People trust Dr. Marla Shapiro. And they trust other doctors and scientists. Apparently, the trouble comes with translating that trust into action, when it comes to daily issues that affect our health. And that’s where Shapiro’s new show, Dr. Marla & Friends (Monday nights on CTV News Channel), comes in — breaking down serious medical and health issues, so people can understand and take action.
Your new show is going to tackle a lot of medical myths. Could you give us an example?
It is pretty endless.… Even in the last decade or so, women and women’s health and hormones and the treating of post-menopausal women, there is a huge amount of confusion. There are a lot of people, non-physicians, dispensing medical advice, such as Suzanne Somers, who does not have the knowledge, information, training, education or science. It is just her opinion. There is science. It has taken 10 years to adjudicate the studies and comb through all the information.… That’s one example, but even something as simple as how many glasses of water you should be drinking. Is eight really the right amount?
Well, I don’t know, is it?
You’ll have to watch the show to find out.
Thanks to the Internet, our access to information is growing at a fast pace but so is our access to mis-information. Are most people health literate?
I think people are becoming more health literate in terms of being aware of the terms and concepts. But at the same time, I get frustrated on a daily basis by the difference between attitude and behaviour. We just can’t seem to affect a change in behaviour despite the right knowledge base.
With so much going on in the media, do you miss just being a regular doctor?
I practise five days a week. I just came from my office; you caught me in between. Right now I’m headed to Stratford for a public health forum on HPV vaccines, then a formal medical lecture with local Stratford physicians. I live a pretty crazy life, but no I don't miss it. It is still what I do.
Spanking: for or against?
We’ve known for many years that it is not an appropriate thing. It is not an effective form of discipline; being punitive doesn’t educate the child and change behaviour. It is just plain punitive. To me, that is what spanking is all about.
Should we ban people under 18 years of age from using tanning booths?
Tanning booths for nobody. Yes absolutely, they should be outlawed. They are the leading cause of increasing rates of skin cancer — our number one non-life-threatening cancer. There is absolutely no reason for them.
Should we be legislating this kind of behaviour?
It is unfortunate that we can’t legislate and regulate ourselves in terms of our choices. As a society, for example, obesity is an epidemic. If it means we outlaw these things (such as pop) that have absolutely no health value and are so unhealthy, I don’t see that as an issue, especially when it comes to what they put in vending machines at schools.
Are you pro vitamin D supplements?
Yes, the evidence is absolutely overwhelming.
What about daily aspirins?
Not for everybody. There is no evidence of the need in healthy populations.
Vaccinations for children?
Oh my goodness, vaccines and washing our hands changed life as we know it.
What about diets, do they ever work?
A diet refers to what we eat and how we eat. It is not punitive. We all need a healthy diet; there is no quick-fix answer.… A diet is something you do on a daily basis. It is the way you eat.
What are a few of the most important things we should watch out for as parents?
It is quite clear: the fact that our kids shouldn’t be watching TV. Definitely no TV in bedrooms, no TV before two years of age. And get your children outdoors — less sedentary behaviour, which is often accompanied by grazing at the same time. Parents need to get kids outdoors and build physical activity into a daily routine, eat as a family, cook as a family, take meals together as a family.
