On a lighter note, we are pleased to see someone other than ACSH point out the ridiculous health remedies touted by many popular television talk shows and news programs. In a Los Angeles Times article, reporter Chris Woolston takes celebrity doctors to task for doling out false or misleading medical tips.
For instance, in an April episode of ABC s The View, Dr. Steven Lamm, clinical assistant professor of medicine at New York University, made an appearance in order to promote the beneficial effects of probiotic and digestive enzyme supplements specifically those manufactured by Enzymedica Inc. I m guaranteeing you, in three to five years, everyone is going to be on a probiotic, everyone is going to be on a digestive enzyme, he asserted on the show. Too bad he forgot to mention that he is a paid consultant to the supplement company. Oops. As ACSH s Dr. Ruth Kava notes, It s pretty unlikely that people without specific health problems would benefit from taking digestive enzyme supplements; a normal digestive tract is designed to deal with foods without such help .
But the medical gaffes don t stop there. On a February episode of a talk show called The Doctors, Dr. Travis Stork, an emergency physician, lauded the effects of Oxytocin Factor a modern day love potion. This synthetic version of the hormone oxytocin was described by co-host Dr. Lisa Masterson, an obstetrician-gynecologist, as what bonds us to our babies and our men. Both doctors then proceeded to demonstrate Oxytocin Factor s effects by placing a few drops of it on the back of their necks, while joking, I feel like bonding now. However, we must agree with Dr. David Feifel, a professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego, who astutely observed, [The segment] was pretty ridiculous and irresponsible, in my opinion. Though oxytocin is responsible for promoting bonding, it must bind to receptors directly in the brain not on the back of the neck.
And where would such a commentary be if it didn t mention Dr. Oz and his ridiculous segments on foods that, he assures us, will lead to weight loss? It appears that coconut oil is the newest craze in super foods that supposedly will help you shed those unwanted pounds. The fatty acids in coconut oil are alleged to dissolve more easily in blood than do saturated fats, but Dr. Oz seems to ignore the fact that coconut oil, as are all fats and oils, is high in calories, which ultimately outweighs its supposed (and ephemeral) benefits .
Gary Schwitzer, publisher of HealthNewsReview.org and former professor of journalism and mass communication at the University of Minnesota, notes that watching these shows is like getting your health information by listening to people talk on the train. It s actually even worse than that, says ACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan. These people are medical doctors and consumers take their claims as real medical advice, she says. That s why they should be especially careful about what they say.