Celebrity doctor

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Celebrity doctors include physicians, medical professionals, people with the title doctor, and some with the nickname "doctor" who have extensive media exposure. Some may have a secondary role as an entertainer. [1] Examples of celebrity doctors include Dr. Drew, Dr. Miami, Dr. Oz, Dr. Ruth, Dr. Weil and Dr. Om Murti Anil.

Contents

Media

Dr. Ruth Westheimer Dr. Ruth 1995.jpg
Dr. Ruth Westheimer

A "celebrity doctor" is a medical professional noted for appearances on television, the internet and social media, books, and speaking engagements. [1] [2] For many years, doctors such as Everett Koop, Benjamin Spock, and Ruth Westheimer (Dr. Ruth) gave advice on the radio, on television, and in books. [1] With the growth of the internet and social media, medical professionals had more places to reach the public, especially with messages alternative to mainstream medical advice. [1] [3] [4]

Celebrity doctors are part of a "healthcare–media complex" that constantly seeks new attention of consumers in the 24-hour news cycle with catchy content about health in order to achieve and maintain high ratings. [2] There is a conflict between their roles and responsibilities as medical doctors, and their roles as business people and entertainers. [5] [6] [7]

Consumers generally trust that the content they receive from celebrity doctors is valid due to their credentials and their fame. Content may be exaggerated and simplified by the need to gain and keep the public's attention, and is often general and may not be applicable to an individual receiving the content. [1] [2] [3] [8] The problem of conflicts of interest becomes especially acute if a celebrity doctor endorses some specific product or approach to health when they deliver content about health, and also sells related products. [3] [9] [10] [11] Sometimes the content is dangerous because people who are sick waste time following poor or irrelevant advice and their illness advances and becomes more difficult to manage. [3]

In The BMJ's Christmas 2014 edition, a study determined that for the TV show The Doctors , "evidence supported 63%, contradicted 14%, and was not found for 24%" of recommendations made by the panel of doctors, and for The Dr. Oz Show , "evidence supported 46%, contradicted 15%, and was not found for 39%" of his recommendations; the study also said that "the public should be skeptical about recommendations made on medical talk shows." [12]

List of celebrity doctors

Reality TV

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drew Pinsky</span> American media personality and physician (born 1958)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mehmet Oz</span> American surgeon and TV host (born 1960)

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<i>Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew</i> American television series

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian Jessen</span> British celebrity doctor and television presenter

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<i>Embarrassing Bodies</i> Reality TV show

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<i>The Dr. Oz Show</i> American daytime television talk show

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The Dr. Oz Show is an American daytime television syndicated talk series that aired between September 14, 2009, and January 14, 2022. The host of the show is Dr. Mehmet Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon who developed an affinity for alternative medicine. Throughout its run, various episodes and segment features have been vastly criticized for a lack of scientific credibility about the medical claims on the show. A study by the British Medical Journal in 2014 concluded that less than half the claims made on The Dr. Oz Show were backed by "some" evidence, and that fell to a third when the threshold was raised to "believable" evidence. The website Science-Based Medicine goes even further, claiming: "No other show on television can top The Dr. Oz Show for the sheer magnitude of bad health advice it consistently offers, all while giving everything a veneer of credibility." What follows is a selection of claims lacking scientific evidence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jungo TV</span> American entertainment company

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Om Murti Anil</span> Nepalese cardiologist

Om Murti Anil is a Nepalese cardiologist, author and social media personality. He is the founder of National Cardiac Centre in Kathmandu. He has published two books: Ma Pani Doctor (2013) and Jiwanta Sambandha (2023). He has more than a million followers on facebook, where he shares his guidance and motivational posts on leading a healthy lifestyle.

<i>Ma Pani Doctor</i> 2013 Nepalese book

Ma Pani Doctor is a book authored by Om Murti Anil, a cardiologist from Nepal, which was published in 2013. The book aims to promote awareness of health and prevent heart disease. It provides guidance on preventing and managing diseases through lifestyle changes, diet, and health awareness. The book's title, "I am also a doctor," is roughly translated from the Nepali language.

References

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