Donald Trump has chosen talk show host and surgeon Mehmet Oz, to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Oz has been on US television screens for nearly 20 years, first appearing on the Oprah Winfrey show in 2004. He went on to have his own talk show – The Dr Oz Show, which was on air from 2009 to 2022. It came to an end when he ran for the US Senate in Pennsylvania. At the time, he even received Trump’s backing, but he was defeated by Democrat John Fetterman. The cardiothoracic surgeon has faced criticism for some of his unscientific and controversial views on medicine. For instance, he said that sleeping with a bar of lavender soap could help combat restless leg syndrome. He told his viewers that apple juice contains dangerous levels of the cancer-causing chemical arsenic. He also came under fire for recommending HCG, a hormone produced by the placenta during pregnancy, for weight loss. He promoted the use of hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug, as a COVID-19 treatment.
