Did you see Dr. Mercola on the Dr. Oz show yesterday? I didn't see it, but had the displeasure of reading a synopsis on his website afterward, where Dr. Mercola's views were listed, and then we'd get the “bottom line” from Dr. Oz. I don't see the Dr. Oz show often, but the last time I watched was when he had Dr. Mercola on talking about the benefits of coconut oil, and Dr. Oz agreed with him! That was encouraging, but then…THEN check out this whopper from Dr. Oz and his “bottom line” in today's article:
First, you don’t want to replace healthy fats like olive oil with coconut oil. Instead, you want to replace unhealthy saturated fats, such as butter.
That's where I had to stop reading.
Many of the comments previous to that had already made my heart race, literally, but that one was where I GASPED and clicked out. Yes, I love my olive oil, but don't talk bad about my beloved coconut oil and butter or I'm outta here! (Hence the title of this post, “The Ignorance of Dr. Oz”.)
Where I stand on Mercola…
It's not that I'm crazy about 100% of what comes out of Mercola's mouth either, but he was one of the very first people who got my brain thinking outside the box, and realizing that things are often no where near what they might seem.
Dr. Mercola shares what he couldn't say on the show…
So then I watched a video of Dr. Mercola sharing what he wasn't able to say on the show today, and my heart calmed a bit.
In the video I especially respected Dr. Mercola's gracious comments about Dr. Oz:
I have enormous respect and admiration for what Dr. Oz has done, he takes a lot of flack, he really is out there and exposing a large number of people to what I believe to be essential truths. Like any physician in this process, you don't get there all in one day, it's a journey. It certainly was true for myself and anyone I know who is centered in natural medicine.
I'd like to add that I'm thankful to Dr. Oz for even having Dr. Mercola on the show at all!
A few more notables about the video:
- Around the 3-minute mark he shares how the FDA spend a lot of their resources to go after companies who might make a “health claim” about how FOOD can help us heal, because they fiercely protect the rights for only drug companies to do this. Sick huh? “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” I have this on the back of my business cards and love that quote.
- At the 4-minute mark, he shares some interesting comments on breast cancer screening, how thermography is a great tool (read my post about my first thermogram), and he says, “No woman under 50 should have regular mammograms unless they have serious risk factors. So it's really a massive scheme and incredibly profitable business revenue stream that exposes women unnecessarily to a highly recommended procedure that has very limited potential to benefit them, and more truly benefits the organizations that are strongly recommending these procedures. My position was to recommend safe alternatives that don't cause cancers but can actually identify breast lesions far earlier than mammography.” (Read my post, Politically incorrect thoughts on breast cancer.)
- At around 45:00 he says something that I think makes great sense: Take the 50% of carbs that the average American is eating and reduce that to half! He says we should eat 25% carbs, 20% protein, and the rest of our calories should come from healthy fats, between 50-70% – YES! He says the key is that it's healthy fat: “Certainly not trans fats or these cheap omega 6 vegetable oils like soy, corn, canola, that are not only mostly genetically engineered, but change the really important omega 3, omega 6 ratios. So we should be eating things like avocados, grass fed organic raw butter, eggs, nuts, coconut oil.” (<–go to that link to buy the best brand.)
- Next he spoke about the flu vaccine controversy. (Lots of shocking stuff here, but it's after midnight and I'm out of time to add more comments, please let us know what you think if you listen to that section!) Scroll down at this post for my thoughts on the flu vaccine.
- Statins and blood pressure meds: for both he says that probably less than 1% can benefit from taking these drugs, because instead they need to find what their underlying conditions are that cause these issues. (He also warns about the dangers of going off BP meds without a health professional to help monitor you.) Have you seen: Do Statins Make You Stupid?
- He shares interesting thoughts about antidepressants at around 17:45. Again he talks about how removing sugars and processed foods and grains can help with this when replacing with healthy fats, possibly, he says, because this changes our gut flora and how much seratonin is produced. He even talks about the gut-brain connection. (He's had Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride on his show before and mentions her at the end! Read my post with her called, What can damage our gut flora. Also: 20 Natural Tips for Overcoming Depression and Anxiety Naturally.)
Please share what you think about all of this?! Am I being too negative?
- Here's a post from a while back where I was both encouraged and irritated at what I heard when Dr. Oz & Oprah were chatting about nutrition…
- Be sure to check out my resources page for all sorts of real food resources!
- View my full recipe index.
11/2014 UPDATE!!!
When I mentioned this post on the blog recently, a reader made this comment that I told her I'd share with you, so keep the following in mind nowadays:
“Kelly your article on Dr. Oz is an old one (2012) and although I did agree with you back then, I DO think Dr. Oz has done a “change in the road” with his programs. He is doing more and more REAL FOOD stuff and exposing the government for their bad decisions regarding food. Yes, I think he has a long way to go and his shows aren’t detailed enough, but he is getting the word out, slowly, to the masses. Please update so people know what’s going on NOW with his programs.”
5/2015 UPDATE:
Now he's coming around even more, read this about how he NAILED Monsanto!
Samia says
Mercola & Oz are both frighteningly wrong about male infant circumcision. Did anyone not see Dr. Oz anxiously, crazily pacing back and forth on his shown a few years ago as part of his attempt to make the audience believe that a normal part of the male anatomy was some kind of divine error? He was behaving in an insane manner, to go along with all his disinformation.
KitchenKop says
No I didn’t see that Samia. What does Marcela say about circumcision?
Kelly
Samia says
Hello, Kelly. Mercola refuses to discuss non-indicated infant circumcision in any detail but he has defended it. To his credit, when someone makes a comment on some other topic on his site and kind of slides in some reference to the wrongness of the denaturing of males, he allows it to stay. Perhaps he is an open minded person and can be some day persuaded.
mary poole says
I like Dr.Mercola very much.Have you seen his interviews with Paul Connett?Paul Connett/fluoridealert.org.Dr.Barrett of Quackwatch has lost two cases that Iknow of.One of the cases that Dr.Barrett lost was about Fluoride
Heathre says
You are not being too negative. I hate DR. OZ. Anyone Oprah promotes is a joke,much like Oprah herself. I used to work in an herb store, where people would come in to buy items Dr. Oz recommened. Sure, it gave us business,but he’s just… not credible.
Cinda says
People though think nothing of Pharma making a killing off of making us sick and yet get upset when a doctor searches for the best products he can find and sells them. I appreciate it and although do not buy a lot there are items I do purchase.
People also wonder how the doctor brought her husband out of Alzheimers on coconut oil and yet if they watched and took notes of Dr. Mercola and Dr. Stephanie Seneff it would be a breeze to help someone greatly improve. The brain needs fat – the body needs sulfate – together they repair and also cause a negative charge in the arteries – cleaning so to speak as one takes them in. For me I have lived on raw milk for a year and love it. I drink a water high in natural sulfate which also has calcium and magnesium in it. She also goes into why so many people are coming down with diabetes.
angie h says
I’m new to this way of thinking and I too discovered Mercola’s site and it definitely got me thinking. I’m glad to read that he is a pretty good source b/c as much has he piqued my interest, reading numerous articles on his site, it also looks like a scam type of site because he has links to buy his stuff or mercola approved products. I wish he would change that a bit, I really think it can turn people off and undermine the info he provides.
Cinda says
I agree with much of Dr. Mercola and in fact lost 3 dress sizes on high fat – low carb with natural sulfate water like Stephanie Seneff said on his show. I also take the whey supplement from Mannatech but all in all I do agree with Dr. Mercola.
I also like him better because on tv, doctors can’t talk about all the truth due to money made on ads.
Lisa says
This is an interesting discussion.
I love reading and hearing from a variety of natural health gurus, trying things for myself, listening to my intuition, and using what works for me. I love Nourishing Traditions, but my body does not agree with fermented foods and grains, so I use those sparingly. This does not mean that everyone else should do as I do.
Mercola has been an incredible resource for me over the years; I have taken his advice on how to raise healthy children, avoiding vaccines, and being mindful of glucose intake. He was the reason I discovered Nourishing Traditions and raw milk in the first place. The only thing that was able to get rid of my chronic and severe acne was his grain-free diet (along with probiotics and digestive enzymes). The grain-free diet was and is very healing to me; some people do not tolerate grains well–whether soaked or not–and I am one of them.
Nutrition is not a black and white issue; it is a personal issue and each of us must take responsibility for figuring out what our bodies need. Each doctor has his/her own beliefs and it is our own personal decision what we use for ourselves. I love hearing the differing perspectives and I appreciate Dr. Mercola, even though I find his newsletters to be rather negative and irritating much of the time. I accept that he sells products; he is a business, not a non-profit organization. His products are actually very high quality and I use his multi vitamins for my children when they have deficiencies. He gives me loads of free information on his site and I am grateful for that.
I am grateful for you, too! 🙂
I still take cod liver oil, but I do keep in mind Dr. Mercola’s argument against it and consider the possibility that he is correct. I do not get so attached to my beliefs that I get angry when they are argued or disproved; I have to be flexible and willing to change as needed, and be able to see other peoples’ perspectives. The oceans ARE getting so polluted that most seafood is unclean. I do believe there is some truth to his argument, and that is is highly important that we test our CLO for contamination (I do this with every batch through one of my health practitioners.)
Right now I am trying to follow the diet in Heal Tooth Decay by Ramiel Nagel. Pretty interesting stuff, and his diet also excludes grains completely for people suffering from tooth decay.
Best wishes,
Lisa
Melva says
I’m quite new to this natural health thing and was honetsly quite skeptical before. But after seeing Dr. Mercola on Dr. Oz I immediately ordered some of his coconut oil and really liked it. My point is, Dr. Oz did us all a favor by putting on Dr. Mercola, whether it is in a good light or not. It got people thinking and talking about their health!
D. says
Yeah, you’d think so. But what about the days Dr. Mercola (or his peers) aren’t on Dr. Oz? Oz gives out some pretty horrific advice sometimes I guess. I don’t watch his show so I’m just going by what other friends who DO watch it tell me. He’s pretty mainstream and that’s what is getting us “foodies and natural health folks” into a snit, and that’s why I don’t watch him. I can get bad advice from any MD doctor I sure don’t wanna hear it on TV where I can’t even argue with the guy face to face.
The guberment is doing a fine job of infiltrating every aspect of our lives though, so not to worry – if Dr. Oz doesn’t mislead you someone else will. Especially about health matters and real food matters.
Commenter via Facebook says
I don’t agree with everything Dr. Oz says but I will forever be indebted to him for the guests he had on his XM Radio broadcast. Hearing Michael Pollan put me on a path that changed my life, maybe saved my life.
Bryan - oz4caster says
Kelly, I totally agree with your assessment of both Dr Oz and Dr Mercola. I too am glad to see Dr Oz allowing Dr Mercola onto his show where he can reach a larger audience. I also recognize that we all are in a learning journey and some like Dr Oz are still blinded by all the false propaganda that is constantly pushed by the conventional “health” industry (that is much more about profit than health). Hopefully he will come around some day. I too don’t always agree with Dr Mercola, though I do agree with much of his advice and I am very thankful he convinced me to ditch sugar many years ago. I take traditionally fermented cod liver oil (FCLO), which he does not recommend. Since taking a teaspoon a day I have hand no respiratory illness for two years now and I used to get 3 to 4 colds every year all my life until I changed my diet about six years ago. So, I’m sticking with the FCLO 🙂
Commenter via Facebook says
what’s the rest of the story?
Commenter via Facebook says
Thanks Kelly for sharing the follow up talk from Dr M. taking time to discuss and educate (A Dr’s most important role) us on the details of the imortant issues raised on the show. I loved his comments about walnuts: how the FDA was saying it is wrong to promote wlanuts as a heart healthy as it implicated them as a drug and only big pharma can do that, so are the gyms doing that by promoting exercise as a heart healthy, what about yoga, meditation, massage, gigong, prayer, spending time with family, having pets….the list is endless. We all know these are great for the heart and are promoted as such. According to the FDA they are drugs? Sheeees… so who are they in the business of protecting?
Commenter via Facebook says
Anyone who puts their health in the hands of a dr. with their own t.v. show should have another plastic cup of Kool-Aid.
Commenter via Facebook says
thanks Kelly~ I agree with most but not all; I still believe the world (especially children need healthful fats like butter); we’ve been eating if for as long as we’ve been milking cow without incident until the 1930’s when we introduced margarine. (yuck); Also I don’t agree with his totally insufficient elaboration on the dangers of flu shot; which I was SO happy to see many people chime in that were either nurses or people that had consistant flu shots their whole lives and their health was disturbed in some way by them. Side effects aren’t just a nuisance; they are big fat red flags telling us the body doesn’t like something and we ought to listen a little better once and a while and we’d live longer and better. ok, i’m done now.
Peggy says
Oprah + MD = Dr. Oz
Just cause the guy has a TV show doesn’t mean he escaped the insufficient nutritional training of our medical schools.
Roseann says
I was just watching Dr. Oz and his topic today is stomach cancer. Just wanted to say that to avoid stomach cancer we should avoid eating fermented foods..uggghhh!!! Can you imagine?? So Kelly, be prepared to field questions from anyone who follows this “doctor”….I use the term loosely…lol
Tonya says
Fermented foods are Healing my gut! Thank God for Nourishing Traditions cook book and my husband supporting me in this new diet.
Melissa says
I just saw this exact segment on Dr. Oz. Why would the “experts” on the show say that fermented food cause cancer?
Melissa says
Let me clarify. Dr. Oz said they cause stomach cancer. To suggest a causal effect in research is very significant. I wonder what the research actually shows with regard to this. Is there really a cause effect or is Dr. Oz using that term to add drama?
D. says
I’m not defending Dr. Oz here, but it’s possible he may have been referring to store-purchased fermented type foods, such as canned sauerkraut, pickles, yogurt, kefir, etc. All of those items, and probably many other conventionally made fermented foods probably contain ingredients that really aren’t good for us. Yogurt from the store, for instance, contains a lot of sugar, some of them contain fruit of a non-organic variety, etc. Certainly none of that would be good for an ailing gut.
I have no idea if that’s what he meant, but it’s possible, although I would think he would have stressed the fact that homemade fermented foods are fine – if he actually has a clue as to what he’s talking about. On the other hand, he may not have even considered homemade vs store-purchased differences. Like I said, I don’t watch Dr. Oz so I have no idea what he knows or doesn’t know (or believe) about traditional foods.
It was just my first thought when you posed the question.
Commenter via Facebook says
I think the title of this blog article is unprofessional and should be more matter of fact. Instead of “The Ignorance of”’ how about “My Critique of… ” In demeaning others we alienate ourselves and our causes.
Becky D says
Have to agree with this. It’s never a good idea to speak negatively of others.
KitchenKop says
Definition of ignorance:
“Unaware or uninformed” – a perfect fit here, don’t you think?
Kelly
Amanda says
I think both are trying to do good. I think that in being a little less “out there” in respect to conventional medicine that Dr. Oz is able to reach many more people who in turn make some healthy changes in their lives. So many people have no idea what is really healthy and I think that by taking it in smaller steps, Dr. Oz is bound to get his message across more successfully. I’m not against Mercola at all but so much of what he says is so far off what people have been taught by our ‘great’ government for so many years that it’s hard for people to take him seriously.
Janelle says
Many people are complaining about Dr. Mercola just trying to sell something, and I disagree, he may be pushing his products, but his products are what is spreading the truth about all these health topics. His articles are free! And because of his widespread name he deals with lawsuits all the time that he just has to pay off to keep doing what he is doing. If he didn’t sell anything there is no way he could be doing all this without extreme donations.
D. says
@ Janelle: That’s not really the point. If we are to be healthy we need to learn to eat traditionally, and a lot of what Dr. Mercola stresses is not traditional or nutrient-dense. So, instead of teaching nutrient-dense, he talks supplements. If you eat a nutrient packed diet, you need very few supplements, so Mercola (IMPHO) has had to change his mindset in order to make a profit. He used to be on the board of directors at WAPF, so it’s not like he isn’t tuned into the traditional ways. He just sorta turned his back on most of it. Whether or not it was to make a buck is neither here not there because he does have some good messages for people, especially people who are total novices. But I’d rather see folks look to nutrition from a proper source from the get-go, not someone who wants them to eat all raw or whatever. We don’t all fit into the same box, nutritionally. I would no more eat an all raw diet than I would eat an all vegan diet. No way.
It is really good, though, that a lot of people are at least starting to pay attention, for whatever reason, to the idea that prevention is far more important to health than seeing a doctor after we’re already sick. The other message people need to talk about with family members and friends is that good health doesn’t happen overnight. I get so ticked off when people try something, say bone broth or something else *alternative*, and it doesn’t “heal” them practically the same day. If they went to a doctor who prescribed pills for them, they have no problem waiting a week or 10 days for the pills to work (if that’s what you want to call it) but they think alternative stuff and nutritional stuff should help immediately if not sooner. That is an unfair assessment of alternatives.
Commenter via Facebook says
Dr Oz is a traditionally trained physician…meaning no nutrition edu, no complementary med edu…turned celebrity. who writes the show? who researches what he says? i for one am glad that this has come to light and only good can come of it (eventually). individuals such as Dr. Mercola are far and few between…he’s not the only one, but the most visible one…and it’s a huge risk to go against the grain of doctrine. God forbid that we upset Big Pharma! and as far as the flu vaccine Kelly, a big fat “no” and that’s coming from a former nurse turned holistic nutritionist/exercise & massage therapist…see? it’s all about prevention now :))
Tonya says
I was shocked to hear that Dr.M was on the show! I don’t fully uderstand everything Mercola teaches, but do read his emails. He stopped me from soy milk several years ago. NT has helped me repair my gut, and emotional stress is a catalyst for many diseases. I have endometriosis after trying to eat healthier and getting worse over 5 years finally seeing a Dr. having surgery to get diagnosed and burned lesions out. My gut is so torn up though that surgery did not help it. NT cooking and fermenting foods, Raw Milk, homeade and Amish butter ( cultured whey, cream cheese, buttermilk, and Creme’ fraiche) grass fed beef, organic chicken, and kombucha as well as taking probiotics is making me feel so much better. Trial and error, I was desperate and had the cook book for years before using it much. I wish I had known to soak grains, eat less grains, and about soaking meats, culturing foods at home for everyday. I had read body ecology several years ago and kept wanting to make or get Japanese Saurkraut, but never did. I have never had a flu vaccine and don’t intend to! I am glad Dr. M sounds the alarm and has guests on his site. He does try to sell alot but I just skip the ads, although the sun lamps look tempting!
Barb says
Twenty-two years ago an M.D. who was also a Naturopath brought me me and my daughter out of debilitating Hell (fibromyalgia, leaky gut syndrome, Candidiasis, food allergies, multiple chem sensitivites, adrenal exhaustion, hypothyroidism, etc.) and into semi-functioning mode. There is no CURE unless the problem is an identifiable virus or bacteria which can be treated. For some it works, for others, not. System malfunctions can be repaired with diet and environmental changes depending on the extent of damage. Everyone is different. Treatments/changes must, by necessity, be trail and error. My daughter, now in her 30s, is fully functioning; I am not. I attribute this to two things: 1) her young age [pre-teen] when we began treatment, while I was three decades older than she; and 2) we found a dentist to remove her two mercury-amalgam fillings and replace them with acrylics, while I did not have my dozen m-a fillings replaced.
The list of foods I avoid is very long. When I cheat on it, I know what to expect. It only takes about two weeks to tweak a diet. Instead of fussing about this stuff, try foods advised by any doctor [or just for fun] via a three-day elimination test. You’ll discover fairly quickly whether or not you should be eating it. And always take supplements to replace nutrients you’re missing when you’ve decided to avoid a food.
Last but not least, be conscious of what is in the water you consume: Have it analyzed; read up on the topic.
Be well!
P.S. I’ve read that most of the sun’s vit. D is absorbed by humans through their open eyes.
KitchenKop says
Wow, I have never heard anything about vit. D through our eyes… Are you sure?? It has me very curious!
Barb says
Read or heard that abt Vit. D only once, a few months ago. I too had never heard that before. If it’s true, I’m doomed because my eyes have never been able to tolerate bright sunlight.
Barb says
Question for TONYA: What does “NT” stand for?
Commenter via Facebook says
I think Dr. Oz is being very honest and open. He even admitted he will look further into some of the things mentioned by Dr. Mercola. Dr. Oz does agree with a lot of alternative health methods. He said he looks at each individuals and not just the numbers even if they have high cholesterol for example. I do not think you are giving him enough credit. Everybody is entitled to their opinion and he is a medical Dr. they are taught one way and he is trying to see things a different way, give him a chance. I think he only had Dr. Mercola on the show because he actually has respect for the guy unlike most others.
Commenter via Facebook says
I thought that some of the comments Dr. Oz made about Dr. Mercola were quite rude!
Flo says
I just wanted to share about the site http://www.quackwatch.com. It’s run by a doctor who seems to see anything that doesn’t involve surgery or drugs as quackery. I found out about his site when, whenever I looked up an alternative to allopathic ‘healthcare,’ one of his articles would be near the top of the results. I ignored him for awhile, but wondered why HE was so knowledgeable that he could write authoritatively on just about EVERY alternative subject — especially since he was from the mainstream of medicine. I started looking at his site and realized that he was pretty much against ALL of it. It almost made me think something was worth looking into for myself if it made his list. Here’s a link where he tells you how to spot a site using quackery: https://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/quackweb.html.
I know it’s VERY difficult to discern between opposing viewpoints telling you about what works. Like mentioned above, some things work for one person but not the next. And, like Scotty and others said, you have to do your own research.
Anyway, in case you can’t tell, Stephen Barrett annoys me!
ValerieH says
I have ranted about quackwatch on this blog before. I have read web posts from a chiropractor that sued them and won. I think quackwatch is doing the dirty work of the AMA and the like. The AMA had a Committee on Quackery that was used to go after modalities which were in direct competition with allopathic medicine, particularly chiropractic. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilk_v._American_Medical_Association
According to what I read here, the AMA was in violation of the Sherman Act. “..the AMA had engaged in a “lengthy, systematic, successful and unlawful boycott” designed to restrict cooperation between MDs and chiropractors in order to eliminate the profession of chiropractic.”
D. says
If you want to get another (angry) view on quackwatch, go to Tim Bolen’s web site or do a search of Tim Bolen. Quackwatch and almost all of their minions have been sued and some are still being sued, and he is following the whole nightmare.
Here’s one of his articles suggesting parents stay FAR away from pediatricians – you can get to his many other links though this article. This just happens to be the one I have saved to my favorites.
https://www.bolenreport.com/Geier/SayNoToPediatrician.htm
I don’t watch stuff like Dr. Oz, and like some of the others here, I used to follow Mercola somewhat, but once I got to the point of seeing his site as a shopping mall for his products, I sorta don’t go back there now unless I’m looking for a specific article from the past, or if I follow a link that takes me to his site unknowingly. I think Mercola has had some good messages but a person has to be savvy enough to sort out the hype from the reality. Many can but a few cannot, and it’s those few I worry about. The sheeple I guess they’re called. I’ve always been a person who wants to know WHY something is the way it is, etc., so I tend to want to do my own research. I was a paralegal for a long time and got used to doing a lot of reading and sorting the good from the bad.
D. says
I should also mention that Tim Bolen writes all the stuff at his web site, so you have to excuse the misspelling and the grammatical errors. Men!
ValerieH says
Is Tim Bolen the guy who had the court case against quackwatch?
D. says
No, he was following the proceedings, though.
D. says
Here is a complete index of all of his written reports. On the right-hand side, there are several Guest Articles, which are interesting, too. https://www.bolenreport.com/
Jeanmarie says
I”m not a huge fan of Mercola either, but the thought of him going up against Oz definitely puts me on the Mercola side!
Thanks for this, Kelly. I don’t have TV so miss most of this stuff. I will definitely watch the Mercola video tonight.
ValerieH says
I live in the NW Chicago suburbs, where Dr. Mercola works. I attended his 2006 health conference and met him there. My holistic dentist used to share office space with him. I agree with all of the views that you posted above except I haven’t spent any time on the tanning bed thing. I have heard the same views on saturated fat, vaccines, carbs, breast cancer, etc.. from other sources. Wasn’t he a founding member of WAPF? I think Dr. Mercola has done a lot of good and could continue to do good in this area of opening our minds to other ways of living healthfully. However, the way his website and business is run could seriously jeopardize that good reputation. Here is an example: https://www.bulletproofexec.com/its-official-dr-mercola-just-copied-the-bulletproof-diet/
I haven’t watched the show. Only the teaser is on the Dr. Oz website as far as I can find. The Dr. Oz show is in the business of entertainment. The main sponsors are giant food and drug companies. Dr. Oz can’t say what Dr. Mercola can say or the network would anger its advertisers. It is more fun to treat Mercola as a wacko to make the show more controversial. The same thing was done with Gary Taubes. It is good entertainment.
The high fat low carb diet makes sense to a percentage of the population. It is certainly not new. The Banting diet is over 100 years old. If we had not had the low fat 80’s and 90’s, people might not have damaged their metabolisms to the point of having to eat low carb diets. If you can lose or maintain weight while eating carbs, more power to you! There is a considerable percentage of the population who cannot eat that way. I took an anthropology class in college and the paleo diet makes a lot of sense to me, though I’m having trouble giving up cream and milk kefir. The key is to find what works for you. Even though WAPF warns against vegetarian diets, some people do very well on them. I know a lot of people from India. That country has been vegetarian for thousands of years. They also have had chronic disease for that amount of time. The longest agricultural traditions, India and China, also have extensive ancient medicine traditions. I wish Dr. Price had visited India but he was looking for “primitive” places.
Susan says
I stopped listening to Dr. Oz when he said adrenal fatigue was not real. As someone who has suffered from adrenal issues all of my life, but has been housebound from it for the last three years, I sincerely hope he never suffers from it himself. Because I am here to tell you that it is real, and can be excruciating to the mind, body and soul. Doctors from many fields have been documenting adrenal exhaustion for over 100 years, but because their is no magic pill to fix it, dolts -oops, I mean doctors- like Oz claim it doesn’t exist.
He bugs me so much that I don’t even want to see a commercial for his show!
Kate @ Modern Alternative Mama says
People in the mainstream often don’t believe adrenal fatigue is real. I first wrote about it when I was experiencing it two years ago and hadn’t done any research (later, found lots of research to back up what I had said). Some people got so angry about that post that they unsubscribed to my blog. “Wild, unsubstantiated claims, total fiction” etc. It’s really, really sad.
Susan says
Kate- I went and read your post on adrenal issues. I thought it was excellent! I think it is sad when people won’t open their mind to the possibility of adrenal fatigue. We can live deficient of all the other hormones. We may not be comfortable, but we will live. But its not the same with your adrenals: without them we die. My adrenals were so bad I was told to go to bed or I could have a heart attack. My doctor was so concerned that one more stressful situation would be my last that all I was allowed to do was use the restroom and eat dinner at the table with the family. Other than that, he considered it too stressful. The pain and dizziness were sometimes so bad, I had to crawl to the bathroom. Its a real shame that people won’t at least do some research. Chances are if they don’t have some degree of it, then they probably know someone who does!
Don’t worry about losing readers because they couldn’t agree with what you said. You have a new one right here! 🙂
Jill says
Thanks for sharing this, Kelly. I actually love Dr. Mercola’s newsletters and have learned a ton from his site and agree with most of his stuff (he’s wrong about cod liver oil of course, but I can’t help but think that he hasn’t looked seriously at FCLO yet). I commented on the Dr. Oz. article and included the link to Dr. Donald Miller’s presentation that you shared recently. It’s a perfect balance to Dr. Oz’s wrong recommendations regarding saturated fats. Thanks for sharing THAT one too! Blessings!
Natalie says
I don’t think you are being too negative at all. I was so bothered by the way Dr. Oz wrote off fibromyalgia as being easily overcome by a cleanse and I think at least half of what he says is off. I think he is like many doctors right now, still stuck in unhealthy beliefs about foods, fats, and other things which would be OK if he were just treating people like a regular doctor, but so many prescribe whole-heartedly to all he says and that is just spreading more ignorance with more confidence which is a dangerous combination. Mercola’s ideas are more correct as far as I see ( I follow him because I like some of his ideas and knowledge, I just don’t always like how it is delivered.) I do agree very much with Scotty that agendas are being pushed and it is tiresome and problematic for many who are struggling to find the truth and instead being more confused.
Natalie says
Amendment: It wouldn’t be OK if he were just treating people, it would just be the same as all the other unhelpful ignorant doctors out there. Being more powerful, he has even more responsibility to overcome ignorance.
Kristia {Family Balance Sheet} says
My husband is a chiropractor and the ‘researcher’ of the health & medical needs for our family. He sends me stuff all of the time from Mercola and I agreed with a lot of what was said yesterday on the show. I was surprised to see someone like Mercola on a mainstream show like Dr Oz.
I did jump out of my seat with the tanning bed discussion, but my husband told me to listen to what Mercola has to say and in the end even Dr Oz changed his tune. But me, not so much. I have had melanoma and am extremely paranoid right now about sun exposure. I also know that I need vit d exposure, but I am really really paranoid right now. My surgery is still very fresh in my mind.
Jeanmarie says
Melanoma isn’t caused by sun exposure. Low Vitamin D is thought to be implicated in many cancers, however. Don’t *burn*, work up to sun exposure slowly, and don’t go crazy with it, but we’re supposed to get natural sunlight.
Nepenthe says
Jeanmarie, please don’t give out faulty information like that to someone who has Melanoma. Sheesh. Research it and you will change your tune. No, she doesn’t need to get sun on her skin. S
he can take Vit. D.
Musings of a Housewife says
I mean to say “it all sounds good TO ME…” – not putting that on anyone else. I just often find that I don’t trust myself enough to discern the finer points of some of these issues. I am so glad there are people out there like you who take the time to delve deep and figure stuff out. I’ll just follow your lead, ‘kay? 🙂
Musings of a Housewife says
really wish I had time to watch the video but it ain’t happening. i never know how much of Mercola’s stuff to believe or not. I doubt it all is kosher but I think he has some good stuff. It’s just so hard to know, without a degree in science and/or medicine. It all sounds good until someone explains the finer points. all that said, both men are trying to make a positive change in people’s health and make us responsible for ourselves, which is a good thing, yes? at least they are having the discussion. AND I always appreciate when two people can disagree respectfully. that goes a long way in my book.
Scotty says
Dr.oz o man, that guy haha but Mercola is even worse his site has been sited for quackery on many occasions.
“At around 45:00 he says something that I think makes great sense: Take the 50% of carbs that the average American is eating and reduce that to half!”
This High Fat low carb craze is the next big trend to get everyone thin and it’s really not necessary. For some strange reason mercola in several articles has stated how the repeated spiking of insulin will cause the receptor sites to close down in response to ingesting carbohydrates over and over again. The real truth is yes carbohydrate ingestion causes the release of insulin. But carbohydrate ingestion does not cause hyperinsulinemia. That is an unethical leap from science to agenda. The argument that X=Y and then Y=Z, does not mean X=Z. The problem is the insulin receptor, not insulin in and of itself. He makes recommendations to limit starches and high sugar fruit, this is just nonsense. My advice to anyone would be to not listen to either of these guys, too many people are trying to SELL health instead of GIVE IT FREELY. They have an agenda to push, products to sell, a Cult(I mean fanbase/followers) to please, and their own ideas surrounding health and nutrition that may be correct or incorrect depending on the biased studies they read or do not read(selection bias anyone). Hey but who am I everyone has their own health Journey to go on…but Do your research. Don’t just believe what these fools tell you, just because you are a Doctor doesn’t mean you are smart, it means you sat through medical classes learning almost nothing about nutrition or farming for that matter but have tremendous knowledge about how to identify disease, treat disease with pharmaceuticals or in mercolas case; cookie cutter diets that just end up exacerbating the problem. For every 10 studies that say something is bad there are 10 more that say its good. The data gets mixed up, agendas are pushed, and eveyone just ends up confused about what to eat. However we have living testimonials of diets that have worked in the past for people living in various parts of the world. I don’t need Dr. Mercola or Dr. oZ to show me that butter is good, just read a history book. There are no diet or health “secrets”, just a lot of unscrupulous individuals who like to prey on desperation.
KitchenKop says
Well I thought it made sense, though, because he wasn’t saying to cut grains ALL out, as some do, but to just not eat quite as much. (And I’d add that they should be properly prepared/soaked/fermented / sprouted, too.)
Kelly
Kate @ Modern Alternative Mama says
He’s been cited for “quackery” by the mainstream doctors who simply don’t agree with any alternative path. I certainly don’t agree that he is a quack in any regard. I don’t agree with everything he says but he’s an experienced physician who, himself, is in good health (after taking his own recommendations) and has plenty of patients who have returned to good health with his methods. Calling him a quack is very offensive.
Andrea says
I just wish he’s get over his anti cod liver oil thing!
ValerieH says
His clinic treats very sick people, who aren’t getting any help from mainstream medicine. I have met people whose lives were turned around. However, some people didn’t fit into his mold. My friend runs a colon hydrotherapy business. She told me of a client who went to Mercola and wasn’t suited to the diet he recommends. They do metabolic testing to determine which diet to recommend but it didn’t work for that person. I think one of the best things used at the clinic is teaching all patients Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). There are a lot of mind-body issues that keep people sick.
Kelsey says
The thing that bothers me about Mercola (and I have been following him for about 6 or so years) is that he seems unwilling to conceive of any diet plan than his own. He’s completely anti-grains and pro raw-everything and just seems to be one of those people who is unwilling to be flexible. That bothers me. I know everyone right now is jumping on the grain-free bandwagon, and maybe I’m just getting tired of it, so I take my frustration out on Mercola. 🙂 But it also bothers me that all of his articles are so sensational and that he is always saying how he doesn’t believe in taking very many supplements, but has an enormous number of them on his website and is always recommending new ones. I am grateful for him because like Kelly said, he was the first one to really get me thinking outside of the box, but I really have a hard time with people that push their agendas so hard that they can’t accept other viewpoints (or completely ignore them).
Jeanmarie says
He has recently backed off the very low carb diet idea. He started having trouble with it.
Samia says
Very low carb, just like the no-fat, high starch – are both good temporary diets to treat certain challenges and problems. They are not intended as a forever way to eat. Neither are all-raw or 100% vegan or the ultra-high-fat diets.
Can’t anybody distinguish between healing diets and everyday eating? Geeeze. We need to reassess our diets regularly and make changes if our condition calls for it.
Nepenthe says
Scotty, you don’t say what your expertise is. I’m hypoglycemic & Insulin resistant . I fully expect to become diabetic one day as my pancreas poops out from too much insulin production. What they say about high-glycemic carbohydrates makes sense to me. If you’ve ever had a blood sugar of 40 something after a high carbohydrate meal and the resulting increased insulin, you might agree.