Dr. Oz To Address Criticism Over GMOs
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Doctor Oz is getting ready to defend himself and his credibility on his daytime talk show Thursday.
He announced he will aggressively address the criticism against him and his opposition to genetically modified foods.
More than over 9 million people tune in to the Dr. Oz Show each week for health tips and medical advice but in recent months, the popular host has faced an avalanche of criticism for things like his endorsements of diet fads.
In June, Senator Claire McCaskill publicly scolded him during a Senate hearing.
"I don't get why you need to say this stuff because you know it's not true," said McCaskill.
Dr. Oz responded by saying, "In an intent to engage viewers, I used flowery language. I used language that was very passionate."
Last Wednesday, a group of doctors sent a letter to Columbia University asking them to remove Oz from the faculty.
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It says in part, "Dr. Oz has repeatedly shown disdain for science and for evidence-based medicine, as well as baseless and relentless opposition to the genetic engineering of food crops."
The letter was written by Dr. Henry Miller, a researcher at the Hoover Institution, a conservative think tank. Dr Miller has been a vocal advocate of genetically modified foods, a group of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
GMOs are often a topic of discussion on the show, where Dr. Oz questions their safety.
Yesterday, Dr. Oz told CBS News,"in a sea of inaccurate sweeping complaints, we noticed one specific allegation - GMOs. Although they misrepresented our stance, we have supported GMO labeling.
"GMO's is important to hundreds of thousands of people," said Psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Amen.
Dr. Amen is a frequent guest of the Dr. Oz show. He describes the host as thoughtful and empowering.
"To say that someone should be fired because they're saying what they believe on television, I think is just ridiculous," said Amen.
Dr Oz's position at Columbia University appears to be safe for now. The chief university spokesman said Columbia University is committed to academic freedom and that the faculty is encouraged to participate in public discussion.