Oprah Winfrey Responds to Report She Gives Dangerous Medical Advice
Us Magazine - June 4, 2009 10:36 AM PDT
Oprah Winfrey attends the opening night gala celebrating Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's 50th anniversary at The Sheraton on December 3, 2008 in New York City. Steve Mack/FilmMagicUs Magazine
Among the Winfrey guests who have offered questionable medical advice:
* Suzanne Somers: She told Winfrey she swallows 60 supplements every day and takes a variety of bioidentical hormones to fight aging.
* Jenny McCarthy: Declaring that vaccinations caused her child's autism, the actress supported a Winfrey guest who said she wouldn't get her own kid vaccinated.
* Physician/author Christiane Northrup: She told Winfrey viewers that "in many women, thyroid dysfunction develops because of an energy blockage in the throat region, the result of a lifetime of 'swallowing' words one is aching to say."
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Winfrey insists she is only trying to open dialogue between her viewers and their doctors.
"For 23 years, my show has presented thousands of topics that reflect the human experience, including doctors' medical advice and personal health stories that have prompted conversations between our audience members and their health care providers," Winfrey says in a statement. "I trust the viewers, and I know that they are smart and discerning enough to seek out medical opinions to determine what may be best for them."
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But some Winfrey viewers say they have a hard time not taking the daytime diva's information to heart.
Living Oprah, a blogger who spent an entire year following "the advice of Oprah Winfrey," said she "had mixed results from the health guidance I learned on Oprah's show and there were a couple items that conflicted with my own doctor's guidance. My doc always shrugged at how many supplements I knocked back in 2008, for instance."
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Biologist PZ Myers, an associate professor at the University of Minnesota, also blogged: "It's about time one of the big media players pointed out that she is promoting dangerous fake therapies ... all with a happy smile, of course, and a message of positive self-esteem for women. It's still credulous glop, though."
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delymbig WILLIE I AM TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHETHER U ARE BLACK OR WHITE , LET ME NO O.K,CUZ I AM VERY CONFUSED BY U.I CAN'T REALLY UNDERSTAND WHERE U ARE COMING FROM,LET ME NO DAWG..................................report abuseposted June 14, 2009 12:32 PM PDT
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sylva pPlease Oprah read my analysis and send to them. This is my experience in my hard carrier, I still treat children but I write poetry which I enjoy much more than medicine. I have written very nice poem about you , will appear in my 8th book of poetry.report abuseposted June 9, 2009 4:10 AM PDT
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sylva pTo continue my previous letter about vaccination, There is a need for measles alone but no need for Geman Measles it is light disease, most of the children get it before vaccination. Mumps vaccine is controversial, others needed if there is risk facter. In most cases poor children are not vaccinated in USA. And now insured children at risk to have "Autism"! I think we should getreport abuseposted June 9, 2009 4:04 AM PDT
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sylva pOprah is more than a doctor, She feels when she speaks With every human on this Earth Some others aren't! __________________ I am a Pediatrician met many children handicapped because of vaccination. The most inportant vaccinations are: Polio, Diphtheria,Tet%@!*# all safe Whooping Cough can cause "Brain Damage" and I have reported 8 cases out of 100.ooo In a mreport abuseposted June 9, 2009 3:56 AM PDT
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cool personOprah can say want she wants!! it's her show, when you people have your own then open the sapper.......report abuseposted June 7, 2009 4:55 PM PDT
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Lego familyAlso, how many people have been killed because of medical mal-practice? Or an unsafe side effect to a medication? How many people have gone through chemo and either died from the chemo, or are so weak they can barely move? Herbal remedies have been around throughout the ages, and will continue when people realize that man-made is not always better.report abuseposted June 7, 2009 2:53 PM PDT
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Lego familyI think people are crazy if they don't research all types of treatments for an ailment. I think some Docs will say anything or prescribe anything just to get a quick buck. I can count at least 12 times that I have gone to the Dr. and they've made a problem worse, or not helped at all but an herbal remedy did.report abuseposted June 7, 2009 2:49 PM PDT
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sutherndivaLilla, I keep reading your comments and they keep getting worse (your words) "hun i am one of the real black ppl. Ive came from the ghetto" end*. So real black people come from the ghetto? YOU NEED TO TAKE SOME ADVICE FROM ME: Good Times was a tv show turn your set off and head down to your library. If you want I can give you a list of books that will expose you to the SPECTRUMreport abuseposted June 6, 2009 5:35 PM PDT
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sutherndivaLilla, Just to be clear I did not assume you were white I assumed that you were ignorant.report abuseposted June 6, 2009 5:29 PM PDT
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sutherndivaLilla I really don't even know why I bothered. I mean WHAT are you saying? I really want to try and understand your point of view. Now as far as me assuming that you were white based on your grammar, are you implying that you can identify a person's race by their speech? Seriously turn off BET. Your exposure is limited and it's insulting to those of us that have tried to dreport abuseposted June 6, 2009 5:27 PM PDT
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