This experiment with the Dr. Oz show could have worked. It required Dr. Oz to hold true to his intelligence and integrity. He had the training, the platform, it could have worked.
- It was a problem from the beginning that he needed to fill 5 hours (40 minutes/show) of TV programming each week. One hour of thoughtful programming content could have done a world of good.
- It was a problem that Oz wasn’t transparent. He presented bogus products as-if they had real evidence. His show boosted record sales for dietary supplements, but he promoted supplements that don’t work. Admitting to this after-the-fact isn’t good.
- It would have been fantastic if Oz had presented honest and accurate information, instead of fiction. There are many traditional medicines and practices that have great benefit and should be honored, but don’t present them like they have the rock solid proof. America is smarter than that.
New Yorker article here: http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/columbia-and-the-problem-of-dr-oz
Given the work I do (in nutrition science and evidence-based, natural therapies), I’m familiar with the evidence. Given what Oz says on his show, I’ve long wondered how he kept his medical license. He has good training, he knows good science, and he had to have known that he was misleading the public.
Dr. Oz could have stuck to accurate reporting. He could have done so much good. He presented good information when he was a guest on Oprah’s show, and then he was on his own. We had better transparency in Wizard of Oz movie; at least there we learned that the man behind the curtain was just a regular guy.