According to Entertainment Tonight, Oprah has responded to NEWSWEEK's cover story this week, “Crazy Talk: Oprah, Wacky Cures & You.” Sayeth Oprah:

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. 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.

Read Kosova and Wingert's original article here.
Read the response from the web here.
Read Raina Kelley's take on whether criticizing Oprah is appropriate here.

By Rebecca Shabad 

For the millions of Americans suffering from pteromechanophobia (aka fear of flying), the presumed crash of an Air France flight off the cost of Brazil only solidified their belief that planes are nothing but death traps in the sky. But considering as many as two in five Americans may have a flying phobia, why is the entire nation collectively glued to the tube, waiting for more details about the crash? NEWSWEEK talked to Jonathan Bricker, an assistant professor-affiliate of psychology at the University of Washington in Seattle, to figure out why we need to know—and what all this information overload may be doing to our psyches.

 Get his take on TV news, the fear of driving vs. flying, and the need for more comprehensive data about who, exactly, fears the friendly skies after the jump. 

An Apple A Day Keeps Forclosure Away? Medical debt caused 62 percent of bankruptcies last year, and 72 percent of those who filed due to health reasons had insurance. Diabetes and neurological illnesses were the main reasons people were pushed to the brink financially. There's no jokes to be made here, really. This is just scary and sad.  (Business Week)  

Fido Pharmaceuticals The first ever drug for dog cancer has been approved by the FDA. This is funny and quirky if you're a cat person, and totally exciting and important if you like dogs. Since I am a dog person, this is a breakthrough of modern science, and not a totally waste of researchers' time and drug company's money (and trust me; drug companies will make LOTS of money on this).  (ABCNews.com)

What Makes A Pandemic: We're about to find out. The New York Times says The World Health Organization is getting closer to declaring swine flu a global pandemic, though it doesn't say what that really means. So far, swine flu has hit 62 countries and caused hundreds of deaths. the death toll is low enough, however, that the WHO may note that the H1N1 virus isn't very lethal. (NYTimes)

HMO in a Handbasket Healthcare giant Kaiser Permanente is sponsoring 30 farmers markets across the country to take place outside of hospitals. The markets will promote healthy eating, the preventatitve powers of good nutrition, and provide a respite from the normal hospital fare of coffee and donuts, and junk food -- A 2006 study showed that 42 percent of hospitals had fast food restaruatns in their buildings. (CNN.com)