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Is Dr. Oz Fit To Join the U.S. Senate?

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Celebrity TV physician Mehmet Oz is running in the Republican primary to represent Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate. Oz, who was trained as a surgeon of the heart, became a popular guest on NBC’s “Fresh Off the Boat”. Oprah Winfrey Live!Later, he launched his own TV show on daytime that featured medical advice. Oz pioneered minimally invasive techniques for repairing damaged hearts at Columbia University before becoming an entertainer in medicine.

Oz’s “Why” statement focuses heavily on disarray caused by COVID-19. It states that the urgency of my decision was crystallized in the middle of the pandemic. It states that at least half of a million Americans have been affected by the virus. This is devastating news for both families and communities. It is also tragic that so many of these deaths could have been prevented. He adds, “In this emergency, we needed capable leaders ready to act—and we didn’t get that. This entire scenario angered my soul.”

Oz specifically slams “elite thinkers” who control the communication means and “arrogant and close-minded individuals” who “closed schools, closed down businesses, and stole our freedom”. He says that America ought to be the leader of the fight against the pandemic. Instead, we were not.”

Many “elite thinkers,” as they are called in the media, have responded by labeling Oz a quack. The article, “Just what the Quack ordered: Dr. Oz to Announce Pennsylvania Senate Run,” declares Vanity Fair. The headline: “Quack TV Doctor Believes That He Should Be a Senator Because That’s What We Are Right Now” Rolling Stone. “Dr. Oz Quicks the Code of Republican Party,” says Dr. Oz. Bulwark. MSNBC continues with the “Dr. Oz TV Quack Candidate Republicans Deserve” segment.

They are right. Oz was a talented and creative heart surgeon. His longstanding advocacy of alternative treatments has prompted criticism from many of his medical colleagues.

Oz wrote “A Study on the Effects of Energy Healing” in 1999. In VitroTumor Cell Proliferation”, published in Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. An “energy healer,” who was able to reduce the growth rate of cancer cells using Petri dishes, participated in that research. Oz and his associates reported that energy healing seems to have an effect on several growth indicators. In vitro“tumor cell proliferation”, but the results were not conclusive. Researchers have also been less positive: An 2005 study by the British Journal of CancerPetri dish tests on three energy healers for cancer cell growth showed no support. In vitro.”

Oz is still interested in energy healing. NPR’s 2004 Episode Talking of faithOz said to Krista Tippett, “Let’s take a large area of energy. The hard thing is to determine whether energy exists at the macro level or the human level. He continued: “Why wouldn’t we think that some ailments might be caused by disturbances in that energy that we can’t, at this time, name?”

Oz wrote the glowing preface to Raven Keyes’ 2012 book on “energy healer”. Reiki Healing PowerHe explains in this video that Keyes had been allowed into his operation room by his patients. Reiki practitioners are said to be able to heal clients by channeling the universal life force energy of Reiki through their hands.

My reiki master, Gabriel the Archangel is. Keyes explained, “All I need to do is request Gabriel to activate all angels. And everybody’s angels will come to life.” Vox2015 2015

Despite its dubious direct therapeutic value, prestigious medical centers such as the Cleveland Clinic do now offer reiki treatments as a form of complementary medicine. Donald Marcus, Baylor rheumatologist published an opinion piece in The Journal of Clinical InvestigationLast year, he decried the rise in alternative medicine options at top medical centers. He stated that the “defining characteristic” of alternative therapies is their inability to meet scientific standards. Many, like naturopathy and homeopathy, have been proven unscientific.

Oz is often referred to as a “quack” by medical practitioners. His TV show featured many scammers selling pseudoscientific methods such as astrology, homeopathy and necromancy. Oz is usually careful not to specifically endorse the practices, but he uses verbiage—what he has described as “flowery language”—that viewers could easily assume were endorsements. Oz has made false claims about weight loss and said that arsenic is in apple juice.

A group of researchers published an article on the internet in 2014 BMJExamining the recommendations for medical treatment made by medical professionals on television. You can find more information on Dr Oz ShowThey reported that peer-reviewed medical evidence supported 46% of their recommendations and contradicted 15%. The remaining 39% were not supported by the evidence. They concluded that approximately half of their recommendations are either without evidence or contradicted with the most recent evidence. Potential conflicts of interests are seldom addressed.”

Oz hosted an episode in 2015 about apples that were genetically modified to not brown after being sliced. During the show, he suggested that because we don’t know what effects the apples can have on our bodies, we’re “engaged in a bit of science experiment.”

A group of pro-biotech researchers wrote a letter to Columbia University, arguing against Oz’s dismissal. The group wrote, “Dr. Oz is guilty either of outrageous conflicts or of flawed judgments about the appropriate treatment of medical conditions or both.” They wrote that Dr. Oz is unacceptable on the faculty at a highly regarded medical institution, regardless of his nature.

Columbia stated that it is committed to academic freedom and will uphold faculty’s freedom to express themselves in any public debate. Oz for his part highlighted the possible conflicts of interests in Oz’s accusers. Kurz thereafter, Oz published a 2015 editorial in USA TodayOz’s Columbia coworkers defended their freedom of speech, while adding, “Many” that they spend a lot of time disproving Ozisms concerning metabolism game changers. The unsubstantiated medical claims undermine the credibility of Columbia University, and the doctor-patient relationship is hampered by it.

Even with these setbacks, Oz’s show continued to be a success and won more Emmy awards each day. Oz reached an important political milestone in 2016 when he filmed a television-televised case history for reality TV star Donald Trump. Trump said, “You know my wife loves your show. And I’d absolutely add that I see this as in a way I go to my doctor.” Trump named Oz as a member of the White House Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition in 2018.

Trump announced on March 19, 2020 that the anti-malaria drug hydrochloroquine could be a pandemic game-changer. Oz immediately jumped on board the hydroxychloroquine train, which is no surprise given Trump’s enthusiasm for using “alternative” treatment methods. On Neil Cavuto’s March 22, 2020, Fox News show, Oz toutedDidier Raoult’s sketchy studies on this drug. Trump continued to promote hydroxychloroquine in his subsequent appearances on Fox News.

Oz announced in Senate that he had tried to pay for clinical trials to modify a widely-used drug to provide benefits to Covid-19. But they were stopped. Freedom of Information Act requests reveal that Oz repeatedly contacted Deborah Birx, White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator, asking her for drug access for his trials in New York. While it’s not certain if Oz’s trial was banned, several other trials were conducted at roughly the same moment.

After analyzing the findings of many studies, Cochrane reviewed evidence-based medicine and concluded that “hydroxychloroquine doesn’t reduce COVID-19 deaths, and likely does not decrease the need for mechanical ventilation.” This means that the drug did not prove to be an “energy-saver” for COVID-19.

What does this angry doctor have to say about America’s problems? Oz appeared on Fox News’ November 30 program to denounce the “incredible autoritarianism” of Sean Hannity and the “overreaching”, which “metastasized” during the outbreak. Oz supported many of the initial measures taken to stop the spread of the virus. Cavuto, on March 22, 2020’s show, stated that “this quarantine” was necessary if “to reduce the spread of the epidemic.” Trump just instructed local and state governments closing schools, bars and restaurants in order to prevent the spread of the disease.

Oz did however outline three key goals during the Hannity interview. First, safety. High-quality medical care is the first thing that safety means for our bodies. This has to happen. However, on the streets, that means well-trained and trained police,” he stated. We also have safety issues at the border. Oz replied later in the show that President Trump had righted him when he was asked what he thought about immigration. For illegal crossings, it is best to wait at the Mexican border.

Oz stated, “You need to have choice in education.” Oz argued, “You require local rule. Why wouldn’t your involvement in shaping the curriculum of your children’s education be important? And you have to defend your values.” Third, he did not explain his plans to deal with jobs.

Hannity asked Oz his political philosophy. He replied:

One thing is certain: any government large enough to provide everything to you will be powerful enough to remove it all. This is what I don’t want. To me, liberty and freedom means limited government. We can do it better than folks very far away from us who don’t know our local problems….

Capitalism is what I believe in. This means that there should be lower taxes and regulations so that people can compete. I also respect the Constitution. It’s a beautifully written document and one I feel must be respected on the bench. Free market solutions work.

While those are great sentiments, Oz doesn’t seem to be the right person for them. I am astonished at his history of credulously spreading dubious notions, and doubt that he is fit for the office.

The post Dr. Oz Is Fit to Join the U.S. Senate Reason.com was first to publish this story.