Coming off of the heels of being the top-running host for Jeopardy, Dr. Oz’s amazing year continues with his nomination and acceptance of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his outstanding contributions in challenging the scientific community to push the frontiers of medicine beyond the so-called bounds of reason and evidence. Dr. Oz will add the Nobel prize to his already amazing array of professional accomplishments including 5 Emmy Awards for best “Outstanding Talk Show Informative” (beating out such outstanding shows as The Chew and Dr. Phil) and a hoped for 6th this year.
In defending their controversial decision, the Nobel Committee stated, “the essence of this prize is to honor persons who have pushed new ideas forward that fundamentally change what was previously believed to be possible in medicine. No one has done this more over the past few decades than Dr. Oz.” The Nobel Committee also felt that it was time for a change. “For the past 120 years, the Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology has been given out for discoveries that were often decades old. We need to get back on the cutting edge.”
Some critics of this new direction feel that the Nobel Committee is prostituting themselves to stay financially solvent. An article in People noted that the ratings for the Nobel Prize Ceremony were pathetic, far below not only other important awards such as the Oscars, Grammys and Emmys, but even the Adult Video News (AVN) awards, the Razzies, and the Ig Noble Prize.
Other nominees for this year’s award included Dr. Dale Bredesen, who proved a novel cure for Alzheimer’s disease using supplements in a landmark uncontrolled case series of 10 people, Dr. David Perlmutter, who demonstrated eating wheat as a cause of almost all human illnesses, and Dr. Andrew Wakefield, who’s discredited article launched the anti-vaccine movement.
To read more, go to Nobel Prize Surprises in 2021.