mean this ISN"T TRUE???? But it's in a magazine!

Ive heard oil of snake is awesome for fat loss