Dr Oz makes me furious

[EvilEvilKitten]

If Mrs. Imus is against getting vaccinated then she's an IDIOT and furthermore she's a DANGEROUS IDIOT because she's telling others to do as she is doing. Vaccinations do not cause autism. How many kids has she killed thus far? Does she even care?

Polio, Measles, Mmps, Rubella, Hepatits (which kills more people than AIDS) Varicella - yes, we call them 'childhood' diseases that does not make them any less deadly. If an adult male catches mumps he will be made sterile by the disease. None of them is anything you should fool around with by NOT getting your shots.

Before my generation, parents used to dread the coming of summer when polio would take their children without rhyme nor reason (my aunt had it and now in her 70's it is coming back) and hospital wards were full of iron lungs hissing away, filled with children wondering if they would be dead by tomorrow.

Today if you work with animals you should also get tetanus and rabies immunizations - ever see anyone dying of rabies? If not go watch that episode of House. Here in VA, skunks are the carriers I am told.

I have just recently as last week, taken my eldest grandkitten in for her shots. We are all so proud of her. Not a tear or wail! And she wore her 4 bandaids as medals, skipping along, waving her ponytal behind her! High Five, darling!

[RedRoses]

So, this Dr Oz show is being broadcasted in the Netherlands now too. Interested as I've become after this thread, I've been watching it several times. Dr Oz's advice about diet & fast food as mentioned in this thread, indeed seems wrong to me, but I must say I'm impressed. Before I explain why, I've been detecting that there's something about his "old" and the "new" episodes, so note that I have no idea how old the episodes are (sometimes we get the stuff Americans watched just a few months ago, sometimes years ago, sometimes they even mix episodes from different seasons ).

He is very good at explaining things. He doesn't refrain from using the medical term, then makes it visual by using the right metaphors, schematics, animation and he doesn't shy away from using the embarrassing pictures either. And: instead of feeling lectured or belittled, you feel entertained while being educated. Even: part of it, as he lets the public speak and makes them (us) part of the show through sharing stories, questions and live chemistry demonstrations. This all combined makes him able to explain difficult health issues to a huge public, creating awareness, offering prevention and solutions. That's a gift, really.

The information is of far higher quality than many health programs I've seen coming from the US and it's brought to you with a "good vibe". Perhaps that's why I'm surprised even more. Since most American programs I see heavily rely on inducing fear to both persuade and entertain the public, like one big adrenaline booster (it often makes me think of the Bowling for Columbine's "why Americans are so scared"-cartoon ) Whereas Dr Oz's show also warns about dangers, it provides information in a more realistic way, then gives advice on how to avoid/overcome it (realistic and even easy day-to-day options). It emphasizes individual choices instead of making people victims. And even how people standing together can change the world. Iow: the focus is on empowering people. So even if he has sadly slipped up, I think this Dr Oz has/could contribute(d) to people lives in a rather positive way

[kievan]

I do know littile about Dr Oz because his programs are screened on pay TV and I am not a susbcriber so the only time I see him on TV is when I go to the gym and the volume is turned off I see pictures of him and ads.
I don't think it is the celebrities themselves but it is the status the media provides and builds around them like a cult god figure you see but don't touch dont question type of thing they have followers who are politically correct many reality or quasi reality shows project that type of images and the worst part they have followers much like twitter has its own.

As far as Autism is concerned yes I believe some vaccination may well be the cause or have a influence the spectrum but where and how is not confirmed and there is not absolute link however autism is a very wide spectrum of disorders classed as dysfunction on a sliding scale from 1 to 100. My son is one of them and when diagnosed at three years of age he was 33.

[Ducy]

Okay here is an exerpt from wiki. Yes not a "reliable source" but at the moment I am too lazy to go find the more reputable ones.

In 1999, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) asked vaccine makers to remove the organomercury compound thiomersal (spelled "thimerosal" in the US) from vaccines as quickly as possible, and thiomersal has been phased out of US and European vaccines, except for some preparations of influenza vaccine.[52] The CDC and the AAP followed the precautionary principle, which assumes that there is no harm in exercising caution even if it later turns out to be unwarranted, but their 1999 action sparked confusion and controversy that has diverted attention and resources away from efforts to determine the causes of autism.[52] Since 2000, the thiomersal in child vaccines has been alleged to contribute to autism, and thousands of parents in the United States have pursued legal compensation from a federal fund.[53] A 2004 Institute of Medicine (IOM) committee favored rejecting any causal relationship between thiomersal-containing vaccines and autism.[54] Autism incidence rates increased steadily even after thiomersal was removed from childhood vaccines.[44] Currently there is no accepted scientific evidence that exposure to thiomersal is a factor in causing autism.[55]

Currently no accepted scientific evidence that autism is related to thiomersal exposure....

So basically...there is no reason for it.

If you were to ask me, I would assume the increase in autism rates has to do with several factors. The number of babies being born everyday. The idiot mothers we have nowadays. I mean just yesterday I read a facebook status about a girl who was going to quit smoking because she was preggo. Her friend jumps on and says to not quit cold turkey or the baby could miscarry because it doesnt have nicotine so she should smoke but just smoke less and less, and how she smoked throughout her whole pregnancy and her baby was born "fine" (come to find out her baby had some slight disabilities which she contributed to the doctors...).

[EvilEvilKitten]

Wrong - the ONLY reason rates of autism have increased is they WIDENED the DEFINITION of what is to be classified as AUTISM. That is FACT.

Vaccinations, diet, etc and so forth have nothing to do with it. It is simply that what used to be 'the weird kid in class' is now called 'autistic'. You have to know by now that the Wakefield study was completely bogus and Wakefield has been stripped of his medical license because of it.

I too smoked through both pregnancies and my kids are just fine tyvm. Not the best thing to do but, there it is.

[RedRoses]

That mother was using one of the old myths. Turning the facts upside down. Smoking throughout pregnancy has an increased risk of miscarriage, premature birth, still-born, SID and then we haven't discussed the increased chances a child has of becoming ill because of it during his life. At any moment she quits, she is decreasing the next increased risk to come, even normalizing it. HER choice! She can quit any time she wants. Each time she lights one is a conscious decision. Each time she deliberately ignores the warning signs on the package. Knowingly risking to harm her child. It's like a pregnant mom stepping into the rollercoaster, just to not miss her thrill.

To turn the tables: I think many people would be happy to know they could increase the chances of a healthy baby, by only using the power of free will.

And here's the thing. Non-smokers can have ill babies, smokers can have healthy babies. Smoker's children can even grow up to be healthy and never encounter one of the many problems they statistically have an increased risk to. In fact: there are ill babies born from very healthy and genetically perfect parents. And even though mom was smoking, drinking, deceased, living in the gutter and on hard drugs, she can have a healthy baby. Just because one kid turned out ill, didn't mean mom did something wrong. Just because one kid turned out all right, it doesn't mean in retrospect it was ok for mom to do the things she did. You have to look at the big picture.

EEK, I'm quite flabbergasted you'd call smoking throughout pregnancy "not the best thing to do". It's a HORRIBLY SELFISH thing to do!

When you call other people idiots in capitals when they make foolish decisions, I'd think you should do yourself the same honor. I would have been prone to accept your statement if you had added some perspective, like: "it wasn't known at that time how bad it is". Which I'm guessing could be true for you.

[llovell]

Yeaaah... the TV is not the place to get medical advice.

Neither are magazines. I know a girl who is perpetually looking for magic diets, and some of the things she's come with are seriously dangerous. The advice she gets from her diet club are absolute rubbish. She's banned from eating fresh pasta, but those instant pasta packets that are loaded with salt are fine? LOL!

It's to the extent that I think it HAS to be deliberate. These quack advisers are getting paid to keep their victims on the sofas watching the TVs and buying the products. My freind's diet club would be out of buisness pretty soon if they gave advice that worked.

[llovell]

Originally Posted by RedRoses

EEK, I'm quite flabbergasted you'd call smoking throughout pregnancy "not the best thing to do". It's a HORRIBLY SELFISH thing to do!

I agree but I also am aware that it can be dangerous to suddenly give up a heavy habit during pregnancy because of the effects of withdrawal on the fetus.

[EvilEvilKitten]

Precisely, RR. I did give up drinking alcohol during pregnancy as FAS was well known and well documented which, at that time, could not be said of smoking. You forget how ancient I am and I can assure you that any perfection you see in me is illusionary; I remain entirely human - including the capacity to learn from past errors.

But 30 to 40 years ago, I also did not have to concern myself with HIV/AIDS either. Now that landscape has completely changed. One has to keep up with the expanding knowledge.

And there is also the point that at any given time, our choices will be selfish, perhaps if only in retrospect. This has to be accepted along with the consequences.

[RedRoses]

Fair enough, EEK. I just would have much liked that had been added in the first place. I know my mother smoked throughout the pregnancy of her first-born. Those were the days you could even light a cigarette in the midwife's waiting room. There's no reason to stop doing things you like, when you don't know it's bad for you or your baby. What's done is done. But when we do know it now, using that knowledge should be encouraged.

Llovell, every cigarette a pregnant woman smokes, she risks losing her fetus. The moment she quits, the body starts cleansing. In the Netherlands we have a special free service coaching pregnant moms through it and as they put it: your baby will notice the benefits the moment this process starts The thing that could make it harder during pregnancy, is that you have to be careful using medication to cope with side-effects of this cleansing. That needs to be chosen in consultation with your doctor. On the other hand; you have twice the motivation, improving two lives