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Aug. 12, 2024 - Dr. Oz Podcast
42:48
Is Consuming Genetically Modified Salmon Healthy? | Dr. Oz | S7 | Ep 77 | Full Episode
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Time Text
It's the first genetically altered animal cleared for dinner tables.
Salmon.
The government says it's safe to eat, so why have some stores refused to sell it?
Plus, music superstar Leanne Rimes criticized for her weight.
I've always wanted to hide inside of myself.
Barely able to perform.
There were moments where I definitely did not want to get out of bed.
The secret that took a physical and emotional toll.
How'd you get past that?
coming up next.
We'll save lives today.
day.
We are bringing a healthy food!
Today we are tackling breaking news.
First up, huge headlines that the FDA has approved the first genetically modified animal.
It's a genetically engineered salmon and may be headed to your supermarket.
So we're addressing the concerns.
Ben, the herbicide you are fighting to get out of your food.
It is called Enlist Duo.
120,000 of you signed our petition.
Today, what the government is now doing about it.
It's an update you need to hear.
Plus, Music superstar Leanne Rimes joins me to discuss her private health struggles and how she overcame depression and body bullying.
Well, let's start with the breaking news on salmon.
Now, you probably already know this, but I love salmon.
I mean, I adore it.
I love going fishing for it.
I am with Oliver.
He's gotten bigger than me eating a lot of salmon.
I love its buttery, rich flavor.
And of course, I love what it does for your body.
I adore this fish so much that every year I actually give salmon away as my holiday gift.
I really do.
So when I heard that the Food and Drug Administration approved the genetically engineered salmon, I had a lot of questions, just like you.
Today, what you need to know about the genetically engineered salmon coming to a store near you.
It's the hot button food story making headlines and history!
The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new DNA-altered salmon, marking the first time ever that a genetically engineered animal has been cleared for human consumption.
For decades, producing a fish that grows significantly faster while consuming less feed than traditionally farm-raised salmon.
But critics are already calling for a boycott, citing the health and environmental risk of what they call Frankenfish.
And they are outraged that there will be no mandatory labeling to alert consumers that the salmon is genetically engineered.
While the FDA has determined AquaBounty salmon safe, major retailers like Safeway, Trader Joe's, Target, and Whole Foods are pledging not to sell it.
But with upwards of 75% of processed foods on supermarket shelves already containing genetically engineered plant ingredients like corn and soy, Is it just a matter of time before genetically modified salmon takes its place on your market shelves too?
Here are the facts that you need to know.
This would be the first, the first modified animal used for food.
Its makers say that it's an environmentally responsible farmed salmon.
We'll talk about this in a second.
You may not know if you're eating this new salmon because, after all, the U.S. does not require labels for genetically modified foods.
So I want to know how you feel about this new salmon.
In the DrRoz.com poll, we asked if you would buy this genetically engineered salmon.
And here's the results.
92% of you said no.
So, how often do you serve this to your family?
Or would you have been serving it to your family?
I would never serve genetically modified fish to my family.
I eat salmon twice a week, just about.
So...
Who here would not have a problem with genetically modified substance?
How are you?
What's your name?
Luana.
Luana.
And what are your thoughts on this?
Why are you comfortable with it?
I mean, it's fish.
I mean, you wouldn't know whether you're eating the generic one or not, so why not?
Why not be okay with it?
And the price might be better.
Who knows?
The price might just be better.
I want you to hold this mic.
I'm going to come back to you if we have time.
I want to just be curious if your mind changes either more firmly for your belief or against it after you've heard all the thoughts.
Okay.
All right.
Let's first explain how this genetically engineered salmon is different from the salmon that's currently on our plates right now.
So, when you engineer salmon, it changes things.
Currently, salmon comes from a farm, right?
Or it's caught wild, usually out in the Pacific, in Alaska and British Columbia, right?
If it's on a farm or out in Alaska, we sort of know what happens.
This new fish will be grown in land-based tanks, like a swimming pool.
Now here's how scientists have been able to engineer the salmon to get them bigger, faster.
They took a gene from the king salmon.
It's the biggest salmon species out there.
And then they put it in overdrive.
They kicked it with a little extra gene taken from the ocean pout, which is an eel-like fish.
Now here's what happens.
Once it's in overdrive, and it can grow in the colder months, which is what this allows it to do, it allows the fish to grow most of the year, right?
See, it's got the little scarf on there?
So the fish is able to grow faster, and in 18 months, half the time that's conventionally required for regular old salmon to get to where they need to be, you can have a salmon that's ready to go to market.
Now, the FDA spent almost 20 years going back and forth, back and forth on this to approve this fish.
And finally, it's determined that it's safe to eat.
GMO expert and Consumer Reports scientist Michael Hansen is here.
He's been researching and raising questions about salmon since he heard about them in the 90s, for this entire 20-year period.
Now, I'd say before you start speaking, we invited AquaBounty, that's the company that makes the salmon, to join us.
I always want to have a balanced discussion.
They declined, but we do have a statement from them.
Which I'll get to later.
So, we just learned that this new fish takes genes from fish that don't normally go together, like salmon and this eel.
See the eel there, the ocean wandering around?
What are your biggest health concerns about this new breed?
Well, based on the work that Aquabounty did, it looks like we already know salmon are allergenic fish, and it looks like the process of genetic engineering exacerbates that risk.
So they did testing just with six fish per group, found an increased risk of allergenicity, never bothered to follow up on it.
In addition, there's known salmon allergens, you know, known proteins.
The FDA never even bothered to have the company test for the level of those proteins in the fish.
So I got a statement from the FDA. I just want to keep this balanced.
And here's what they said, in part.
The FDA found no biologically relevant differences between aqua-advantaged salmon and its non-GE comparator, the regular old-fashioned salmon.
And they also, Michael, they disagree with you.
They think they have sufficient studies and that the work done was adequate.
But these are not sufficient studies because this allergy test was done with just six fish per group, and this is for a fish that is going to be consumed by huge numbers of people.
That's an awfully small sample size.
Once you find a suggestion of a problem, you should look at a much larger number.
You can't base safety on just six fish per group.
So what are your longer-term concerns if this fish is out there being consumed by lots of people?
Well, the longer-term concerns we don't really know because they didn't do any appropriate studies on that.
And since there's no labeling, there'd be no way to track those kind of effects.
That's why we at Consumer Reports think that before any engineered either animals or organisms are allowed on the market, they should go through...
Rigorous safety and environmental testing and labeling should be required, and none of that was really done here.
Well, to that point, this is the first time that an animal has been allowed to be directly modified.
So what are the implications for future efforts to do this?
Well, the implications for future effort is this sets the standard for everything that comes comes afterwards so if they have set a really low bar with hardly any information they have approved this so that means the animals that that come after it such as an engineered pig those wouldn't have to go through much testing either and this raises the issue is since people don't know You can't tell by looking at the salmon whether it's engineered or not.
Some people might not eat salmon, which is a healthy fish.
We think they should.
And what you can do is you can either buy wild, because you know that won't be engineered, or you can buy from one of the 9,000 stores that have already said they're not going to sell this fish.
So let me, if I can, share the statement from Aqua Bounty.
They referred us to their website.
Here's what it says.
Aqua Advantage Salmon is a game changer that brings healthy and nutritious food to consumers in an environmentally responsible manner.
Not even if I can give you my take on this.
I base this whole show on the fact that you make smart choices for your health and for your family.
And you even make smarter ones when you're fully informed.
That's why I stand by my opinion that all GMOs should be labeled so the consumer can decide for themselves.
So before I leave, ma'am, what do you think?
Would you still consume this fish?
Are you still uncertain?
Have I clarified it at all?
Have it helped you?
I still would.
The FDA approach.
All right.
I appreciate that.
I'm not trying to vilify this process.
I'm just trying to shed light on it.
So up next, farmed, organic, wild.
What do those darn labels actually mean?
We're going to clarify for you.
Stay with us.
Next.
Organic.
Wild.
Farm.
With so many labels on fish these days, how do you know what to buy?
And how do you know if it's even fresh or safe?
I'm concerned about what we don't know about it.
We've got the shopper's guide to picking the safest and healthiest fish.
Next.
A clutter bug and a clean freak.
They swap lives for a day.
What can they learn from each other?
Whether you're super organized or super messy.
What's the penalty they pay when it comes to their health?
All new eyes.
That's coming up tomorrow.
We've been talking about genetically engineered salmon coming to a store near you, but what about the fish you're buying right now?
There's a lot of fish in the sea, so we've got a shopper's guide to pick the safest and healthiest fish.
Chef and seafood expert Ben Pollinger is here to help out.
As a world-famous fish chef, would you eat genetically engineered fish?
I'm going to avoid it for now, because I'm concerned still about what we don't know about it.
And generally, I'm a proponent of more naturally raised foods, and I'm concerned about where this world is going, where everything is going to be genetically modified.
All right, so let's go through these labels, which are so confusing to me and everybody else.
So we've got words, right?
So what's Stammon in the beginning?
When you go buying Stammon in the store, what does it say?
It can say it's organic.
It can say it's wild or farmed.
It can say it's Atlantic or Pacific.
There's tons of labels out there for Stammon.
So break it down for us.
Right now, there is no American standard for organic salmon.
So right now, that's really not relevant in the market.
Go away, organic.
Forget about it.
Just don't even think about that word for fish right now.
Almost all the farm salmon that you have right now is Atlantic salmon, and almost all the wild salmon that you have right now is Pacific salmon.
So Atlantic means farm, pretty much.
And no matter what they tell you, and Pacific means wild, pretty much.
That's fair.
And if I just point one out, the reason I sort of prefer wild salmon, as I know you do, is because it has fewer calories because it has less fat content.
Because it's out there swimming, trying to get upstream, so it can't store its fat.
It's got to get rid of it for energy.
So it makes it a bit of a leaner fish for us.
Wild salmon is available fresh pretty much from May to October.
I like it because it's got a real meaty flavor and a good balance with the fat.
It's available frozen year-round, and the freezing technology is excellent now, where the quality is just about as good as fresh.
The Atlantic salmon is available fresh all year round, and it's got a little bit less of that meaty flavor.
It's a little bit more fatty, but there are very good options out there as far as better farmed salmon as well.
So you're okay with frozen wild salmon?
Yes.
Oh, I feel much better about that.
Yes.
Come on over.
Let's talk about tuna.
It's a very popular fish.
We're going to get into details on this.
I'm going to warn everybody now that I don't eat tuna much anymore because my mercury levels are high.
And the reason many of you don't realize you have high mercury levels is because we don't test it routinely.
But I can tell you I'm not alone here.
So walk us through the different kinds of tuna.
And for those of us who are being careful about mercury, where the problem starts.
Mercury is bioaccumulated in your system and the fish's system, so smaller fish have less mercury than larger fish.
So the skipjack and the albacore tunas, which are the smaller of the two, they have the least amount.
Both of those are primarily used in canned Oh good.
And you have generally the skipjack is known as light tuna and the albacore is known as white tuna.
The big eye and the yellowfin are slightly bigger.
Those are both used as sushi and for things like seared tuna, steaks and fillets.
And then the bluefin, the biggest one, is pretty much only used in sushi and most of that gets sent overseas anyway.
But you have a fair amount of mercury over these bigger fish because they're eating the smaller fish and they're accumulating that.
Safe limit we generally recommend is two servings a month.
And for pregnant women, we don't want you having canned tuna very much, just to keep that in thought.
Sardines, by the way, which I happen to love, I love the small little fish that are oily.
Are they okay?
They're great.
Sardines are great.
Anchovies are great.
Boston mackerel is great.
And then the other alternatives that are lower in mercury are salmon.
Then you've got things like trout, scallops, shrimp, flounder, and even tilapia.
So there's options out there if you don't want to have a ton of mercury.
So let's go to the big question that comes up a lot.
How do you shop for fresh fish?
So be the fishmonger for us because you do this all the time.
Explain what to look for.
When you can find whole fish in the market, what you're looking for is a shiny skin.
It should sparkle.
As the fish ages, the sparkle fades.
You're also looking for the eye to be full and plump, to be shiny, and you're looking for that eye to not be sunken.
Then if the fish has its gills in it, you're looking for the gills to be bright red.
And then inside the cavity, you're looking for bright red color.
Where along the back of the spine where you've got a little bit of the blood, that should be very bright.
Because as the fish ages, the iron in the blood turns more brown.
So that's a visual indicator on how fresh the fish is.
So I gotta say, most of us are not gonna go buy our salmon like this.
We're gonna buy our salmon like this.
So if you're actually in the store looking for a filet, you have this smell and touch test.
Correct.
You're looking for the fillet, first of all, to be moist and to be shiny.
And the smell should be almost non-existent.
The smell should be fresh, like the sea, should be sweet.
And then the touch test, what you're looking to do is be able to touch it where it gives back a little bit, almost like when you touch the palm of your hand here.
It's still tender, but it gives back just a little bit.
Let's see how this works out.
I'm going to test them.
Who wants to test them?
Here.
You look like a tester.
What's your name?
Bessie.
Okay, Bessie, you can't hold this because you need your hands.
Here you are.
I want you to test this fish.
Remember, smell it first, Bessie.
Does it smell like fish?
No, not really.
That's remarkable.
There's not much smell there.
And then go ahead and do a little touch test.
And as it compared to this part of my hand.
Yes, it bounced back.
So you say I'm fishy, huh?
It's pretty straightforward.
Now that you understand it, you can audit it for yourself.
I appreciate it very much.
Here, this is a little present from me to you.
Thank you.
He cooks me fish all the time.
You see, Ben's got a fantastic book out.
It's called School of Fish.
Very well done.
There's a picture of it.
But check out my ultimate food-buying guide for buying safe and healthy food.
Go to DrRotters.com.
I'll be right back.
Next, you spoke up and your voices were heard to get this powerful herbicide out of your foods.
Is the fight over?
The surprising decision by the government over endless duo.
What it means for you and your family.
We break it all down.
Next!
In September, if you remember, I asked you to sign the Take Action petition to urge the President to stop the approval of a more powerful pesticide made with glyphosate.
And you answered the call.
We received over 100,000 signatures.
That's what the White House got.
It is time for change.
It is your right to demand safer food and environmental safety.
That was about eight months ago when I asked you to be the change and help stop the Environmental Protection Agency from approving the powerful herbicide Enlist Duo.
Now, since then, here's what's happened.
Thanks to you, we received over 120,000 signatures on our petition.
That force, that's fantastic.
It shows the power that you have.
When you get over 100,000 responses, the White House has to answer the petition.
So they said, as they needed to, that it would be inappropriate for the White House to intervene in this science-based decision-making process by the EPA. And then the environmental groups, including Natural Resource Defense Council, the Environmental Working Group, the Center for Food Safety, they all got together and they started suing the EPA and Dow Agro Sciences over the use of this herbicide.
And then this is the part that amazes me.
Something really unusual happened.
Just as the Thanksgiving weekend was about to begin, The EPA announced that it's taking steps to withdraw their approval of the herbicide and this duo.
That has a lot of people, myself included, wondering why.
What is going on here?
So take a look.
Enlist Duo was designed to help farmers control so-called superweeds that have become resistant to other chemical weed killers.
It was created by combining two existing herbicides, glyphosate and 2,4-D. In reversing its approval of Enlist Duo, the EPA wants to review its possible environmental effects on non-GMO plants and over 100 species of wildlife.
But some doctors, scientists, and researchers are also concerned about potential health effects, including risks of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and Parkinson's disease from exposure to the chemicals in Enlist Duo.
In the coming months, the EPA will review new data and could still approve the use of Enlist Duo.
Will your voice be heard before the final call?
Mary Ellen Kostin from the Environmental Working Group is here.
She studies the health and environmental effects of herbicides like Enlist Duo.
So why did the EPA approve the herbicide and now they've moved to rescind that approval?
Well, Dr. Oz, I hate to say we told them so, but we warned them that If you combine glyphosate and 2,4-D, it could be more toxic together than apart.
And that's actually what DAO, the makers of Enlist Duo, were saying all along.
And they were saying it to everybody except the EPA. So when the EPA realized that they'd had the wool pulled over their eyes, they had no choice but to revoke their decision.
So what happened that actually woke them up to this?
Why the Wednesday before Thanksgiving did it become the headline that everyone in America was reading about?
Sure.
Well, I mean, it was an employee at EPA who noticed that the patent that had been filed did say there were synergistic effects, and that threw off their whole assessment.
I'm not sure exactly on the timing, but that's when they came out with it.
Explain that word synergistic to everybody.
Sure, absolutely.
So in this case, it means that the two weed killers, we've got glyphosate...
And 2,4-D, when you blend them together, they're both more powerful and more toxic than they are when they're apart.
So break this down.
What is it exactly that the EPA is concerned about now?
Sure.
Well, they're worried they got it wrong.
So there's this chemical cocktail, if you will, that might be more dangerous than they really realized.
The good news is they have a second chance to get the science right.
It's a second chance to really see what these impacts are going to be of the toxic cocktail that they've unleashed on people.
So what is the concern that we should have for ourselves?
Great question.
You know, EPA really dropped the ball, and they've let farmers spray more than we would imagine.
So, in List Duo, it could be used up on 75 million acres of genetically modified corn and soybeans per year.
That's actually enough to cover Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Kentucky combined every year.
They also failed to really protect children in that scenario.
Why children?
What's the issue with kids?
Children are more sensitive to the effects of spraying the winds nearby.
Their bodies are different, they're smaller.
And there are a lot of schools near farms.
There are a lot of schools near farms, absolutely.
Environmental Working Group did do an analysis of this.
We found that 3,200 schools, elementary schools where the little kids are, are closest to corn and soybean fields that would have these GMO crops.
So the president of Dow AgriScience responded to the EPA's withdrawal by saying this can promptly be resolved in the next few months in time for the 2016 crop season.
And they also said we do not expect these issues to result in long-term cancellation of Enlist 2.0.
So with all of these signatures, over 120,000 people, viewers of this show, signed this petition.
What else can we do?
It's great, but you cannot give up.
Now is not the time.
People need to tell the EPA that they don't want these toxic herbicides that are harmful to children being approved.
Furthermore, we have to tell Congress that people want to know when they're eating GMOs in their food that have been made with these toxic herbicides.
So you need to call your representative, call your senator, call your local news, let them know you're outraged, because now is the time to speak up about GMO and their toxic pesticides.
Thank you very much.
This is the EPA. It's a great action step.
We can do this.
Your vote counts.
The EPA plays a crucial role, one that I respect, to keep us safe, and it should not rush pesticides to market to solve problems created by other pesticides.
We'll continue to follow this story with you.
Be right back.
Next, music superstar Leanne Rimes scrutinized and criticized for her weight.
I did get to a point where I was super depressed and always anxious.
Her message to women about shaming each other and how she made peace with her body bullies.
Next.
A clutter bug and a clean freak.
They swap lives for a day.
What can they learn from each other?
Whether you're super organized or super messy.
What's the penalty they pay when it comes to their health?
All new eyes.
That's coming up tomorrow. - -Leanne Rhymes, you're welcome.
She's known for her beautiful, iconic voice and now she's raising her voice to help others.
Leanne wants women to stop shaming each other about their bodies and for everyone to learn to love themselves and their bodies no matter their size.
I love this message and I can't wait to talk with Leanne about this and the other health issues that she's dealt with.
So please welcome Leigh-Anne Rimes.
Hi.
How are you?
You look wonderful.
Thank you so much.
Thank you for being here.
Thank you.
I love having you here.
Thank you.
This is so exciting.
This is so fun.
My mom is going to be so happy.
Your mom?
Yes, she texts me constantly.
Dr. Oz says, and then whatever it is after that, that I should be doing or shouldn't be doing.
So my mom will be very happy about this.
Maybe she'll text you that you're on the show today.
I think she probably will.
Hey, Lee, by the way, do you know you're on the show?
What's your mom's first name?
Belinda.
Belinda.
Yes.
All right, Belinda, listen very carefully, Belinda.
First of all, you raised a very fine young woman.
Congratulations, and I promise to take good care of your daughter today.
She's going to be so happy.
Please send her up to visit.
I will, definitely.
I love seeing people's parents because you understand where they came from, the good and the bad.
Yes, there's always both sides.
But yeah, I got my mom's heart, I think.
I hope so.
She has a great heart.
So hopefully that's embedded in me somewhere.
I'm sure it is.
Yes.
You became a worldwide star at age 13. Yes.
And like most 13-year-olds, you're changing and evolving.
And, you know, folks are saying mean things about you.
They look at your body and they say you're too big or whatever.
There's a nice picture of you, by the way, during that era.
How did you handle all those years of body bullying?
It can be very difficult.
I mean, especially I grew up in the public eye from the time I was very, very young.
I mean, I don't remember a time where it wasn't in the public eye.
You know, I was too big when I was younger.
I had baby fat, you know, and everybody like goes to the awkward stage.
And then from there, I, you know, got healthy.
And then there was always I got too skinny.
And then I mean, there's just there's always going to be something that So it's been a really big lesson for me on how to center in myself and not having to listen to so many opinions.
And it really has, it's gotten so bad.
It's gotten so bad these days.
We're really, with social media and everything, we're breeding like a, it's a breeding ground of hatred.
And it's very sad.
And I've had to deal with it.
And it's hit me personally.
It's been very hard at times.
But I'm in a good place now.
I've gone through all of this with it, that's for sure.
Well, let's talk about a little bit of this.
So there are some pictures of you where you're really skinny.
You're in bikinis, people making comments that you're too skinny at that point.
Were you ever too skinny?
You know what, I was...
Look at this image.
This is a...
Yes, I was very fit, actually.
I would work out a lot.
I love working out.
And I stay healthy.
I was going through a I had a ton of stress at that point in my life, and I could eat my husband under the table at that point.
Like, and I could not keep weight on.
And, you know, the bikini stuff, people give me crap all the time about being in bikinis, which I think is so funny, because I've had psoriasis all my life.
And so I never was able to walk out in a bikini and feel confident.
And when I got my skin under control, and then I got fit, I was like, I'll walk around naked if I could.
Like, come on!
You know?
So...
And I was always at the beach.
I mean, come on, I'm not like skiing the bunny slopes or anything in a bikini.
So, you know, it was just, I definitely, as far as my weight goes, I mean, I definitely look at that and go, you know, I feel like I'm better with a little bit more weight on me.
But I know I wasn't unhealthy at the time.
It was just the way my body was reacting to what was going on in my life.
You're allowing us to talk a little bit about your life, which I really appreciate.
I have plenty of things to talk about.
Yes, I know.
It means so much to me that you're open about these issues because you're not alone.
We all struggle.
We all have dark times in our lives when we stare at this healing late at night and wonder what's going on.
You had a bad depression in 2012. You actually got treatment, which I applaud you for.
Thanks.
It's difficult.
How has it affected you, the anxiety, the depression?
I think as we're talking about all of this, it all kind of like one leads into the other, like having to deal with so many things publicly.
I've gone through a lot.
I've gone through so many things publicly, and I think it has affected my life.
I did get to a point where I was super depressed and always anxious.
I think that's one of the hardest things.
People really downplay depression and anxiety in our society, and it makes it even harder for people to ask for help.
So how did it feel when you're in the dark moments?
How did you get past that?
Oh, you know, with the help of some really great people, my husband and my family, yeah, there were moments where I definitely did not want to get, like, out of bed and, like, really had some serious depression.
So it's, you know, I know I'm not the only person who's ever felt that, and that's why I've always wanted to be very open about it.
When I did get treatment for it, it was funny because people thought that I had, she must have an eating disorder or something must be going on, drugs, and people just didn't understand that it really was what it was, anxiety and depression.
And so it is a serious issue.
You had a very public courtship with Eddie Cibrian.
People wrote a lot of things about the relationship.
How did that stress affect the relationship?
That was huge.
It affected me.
I'm one of these people that wants to fix things.
Then I don't want people to believe something that's There are all these lies about me because it's not who I am.
I went through all of that cycle of things and then started to learn how to let go and realize that's so not me.
Leanne rhymes like the human being.
Like, this whole other story that's playing out, you know, around you.
And it made our relationship super strong.
I mean, we've fought a lot to be together.
And so we have this bond that's unlike most.
And so we've been through a lot together and have supported each other through a lot.
Walk me through how you handle the anxiety.
That's the biggest obstacle.
How do you actually do that?
Lots of breathing.
I do a lot of breathing, a lot of meditation.
It's just hard for me because my mind's always going, and I think that's one of the issues is to steady yourself and stillness, constantly traveling.
I've learned how to slow my mind down, which is nice.
I try to I try to get as much rest as possible.
I try to eat healthy.
All of those things factor into one another and how it makes you feel.
Very well stated.
We'll be right back with Leanne Rimes.
We are bringing a healthy back this season.
I want you to bring it too.
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We are back with Leanne Rimes.
So, how do you separate the myth of Leanne Rimes?
Seriously, you brought it up earlier, but I want to touch on that.
By the way, it's not just for celebrities, it's for all of us.
We all live in two worlds.
There's the world we think we're living in, then there's the world people are talking about us living in, and they're not the same world oftentimes.
No, they're not.
You know, for me, I feel like I am a very easygoing...
Person who really wants to help people.
I have a lot of empathy and I think understanding because I've been through so much and I try to tell myself and I really do believe this that everything that I've gone through has led me to this point where now I'm so open and able to talk to people about you know struggles that I've had and hopefully using this platform to be able to you know help other people that are struggling and so I truly believe that it's given me this kind of empathy for so many and I've been that from the bottom of my heart.
So, there are some things you do that I've heard about, if I can ask you.
On behalf of your mom, Belinda, I'll ask you a question.
So, I heard you take 40 supplements a day.
I just read, by the way, this may not be the real Leanne Rimes.
This may be the fake one.
No, right.
I do take a lot of vitamins a day.
Yes, I do.
I don't know exactly how many it is, but I take B12 shots.
I mean, I have an autoimmune disease, so I'm constantly...
You know, trying to keep my immune system up because I'm always shaking hands and talking to people.
And there's so much demanded of my body.
So, yes, I take tons.
I mean, I do.
I take fish oil and I take digestive enzymes.
I'm trying to keep my tummy healthy as I'm on the road, like eating different foods.
So, yes, I do take a lot of vitamins.
Dr. Rhymes, I love it.
Dr. Rhymes.
Take it over.
Linda had a doctor.
Now, I hear one of the pills you take is a prenatal vitamin.
I do take prenatals, yes.
And not because of anything's growing inside of me.
It's not happening.
Is there a hope that something might grow inside of you?
Maybe.
One day.
I have two wonderful step sons that I adore.
And so much going on that we have talked about it.
Oh, you're cute.
Yeah, they're adorable.
But not happening just yet.
But I take it just because, for me, I was folic acid deficient at one point.
So that's always helped me kind of keep that going.
Five years of marriage.
Give us a secret.
How do you keep the relationship strong, especially with all that turmoil coming at it?
Communication is key and I'm a big believer in therapy for myself and Eddie and I both have done that and it's great.
It really keeps everything kind of Open and continuing to move through things and there's things that you discover that you didn't even know were there that need to be, you know, moved through.
And we're, look, we're a blended family.
Like, I mean, I walked into two boys that were two and six at the time and, you know, I am...
It's a big shock to the system.
It is.
And, you know, we've really had to work through a lot of stuff and really try to blend a family.
And I think we've, at this point in our lives, are feeling super comfortable about that and connected and, you know, really settled into that, which has been wonderful.
I mean, it's a great feeling to know.
And I know anybody who's in a blended family out there to feel that connection.
Yeah.
It's difficult, and so we've really worked on that through the years.
So you're gonna stick around.
When we come back everybody, a big problem that Leanne deals with that a lot of you do too as well.
well.
Stay here.
Next, the health secret that took a physical and emotional toll on Leanne.
Went out of my way to hide it for so long.
A chronic condition that left her barely able to perform.
How she finally found a solution that helped her break free from the shave.
Coming up next.
A clutter bug and a clean freak.
They swap lives for a day.
What can they learn from each other?
Whether you're super organized or super messy.
What's the penalty they pay when it comes to their health?
All new eyes.
That's coming up tomorrow.
For many years, music superstar Leanne Rimes had a health secret that took both a physical and emotional toll on her.
She mentioned it earlier, psoriasis.
Now, it's a condition that affects 7.5 million people in the U.S. at least.
It's a chronic skin condition in which these new cells are made before the old ones fall off the surface.
So you get...
I think a lot of conditions are redness, but in particular psoriasis, that's a picture of it, has a silver, whitish cover on the top.
And it is an autoimmune problem.
It's not just because you've got some bacteria growing there.
So what was it like physically living with that?
How old were you when it started?
I was two, actually.
I had a round of strep throat, and it started coming out of my scalp.
And they thought I had eczema for a little while.
And I did.
I had little bits of that, too.
But my psoriasis, by the time I was six, covered my whole body.
Everything but my hands, feet, and face.
So it was intense.
I did so many different treatments.
They wrapped me in coal tart and saran wrap, and I'd sit for six and a half hours a day.
Like a mummy.
It was horrible for two and a half weeks, and that would only make my skin clear up maybe for a couple months.
I tried all these other different kinds of drugs that were...
Would affect my liver and my kidneys and I mean it's just been it's been crazy like the mental and physical Pain I mean it would crack and bleed and hurt and I would have to be on stage singing and I Would put on three pair of pantyhose just like cover these huge lesions that were on my legs So yeah, I went out of my way to really you know to hide it for so long and You know, the interesting thing about psoriasis is emotional stress makes it worse.
Right, it does, which is, it's just this cycle of, you know, you're stressing out about having psoriasis and then it just, it's horrible.
But I, you know, and I think through the years, I think I've always dealt with anxiety in some way.
And I think that may be what brought on my psoriasis even as a baby.
So, you know, I think being healthy and getting that under control along with treatment, the right treatment has been my skin clear.
What is the right treatment?
What works for you?
I've been on a biologic drug actually for about 11 years and it's kept my skin clear, mostly clear for about 11 years, which is amazing.
With every drug I've ever tried, it worked for a little while and it would stop working.
I've always been so fearful, you know, that this is going to come back and this drug is going to stop working.
But I think also now I am healthier.
You know, I was from the South, so we ate like fried food and like butter and it was good too.
The gravy's a beverage.
Exactly, but now I'm eating a lot healthier and my stress level is still there, trust me.
I'm always stressed, but I've learned how to manage it.
So yeah, I think that's helped a lot too along with the medicine.
Well, while you've gotten ahead of this, a lot of folks have not.
Yes, that is true.
They still struggle.
And I want to share a story of someone that I've just got to meet recently, Melissa.
I'm Melissa.
I'm 24 years old and I've been living with severe psoriasis for 23 years.
Psoriasis is an incredibly painful disease that has impacted so much more than my skin.
One winter, when my legs were completely covered in these thick red scales, my skin would crack open and bleed.
And on top of that, I grew up being constantly bullied for having this.
It's easy to feel discouraged because a cure doesn't exist yet.
And it's been really hard to understand psoriasis because I know that it's also just one small part of who I am.
So now two of you have met.
Melissa, what's been the hardest part of having psoriasis for you?
Well, you know, I definitely have gone through all the physical symptoms that you've talked about.
The pain is unbearable at times, but what's been really hard for me is that there's a lot of social stigma.
You know, I was bullied growing up.
I was constantly alienated.
And I think a lot of times there's a misunderstanding about what psoriasis is, and people are really afraid of it.
They are afraid.
People think it's contagious, and people who have it, actually, a lot of people don't get treatment because they think it's just a skin rash, and it is an autoimmune disease, therefore, it can affect many other things in your body, so it's so important to see a dermatologist if you see something coming up.
But, yeah, no, I think that you're right.
There are a lot of people that just don't know what it is, and they think that they're going to catch it.
And like you, I was bullied as a child and called the scaly girl and all these other things, so...
How'd you get past the bullying?
Oh my gosh.
I think that's what caused some anxiety too, obviously.
You know, I just, I guess my success kind of was like the greatest thing ever for me, you know?
Because inside of me, like I said, I wanted to just...
And to be able to, like, go out and be successful and still, you know, in spite of, you just keep fighting.
I mean, I think I was just a fighter.
I think that's important.
Melissa, what I love about the story overall is obviously dealing with how you feel about it makes a difference, but there are treatments now that most Americans aren't going after.
And it's worth pushing and pushing and pushing.
The doctor's taking care of you because you'll find a way around this.
Yes, don't step out.
You'll be happy also.
Thank you.
Thank you for being here, Leanne.
What a cool story.
We're going to take a quick break.
Coming up, Leanne's promised that she's going to do something she has never done before on a talk show.
Is that right?
Yes.
All right, we're going to find out what it is when we come back.
Coming up next, an all-time first for Leanne.
You nervous?
news.
For the first time, I would give anything to know what's going on inside my body.
A live exam in the studio.
That's the heart pushing the stomach back and forth.
That's your heartbeat.
Unfiltered.
Unscripted.
The diagnosis she wasn't expecting.
All new Oz.
We're gonna be with you.
We're gonna help you figure this out.
That's coming up on Wednesday. - Lianne Ryan has been entertaining us with her beautiful voice for more than 20 years. - Lianne Ryan has been entertaining us with her beautiful voice for more than 20 years.
Lianne Ryan has been entertaining us with her beautiful voice for more than 20 years.
Lianne Ryan has been entertaining us What do you do to keep that voice so healthy and vibrant?
Oh my gosh.
Rest it when I'm not really using it.
I never scream, which is great.
My husband loves that.
No, I... Gosh, I avoid acidic foods a lot of the time.
I mean, I love cheese, which I'm not supposed to have.
I love wine, which is like, I'm not supposed to have red wine.
So I let myself have those things when I'm not constantly working, but I drink tea, and I warm up for an hour before I go on stage, because it's a muscle, basically.
So there's a lot of things that go into just, like singing.
I did not warm my voice up today, but I said you have, because you have something very special for the first time ever.
You've written a song.
For us.
We did.
We just wrote it before we came out here.
It's quite fun.
Are you ready to hear it, everybody?
The stage is yours.
It's a little jingle.
Okay.
Make sure that you listen to what your stool is telling you.
S-shaped poos are always better.
Eat fiber, drink water, so you'll stay regular.
I always do it just because I still believe and always will in Dr. I. Huh?
I love it!
You got poop into it!
I did!
How many songs on poop are they?
I've never written a song about poop before, so it was so fun.
Well, high five you on poop!
It was good!
Listen, you know what I put this weekend doing?
Listen to this.
Thank you.
This is Leigh Ann's new album.
It is absolutely fabulous.
Today is Christmas, which the whole family adores.
It's fantastic for the season.
But here's the thing.
You had a video of one of the songs on here.
It's called Celebrate Me Home.
It's a beautiful tribute to our military troops.
Look at this.
You get goosebumps.
These are all the families getting reunited, and it's so important for us to remember the sacrifices that these brave folks make, especially during the holidays.
Yeah.
That's so beautiful.
Oh, I can't watch this video.
It makes me cry.
With Gavin DeGraw's duet, those images, celebrating the poem behind me, it's so amazing.
And we actually met with a disabled American veteran because of that video for my coming out and celebrating We're raising awareness during this holiday season.
So, over 22 million in this country, which is crazy.
I'm so proud of you.
Thank you so much.
Remember Leah's album?
Today is Christmas.
It's available now.
Check it out.
Remember, healthy and happy, it starts at home.
Thank you.
It was fun.
You did a great job.
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