Why Health Advice on Oprah Can Make You Sick.

[TravelingGal]

It''s no secret I am not a fan of Oprah, so this article was interesting to me. It''s a long one.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/200025

 

[LAJennifer]

Quackery!

 

[Viola]

No words.

ETA: Ok so I have some words, I do believe in treatment for hormonal imbalance, but the other stuff...geeez...

And the fact that a lot of people around the world (me included) see Oprah as this superwoman who can''t be wrong, watch her show where she praises cr*p like this, scares me...

 

[allycat0303]

I actually like Oprah (no throwing mud pies please!) I have her show on PVR actually and will watch about 1 show a week. That being said, I believe that a lot of the medical advice on her show is *off*. Dr. Oz is good. Although he''s a surgeon he also has a really big intrest in alternative medicine, which I think is one of the reasons that Oprah has him on her show.

The autism/vaccine debate. Well there are no credible studies that indicate this yet. I don''t personally think there is a link, but I''m always willing to wait until the huge, meta analysis, studies are done to completely rule it out. But Jenny McCarthy...jeez. Totally off. On one of the Oprah shows, she said that she had treated her son with a gluten free diet and he had made remarkable progress. It seemed beyond kooky to me. But I also understand that Jenny McCarthy is going to try everything. I would try everything if that was my son, but I think it''s dangerous to start promoting estrogen use....whoa. Hello CANCER! But I think Oprah is not a doctor, and she is intrested in lots of things, and wants to present things to the public that she finds intresting. I also think she is unafraid of trying really unconventional things. I think she is not unlike A HUGE portion of the population that will auto-treat themselves with things from the health food stores or herbal remedies. The only difference is she can announce her findings to millions.

 

[brightlight]

Date: 6/1/2009 7:23:10 AM
Author: allycat0303
I actually like Oprah (no throwing mud pies please!) I have her show on PVR actually and will watch about 1 show a week. That being said, I believe that a lot of the medical advice on her show is *off*. Dr. Oz is good. Although he''s a surgeon he also has a really big intrest in alternative medicine, which I think is one of the reasons that Oprah has him on her show.

The autism/vaccine debate. Well there are no credible studies that indicate this yet. I don''t personally think there is a link, but I''m always willing to wait until the huge, meta analysis, studies are done to completely rule it out. But Jenny McCarthy...jeez. Totally off. On one of the Oprah shows, she said that she had treated her son with a gluten free diet and he had made remarkable progress. It seemed beyond kooky to me. But I also understand that Jenny McCarthy is going to try everything. I would try everything if that was my son, but I think it''s dangerous to start promoting estrogen use....whoa. Hello CANCER! But I think Oprah is not a doctor, and she is intrested in lots of things, and wants to present things to the public that she finds intresting. I also think she is unafraid of trying really unconventional things. I think she is not unlike A HUGE portion of the population that will auto-treat themselves with things from the health food stores or herbal remedies. The only difference is she can announce her findings to millions.

I don''t really agree with her position on vaccinations. From what I''ve read, the complaint with vaccinations and the basis of the suggested "association" between vaccinations and autism is that these vaccinations supposedly still contain mercury. While medical professionals insist that vaccines are now mercury-free, some people still believe vaccines still contain mercury.

That being said, I really do admire what she''s doing to raise awareness for autism. Only 8 states require insurance companies to cover autism diagnosis and treatment. It''s really heartbreaking. Many of these children, who are so young, won''t learn to speak, because treatments are so expensive that many parents just can''t afford them. I think it''s shameful in our country that we''re depriving children of basic human rights like the right to literally speak. It''s such a shame because early diagnosis and treatment is so crucial and can have a great impact on their development.

For years there has been anecdotal evidence suggesting that some kids were "cured." Just recently, a longitudinal study was released that found that children can be "functionally cured." However, this is a small percentage of children, and it required A LOT of cognitive-behavioral treatment. These children who were "functionally cured" all also had known comorbidities such as ADHD. However, their quality of life is drastically more "normal" than that of other children with autism.

Considering that Jenny McCarthy has the financial resources to afford intensive treatment and that a gluten-free diet has been shown to lessen the symptoms, it would not surprise me if her son is one of the lucky children who is "functionally cured." However, I don''t think she should say it''s because of the gluten-free diet. I also don''t know how severe her son''s autism was. Since it appears her son was diagnosed at 2.5 years old, he also greatly benefitted from early intervention.

I missed the part about treating her son with estrogen. Did she say why she treated her son with estrogen?

 

[allycat0303]

brightlight,

No in the newsweek article Oprah stated she is using estrogen on herself, like Susan Somers. I actually SAW the show where Jenny McCarthy said gluten-free diet cured her son. At that time, I had yet to do my pyschiatry rotation, so I was really intrested and spent some time researching her/ and her book. It was said without furthur elaboration. She didn't mention if her son had mild/severe autisme, but if I remember correctly she said he had been retested in school and found to be at the lower limit of *normal* which I found very intresting.

As for the vaccine/mercury debate. I believe that people in the medical profession have to tendency to deal in *absolutes* autism is probably multifactorial, and I wouldn't be surprised if it were polygenetic. I'm not the type to totally exclude something before there is mountains, and I mean mountains of evidence. I think that it is very, very unlikely that vaccines cause/linked to autism. And even if there is, the protection of the public and of the child against these diseases, takes precedence.

There are somethings that I personally believe, that most medical professionals would say, "No evidence" Yet, I am steadfast in my belief. For example, I REALLY believe that there is a link between birth control and breast cancer. Studies have only shown a marginal increase in breast cancer, but I don't take BC. I have in the past. Intrinsically it makes sense to me. Unopposed estrogen is linked to cancer. BC in patch form are NOT to be worn on the breast because of risk of increased breast cancer. And active breast cancer is a contraindication to BC. So it might help the cancer along, and it isn't a stretch for me to believe that it might help it begin too. But this is a completely personal view. I would never share this with my patients, and I would not say anything to a patient except what is absolutely reccommended in the guidelines.

The gluten-free diet on a purely pysiopathological point of view didn't make sense to me. But I also concede that psychiatry is a very hard sell to me. I believe of all the medical disciplines, it is the one which we understand the least in terms of mechanism of disease.

 

[brightlight]

Date: 6/1/2009 8:32:00 AM
Author: allycat0303
brightlight,

No in the newsweek article Oprah stated she is using estrogen on herself, like Susan Somers. I actually SAW the show where Jenny McCarthy said gluten-free diet cured her son. At that time, I had yet to do my pyschiatry rotation, so I was really intrested and spent some time researching her/ and her book. It was said without furthur elaboration. She didn't mention if her son had mild/severe autisme, but if I remember correctly she said he had been retested in school and found to be at the lower limit of *normal* which I found very intresting.

As for the vaccine/mercury debate. I believe that people in the medical profession have to tendency to deal in *absolutes* autism is probably multifactorial, and I wouldn't be surprised if it were polygenetic. I'm not the type to totally exclude something before there is mountains, and I mean mountains of evidence. I think that it is very, very unlikely that vaccines cause/linked to autism. And even if there is, the protection of the public and of the child against these diseases, takes precedence.

There are somethings that I personally believe, that most medical professionals would say, 'No evidence' Yet, I am steadfast in my belief. For example, I REALLY believe that there is a link between birth control and breast cancer. Studies have only shown a marginal increase in breast cancer, but I don't take BC. I have in the past. Intrinsically it makes sense to me. Unopposed estrogen is linked to cancer. BC in patch form are NOT to be worn on the breast because of risk of increased breast cancer. And active breast cancer is a contraindication to BC. So it might help the cancer along, and it isn't a stretch for me to believe that it might help it begin too. But this is a completely personal view. I would never share this with my patients, and I would not say anything to a patient except what is absolutely reccommended in the guidelines.

The gluten-free diet on a purely pysiopathological point of view didn't make sense to me. But I also concede that psychiatry is a very hard sell to me. I believe of all the medical disciplines, it is the one which we understand the least in terms of mechanism of disease.

Oh, ok. I didn't understand why you would use estrogen as a treatment for autism especially for a boy. Maybe Oprah has menopause?

Yes, I agree that autism has multiple causes. I think there was also a recent study that was released that shed some light on the genetic causal component of autism. I should really start saving these articles.

I think the gluten-free diet is one of the "treatments" that has anecdotal support.

Like I said, I do really appreciate the fact that she is raising awareness for autism. However, there's such a broad spectrum of autism-related disorders and it's so complicated and not commonly understood that I wish she would have an expert with her when she made appearances.

 

[Ara Ann]

I''m only going to comment on the hormone replacement portion of the article, I don''t have time to read all of it...but, most women (anyone who is over weight) have an excess of estrogen in their system...body fat retains estrogen. We are exposed to many substances in our environment that mimic estrogen as well. Most female cancers are related to EXCESS estrogen. Excess estrogen leads to many disorders, including endometriosis, which I have. I am very uncomfortable with all of the hormone pushing going on, in both the natural medicines approach (which I lean toward) and in the medical field. I am actually having my hormone levels tested this week and if I find the estrogen to be high, I will be taking supplements to lower it. I wonder if Oprah had her levels checked before she started on hormonal replacement?

As far as Suzanne Sommers and ''looking young'' goes...she does NOT LOOK great in person...she has had MANY surgical procedures done on her face and her skin looks horrible up close. If that is what taking excess hormones does, I don''t want any part of it...I''d rather age naturally, let my body do what it is supposed to do as I age. Sounds like she is in denial. Yes, taking care of one''s body as we age IS important, but she takes it to a whole new and obsessive level.

 

[lulu]

I like Oprah and I''m interested in alternative hormone treatment. The article was very dismissive about the issues of menopause, ie: if you don''t have hot flashes get on with it. There are many worse side effects of hormone deficiency than hot flashes and women no longer have to just accept them. I see an MD who specializes in this stuff and she''s helped me a lot.That being said I think poor Suzanne is desperate to stay young and is probably endangering her life given that she has had breast cancer.

 

[asscherisme]

Date: 6/1/2009 7:58:48 AM
Author: brightlight

Date: 6/1/2009 7:23:10 AM
Author: allycat0303
I actually like Oprah (no throwing mud pies please!) I have her show on PVR actually and will watch about 1 show a week. That being said, I believe that a lot of the medical advice on her show is *off*. Dr. Oz is good. Although he''s a surgeon he also has a really big intrest in alternative medicine, which I think is one of the reasons that Oprah has him on her show.

The autism/vaccine debate. Well there are no credible studies that indicate this yet. I don''t personally think there is a link, but I''m always willing to wait until the huge, meta analysis, studies are done to completely rule it out. But Jenny McCarthy...jeez. Totally off. On one of the Oprah shows, she said that she had treated her son with a gluten free diet and he had made remarkable progress. It seemed beyond kooky to me. But I also understand that Jenny McCarthy is going to try everything. I would try everything if that was my son, but I think it''s dangerous to start promoting estrogen use....whoa. Hello CANCER! But I think Oprah is not a doctor, and she is intrested in lots of things, and wants to present things to the public that she finds intresting. I also think she is unafraid of trying really unconventional things. I think she is not unlike A HUGE portion of the population that will auto-treat themselves with things from the health food stores or herbal remedies. The only difference is she can announce her findings to millions.

I don''t really agree with her position on vaccinations. From what I''ve read, the complaint with vaccinations and the basis of the suggested ''association'' between vaccinations and autism is that these vaccinations supposedly still contain mercury. While medical professionals insist that vaccines are now mercury-free, some people still believe vaccines still contain mercury.

That being said, I really do admire what she''s doing to raise awareness for autism. Only 8 states require insurance companies to cover autism diagnosis and treatment. It''s really heartbreaking. Many of these children, who are so young, won''t learn to speak, because treatments are so expensive that many parents just can''t afford them. I think it''s shameful in our country that we''re depriving children of basic human rights like the right to literally speak. It''s such a shame because early diagnosis and treatment is so crucial and can have a great impact on their development.

For years there has been anecdotal evidence suggesting that some kids were ''cured.'' Just recently, a longitudinal study was released that found that children can be ''functionally cured.'' However, this is a small percentage of children, and it required A LOT of cognitive-behavioral treatment. These children who were ''functionally cured'' all also had known comorbidities such as ADHD. However, their quality of life is drastically more ''normal'' than that of other children with autism.

Considering that Jenny McCarthy has the financial resources to afford intensive treatment and that a gluten-free diet has been shown to lessen the symptoms, it would not surprise me if her son is one of the lucky children who is ''functionally cured.'' However, I don''t think she should say it''s because of the gluten-free diet. I also don''t know how severe her son''s autism was. Since it appears her son was diagnosed at 2.5 years old, he also greatly benefitted from early intervention.

I missed the part about treating her son with estrogen. Did she say why she treated her son with estrogen?

I have to admit, I use to like Oprah. But her relationship with Jenny McCarthy and Jenny''s autism position made me lose respect for Oprah. I think she is spreading false info and doing a diservice to autisic families.

I really believe that Jenny McCarthyls son was misdagnosed. And by Jenny going all over the place saying that her son was "cured" of autism minimizes autism and makes it sound like its something like the flu or even cancer, that with the right treatmetment you can just get over it.

I have been very open here about the fact that I have 3 children on the autism spectrum and I can say that its been a HUGE financial drain and as well even HUGER ( is that even a word) emotinal drain. I have lost friends and had family members not support me because I have heard time and time again that autism is just my kids misbehaving or that autism is not real or just don''t acknowledge it and the kids will "Outgrow" it. I have gotten nasty looks and had complete strangers make comments regarding my youngest''s "off and odd" behaviors when I go out in public. Jenny''s "crusade" to educate the world based on her child''s expereince just promotes the attitude of those lost friends and non supportive family members.

I can say that since the diagnosis of my first, and then second and then 3rd child with it, there is nothing more isolating and lonely that not getting support. And insurance, thats a joke. And absolute joke. ALL expenses, diagnosis, therapy etc has been out of pocket.

My marriage also broke up over issues related to autism. Autsim is very real and even though my 2 older children are making and have made huge strides its something they will always live with. I worry about my youngest child every day and wonder if she will still be living with me and dependent on me as an adult.

So yes, I think Oprah is promoting quackary.

 

[allycat0303]

asscherisme,

That annoyed me too. I think he was either misdiagnosed OR he had a very mild form. I thought the whole gluten statement was like, "Oh well it''s so easy, mothers can cure their children or prevent the disease if they really want to" Having spent 30 minutes with a child with autisme, I left the room in tears, completely beside myself. It was draining, emotional, and completely overwhelming. So I think statements like that are a disservice to parents coping with this disease. Or somehow puts the blame on parents.

 

[asscherisme]

Date: 6/1/2009 9:32:18 AM
Author: Ara Ann
I''m only going to comment on the hormone replacement portion of the article, I don''t have time to read all of it...but, most women (anyone who is over weight) have an excess of estrogen in their system...body fat retains estrogen. We are exposed to many substances in our environment that mimic estrogen as well. Most female cancers are related to EXCESS estrogen. Excess estrogen leads to many disorders, including endometriosis, which I have. I am very uncomfortable with all of the hormone pushing going on, in both the natural medicines approach (which I lean toward) and in the medical field. I am actually having my hormone levels tested this week and if I find the estrogen to be high, I will be taking supplements to lower it. I wonder if Oprah had her levels checked before she started on hormonal replacement?

As far as Suzanne Sommers and ''looking young'' goes...she does NOT LOOK great in person...she has had MANY surgical procedures done on her face and her skin looks horrible up close. If that is what taking excess hormones does, I don''t want any part of it...I''d rather age naturally, let my body do what it is supposed to do as I age. Sounds like she is in denial. Yes, taking care of one''s body as we age IS important, but she takes it to a whole new and obsessive level.

I always find it kind of funny and very hypocritical when someone who so obviously has had plastic surgery go on TV and promote or try and sell their magical potions or pills or secrets for looking young.

Anyone want to buy anti aging serum from Joan Rivers?

 

[asscherisme]

Date: 6/1/2009 10:46:45 AM
Author: allycat0303
asscherisme,

That annoyed me too. I think he was either misdiagnosed OR he had a very mild form. I thought the whole gluten statement was like, ''Oh well it''s so easy, mothers can cure their children or prevent the disease if they really want to'' Having spent 30 minutes with a child with autisme, I left the room in tears, completely beside myself. It was draining, emotional, and completely overwhelming. So I think statements like that are a disservice to parents coping with this disease. Or somehow puts the blame on parents.

EXACTLY 100% agree with you.

 

[Ara Ann]

While Jenny McCarthy''s son may have been misdiagnosed as having autism, there IS something to be said for food intolerance and behavior. I know from personal experience with my youngest son. He was/is allergic to dairy, from infancy...he is not ''lactose intolerant'' - which is the inability to digest the sugar in milk...he is sensitive to the milk protein. While it would cause asthmatic symptoms and skin rashes if he had milk, it ALSO GREATLY affected his BEHAVIOR. If I hadn''t been so proactive in eliminating dairy from his diet, and educated myself about dietary connections to behavior,. etc., he would have been a candidate for an ADD diagnosis and have been put on DRUGS for that, as well as asthma.

There is a very real connection to what people eat and their moods/behaviors. One allergy specialist explains it this way...if someone ingests a food that they are intolerant to, it has the same effect as taking very low doses of poison...your body (brain, reactions) are ALL affected. Who knows what that does to a developing child, to keep ingesting the same kinds of foods they may be allergic to, over and over again?

Whatever the cause of autism is, it is a VERY complex problem...but I would NEVER be so quick to dismiss food allergies/intolerance as part of the mystery. There is a lot of evidence to show food does affect behavior.

Just curious, asscherisme, have you tried the ''food elimination/allergy diet'' with your kids? Yes, it is sometimes a pain, but it really could help, if in fact your kids may have a hidden food intolerance. It is not easy, it takes time and diligence, but as I found with my son, it is worth the effort. I wish you the best.

 

[asscherisme]

Yes, I have diet. The only change I saw (which was positive) was decreased aggrestion in my oldest. I was hoping for more but at least I got better than nothing.

 

[Ara Ann]

Happy to hear you tried it! Is he/are they still on it? Sometimes it takes MONTHS to detect any changes...it seems to take forever, but in the long run, it really does make a difference in some kids.

My son just turned 14 and I can tell if he''s had too much dairy (he LOVES ice cream)...it still affects his moods and behavior.

A small hint, if kids LOVE/CRAVE a certain food, that is usually what they are allergic to! It''s weird, but our body craves what it is sensitive to. If my son was offered a cookie or a slice of cheese, he''d take the cheese, LOL.

I hope things improve for your kids!

 

[asscherisme]

I did it for about 6 months. But it became 100 impossible because their dad thinks its baloney and when he gets them once a week is unwilling to stick wtih it and feeds them whatever crap he feels like. It frustrates me to no end. But when we lived together they ate crappy food much more often so at least its less now but that screws them up when they are eating healthy 6 days a week and pizza or mcdonalds etc one day. I''m not perfect for sure. I made cookies with them recently for a birthday. But overall I watch their diets carefully.