Dr. Oz to respond on his show to criticism from physicians

Celebrity talk show host Dr. Mehmet Oz has been strongly criticized by doctors for his medical advice.

Dr. Oz plans to respond to this critique on his Thursday show to the doctors that are questioning his faculty position at Colombia University, according to The New York Times.

A group of 10 physicians wrote a letter to the university implying that the vice chairman of Columbia’s surgery department, Dr. Oz, had shown “an egregious lack of integrity by promoting quack treatments and cures in the interest of personal financial gain.” In particular, the doctors condemned Dr. Oz’s “baseless and relentless opposition to the genetic engineering of food crops.”

A spokesman for his show said that he will directly address the letter on his daytime talk show, “The Dr. Oz Show,” on Thursday during the beginning part of the show, but will not run the length of the 60-minute slot. They also said that he will be questioning the credibility of the authors that wrote the letter.

The email originated from Dr. Henry I. Miller, a fellow in scientific philosophy and public policy at the Hoover Institution. It was sent directly to Dr. Lee Goldman, Columbia’s dean of the faculties of health sciences and medicine.
The email said Dr. Oz was, “guilty of either outrageous conflicts of interest or flawed judgments about what constitutes appropriate medical treatments, or both.”

Several of the doctors behind the letter about Dr. Oz are tied to an industry that supports genetically modified foods, the American Council on Science and Health. Dr. Oz will again restate his position on genetically modified foods, that they should be labeled, which he has many times discussed on his show.

During the recent WikiLeaks broadcast of Sony’s documents, there were emails published that suggest Dr. Oz was using his show to promote health products, including Sony’s fitness and health tracking devices. “The Dr. Oz Show” is produced by Sony Pictures Television, as well as Oprah Winfrey’s, Harpo Productions.

Dr. Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon, is not facing scrutiny for the first time. Just last year he was under attack over health tips he has given out on his show. He was also under the microscope by a Senate panel that questioned him about his promotion of weight loss products including green coffee bean extract.

A British medical journal, BMJ, also accused Dr. Oz in December of last year of not having any evidence to support his medical claims.

Dr. Oz released a statement on Facebook last Friday saying: “I bring the public information that will help them on their path to be their best selves. We provide multiple points of view, including mine which is offered without conflict of interest. That doesn’t sit well with certain agendas which distort the facts.”

Doug Levy, the chief communications officer at Columbia Medical Center was asked about whether or not Dr. Oz’s job was in jeopardy. Levy responded, “The university is committed to the principle of academic freedom, which means our faculty are encouraged to participate in public discussion.”

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