Dr oz is no wizard but no quack either [View all]

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http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/26/opinion/sunday/dr-oz-is-no-wizard-but-no-quack-either.html?_r=0

Just to add some balance to the debate.

"The doctors’ letter raises an interesting question: Is “evidence-based medicine” itself always a settled issue? In scientific inquiry, the “truth” is slipperier and more fluid than distinguished physicians will generally admit. Different doctors take different approaches to issues like whether or not to prescribe statin drugs to patients with high cholesterol, or how to treat people with pre-diabetes.

Some are quick to prescribe medications, whereas Dr. Oz tends to favor less interventionist, more natural approaches based on diet and exercise. Again, hard to see the problem there — especially in the context of a television show when direct-to-consumer advertising of pharmaceuticals pervades the airwaves. (The only other country that permits marketing like this is New Zealand.)

One of the products frequently advertised on TV, for example, is testosterone replacement therapy, for a condition called “low T.” In March, the Food and Drug Administration issued a stern warning to physicians and makers of “low T” treatments, saying the medications have been overprescribed for age-related applications and could lead to an increased risk of stroke and cardiovascular problems. Dr. Oz, meanwhile, has devoted more than one segment to exploring natural ways to deal with “low T” symptoms like low energy, poor sex drive, weight gain and depression.

A diversity of medical opinion is not a bad thing; in fact, far from it. Today’s fringe treatments could well become tomorrow’s standard protocol."