Oprah's Health Claims: Good or Bad?

Medical Experts Weigh In

By Winnie Yu, Special to Lifescript
Reviewed By Edward C. Geehr, M.D.

Oprah Winfrey

She’s America’s best girlfriend, offering warmth and straight talk with every show. But should you listen to Oprah Winfrey’s medical advice? We asked leading experts for their take on Oprah’s recent Rx for good health…

When Oprah speaks, people listen. We read the books she touts, heed her guidance on self-improvement and manage our money as she suggests. Even the advice from her guests carries her stamp of approval.

However, following health advice from the "Oprah Winfrey Show" is another matter – one that’s come under increasing scrutiny. Some call it celebrity medicine and worry about its possibly unhealthy influence.

“Celebrities have tremendous impact on consumer choices and beliefs,” says Marie Savard, M.D., author of Ask Dr. Marie: Straight Talk and Reassuring Answers to Your Most Private Questions (Globe Pequot Press) and a medical contributor to ABC News.

“We want to believe them because they’re really successful. But they’re often doing more harm than good,” she says. Not only is some information unscientific and potentially harmful, but those “neat little sound bites don’t take into account the individual’s personal medical history or the family history.”

Please take the time to read the entire article. On some points, I disagree with the author of this article. 1) I believe there is proof that MMR vaccine causes autism. 2) I oppose forcing young women to be vaccinated with Gardasil. ~~ I encourage you to be proactive with your health. Do research. Go back through my blogs and learn from advocates of holistic health.


God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.