Oprah is like everyone who is trying to find remedies to fix their aliments. The only difference is; whatever is ailing her becomes public knowledge due to her show and topic ideas. If Oprah has a thyroid problem, then she looks for the answers and sometimes people search out the answer for her (looking to get their claim to fame on her show). The influence of her program is huge and dominates day time television. So, when Newsweek claimed that the shows health advice was “Crazy Talk,” Oprah felt the need to defend her show saying …
“I believe my viewers understand the medical information presented on the show is just that — information — not an endorsement or prescription. Rather, my intention is for our viewers to take the information and engage in a dialogue with their medical practitioners about what may be right for them.”
Most people know that they are supposed to “use their own discretion,” when it comes to advice. Yet, there are always a select few that take it very literally. Newsweek’s article stated that
“The truth is, some of what Oprah promotes isn’t good, and a lot of the advice her guests dispense on the show is just bad,”
“All too often Oprah winds up putting herself and her trusting audience in the hands of celebrity authors and pop-science artists pitching wonder cures and miracle treatments that are questionable or flat-out wrong, and sometimes dangerous.”
The report specifically questioned a January Oprah show with Suzanne Somersas a guest. Somers had shared her youthful secrets of staying young, which included taking 60 vitamins a day and injecting herself with “bio-identical” hormones (source).
The information on the Oprah show far surpasses other shows on TV today. I love when they educate the world about alternative medicines and health facts that the general public doesn’t know. To me this is just a slam to get headlines and increases magazine sales. Chances, are it worked, yet Oprah still remains on top.
Adria Ali
(CES, PES, CPT, BS)
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