“There are many legitimate and articulate opponents of genetically modified products and, for that matter, of conventional medicine itself. But Oz has consistently chosen guests with dubious authority to argue those positions. Joseph Mercola, an osteopath, runs mercola.com, one of the most popular alternative-health Web sites in the country. Oz has described Mercola as a “pioneer in holistic treatments,” and as a man “your doctor doesn’t want you to listen to.” This is undoubtedly true, since Mercola has promoted such alleged experts as Tullio Simoncini, who claims that cancer is a fungus that can be cured with baking soda. Mercola has long argued that vaccines are dangerous and that they even cause aids. When Oz says that Mercola is “challenging everything you think you know about traditional medicine and prescription drugs,” it’s hard to argue. “I’m usually earnestly honest and modest about what I think we’ve accomplished,” Oz told me when we discussed his choice of guests. “If I don’t have Mercola on my show, I have thrown away the biggest opportunity that I have been given.”
— The New Yorker has an excellent profile of Dr. Oz, the so-called “America’s Doctor” who has a wildly popular daytime show. Dr. Oz tends to get in hot water from the skeptical community for his choice of guests, ranging from psychic mediums to outcasts like Joseph Mercola. Does Oz’s outreach to a group of people normally distrusting of doctors outweigh the often dubious information he peddles? Check out the full article and judge for yourself. Regardless of your opinion of him, I’m sure you’ll find Oz a fascinating figure.
