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Dr. Oz Vs. Dr. Joe Mercola: Which Doctor Should You Trust? |
Dr. Oz guests Dr. Joe Mercola who is one of America’s most controversial health gurus. He describes himself as a “patient advocate”, always on the lookout for the patient first. However, Dr. Mercola has been called a “quack” and a “snake oil salesman”, to name just a few. In fact, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is against him and his views. Dr. Mercola states this is because he had revealed a drug called Vioxx – and FDA-approved drug – to be fatal, killing more than 60,000 patients. He goes on further to explain that the makes of the drug, Merck, eventually pulled the drug off shelves, paid money to settle the case, and were never even filed charges against them. Conspiracy? Ultimately, Dr. Oz and Dr. Mercola so share some opposing views as Mercola challenges quite a few of Western medicine’s most traditional beliefs. For The Dr. Oz Show today, it’s Dr. Oz vs. Dr. Mercola.
Round 1: Where to get Vitamin D – supplements or tanning beds?
Long-time fans and followers know how big Dr. Oz is on natural supplement use. In this case, however, Dr. Mercola suggests that we skip the Vitamin D tablets during the winter months in exchange for a tanning bed. Mercola cautions against the use of synthetic Vitamin D2, and instead advocates the use of natural Vitamin D3 with about 8,000 units daily to reap all the benefits (though Dr. Oz prescribes just 1,000 units per day – huge difference!).
Regarding the tanning beds, Mercola points out that the UVB rays from tanning bed are more beneficial than Vitamin D tablets and UVA rays. In fact, the best source of Vitamin D is from the sun’s UVB rays which assist in converting cholesterol into Vitamin D. Dr. Oz, however, mentions that that UVB rays are more likely to cause sunburn. In the end, Dr. Oz gives in a bit with the exception that you only use a tanning bed with just UVB rays.
Round 2: Do flu shots really work?
Dr. Mercola notes that even the Center for Disease Control is quite uncertain about the effectiveness of a flu shot especially since there is no study data on it’s use with patients aged 65 and above. This, however, doesn’t stop the CDC from claiming that a flu shot saves lives. Dr. Oz sides with the CDC here stating that flu shots do help cut down on the number of people contracting pneumonia which does help save lives. In the end, Dr. Mercola advises that we let the body build up it’s immune system.
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Round 3: Is coconut oil – a saturated fat – good for you?
Dr. Mercola says yes, Dr. Oz says no. Dr. Oz, like most traditional doctors, have an aversion to saturated fats. Unsaturated fats are better. But, Dr. Mercola strongly recommends incorporating coconut oil into our diets. He says it contains healthy fatty acids to aid our thyroid gland, and also contains lauric acid which can be found naturally in breast milk. Dr. Oz then prescribes that if we do decide to take this route, we should only take coconut oil to replace other bad fats in our diet and not the good fats.
Bonus Round: Dr. Mercola’s List of Drugs NOT To Take
- Statins: Statins are used to help control cholesterol levels, and Dr. Oz says these are an important drug to help prevent the harmful effects of having high cholesterol levels. On this point, Mercola agrees but also adds however that this drug is also being overprescribed. He believes that this drug doesn’t solve the root problem of high cholesterol, and just alleviates it’s symptoms. Mercola prefers helping a client by helping them fix their diets.
- Blood Pressure Medications: Mercola says that in many cases, blood pressure is falsely elevated, thus making the use of blood pressure medications doing more harm than good. He proposes switching carbohydrates for good fats to better treat hypertension, or high blood pressure. Dr. Oz reminds us that we should consult with our own doctors first before laying of our meds.
- Antidepressants: Here, Dr. Oz sides a bit more with Mercola. Dr. Oz says agrees that other alternatives should be approached to treat depression. However, in severe cases of depression, Dr. Oz would still prescribe antidepressants. On Mercola’s part, he suggests that one changes their lifestyle and considers other alternative medicines like therapy and exercise. Even light therapy can be effective for seasonal depression, he says.
What do you think of Dr. Mercola’s prescriptions above in comparison to what Dr. Oz generally prescribes for us? Let us know in the comments below. Sharing, is in fact, caring.
For more Dr. Oz, please check out our Dr. Oz archives HERE.
Image credit: Dr. Oz
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About Kyle Nofuente
Kyle, a U.S. Navy brat who’s travelled the world on planes and ships, is a Philosophy graduate who eventually discovered there weren’t too many job postings for “Philosophers." Fortunately, Lady Luck gave him a sweet gig as a radio DJ and TV host for a nationally syndicated tech show. When he isn’t on-air playing music and spreading the “Nerd Word” on TV, Kyle spends his waking and sleeping hours making Nerdles a dream come true for him and fellow nerds worldwide. Find out more about Kyle on our Staff page, or connect with him via the links provided below.
