You can’t trust what The Dr. Oz Show tells you, and that’s a scientific fact. Approximately half of the show’s recommendations have either no evidence backing them up (39%) or are contradicted by the best available evidence (15%), and only half (46%) of the recommendations are backed by research according to a study published in the December 2014 issue of the British Medical Journal.
Dr. Oz’s lower rated competitor, The Doctors, faired only slightly better in the same study. There was no evidence found to support 24% of the recommendations on that show, and 14% were contradicted. But at least nearly two-thirds of the recommendations (63%) were backed by research. So you will do better listening to The Doctors over Dr. Oz—that is, if you can stay awake through an episode.
And that’s the problem. Medical research is not inherently exciting. Oh, sure, it has its moments, like when a cure is found or a disease like Ebola is spreading, but otherwise it can be a slog-fest. So to gussy it up, television producers make overzealous claims—often about weight loss and beauty—that get you to tune in. They need viewers to pump up ratings so they can sell advertising. It really is that simple.
But can we blame Dr. Oz? In addition to hosting a hit TV show, he’s still a working cardiothoracic surgeon with a wife and family. No matter how much we think he should, there’s no way he has the time to research every claim he makes on TV. He relies on his staff to do the footwork. He mostly reads what the staff puts on the teleprompter, and he interviews guests selected by the producers. On TV he’s really less of a doctor and more of a showman. Unfortunately, the home audience feels Oz is their personal doctor and trusts him. But, according to this study, that’s a bad idea.
So if you can’t trust an Oprah-anointed doctor, how can you trust someone like me? That’s a good question. One difference is that I base my articles on research—even this article. I would never have made such outrageous claims about two popular medical TV shows without some science to back me up.
Still, I have had rare instances where editors have changed small words that ended up altering the meaning of a finding. On my reality show (Bravo’s L.A. Shrinks), it happened more frequently. It happens in media. Health professionals in the media truly want to give you some tidbit to help you live your life better (we kinda get off on that), and producers and editors work on making it seem tantalizing so you will watch or read it (they get off on that). It’s an odd mix that sometimes produces health food for the brain, sometimes junk food. The problem is you don’t always know which is which.
I’m now going out on a limb to give you a recommendation not backed by science—continue watching The Dr. Oz Show and The Doctors, and continue reading my column. You really can learn stuff. But you have to have a healthy sense of skepticism.
If Dr. Oz, the cast of The Doctors, or even I make a recommendation, don’t follow it blindly! Rather, write it down and discuss it with your personal physician or mental health professional at your next visit. Even if the recommendation is backed by research, it may not be appropriate for your body or your life.
As much as we try to codify the science of medicine, human beings are wild cards requiring that medicine also be an art. Human people and human bodies don’t always act the same way as each other. A doctor’s job is so much more than giving you a factoid, reading a blood test or writing a prescription—we need to make a human connection. No TV can provide that, and no science book can teach that.
While media health experts can give you valuable information, they cannot substitute as your personal health practitioner. If you want to lose weight, feel less anxious or find out about those erectile issues, put down the remote and go see your real doctor. You never know, he just might throw in a rectal exam as a bonus—and that’s something no TV doctor can do.