Oprah Trusts in Viewers to Call a Real Doctor

Talk show queen says her audience is "smart and discerning" enough not to trust solely by medical advice given on her show

There's no such thing as the Oprahcratic Oath.

And Oprah Winfrey expects that her audience knows that her daytime talk show is not the final word on the various medical issues she has covered over the years, including autism, cancer and thyroid disorders.

"For 23 years, my show has presented thousands of topics that reflect the human experience, including doctors' medical advice and personal health stories that have prompted conversations between our audience members and their health care providers," read a statement issued by Winfrey in response to Newsweek's recent cover story, "Why Health Advice on Oprah Could Make You Sick."

"I trust the viewers, and I know that they are smart and discerning enough to seek out medical opinions to determine what may be best for them," Winfrey said.

But critics aren't sure it's that simple.

Singling out certain physicians and celebrity guests such as Jenny McCarthy, who discussed on the air her son's autism and her antivaccination stance, and Suzanne Somers, who talked about kicking cancer and fighting the aging process, Newsweek's report questioned how much misinformation has been disseminated on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

"It completely blew me away that Oprah would go to her for advice on this topic. I have to say, it diminished my respect," Cynthia Pearson, executive director of the National Women's Health Network, told the magazine, referring to Somers' story about taking 60 supplements a day to turn back the clock.

The article also points out that there's rarely time to address the consequences of the various procedures—like the "lunchtime face-lift"—that have been featured on her show.

"No one, and I mean no one, brings pseudoscience, quackery, and antivaccine madness to more people than Oprah Winfrey does every week," Science-Based Medicine blogger Dr. Dave Gorski blogged in response to the Newsweek piece.

On the other side of the argument, of course, Winfrey is praised for giving out excellent diet and exercise tips, especially with the help of resident trainer Bob Greene and medical expert Dr. Mehmet Oz, who has moved onto the greener pastures of his own show.