Dr. Oz is the newest victim of a deadly media frenzy. The intent of the media lately seems to be just to stir up enough frenzy to destroy the life of whomever it is currently focused on.  Currently the physicians at Columbia seem hell bent on getting Dr. Oz off the staff at their facility.  Dr. Oz is a skilled surgeon with a proven track record, yet their focus is on the “alternative” treatments he pitches on his show, which they are claiming are not science based.

As a nurse in surgery with more than 25 years of experience I can tell you that healing and symptom control can be managed by much more than big pharmaceuticals and traditional medicine.  Sometimes you don’t need a prescription drug, sometimes your body is lacking a vitamin or you are suffering from anxiety or any number of organic problems. The public is opening their eyes and realizing that feeding the pocketbooks of the big pharmaceutical companies is only going to buy them a whole host of side effects that no one wants.

I specifically chose to work at a facility that practices a Planetree approach that treats all aspects of the patient, not just their symptoms.  After twenty five years I have come to recognize that the emotional state of the patient is one of the most important things they have going for them so anything we can do to improve their emotional state is going to help their recovery.

Perhaps massage, aromatherapy, and other adjunct therapies are not taught in medical school and are not considered scientifically proven, but if a less invasive therapy helps just one person, why would we look down on it?  I personally, would rather drink a cup of ginger tea to alleviate my nausea than to take a drug which has a whole host of harmful side effects.  Unfortunately, our society has grown so dependent on having a pill to cure everything, they overlook the cause of their symptoms and take a pill, they then require more pills to counteract the undesirable side effects and soon they are on so many pills, their own medicine cabinet looks like a pharmacy.

Is is wrong of Dr. Oz to make people responsible for their own health?  I don’t think so.  Hypertensive?  Sure, there’s a pill for that.  But lets look at the person.  If you are say 80 lbs overweight and you are suddenly diagnosed with hypertension and diabetes, the natural cure would be to lose the weight and most likely both conditions will resolve on their own.

Obesity is becoming rampant in our country along with a whole new set of alarming statistics about diabetes and other diseases that used to be rare.  We are quickly becoming the sickest nation in the world, why are we shaming Dr. Oz for trying to do something about that?  Don’t get me wrong, I don’t agree with everything he promotes on his show, but like everything on TV, you should use your own judgement and take everything you see with a grain of salt.

I do feel Dr. Oz has been swayed quite a bit by whomever his TV sponsors are, which I guess is a necessary evil.  Without sponsors he would have no show, but I find him endorsing products that are sometimes questionable.  Hopefully we all know that just because a product proclaims to be “healthy” doesn’t mean it is.

I hope that no matter how you feel about Dr. Oz, you will take charge of your own health.  What you eat, how much you exercise, not only your body but your brain and use prescription drugs judiciously.  Whether or not you chose to follow any or all of the advice on a TV show is completely up to you, but just because a few doctors feel he is not following “proven science” is in my opinion, a bunch of hokum.  I believe any doctor that is out there promoting health and promoting people to be their own advocate in their health is doing the entire world a favor.  Gone are the days of people being ignorant of how to manage their own health.  A doctor can offer you his or her opinion, but you are ultimately the one who has to deal with the consequences.

Sorry Columbia physicians, I have to take Dr. Oz’s side this time.  I personally don’t agree with everything he promotes, but at least he is putting the information out there.  Here’s the sweet spot, it’s just information, his little disclaimer at the end tells you it’s for informational purposes only.  He’s not prescribing it to anyone, he’s merely giving people options.  Do these Columbia physicians give their patients options?  Or do they just give them prescriptions?

Let’s here from you Columbia physicians. What do you promote?  Big pharmacy?  Do you want people to take charge of their own health, or do you just want them to stay sick and come to you for their cure?

Jean Marie Stanberry-author of Laying Low In Hollywood, One World United, Blood, Sweat and Fears, The Illusion Of Order, and Heartless-A Star is Dead.