Health
Dr. Oz Mounts Spirited Defense Against Critical Letter
FRAZIER MOORE, AP Television Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Dr. Mehmet Oz says last week’s attack by 10 doctors who accused him of promoting “quack treatments” on his TV show was spurred by his vocal support for labeling genetically modified foods — a stance he says some if not all of those accusers oppose.
Oz devoted the first half of his syndicated show on Thursday to his response to what he called “a brazen letter from 10 mysterious doctors” sent to Columbia University, where Oz serves as vice chairman of the surgery department and performs heart surgery at Columbia’s affiliated hospital. The letter accused him of an “egregious lack of integrity” and urged the university to remove him from its faculty.
A Columbia spokesman defended Oz by saying the school is “committed to the principle of academic freedom.”
But the letter set off a new round of criticism of Oz, who in the past has been slammed for promoting questionable cure-alls and last June appeared before the Senate’s consumer protection panel, where he was scolded for claims he had made on his show about weight-loss aids — claims he says he has since stopped making.
New Yorker staff writer Michael Specter, who profiled Oz for that magazine two years ago, said on NPR this week that, whereas every doctor’s first obligation is to do no harm, Oz “does harm every time he goes on the air by recommending things for which there is no evidence, and things often that he knows not to be true.”
Meanwhile, New York Times columnist Frank Bruni described Oz as “a carnival barker” and “a one-man morality play about the temptations of mammon and the seduction of applause….”
Launched in 2009 by Oprah Winfrey, “The Dr. Oz Show” has repeatedly been criticized for mixing rigorous and dubious science. But Oz, who sees his show as a forum for discussing a range of health practices to better inform his audience, wondered aloud what accounted for the timing of last week’s letter.
His conclusion: His own continuing opposition to any legislation that would strip government agencies of their ability to label genetically modified foods in the marketplace.
Oz reiterated his conviction that consumers have the right to know whether food at their stores originates from genetically modified organisms. Those on the other side of the issue include food producers and agricultural companies who say GMOs are safe and that labeling them would increase prices while unnecessarily frightening consumers.
He noted that the letter’s lead author was Dr. Henry Miller, a senior research fellow at the Hoover Institution think tank at Stanford University who specializes in biotech and has campaigned against such labeling.
Oz characterized the letter as a smear intended to silence him and vowed, “We will not be silenced.”
“My interest was and is solely to protect the academic respectability of a prominent medical institution,” Miller said in a statement in response to Thursday’s program.
Dubbed “America’s doctor” by Winfrey, Oz has built a brand empire that also includes a magazine and best-selling books. But, whatever the reason, viewership for his TV show has eroded in the past few years. For this season through March, the audience has averaged 1.97 million viewers — roughly half the 3.80 million viewers who were tuning in during the 2011-12 season.
Even so, “he still has a pretty significant following,” said Brad Adgate, a ratings analyst for Horizon Media, adding that, even if Oz’s current show were to end, he has other potential outlets, including the cable network of his benefactor, Winfrey.
“His current numbers would match those of a top-tier cable network in prime time,” Adgate said.
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EDITOR’S NOTE — Frazier Moore is a national television columnist for The Associated Press. He can be reached at fmoore@ap.org and at http://www.twitter.com/tvfrazier. Past stories are available at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/frazier-moore
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Online:
www.doctoroz.com
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Bay Area
Mind, Body, and Spiritual Well-Being for Women Addressed in NAACP Forum in Oakland
The Women In The NAACP Oakland Branch is proud to announce the upcoming “Total You – Mind, Body, and Spirit Women’s Health Forum” scheduled for April 27 at Acts Full Gospel Church. Running from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at 1034 66th Ave., this forum aims to provide an empowering platform for women to engage in discussions, gain knowledge, and access resources pertaining to their health and well-being.
Special to The Post
The Women In The NAACP Oakland Branch is proud to announce the upcoming “Total You – Mind, Body, and Spirit Women’s Health Forum” scheduled for April 27 at Acts Full Gospel Church.
Running from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at 1034 66th Ave., this forum aims to provide an empowering platform for women to engage in discussions, gain knowledge, and access resources pertaining to their health and well-being.
The forum will feature renowned experts, healthcare professionals, and advocates from Genentech, John Muir Health, Sutter Health of The East Bay, Kaiser Permanente, and the Alameda County Public Health Department.
Our expert panel will address various aspects of women’s health, including physical, mental, and emotional well-being, and healthy relationships. The forum will encompass a wide range of topics such as breast cancer, menopause, reproductive health, nutrition, mental health awareness, preventive care, and much more.
Participants will have the opportunity to attend informative sessions, interactive workshops, and panel discussions led by experts in their respective fields. Additionally, there will be wellness activities, screenings, and informational booths offering valuable resources and support.
This forum is open to women of all ages and backgrounds, encouraging inclusivity and diversity in the conversation surrounding women’s health. Whether you’re seeking information for yourself, a loved one, or simply looking to connect with other women, this event promises to be enlightening and empowering.
For more information and to register for the Total You Women’s Health Forum, please visit https://www.naacpoakland.org/ or contact Dr. Delores Thompson. WIN chairwoman at (510) 328-3638.
The Women In The NAACP Oakland Branch is dedicated to empowering women, and young teen girls. We look forward to your participation in this important event.
To register, go to https://www.naacpoakland.org/events/the-total-you-womens-health-forum
Alameda County
Oakland Conducts Its Biennial ‘Point in Time’ Homelessness Count
Oakland, along with other cities in Alameda County, conducted their biennial ‘Point In Time’ census count on Feb. 1 to gain a thorough understanding of the size and dispersion of the homeless population in the region. The Point In Time (PIT) count is federally required by the Housing and Urban Development Department as a requirement to receive funding and resources to tackle homelessness in the area.
By Magaly Muñoz
Oakland, along with other cities in Alameda County, conducted their biennial ‘Point In Time’ census count on Feb. 1 to gain a thorough understanding of the size and dispersion of the homeless population in the region.
The Point In Time (PIT) count is federally required by the Housing and Urban Development Department as a requirement to receive funding and resources to tackle homelessness in the area.
David Modersbach, Grants Manager of Alameda County Health Care for the Homeless program, said that the methodology this time around was different, as this count had a much more personal “lived experience” aspect that previous counts did not have.
In 2022, the county relied more on statistical extrapolation and assumptions, but this year’s survey questionnaires allowed for details on substance abuse issues, how long someone has been living without proper housing, what resources people are in need of and much more.
“[The PIT count is] a critical opportunity for the county, Continuum of Care, and cities to understand the magnitude of homelessness in Alameda County. [The count] enables us to better allocate resources and implement effective programs to tackle this issue head-on in a compassionate and inclusive way,” Modersbach said.
St. Mary’s Center was one of the many meeting hubs across the county that hosted volunteers and community officials the morning of the count. The organization has been deeply involved in the effort to provide resources for unhoused people and others in need.
St. Mary’s is a nonprofit in West Oakland that helps seniors and preschool families with food and housing. Last year, the organization helped about 50 seniors find housing after they had fallen on hard times.
Sharon Cornu, executive director of St. Mary’s, said a lot of the older couples and individuals that come into the center have borne the brunt of the skyrocketing cost of living in the Bay Area. The most recent influx of seniors St. Mary’s has seen coming in for help has been made up of people who were evicted when the COVID-19-related moratorium on rent payment ended.
“Seniors are the fastest growing segment of the unhoused and the incredibly high cost of housing is driving them to the streets,” Cornu said.
Among the volunteers were workers with Operation Dignity, a nonprofit organization that helps veterans and those living on the street find shelter, transitional housing and supportive services.
“These are our stomping grounds,” Ivan Magana, program manager for Operation Dignity said.
Magana stated that his team was extremely familiar with the people residing in the encampments they were conducting the count in since Operation Dignity made many visits to these areas while doing community outreach. He said they had even informed some of the unhoused people they knew about the count a few days prior so they would not be alarmed when the enumerators showed up early in the morning to conduct the count.
Not everyone got the memo though, as the volunteers encountered an almost violent situation around the 6 a.m. when a young woman living in a bus yelled at the Operation Dignity workers to leave her alone.
Luckily, the three-year experience Mangana has working with Operation Dignity and his knowledge of therapeutic health services, equipped him with the techniques needed to deescalate the tension. The woman soon realized who the volunteers were and apologized, he said.
Another volunteer and Operation Dignity worker, Yolanda Kirkpatrick, noted that she was initially hesitant because of the early schedule. She felt the time deterred others from participating, too.
Her prediction would come true as the hours went on and they continued to walk along 24th St in downtown Oakland and there was very little activity on the streets.
The volunteers shared similar sentiments. Although the community the people they were engaging for the count and surveys encounter tend to distrust outsiders, the PIT count was necessary for the city to receive the appropriate level of federal funds to address a crisis that is spiraling out of control in California.
A full analysis and report of the count will be made available in the summer.
Community
For Cervical Cancer Month, Medical Community Focused on Education
January was Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. Physicians, advocates and others in the medical community commemorated the month by raising awareness about a form of cancer they say is highly preventable and treatable. Cervical cancer is caused by a virus called the human papillomavirus (HPV) and it develops slowly over time but can be prevented with proper care in girls as young as 13 years old.
By Magaly Muñoz
January was Cervical Cancer Awareness Month.
Physicians, advocates and others in the medical community commemorated the month by raising awareness about a form of cancer they say is highly preventable and treatable.
Cervical cancer is caused by a virus called the human papillomavirus (HPV) and it develops slowly over time but can be prevented with proper care in girls as young as 13 years old.
Sonia Ordonez, an OBGYN and gynecology surgeon at Kaiser Permanente, stated that as soon as people with cervixes reach the maturity reproductive age, they should start taking preventative measures like getting the HPV vaccine. The vaccine involves a series of two-doses for people aged 9 through 14 or three-doses for people 15 through 45 years old.
“I see a lot of young women who can’t remember or may not have gotten [the vaccine] when they were younger, or maybe got one, but we can give them the series of vaccines and restart at any point in time,” Ordonez said.
She said that cervical cancer is not the only cancer caused by HPV. Strains of the virus can also lead to throat, anal and penile cancers.
Screening is also an effective way to check for cervical cancer and should be done every three years after someone turns 21, doctors recommend. It is best to start as early as possible to catch occurrences early.
Ordonez said that this cancer is also more likely found in people of color and has led to more deaths overall.
A Mayo Clinic article published last month stated that Black women are more likely to be diagnosed and die of cervical cancer, compared to White women in the U.S.
2,000 Black women are diagnosed every year with cervical cancer and 40% die as a result.
“This disparity is not due to genetic differences among White, Black or Hispanic women, but rather related to systemic racism, access to healthcare and socioeconomic factors,” Dr. Olivia Cardenas-Trowers, a Mayo Clinic urogynecologist, said in the article.
Ordonez stated that immigrant women are also highly susceptible to the cancer, as many Latin American countries may not have accessibility to screenings or lack of insurance makes it harder for them to get tested.
Hispanic women are 40% more likely to be diagnosed with cervical cancer, and 30% more likely to die from it, as compared to non-Hispanic White women, according to the Office of Minority Health.
Family medicine physician, Joy Anyanwu, stated that the pandemic contributed to hesitancy about getting cervical cancer screenings among some women. Other factors are people’s aversion to vaccines, parents not wanting to believe that their children are or will become sexually active, and doubt about the overall effectiveness of the vaccine.
“The vaccine is very safe — over 97% effective in preventing cervical cancer,” Anyanwu said. “Even if you aren’t having sex, the earlier you start would actually help.”
Anyanwu said she understands that parents might not want to ask questions about their children’s reproductive health, but it’s a mindset that can be a barrier to having important conversation about prevention or care.
To keep families their families and communties healthy, the doctor emphasized that people should prioritize keeping up with their vaccine series and going to screenings every year.
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