I don't know why I notice these things...

[scottinflorida]

...but they always seem to catch my attention.  Look at the cover of this grocery-checkout magazine:



Amazing - just take a pill and you will lose that weight, regain energy, and it can even make you happier.  Hey, you've got some fat you don't want?  Why not just take this pill, and "convert" it into ENERGY!  Somehow I don't think these "scientific breakthroughs" are going to be written about in the AMA Journal.

Other headlines on the cover of this same issue:

The pill that makes women LIVE LONGER!

SAVE TIME!  Get salon hair and nails instantly!

Feel blue sometimes? The herbal cure that's BETTER THAN PROZAC!

The vitamin that WORKS LIKE A FACELIFT!

STOP A MIGRAINE - with ordinary H2O!

Obviously the publisher knows his target demographic very well, and that the readers of this garbage want so desperately to believe what they are printing.  It just pisses me off that a scam can be so blatant.

[Doug Varrieur]

I notice these things as well Scott, Dr Oz is such a commercial machine, I watch him change his stories like smoke in the wind. Always great to see you posting

[scottinflorida]

Well, I guess you have to give him credit for selling what he knows his audience wants to buy.  I just wish more people were able to see through that nonsense.

[shawn116]

Yep I just shake my head at them   

I'm seeing that too Doug.  I used to love Dr Oz but now I think he just has to keep the show going    It makes me wonder what he would actually tell his patents...if he had them now. 

[umpa]

You always find the funny stuff Scott  

[scottinflorida]

Dr Oz = Dr Phil = Maury Povich = Nigerian scammers = politicians

Integrity? Honesty?  Foreign concepts to these people.

[mouseissue]

Hi, Scott!

These magazines have taken a queue from successful, "money sucking" rags like The National Inquirer.
It boils down to one thing... Seducing good folks into departing with their money!!!

I'm convinced that Dr. Oz is nothing more than a hack that's in it for the bucks.
The money has conveniently made him forget his oath to "Do no harm.".
IMHO, he should lose his medical license!

Tony

[umpa]

Lets not forget that Dr Oz got his start as Oprahs doctor.See how successful she was with weight loss

[scottinflorida]

Oprah also launched the Dr. Phil commercial machine.

I think these guys are to the medical professional what TMZ is to journalism.

[umpa]

I didn't know about Dr Phil! He gives me the creeps! Too aggressive for me!

[mdanziger]

Amen.  I have never seen a full episode of either "Dr." Phil or Dr. Oz, but I have read some of Dr. Oz's early books, and they seemed to offer scientifically solid, practical, ethical advice.  This was before his TV show.  Apparently, you need to provide people with short lived fads to keep them coming back.  Sticking with a single, sensible message isn't good for ratings.

I know there are some people who believe what they read in the check-out line rags.  However, there, most people realize they are works of out of this world fiction.  When a medical professional tells people contradictory information on a daily basis, people unthinkingly take it as gospel.

Mark

[umpa]

I agree

[mouseissue]

...When a medical professional tells people contradictory information on a daily basis, people unthinkingly take it as gospel.

Mark

Hi, Mark!

That's one of the main reasons why I have such a disdain for Dr. Oz!

Jerking people around fad diets may make him money.
But it hurts the readers who believe him!

Tony