When it comes to influence, you need not go further than Oprah Winfrey.
Just ask Kentucky Fried Chicken.
With the recent news that she is giving anti-vaccine proponent Jenny McCarthy prominent airtime, as well as her previous endorsement of Suzanne Somers’ book on “bioidentical hormones,” is she doing more harm than good?
That’s what Rahul Parikh suggests in a piece on Salon. Despite her soaring ratings captive audience, Dr. Parikh thinks that, “she could provide some more practical medical advice,” and indeed, “women potentially in need of real help deserve real balance and consideration of their safety.”
Doctors who dispense more balanced medical advice stand no chance against Oprah, who “is an economy of scale onto herself.”
Well said.
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When the typical response to mention of anything outside easy orthodoxy results in physicians that immediately stiffen in irritated exasperated dissapproval of minds closed by habit and convention, not reason, is it any wonder that women turn to “girl talk” to find out about the anecdotal experience of peers? Where else is judgement free conversation to be had?
What Oprah demonstrates is the power of the star, which is something medicine should use more often. Oprah is a speaker at Cleveland Clinic and knows more reputable physicians than charlatans like Jenny McCarthy.
The worst Oprah episode I saw was with Jenny McCarthy in which Oprah, almost grudgingly, read a brief statement from a medical association countering McCarthy’s claims – and then let McCarthy tee off. I think the medical community should pressure her physician friends (the Roizens and the Ozes of the world) to speak truth to power. And the medical industry, which has just as many star-studded friends, should use those connections for their own media blitz.
What impact would a simple, 45-second commercial with a line of folks — from Roizen to Oz to Brad Pitt to Robin Williams to Monica Potter — all saying, “I love my children and I vaccinate them.”
Doctors who dispense more balanced medical advice stand no chance against Oprah, who “is an economy of scale onto herself.”
Maybe that applies to doctors who actually dispense truly balanced info. My experience with doctors is that they’re pretty stuck recommending pharmaceuticals and medical procedures. I talked to a friend of mine who’s a physician and she said she’s had no time to even think about anything other than allopathic (her word choice) medicine and she regrets it. My impression is that even if a doc believed that dietary changes or CAM could alleviate symptoms, they’re stuck recommending the more aggressive treatment so they don’t look negligent if any lawsuit is filed later.
Is the concern that Oprah is a threat to public health by having McCarthy on her show because Oprah’s fan will perceive her presence as an endorsement? Or is does it feel like a slap in the face that actors and models could possibly undermine the credibility of MDs to Oprah’s audience? I’d like to think that people take information from a variety of sources and consciously weigh it before making health care decisions but you’re implying that Oprah’s fans are too easily swayed to do that. Maybe it’s true—I have no idea.
I haven’t seen an Oprah show in probably six or seven years. The only reason I’ve thought about Oprah in the last year is that a friend of mine is trying to get on Oprah. Doesn’t she regularly have doctors on her show?
This isn’t an issue of who gives the best advice or whether or not doctors should be threatened by non-allopathic information that doesn’t have a few good RCT’s under it’s belt.
The issue is what happens when someone like Oprah gives advice and someone’s health worsens either by omission or commission of the advice?
Let’s use hydroxycut as an example. The company got a resident physician to endorse it and showed person after person who had used it “with success.”
Any good FP will warn you that when taking diet supplements you HAVE to monitor kidney, liver and metabolic (read diabetes) parameters before, during and after. I encountered not one but TWO people over the last 2 years with elevated liver enzymes on hydroxycut and told them to discontinue. One did and the one who didn’t, left the practice to find a new doctor.
See, the problem with Oprah giving medical advice is, if she or one of her TV stars says, “Take or do this and you will get this result or won’t get that result.” people take this to mean that the advice is clinically proven. Celebrity endorsements = trust in many a human psyche.
THAT’S what doctors face when trying to convince patients to take ALL medical advice with the following grain of salt, “Everyone is different and results may vary.”
If Oprah, or Suzanne Sommers or Jenny McCarthy stand up and say, “Well in MY experience the following happens” and a doctor dares question that to a patient, guess who will win round one in the patient’s mind. Often NOT the doctor, and I don’t care how trusted and respected you are as a physician. Fighting celebrity can be a losing battle, but the celebrity ultimately bears NO responsibility when things go wrong! But god forbid I question a celebrity or some populist wisdom and something goes wrong. I get sued.
In response to “strange responses”, I have to say that “judgment free” can’t mean “evidence free”. Doctors work from facts. If you’re going to pay good money and risk your health, you, the patient, should demand that there be evidence supporting a treatment. If there’s no evidence, it’s generally better to do nothing and save your money.
So don’t demand your doctor be non-judgmental when we’re trained to judge based on evidence. That’s what you should want. Trust me, the people selling the line of BS you’re buying are judging based on their bottom line, whether they’re selling a nutritional supplement, a book, or merely their own ignorance.
No, you had better be non judgmental in the way I described. Not that knee jerk emotional response devoid of reason.
It’s fine to recommend what you recommend. But a closed mind is not a reasonable mind. Women need to know that you aren’t a pharm hack. That you will take concerns about the limitations of traditional therapy seriously.
Women want to maintain maximum youth and not suffer at menopause. They will talk about things that work if you won’t.
I should probably watch the show in question. Did Oprah actually give advice? Did she advise people not to vaccinate their children? Or did she capitalize off of a big controversy by giving McCarthy air time?
Doctors are these poor, naive creatures clinging to the raft of ‘evidence’ not seeming to realizing ‘evidence’ in the hands of the large corporations (big pharma) is subjective and determined by what corporation has the checkbook at the time. Go back to basic science, root cause and analysis if you want to cure people.
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