#129 - Dr. Phil: The Next Step

I have checked the Lupus Foundation of America web site to see if Dr. Phil McGraw has responded to their request to provide accurate information about lupus.

There is no response posted...

So I have decided to take this one step further.

I am contacting the entertainment news television programs not affiliated with Dr. Phil's show (NBC).

Here is the letter that I sent to Access Hollywood:

To Whom It May Concern:

On Monday, March 5, 2007, Dr. Phil McGraw stated during a broadcast about Anna Nicole Smith that "Lupus is not life threatening."

He went on to minimalize the severity of this life threatening disease by claiming that it is "manageable" with treatment.
This statement was made in the context of a disclosure from one of Anna Nicole's friends stating that Anna Nicole may have had lupus.

There has been a huge outcry from the lupus community that appears to be completely ignored to date from Dr. Phil.
He has been contacted by many people who have lupus and received correspondence from the leadership of the Lupus Foundation of America.

I am a blogger who writes regularly about the challenges of being a lupus patient, and I also help people online as I am able.
I am providing youlinks to my posts, only for the sole purpose of giving you an opportunity to read the pain in the comments responses from my readers.

I represent no organization, or agency.I am an individual and feel that Dr. Phil's statements have set back lupus awareness advocacy.

Dr. Phil is perceived as an expert and he has a huge viewing audience. I feel he is morally obligated to correct his misinformation in the same public forum in which he pronounced that "lupus is not life threatening".

Thank you for your consideration in this matter.

Sincerely,

Loretta Kelly, M.S.W.

Here are the blog links:

http://journals.aol.com/lrttklly/LupusLeftovers
(AOL)

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendID=113269532
(MySpace)

http://lupusleftovers.blogspot.com/
(Blogger)


Here is a link to their contact page if you would like to add your voice:

Access Hollywood

I put in the header that I was providing a news tip.

I believe that an expert with a talk show making a public statement that is inaccurate and potentially harmful is definitely news.

I also want everyone to know, that Dr. Phil has been contacted by people who do not have lupus, as part of our outcry about the misinformation he provided.

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You all need to know that the influx of visits and comments on the MySpace lupus blog placed us all in the top 30 of entertainment blog entries for MySpace on March 6th.

That is phenomenal!

If you have a moment to access MySpace think about adding yourself to the MySpace lupus community.

If we keep the dialogue there active...

maybe we can push this up to the top 10 and get more people to read about lupus...

which will certainly be a benefit to all.

This blog, as fas as I am concerned, has become community property.

Keep the dialogue moving and please...

if you have not already done so...

consider writing about your experiences too.

It is time to break the silence about lupus.