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Jan. 22, 2025 - Dr. Oz Podcast
42:50
Why Are So Many People Overdosing on Anxiety Drugs? | Dr. Oz | S7 | Ep 134 | Full Episode
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Time Text
Why are so many people popping anxiety pills?
We investigate.
So how bad did the addiction get?
It got very bad.
I was a size zero.
I was on welfare.
And on the inside, I felt hollow and dead.
A mom strung out on anxiety meds comes clean.
Plus, rap icon Salt and Pfeffer reveals the Omega-3 power meal you should be eating.
Doesn't that look good?
Coming up next.
We'll save lives today.
We'll save lives today.
We are ready to get healthy!
How many of you have heard the phrase pop Xanax?
Just pop-a-Xanax.
Or you've had a friend offer you a Valium when you are stressed out.
Sharing these anti-anxiety drugs has become as common as borrowing an ibuprofen for a headache.
But while everyone has been focused on overdoses from painkiller abuse, deaths from anti-anxiety drugs have more than quadrupled, causing alarm at our cavalier attitudes towards anxiety meds.
So today we're investigating why are so many people overdosing on anxiety drugs.
Also on today's show, from overdosing to underdosing, could you be underdosing on your omega-3s?
Superstar rap duo Salt-N-Pepa are here.
Define their omega-3 levels, and I'm going to reveal the new research behind how this powerful nutrient can protect you, too.
Then, they're showing us their omega-3 meals that everyone should try for dinner tonight.
You guys are great chefs.
But first, they've been called Mother's Little Helper, or chill pills, taking casually without much thought.
Millions of Americans take anti-anxiety drugs to stop worrying, but new headlines lead into questions like, are these drugs more dangerous than you think?
It's becoming an all-too-common way to deal with life's ups and downs.
Anti-anxiety drugs went mainstream in the 1960s, marketed mainly to women as a cure-all for everything from mood swings and stress to everyday worries and woes.
It's a whole new way of life.
In the decades that followed, benzodiazepines or benzos became the go-to drug for anxiety and depression.
The pop culture pills viewed as so benign that taking, sharing, and even joking about them became the norm.
Today, women are twice as likely to take benzos.
And according to a new study, the number of patients filling prescriptions for the drugs rose 37% between 1996 and 2013. Even more alarming, the number of people who died from benzo overdoses rose more than 400% in the last 20 years.
With anti-anxiety medication use and abuse on the rise, what do you need to know about the dangers of Mother's Little Helper?
So let's go to the audience.
Who here has taken or given one of these pills to a friend when you were feeling anxious or they were having big issues?
Hands up.
I'll go with you.
Next to you.
What's your name?
Kathy.
So what happened?
Did you give a pill or take a pill?
I gave a pill because my girlfriend's husband was having anxiety because he wasn't allowed to smoke.
And so she said, can you please give him one?
I said, I'll give it to you and you can give it to him.
But was she anxious also going through this?
Yes.
And why did you have the pills in the first place?
My husband had passed away and my doctor gave them to me to help me calm down.
And so...
I had them in my bag, and she knew I was taking them, so I don't take them on a regular basis, but when I felt like my heart raced and I was getting a little anxious, I would take one myself.
Do you know how often it's too often to take those pills?
Every day.
Every day is clearly too many.
We're going to talk about that a little today.
Who else has been taking a pill or given a pill?
Here you go.
A friend of mine, when I was back in college, gave me one before a test.
She, like, gave me a half of one.
So, but it helped me.
It relaxed me.
For a school test?
For a school test, yes.
And because it worked then, has it occurred to you maybe you could help for other issues as well?
Mm-hmm.
And have you taken it for other purposes?
No, no.
Well, before, you know, dental procedure, but it was prescribed then.
Okay.
And I saw someone else's hand go up here.
Anybody else sharing pills?
Go ahead.
Well, I don't share pills, but I know that in certain parties people do take pills because, I don't know, for some reason they want to feel like zombies at parties.
So I don't get it, but that's what they do.
And they call it, like, Poppin' Zans.
Like, that's the thing.
Poppin' Zans.
Yeah.
So these are parties that your friends and you might go to where it's so easy to pick them up, they're like M&Ms, so to speak.
Yeah.
Okay, Poppins, I hadn't heard that before.
You raise some good issues.
How often do we take them?
If we take them before a test, they might be useful elsewhere.
What about at parties, people sharing them?
So let me bring in an interventionalist, Joni Gamowals here.
She happens to be a nurse, but also has a history of addiction herself.
So why do these drugs so commonly pass from person to person?
Why do we feel so cavalier about them?
The stigma in this culture is gone with tranquilizers or benzodiazepines.
The doctors prescribe them very easily.
You go in, everybody is stressed today.
And it's just the first line that physicians prescribe.
And because of that, the stigma has gone down.
I mean, there's a real problem if someone drinks a couple vodka tonics in the morning, but if you pop a couple Xanax, nobody thinks about it.
And moms and people are sharing these, and you take them very casually, and a couple weeks later, you wake up with a very bad habit.
How do we become a society that cannot cope with stress without having to rely on some outside force, like a pill?
I honestly think, Dr. Oz, is that our lives are so busy between work, kids...
All the activities we have to take our children to.
I think moms in particular are under a lot of pressure to perform as wives, moms.
And we don't have time to do the normal things that you need to do to relax, like exercise, meditate.
All those relaxation activities, it's a lot quicker just to pop a pill.
So I think it has a matter to do with time.
So let me show everybody why these anti-anxiety pills are so powerful.
They clearly work.
And they work for a population that feels overly stressed.
So let's say you've got anxiety, which I think all of us have a little bit.
That causes physical symptoms.
You'll get, for example, when you have that anxiety, you'll get sweating.
You'll feel shaking.
You'll get a pounding in your heart.
You'll have trouble sleeping, right?
Sound familiar?
So what do you do?
You take benzodiazepine.
It's a beautiful little pill, so easy to do.
Within minutes, neurotransmitters are suppressed, making you feel calm and peaceful and euphoric.
The nerve impulses are also slowed.
Relaxing the heart muscles that I showed you earlier.
So the heart rate slows down.
Relaxes all the muscles in the body.
Physically, it calms you.
But within a couple hours, it starts to wear off.
And that crippling pattern recurs where you have the sweating and the trembling and the heart pounding.
And again, you can't sleep.
And over time, it's natural.
You want that relief again.
So you take another pill.
And this spirals into addiction.
That's just what happened to Lynn.
I never thought it would happen to me.
From the outside looking in, it may have seemed that I had it all.
Husband, house, three children.
But on the inside, I was deteriorating.
My children at the time were all in diapers.
I can remember lining them up in a row on the floor to change the diapers.
And the stress I felt was very great to be a very good mom, a very good wife, a good employee.
A good homemaker, and I just felt like I kept falling short.
I had a friend at that time who had similar pressures that had a friend give her anti-anxiety meds.
She described them as giving her such a sense of relief and peace, and I thought, that's exactly what I need.
In the first pill that I took, I found such relief that I did not think I needed a therapist.
I thought I found what I was looking for a pill.
I got the prescription fairly easily.
I was taking them every day.
Within a short time, I discovered I needed more pills.
As soon as the pill would wear off, I needed another one.
I never imagined they would ruin my life and take me to such a dark place.
The place where I thought, I don't want to live, and yet I didn't want to die.
Up next, how do these pills go from something casually shared over lunch to a full-fledged addiction?
I don't know if you're at risk.
Stay with us.
Next, can casually taking a pill turn into addiction?
Meet a woman who found out the hard way.
How she went from mom and wife to addict in an instant.
You ever think about taking your own life?
It was hard to be alive.
Her warning for everyone.
Next.
Have we been wrong about dairy?
Can whole milk help you lose weight and fight diabetes?
We have the skidding on full-fat dairy and why you need it.
Then, Dr. Ken Jeong is back to tickle your funny bone with the best medicine, laughter.
I feel like we should be in a cage or something.
And Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kenya Moore reveals secrets you never knew.
I've never spoken to my mother other than to ask her if she could be my friend.
All new Oz.
That's coming up tomorrow.
I never imagined they would ruin my life and take me to such a dark place.
A place where I thought, I don't want to live, and yet I didn't want to die.
That was Lynn, who became addicted to anxiety drugs after trying a pill from a friend to help her manage stress.
So how bad did the addiction get?
It got very bad.
I was, at the end of my youths, I was a size zero.
I was on welfare.
I was divorced.
I was unemployable.
And on the inside, I felt hollow and dead.
You didn't feel anything?
I didn't feel anything.
I didn't know what I was supposed to feel.
I didn't know who I was anymore.
When you first started taking these pills, did they help your stress in ways that you expected?
Were they surprisingly good?
They were...
They were exceptionally good when I first took them.
I thought, wow, this is how I'm supposed to feel.
I had been so stressed out.
I had three babies under three, work, husband, home, and I was just trying to keep up with everything, but I felt inside such stress, and these pills just took that away, and I felt this ease and comfort in my own skin.
So what was it that finally got you to realize this wasn't the answer, that you needed to make a change, that you had to make a change?
Well, I found myself trying to stop, and I couldn't stay stopped.
And I remember one night in particular after my divorce, I was putting my babies to bed, and I picked up.
I picked up both the pills and alcohol, and I was so mad at myself because I couldn't stay stopped on my own.
And it was so dark inside, and I thought to myself, if this gets any darker, I'm going to end up dead.
Did you ever think about taking your own life?
I would wake up in the morning and my eyes would open and I would think, not another day.
It was hard to be alive.
That's where it took me.
Well, you beat it.
Yes.
Are you ever tempted to take the pills again?
Yes.
I have to work hard to a program of self-care to prevent myself from picking up again.
Actually, let me join you for one second.
You deal with these kinds of addictions all the time.
I do.
These are problems that you...
So, is it often this casual a start where someone just sort of gives you a pill to...
Take off a little bit of the edge?
Yes, I see it more and more, especially with moms, because they trade them.
They go out to lunch, and they're having a bad day, and somebody will pull out the Xanax or the Ativan, these short-acting tranquilizers, and it makes the mom's stress go away.
And then they take more and more, and then they end up in this situation.
And first, I have to commend Lynn.
This is her first TV show, and she is not on tranquilizers.
That is huge.
Thank you.
Thank you.
So, yes, I do see it, but I see it in combination, like, with all the other drugs and alcohol, There's almost always tranquilizers in the mix, and that is a big reason people are dying.
So, Lynn, how do you cope with life without using a tranquilizer pill?
I do a number of things for self-care.
First, I attend 12-step meetings.
I work out.
I meditate.
And I see a therapist on a regular basis.
And the combination of all that keeps me going.
It's really given me my life back.
But I feel I have to do it on a daily basis.
That's the challenge.
It's a challenge whether it's once in a while taking a pill or if you've gotten hooked on them as you have.
So the question is how should you deal with the stress in your life?
Is there a safe way to take these pills for help?
Can they play a role when done correctly?
That's next.
Next, are there really benefits to taking these drugs?
Find out how you can manage your stress today without relying on medications.
Is there ever a time it's okay to take one of these pills?
The red flags every woman needs to know before taking another anxiety pill.
Next We're back with Interventionist Nurse Joni Yammel and Lynn, who is addicted to these pills.
Joining us also is psychiatrist Dr. Suvarma, who has the red flags every woman needs to know before taking another anxiety pill.
But let me, if I can, ask the question that I left you with.
This is to Joni.
Is there ever a time...
Where it's okay to take one of these pills?
Are there benefits to these drugs?
There are.
There's clinical significance to benzodiazepines, like for situational anxiety, if you're getting on an airplane, going to the dentist.
Clinical significance with alcohol withdrawal or epilepsy.
Every drug of abuse also has...
A potential to do good.
So there are times when these drugs are very beneficial.
Let's tease that out.
The first red flag that it's a problem was that it was prescribed at the end of a doctor's appointment.
Dr. Robert, why does it matter when the prescription was offered?
I call it the doorknob conversation because it's happening at the end of a session when the doctor is about to leave.
And this speaks to the fear and stigma that a lot of people feel when discussing mental health problems.
But the problem is when the doctor is prescribing you something, a medical intervention that may have serious medical consequences without a proper diagnosis.
And anxiety really can be a manifestation of more than 100 different disorders.
Anything from ADHD to generalized anxiety to hyperthyroidism.
So it really is irresponsible when a physician is prescribing.
And you wouldn't see this in any other area of medicine, right?
Getting a prescription that has serious medical consequences without having proper mental health training and without having a diagnosis.
So, let me just say this, if I can, just underline what Dr. Varma said.
It is okay sometimes to get prescriptions like this from your regular GP, but if this issue persists, you have got to go to a therapist, psychiatrist, someone with mental health training.
First of all, there are other options out there besides the pills, but also...
This is not what we do every single day, learn about anxiety, drugs, and their side effects.
And I didn't realize loaning a pill to a friend could set them up for a rapid downhill spiral, which is apparently what's happening more and more in America.
Yes.
The next anxiety medication, red flag, is that you're regularly taking it more than once a week.
This came up earlier when I asked how often it's too often to borrow a pill from a friend.
Dr. Varma, what's the right amount?
And why is one week too much?
What do you do if you have anxiety more than once a week and you can't take a pill?
Yeah.
Doctors, most of us do have anxiety more than once a week.
We may have it more than once a day, but the problem is when you're relying on benzos as the sole form of coping, we have a big problem there.
I always say that benzos have a place in treatment.
Often when people come to me for unmanageable anxiety, I say to them, look, we're going to have a treatment plan and I want to lay it out for you.
What are you going to expect four weeks from now, four months from now?
SSRIs or SNRIs, these are serotonergic agents.
Very effective medication.
A lot of people don't know that in addition to being antidepressants, they also have FDA approval for anti-anxiety purposes and are extremely effective, are very well tolerated, and don't have the same side effects, withdrawal, rebound anxiety, and addictive potential that benzos do.
So if benzos are going to be used, it should be in concert with another medication for a short term, to say four to six weeks.
These SSRIs take a while to kick in.
And then the plan should be very carefully monitored.
To taper somebody off.
And in addition to exercise and mindfulness, medication is one part of the treatment plan, but it's not the entire treatment plan.
You heard Lynn mention earlier, probably the biggest red flag of all, is that you can't manage the anxiety without the pills.
You feel extreme relief when you take them.
I'm assuming, Lynn, that you've sensed that with these drugs more than once.
It's part of the reason it's hard to get off them.
So why are these side...
Symptoms that Lynn mentioned, Dr. Barber, are so important.
Yes.
And when somebody tells me that they feel extreme anything, relief, euphoria, I become worried.
Because when you take a high-stress situation, perhaps even limited coping skills, limited social support, perhaps even a family history of drug dependence, and then you throw in something that...
Quickly has such a powerful instant gratification.
You are setting somebody up for drug dependence because you're not having the conversation of what other things can we do, whether it be psychotherapy, particularly cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, relaxation.
Again, benzos are super, super effective, but if you're not having the conversation that I'm writing you a prescription for a pill that could potentially ruin your life because you don't realize that this is a life vest, it's a temporary measure, this is not a long-term solution.
Lynn, what's your message to women out there who are casually taking these pills?
If they want to stop and they're finding that they can't stay stopped, get help.
What I have found is it was a silent addiction.
It was something no one knew I was doing.
And there is help out there.
And what I found was recovery.
I found recovery.
Recovery has been for me so much more than just putting down the pill.
It's been about picking up an incredible life.
I was able to really get back to the woman that I was before I started using.
I lost her during my addiction.
And I've been able to reclaim that woman and rebuild.
And today...
I'm very happy.
My children are thriving.
I'm great friends with my former husband.
I've got so many gifts.
I have to work for them on a daily basis, but I have so many gifts and that if anyone is struggling and in that darkness, there is hope and there is light.
Good for you.
I think we need to get comfortable.
Being uncomfortable, it's okay to have a little anxiety, and you'll find the wisdom that I've been mentioned.
So I want to thank all the guests.
To hear more about Nurse Joni's history of addiction and how she beat it, check out her book, The Interventionist.
We'll be right back.
Next, wrap icons, salt and pepper.
Discuss their years of life on the road and the industry pressures that took a toll on their health.
Eating.
Healthy on the road is a struggle.
Our window is so short, it's like fast food.
Now they're on a mission to clean their health path.
Can whole milk help you lose weight and fight diabetes?
And Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kenya Moore.
I've never spoken to my mother other than to ask her if she could be my friend.
All new Oz.
That's coming up tomorrow.
They are the rap icons who top the charts with their hits like "Shoot," "Push It," and "What a Man." But after spending most of their lives on the road, they realized the stress was taking a toll on them.
Now they're on a mission to claim their health back.
back so come on out salt and pepper I'll leave you here You got moved, doctor.
How are you?
I'm good.
I've been watching your videos all the time.
Come on over.
I've been looking forward to this for so long, I can't tell you.
All right, I'll sit over there, I guess.
That's my girl.
I love that.
I love that, Peppa.
She's the boss.
So before we get to the good stuff, the name, I mean, I've always been curious, how did you come up with Salt-N-Pepa?
Actually, more importantly, I know how you figure out who's the name, but who got to be Salt and who got to be Peppa?
I got to be Peppa because I'm the hot one.
Yeah.
Is that right?
That's true.
She's cool as heck, so she's soft.
Yeah, it's true.
But the more interesting thing is that when we got together, Salt and Pepper, we worked at Sears Roebuck, and our name started out to be Super Nature, but before we were even Super Nature, we sold maintenance agreements on Sears appliances.
And Martin Lawrence worked there, Kid and Play worked there, and Salt-N-Pepa worked there, and we all said we were going to be famous, and everybody did what they said they were going to do.
So I don't know what was going on with Sears.
Must have been in the water.
The cooler they serve you at Sears.
So let's talk about sex.
Okay.
Oh, yes.
Why not?
That's her favorite subject.
I love the song.
Actually, I do want to talk about why you felt it was worth taking the risk of putting that song out.
And did you have any idea what happened?
Such an iconic song that would change the way we talked about sex.
Yeah, because we knew just that the title alone would get people's attention and the controversy.
But, you know, the song is a very responsible song.
When you listen to the lyrics, it's opening the conversation for talking about sex and raising awareness.
HIV. We were advocates way before it was popular.
You know, back in the day, Peter Jennings actually took Let's Talk About Sex and asked us to change the lyrics and make it a PSA, and it was Let's Talk About AIDS. And we did a video and everything to raise awareness.
Was it affecting a lot of your friends at the time, AIDS and safe sex issues?
You know what, it was when Magic Johnson came out.
It was right that time.
Around that time, it made us really start thinking.
About the seriousness of it.
So, while you're going through all this and creating iconic songs, you're paying a price personally.
Yes.
Which is one of the things I know you were willing to talk about today.
So I'll talk about you in particular.
In 2002, you decided that the effect on your health was so great you wanted to actually leave the band.
Yeah.
What was going on?
You know, this business is very stressful.
It's glamorous.
It's fun.
But when you're young and you grow up in the business, we were like 17, 18 when we started.
And we never tried.
It was like a train ride to success for us.
It was just in the stars for Salt-N-Pepa, which is great.
But for me, it started taking a toll on me.
And the pressure also to be thin, I became bulimic.
And I was for a few years during Salt-N-Pepa, and she didn't know.
And I felt like, long story short, I needed to step away from this thing that I created to figure out who I am apart from this pressure and this iconic brand, you know, that we created.
And so I left the group just to de-stress and have some normalcy in my life.
How bad did the bulimia get?
Oh, it was bad.
It was really bad.
I was lost in it.
And I really didn't know what to do at that time.
You know, a lot of people weren't really talking about it.
And so when I left, I would have to say bulimia is really not about food.
It's about stuffing your emotions, your voice.
You don't feel like you have a voice.
And especially young in the business, you know, there's a lot going on.
And like I said, you got to keep moving.
You don't feel like you have a choice.
The pressure to be thin.
Eating on the road is very hard.
How do you manage eating healthy on the road is a struggle for a lot of artists.
You guys are traveling together.
How would you not notice if there was purging or other bulimic activities going on?
She told me I can't say.
I didn't tell her, that's why, because it's a private thing.
No, she didn't tell me, but, you know, she would go to the bathroom, and I noticed that after a meal, but I didn't know it until I could recognize the signs now to something like that.
I didn't know then, and that's a clear sign when people usually go to the bathroom right after a meal, and so I know those signs now.
Like, as soon as you eat, you go to the bathroom.
Salt mentioned that there are lots of pressures on the way you eat when you're traveling around.
How did it affect you?
Oh, my eating habit is awful.
It's bad.
I mean, we're traveling.
Like she said, too, trying to stay thin.
You're really not that bad.
You always say that.
But, you know, trying to stay thin.
You know, we always complain about that because we're traveling from state to state.
And then as soon as we get off the plane, we have a little window just to try to get something to eat.
Sometimes our window is so short, it's like fast food.
We've been to Popeyes.
That would just be one of our spots.
Every once in a while.
The truth's coming out today.
I'll find it out.
I mean, we're trying to be better now with the salad thing.
You know, we try to find ambiance in restaurants, of course, but sometimes it doesn't permit.
Yeah, that's true.
And then we have cold cuts.
Yeah.
These are words I've never heard on the show before from guests.
I've got fast food cold cuts.
The trifecta.
Probably french fries if I'm going to be honest about it.
Oh, please.
That's my favorite.
So one of the things I worry about when folks are eating the way you guys have been eating for your long storied careers and you don't get enough of what most Americans are lacking, which are the omega-3s.
You know much about these fats?
I know that they're good for your joints.
I just know they're good.
I take them all I hear is that they're good, but I don't really know.
Well, let me go through them today, but let me point something out.
The reason that they're not in a lot of processed, junky foods is because they're so fragile.
They don't last.
They're not designed to be on shelves for a long period of time.
They're not designed to be fried.
And your body needs those fats.
Most of our brain is made out of these fats.
We are fatheads.
Right.
Our brain needs them, but it also causes inflammation if you don't have enough of the omega-3s.
I get inflammation in my knee a lot.
You do?
Yeah.
It's the first thing I tell friends of mine, and patients, is to make sure there are omega-3s.
And African-American women are at higher risk of heart disease.
Yeah.
So what about the pills?
If it doesn't last long, because I take the pills.
Do they last in the bottle or it has to be fresh?
Not all of the companies make the same quality pills.
Right.
Good products will last and they're good for you and they make a big difference.
So have you guys ever had your omega-3 levels?
Matched or monitored or looked at?
I never even thought that was a thing.
No, never.
I love this.
We met you.
So we're going to find out if salt and pepper are getting enough omega-3s in their diets.
Forget what they're telling me right here.
We're going to actually find out because you can test it now.
Before the show, we gave them a cool new test to give it a shot.
It's called this BrainMD Omega-3 Index.
I like it because you can do it at home.
Little finger stick.
Did it hurt to get the finger stick?
Not at all.
No.
It was okay.
You're gonna find some wine in mine.
You're gonna find some wine?
It just checks for omega-3s.
When you come back, the results of Salt-N-Pepa's blood test.
I'm gonna help you find out if you might be lacking omega-3s in your diet.
So stay here.
Next, Wrath Royalty's Salt-N-Pepa get their test results.
We don't eat that bad.
Maybe I just eat that bad.
Find out why your brain needs Omega-3s right now.
We'll show you the best sources to get them from and how it can also prevent heart disease.
Coming up next.
We're back with a wrap of royalty, Salt-N-Pepa.
And for the first time on this show, we're going to start revealing Omega-3 test results.
We just did it on this beautiful duo.
But first, remember, there's all this new research now that says that omega-3s are linked to better brain health, so make it a little bit sharper, especially if your levels are low.
You might not feel like you've got the ability to cope with stress.
It's also really important, especially for African-American women, because it helps prevent heart disease.
That's why I give it to all my patients.
A lot of heart doctors do.
But now it's time for your results.
All right.
Uh-oh.
Are you nervous?
A little bit.
A little bit.
Yeah.
What is the real impact of potato chips and french fries and junk food?
They're wondering that in the back of their mind.
So we're going to look at salt first.
Your results, drumroll please.
Now remember, you were looking at the amount of the omega-3s that are stuck to your red cells.
That's how we carry them around.
It's the best way, we think, to measure them in your blood.
And you'd like your number to be, you know, more than eight if you can.
And her test results showed 10.2!
I knew it!
Way over there in the green!
Look at that odometer!
Way over there!
I told you I'd take my omega-3s.
And I eat a lot of salmon.
I love salmon.
That's like a regular part of my diet.
Don't you hate show-offs?
I know.
We don't eat that bad.
She's exaggerating.
Well, let's see how she did.
Let's see.
Maybe I just eat that bad.
How do you think you're going to compare to salt?
I don't know.
But I love salmon.
Do you eat salmon a lot or only when you go out?
I even had tuna yesterday.
You did?
Yes.
Getting ready for the show.
Yes.
We eat a lot of tuna.
Yes.
Japanese.
A real tuna, not tuna fish.
Alright, so let's look at your number, and it was 4.9.
4.9.
Now they're both going like this.
I'll go like this too.
4.9.
I told you I got inflammation in my knee.
I've got all the symptoms.
Well, this is good news, though, because now we know what to do.
Wow.
Now, you both went like this.
Does this help when your levels are low?
What does this mean?
I don't know.
Are you trying to eat the nails for omega-3s?
That was just bad.
That is horrible.
Aww.
No, it's not.
That is.
I actually, first of all, treasure the fact that you trust to get your numbers out here, but it actually shows that we don't get all the omega-3s that we might think we're getting.
You know, tuna has omega-3s, but it's not the best source of them.
It has a good source.
But other things I want to point out here.
See, the average American, they're actually down where you are.
And I've been using this test a little bit.
A lot of Americans down here in the poor category.
And if you're down here in the red category and you have knee pains or you feel like your skin's not...
The way it needs to be.
Frankly, most of your body's inflammation can be addressed a little bit by taking some omega-3s.
So let's talk about this.
Especially when you get older.
Yeah, for sure.
I think it's really important to remember stuff because we forget a lot of stuff.
So let's go through.
I feel sharper than heart.
Exactly right.
Why?
Look, I can't even walk anymore.
My joints hurt.
Here, hobble here with me.
We're going to give you the three major sources in our food, because I do want you to get them in your food.
Okay.
The first is fatty fish.
We've been talking a little bit about it.
And although tuna has some, there are some even better sources.
Salmon is a superb source.
Mackerel.
And delicious.
More oily the fish is.
Sardines?
Sardines, the best!
Yeah, sardines.
I'm giving you sardines for a present.
Okay.
That's the least I can do.
I love sardines.
Perfect.
So you can put sardines in sandwiches.
How do you eat them?
I cook it up, like, with some, like...
Onions and a little ketchup.
That's fine.
A little ketchup or a lot of ketchup?
No, a little ketchup.
She's Jamaican.
Same big source.
You want two to three servings if you can.
That's the ideal serving size if you can get them.
Leafy greens are wonderful.
This is spinach.
All the rich sources of nutrients that we have from the colorful universe come to us.
Brussels sprouts, kale, all these things.
You know what?
I drink kale, spinach.
Collard greens, celery, cucumber, green juice almost every day.
I'm telling you.
She really is a show-up.
I love this.
I'm telling you.
Now, Peppa, are you having that too?
No!
Why not?
Now I am.
So, you've got to remind her now.
I want you to tell me what's the best way.
I'm going to be on her.
Yeah.
I can tell you.
Okay.
Well, I'll tell you.
The fish is a great way of getting it, but the best way for me is the third one.
And in Jamaica, they got all these things, so you have no excuses.
The third source that I love are nuts.
Oh, yeah.
And seeds.
Yeah.
These things are rich in all the basal major threes.
Your body can make the other ones from that.
I love these so much, they are always in my pocket.
I'm walking around with nuts in my pocket every day.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I'm poised.
They're not always talking about sex.
They do that when they sing sometimes.
Just say poised.
Pause.
There you go.
You guys love nuts?
Yes, I do.
Yeah.
I know it's going to come across badly, but I actually soaked my nuts.
I do.
I soak them in water, they get moist, take some of the bitterness away, and you might like it a little chewier that way.
Anyway, a lot of people don't take nuts because they say, I'm going to get fat if I eat nuts.
Right.
That's true.
I eat almonds.
I love almonds.
But it's not.
You get skinny when you eat nuts.
Yeah.
Nuts have so many nutrients in them that your body says, I feel good.
I don't have to eat too much.
And they're nice and filling.
Yeah, so you don't go off and start foraging for food two hours later.
Interesting.
So, the real reason, now that you've given me a little bit of your blood and a little bit of your time, talk about your omega-3 levels, and now that you're showing us that you can eat...
Well, and still have low levels, because you're not eating well enough.
Right.
When we come back, we're going to put Salt-N-Pepa to the test.
I have challenged them to create an omega-3 power meal that we can all enjoy, and they've each made different ones.
We'll be right back.
It's a cook-off!
A cook-off!
Next, Salt-N-Pepa hit a high note in the kitchen when I asked them to create an omega-3 power meal using simple and delicious ingredients I've personally selected for them.
I also got a little...
Find out what they come up with next.
Can home milk help you lose weight and fight diabetes?
And Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kenya Moore.
I've never spoken to my mother other than to ask her if she could be my friend.
All new Oz.
That's coming up tomorrow.
We're back with Salt and Pepper Dancing here.
Now they're back on the road with their I Love the 90s tour.
How's life on the road now compared to what it used to be?
Oh, a lot more fun.
The same?
I say more fun.
Are you guys on the same road tour?
Yeah.
We're touring a lot.
But I was just saying that our audience, I mean, bless them because we're selling out.
It feels like the 90s.
We always say that.
And now we're actually on the 90s tour.
Because you're really good at what you do.
Yeah.
The two of you are working on a cookbook.
Yes.
I just thought we'd have a little fun and do a little cook-off.
Right.
I challenge you to make an omega-3 dishes with some mystery ingredients that I personally assigned to you.
Yes.
I know you're a little upset about your numbers.
Yes, I am.
Because it's not where you wanted.
Your omega-3 was lower than you wanted.
Mm-hmm.
But the beauty of this is now you actually have something you can do that will materially change you.
Deal with that knee pain you've been complaining about.
You can kick salt even harder now with a heavy knee.
Right.
Are you okay?
I don't want you leaving the show sad.
Okay.
No, this is a good thing.
Okay.
I'm going to be on it from now on.
And you're...
You're higher than most people watching right now, I can almost guarantee you.
And it's fixable.
How much better does that get?
No, that's great.
Salt, I gave you the salmon.
Peppa, you got the tuna.
Yes.
But I also got you a little salt and pepper.
A little something special from the show.
That is so cool.
Thank you.
That was original.
I knew you'd appreciate it.
Exactly.
It was so original.
Oh, my goodness.
They were so shocked when I did that.
All right, take it away.
Omega-3 power meal, what you make for us?
Well, I have salmon, high in omega-3s, pine nuts, high in omega-3s, and quinoa.
And so I did an orange-glazed salmon with quinoa.
Let's see it.
See it.
Whoa.
Doesn't that look good?
Oh, my goodness.
And all I did was maple syrup, a little sugar, because I like a little sugar on my salmon anyway, so it's maple syrup and...
Put it on top of with orange.
Do a little orange zest on top of the salmon.
You broil it.
And then the quinoa, you just boil it.
And I put pine nuts and olives, which I love also.
Also has lots of healthy fats also.
I eat a lot of olives.
I love my fats, don't I? You sing more or you cook more now?
Sing more, definitely.
But, you know, we're working on a cookbook and a cooking show, Cooking with Salt-N-Pepa, and the book is called Cook It Real Good.
So it's interesting that you have a...
You've got every angle played out here.
I love this.
It's not this healthy kind of cooking, but, you know, it's...
You could squeeze some healthy foods in there.
All right, Peppa, take it away.
What do you got for us?
Well, I have some spinach, I have flaxseed, I have avocado, and I have tuna, and all of these are very high in omega-3s.
Obviously, I need to eat more of all of this stuff.
So, what I made was flaxseed crusted tuna burger, topped with avocado aioli.
You know what?
I've got to eat the burger like this.
That looks dry.
No, it's not.
Is it moist?
That's really good.
That is really good.
That's really good, right?
Now, one little tip here.
You see these flaxseeds?
In order to get the omega-3s out of them, you've got to grind them up a little bit.
Go ahead, take a little bite of that.
But they have the seed that's, like, already...
Yeah, they have it pre-ground.
You're going to make me some aioli?
Is that the sauce?
Yes, I am.
Yes, I am.
So how do you do that?
Bowl, you put the alfacado in here, and then you add a little mayo.
Let me just get it together.
We're just going to put some mayo.
What do you think?
Mayo.
Salt's like in your dish, too, by the way.
Lemon juice.
Lemon juice.
Lemon zest.
I love that.
I'm demonstrating my avocado aioli, right?
Some garlic.
And you know what?
No salt gives you high blood pressure.
Where's the pepper?
Okay.
The pepper's missing.
The pepper's missing.
The pepper's been stolen by salt.
But anyway, and then you just mash it up a little bit.
You know, you can do it with a fork, too, and, you know, keep it a little crunchy.
You know, I'm not even going to give it a word.
Both these meals are so darn good.
But I got to say, I applaud you all very much.
Is there a difference?
Between how you cook and how you sing?
Or do you take the same all-in approach?
I think it's all-in approach.
Ingredients is important.
When you do a good song, you know, the lyrics, the music, the flow, everything.
And just like in food, we take pride in them.
Yeah.
And sometimes you're in the kitchen and you just make up stuff.
You know, your imagination goes in the same way with music.
Sometimes the lyrics come first.
Sometimes the music comes first.
Sometimes it's a conversation that sparks a song.
And that's how we are in the kitchen.
We're very like, you know, what do we do today?
All burns in the kitchen.
Cinderella.
Shout out to DJ's.
It's Cinderella.
Thank you.
My real champ.
You can find both of you.
It's all done by Dr. Oz.
Check out the picture.
Picture, both of you guys.
Come here.
Look at this picture.
See that picture?
The queasy.
Yeah.
It gives me the crease.
It's a phenomenon.
We'll get to see it to believe.
All that when we come back.
Take your mega.
Friendsheet.
Diet.
We'll just stop a kid from stealing.
We go undercover in a surprise social experiment.
Wait until you see actions.
Then, was this bi-action shot because he's flying?
I couldn't have heard of fly.
There they proceeded to shoot.
Montel Williams fires back.
It is clear, Justice, any way you look.
We're asking tough questions.
Laws.
up on Monday.
So I want to take a look at these f***ing hells.
Carefully look at these.
How many of you have been away or felt uncomfortable looking at these images?
Show of hands.
About the right number.
See, each of these images is a trigger for people who report suffering from something called tryphobia.
The fear of seeing holes.
Now, I think it's harmless.
It's pleasant to a lot of you, but about 15% of people have more women than have this problem.
So tryphophobia is Big time reactions.
You get rapid heart rates.
You get nausea.
So why?
What's the reason?
Because it's always, if we have these weird reactions behind this question, there's a reason.
It's sort of surprising.
Signs of the flame, there may be an ancient evolutionary brain, ancient part of your brain telling you that you're looking at a poisonous animal when you see these patterns.
For example, look at these little pictures.
There's a poisonous fish.
And then look at this octopus that could come out there.
So physically, these images induce our fight or response, which is going to come across a picture, but it's not if you're looking at your moment.
It's been described as phobia.
It's not recognized by the psychological community, but it is interesting.
I was producing this segment.
My staff has played with images like these.
I don't like that one myself.
It looks like little snakes coming from me.
So I'm going to post these images on my face.
You can test it out for to your friends, to people you don't like, so that's what happens.
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