Neurologist Robert Burton warns Salon readers (3/12/09, ad-viewing required) of PBS‘s latest infomercial. “By airing another self-help show disguised as medical science–the dubious UltraMind Solution–the public network continues to undermine its credibility,” Burton writes:
In May I reported that PBS stations were airing medical programs that weren’t adequately reviewed or vetted by either the local station or parent PBS corporation. My concern was that publicly funded stations were broadcasting questionable medical claims, made by Daniel Amen, M.D., about unproven methods for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, without properly warning viewers the information was controversial. I suggested that, at the very least, the stations should present a clearly visible banner or disclaimer that the program doesn’t represent the views of the local station or PBS….
Unfortunately, nearly a year has passed and nothing has changed. Last week, I turned to my local PBS station, KQED, and ran headlong into yet another program of medical self-promotion. Mark Hyman, M.D., a family physician, was talking about “brain fog” and “broken minds” and how such “conditions” could be cured or prevented by using “The UltraMind Solution”–a combination of books, DVDs and home questionnaires.
Hyman’s truly insane claim that “diseases don’t exist” spurs Burton to exclaim that airing such “dubious science” serves to “demean viewers’ reasons for watching public television. Apparently PBS‘s mission is to raise money by exploiting viewers’ gullibility at the expense of trustworthy programming. If so, it has achieved its goal–and undermined the central reason for having educational TV in the first place.”
On the other hand, where else can you watch hours of Lawrence Welk specials and Barry Manilow reprising his greatest hits?
Now that’s a public service.
LOL, I reckon PBS thinks the baby boomer generation have truly become their parents.
And you can not forget the half hour infomercials that they call “crafting” shows. Designed to teach nothing but how much one needs a computerized sewing machine or other tools produced by the corporate sponsors of the show.
Now that i’ve started I have to mention the News Hour, they promote themselves as in depth news coverage but are no better than any other mainstream news show. The only difference is that they do a bit of back story before they have their talking heads on to give their opinions on things. No investigative reporting at all!
And their supposedly serious shows on government and policy are nothing more than the same old tired media talking points. Its all about the politics and nothing on the substance. “How is obama going to sell this bill?” “What will be the republican response to this policy proposal?” Nothing on the actual policy and if it is good or bad for the country or if what the republicans are doing is actually hurting or helping the country. I was watching Washington Week last night and was blown away at how much of it was just four or five people sitting around a table spit balling ideas. They were making it up as they were going. I was struck by the complete lack of insight into the real feelings of regular people across the country. If a Washington pol says the “American People” want this or that, they repeat it as truth.
Oh well…just had to vent on the lack of seriousness in PBS broadcasting.
Thanks so much to FAIR for doing the hard work and keeping the flames to the feet of the MSM.
I don’t see this as an ethical or moral issue. Daniel Amen says nothing more controversial than the way to stay healthy is to eat a good diet, get enough sleep, take vitamins, have good sex, avoid toxic substances in your workplace, and get enough exercise. (The public health community has been trying to advance these ideas for health for generations). He doesn’t say that this regimen WILL stave off Alzheimer’s, he says that it MAY (he also admits to a hereditary component). He also shows brain scans of instances of different diseases. So what?
People who call in to support PBS or their local station don’t “buy” any “products”; this makes a big difference in assessing the ethics of a show that is basically entertainment. If people feel the need to organize information about their diet, sleep, and exercise schedules in hard copy, so what? How does this make them “gullible”?
I haven’t seen the Mark Hyman show, and I don’t intend to make any effort to see it, but you should know that “Hyman’s truly insane claim that ‘diseases don’t exist'” is a basic tenet of the Christian Science religion (that’s also been around for generations).
One problem I see in this doctor’s evaluation of these shows is the typical paternalism of many in the medical community who believe that their patients, and others who search for medical information and advice, are basically stupid, and are unable to assess medical information for themselves unless it comes from the mouth of the self-appointed “high priests” themselves.
P.S. Are doctors who prescribe drugs to their patients only on the basis of hearing a sales pitch from a drug company rep (euphemistically called a “detailer”) LESS “gullible”?
my grandfather is also a baby boomer and he is also a war veteran*.:
This article, and the Salon article, are in my opinion fundamentally flawed and in total disregard for “fairness and accuracy in reporting”.
They start with the premise — PBS is biased and corrupt (largely true IMO) — then make the leap that anyone who appears on PBS promoting something is automatically a con man. I don’t like PBS’ pandering and shilling either, but that does NOT mean Hyman or others promoting new ideas about health are crooks.
I’ve read part of Hyman’s book and watched his lecture. His stuff is evidence-based and totally logical to my mind. It moves beyond the standard drug pushing and surgery hawking of the conventional medical establishment. And this is exactly the reason why an MD like Burton might get into such a fit over it. Threatens his whole MO. Why listen to a medical insider when it comes to new ideas about health? Go investigate for yourself. We are a nation of unhealthy zombies and listening to the same old garbage from the medical mafia no longer works.
I bet if you put Burton and Hyman on stage together and had them debate the topic, Hyman would bury him.
To be honest, I don’t really know a good deal about it, even so it reminds me of a story my supervisor at Intel once shared with us: evidently, this 13th century Spanish alchemist endeavored (in vain) to make precious metal from lead. He examined these elements so diligently, he turned out to be a specialist on both, and became rich as the specialist to the empress. Information was difficult to find in those days, nothing like at present with computer handiness, and specific drivers and so on. back then, once you realized something good, you could keep counseling for a lifetime. But I digress. What I am saying is that in some cases you arrive at riches by merely trying out (plus being devoted to) something else entirely, and this is precisely what happened to me once I incidentally got here. I was simply in search of some technical data about driver updates when I set about web browsing, and got carried awayâ┚¬Ã‚¦.