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May 5, 2025 - Dr. Oz Podcast
42:18
Hidden Acetaminophen Danger, Wine Habit Fix & Pain Relief | Dr. Oz | S6 | Ep 140 | Full Episode
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Today on Oz, it's a popular over-the-counter painkiller found in many products.
But is it killing more than the pain?
What is it?
And how you can overdose without ever knowing it.
Plus, a glass of wine to help you unwind is fine.
But what happens when it becomes a crutch?
The plan to control drinking before it controls you.
Coming up next...
Acid Amenofen.
Chances are this popular over-the-counter painkiller used to treat everything from headaches to backaches is in your medicine cabinet right now.
But today, a startling new headline.
80,000 people a year are accidentally overdosing and ending up in the emergency room with serious, even fatal liver damage.
Sadly, it doesn't take a lot to get you there.
It's the most commonly used pain reliever in America.
But now acetaminophen is also the most common cause of acute liver failure.
That's the shocking conclusion in a new Consumer Reports expose of the dangers of painkillers.
Taking too much acetaminophen can cause problems for your kidneys, but it can be especially toxic to your liver.
Every week, an estimated 50 million Americans take medications containing acetaminophen to treat everything from joint and muscle pain to headaches, allergies, colds, and the flu.
You got it without a prescription.
You've trusted it for years.
But should you think twice before popping a pill with acetaminophen?
This affects everybody watching.
Joining us from Emory University Hospital Emergency Department is Dr. Daria Long-Gillespie.
Who sees acetaminophen overdoses all too often?
Why has this become such a widespread problem?
Well, Dr. Oz, acetaminophen is so widely used, and for good reason, because at recommended doses, it's safe.
It gives people good pain control without a prescription with very rare side effects.
However, people become very familiar with it and think that any dose can be a safe dose.
And that's where I, as a physician, get concerned.
Because just because it's over-the-counter doesn't mean it's candy.
And on the contrary, if you take much higher than recommended doses, So when people come to you in the ER and you think they may have this problem, what kinds of symptoms are they having?
Well, that's a key lesson is that you cannot wait for symptoms.
They may not arise until 24 to 48 hours after you've taken the medication and may not even be until you have liver damage.
Even when you do have symptoms, they're nonspecific.
So we have nausea, vomiting, weakness, generalized body aches, and eventually leading to things like jaundice, dark urine, confusion, and coma.
Before I tell everybody what the dangerous dose is, because I do want you to know that number, let me show everybody what medications are out there that contain acetaminophen, because this is the reality.
A lot of you don't know how many different places it is found.
Look at this table.
I've got some of the biggest brands out there.
All again, when taken as directed, they are safe.
But the danger lies in that you don't know how much acetaminophen is hiding in these bottles.
Again, we have Tylenol, extra Tylenol, Alka-Seltzer, NyQuil, frankly, DayQuil, Theraflu.
There's all kinds of, Robitussin Cold.
You've got things that I would never, et cetera, I would never have expected.
Midol.
And when you look at this different array of products used for very different problems, you begin to realize how you could take a lot more of this stuff.
Acetaminophen, then you realize.
So how much?
What's the magic number for us to keep in the back of our minds is too much acetaminophen?
We as physicians recommend no more than four grams in a 24-hour period.
So that can be eight of the extra strength tablets.
Or as you can see, each of these medications may have a different concentration.
So people really have to look at how much acetaminophen is in each medication.
And if you do take too much acetaminophen, what can it do to your liver?
Well, actually, what it does is your liver processes acetaminophen.
So if you take too much of it, it can overwhelm your body's ability to process and start to cause liver damage.
So I couldn't let the show go without doing a little demonstration for you.
So I put my thinking cap on, and this is your liver.
And these are the chemicals the liver has.
That Daria was describing.
And they're there to protect you and to protect the liver.
So you take blood that has a little too much acetaminophen in it, the four grams he spoke of, and it wipes away those protective chemicals.
They're not there.
Now remember, your liver is the big detox organ of the body.
It has to be there for you.
So when those chemicals are all gone, toxins...
That aren't supposed to be able to get to your liver directly, get right in there.
And when that happens, watch what occurs.
You literally begin to eat away and dissolve the liver.
Unfortunately, the liver literally can get soupy.
It begins to fall apart inside your body.
So what's the best way to protect yourself from this happening without you realizing it?
Well, as we mentioned, you can't wait for symptoms because you can already cause liver damage before you have your symptoms.
So I want everybody to know your dose.
Look at your medications and know how much you're taking.
Do the math and add it up.
And then there's a great resource that everyone needs to know about if you're ever concerned about taking too much.
It's the Poison Control Hotline.
1-800-222-1222.
24-7, we'll get you a toxicologist that specializes in this and can answer your questions.
So before you run off to the ER, It's free.
And they can give you advice about whether what you've done may be causing a problem like this.
Let's go over the risk factors again.
I want everyone to be clear about this.
If you've taken the acetaminophen dose, there's four grams, for example, for 10 days in a row.
If you're taking it while or after you're drinking alcohol, because the alcohol does some irritating as well, what if you've got a history of liver problems to begin with?
Now, I think the best way to sort of bring this home to a lot of you is to share the story of a 19-year-old woman that I have not met.
Madeline Byrne.
And we are joined by her mother, Evelyn, who knows firsthand about the dangers of a cinematic event.
Thank you for joining us.
So, could you share with the audience what happened to your daughter?
First, I want to say that she was an incredibly awesome human being.
She was an honor student.
She was the drum major in her high school band.
So, she had trouble with her back.
She was in an auto accident in 2001.
And off and on had back problems.
And as most people know, backpacks at school are very heavy.
And sometimes we would take her to the doctor and he would tell her to take acetaminophen.
And she would take it off and on.
And she'd been taking it for approximately seven days.
We got a call.
Sunday morning.
She was fine Saturday.
Perfectly fine Saturday.
Sunday morning we got a call that her roommate found her on her sofa with vomit on her.
By that afternoon she was on life support.
First thing Monday morning she was dead.
It happens that fast.
It killed her liver that fast.
Why was it important for you to be here with us today to share this terrible story?
There are quite a few reasons.
For my husband and I and my whole family, we don't want this to happen to anybody else.
And we know that she would not want it to happen.
And I can't really give a lot of meaning to her death.
To me, it was very senseless.
And if you doing this show helps anybody, then it'll give some meaning to her life.
And with only 19 years, I mean...
I don't get to be a grandmother.
I don't get to see her get married.
My husband doesn't get to walk around the aisle.
I know it took a lot to come here, and I promise you we will get the word out.
Thank you.
Thanks for joining us.
Now this story should be a wake-up call for all of us.
I want to thank you for being here.
Thank you.
Dr. Gillespie, I appreciate it.
We'll be right back.
Dr. Oz wants to know, have you cut acetaminophen out of your life?
Tell us why.
I took it almost every day for aches and pains until I learned the damage it was doing to my liver.
Now I rely on natural pain solutions.
Share your story on Dr. Oz's Facebook page.
Next, sharp-tongued and always funny actress Debbie Mazar.
How she handles the health problems no one has time for.
From quick beauty routines to eating right, find out her simple tricks to look and feel healthy in a flash.
Coming up next.
Barbara Streisand.
Her fight against the number one killer in women.
One out of three of you will die of it.
And the moment she never expected.
Oh my God.
Next Oz.
That's coming up tomorrow.
Thank you.
You know her as the fast-talking actress from Goodfellas and Entourage.
But what you might not know is Debbie Mazur is a talented stylist.
She worked with Madonna.
She also has a cooking show, and she's a mom of two.
She's here to tell us how to handle the health problems that nobody has time for.
Please welcome Debbie Mazur.
We'll be right back.
You were wonderful.
Thank you for being here.
How do you do it all?
How do you juggle all these crazy things you're up to?
Oh, you know the answer to that question because you do a lot of stuff yourself.
I have a wife.
She makes all the important decisions.
And your beautiful daughter, Daphne, who I adore.
And congratulations on your grandchild.
You're the best.
Yes.
Family.
For me, I'm a person who likes to have a very full life.
I'm a visual person, and my husband was such a fantastic cook, so we made a blog together, which turned into a TV show.
So now we're cooking, we've written a cookbook, and I have lots of projects going on.
I love to write.
Well, let me talk about one of your important projects.
She's got a new role.
She's starring in a TV Land show called Younger.
That's encouraging a friend to lie.
What's the biggest lie you've told?
I probably have aged up.
Because back in the day, I wanted to be able to go into clubs and to work and to be able to feel relevant and grown up.
So I used to age up.
What other lies have I told?
Oh, my resume.
Because before the internet happened, we used to be able to say like, oh yeah, I was in this great movie or I did this play.
Oh, you haven't seen it, but I was in this stuff.
Now you can't lie anymore.
So that's the worst thing to happen to us actors.
So Debbie's a working mom.
Like most of you, she's got no time to deal with health problems.
So she's come up with some easy solutions.
That's why I want you here.
So come on over.
Yes, okay.
We're going to start with food because you've talked about the food love you have.
Yes.
Because the love of your life makes food.
So if you've got no time for healthy meals, this is the one I want you to make.
Go ahead.
Walk us through the, Dave, number one solution you've found for healthy meals.
Well, one thing I like to promote is farro.
Farro is an ancient grain.
I like what you said.
Farro?
Farro.
Or farro.
But it's farro with a double R. And farro is, like, used by the Etruscans, the Romans, used in the Mediterranean.
So it's kind of like a rice or like a buckwheat.
It's got incredible, nice, sort of a nutty, rounded flavor.
And it's really easy to use.
Store in your refrigerator.
You basically make it.
It takes about...
30 to 40 minutes to cook.
You rinse it.
You dress it with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
And it can be reused into soups as a side dish.
We have a soup here that she made.
We have a soup here.
So if you want it to be a little bit more hearty, because soup is also nice and dietetic, you have your proteins in there, you add a little bit of farro, and boom.
But this is the salad, right?
The foundation you're going to make us?
Yeah.
And you can just toss the farro in.
I'm going to use all of it.
Just dump it in there.
And then I have some nice cherry tomatoes and some fresh burrata or mozzarella.
And it's just nice in the summertime.
Don't dump all those in there because it might be not too many for this.
Let's see.
How do you know what's the right amount?
Well, you eyeball it to taste.
So here.
Put a couple in.
These are the important decisions I don't get to make anymore.
All right.
Half of it, you think?
Do half.
Do half.
And then that's good.
And then extra virgin olive oil.
You take some fresh basil.
And then, like, toss it.
You know, toss it.
I'm a good tosser.
Great.
You toss it up.
Then when you add the olives in there.
Oh, yeah, the olives.
Absolutely.
So this is, like, a little bit of a caprese.
You see, add the olives.
And this is great because it's got cheese, and the farro is almost like a rice.
How many of you have heard of farro before?
Farro?
A couple.
How many of you are going to try it now if you're sorry to demonstrate?
More people?
Good.
All right, now come on over here.
We've got problem number two.
I've got a little props for you.
You brought this from home.
Oh, yes.
It's a little gift you brought to show.
The second problem we don't have any time for is these guys.
Take a look at this picture.
Y 'all know what that is?
Gross.
They're lice.
Yeah.
Who has no time for lice?
You know, lice is a clean problem because lice like clean hair, by the way.
My kids are in public school, and it's funny because it's a problem, and then the whole house has to get checked.
So I actually hired a nitpicker.
Knit pickers.
I thought you were picking on me.
Your spouse is usually a knit picker.
Well, it turns out knit pickers are hired people.
Then that's all they do is pick out knits and lights.
Come on!
Are you serious?
And they actually brought this one to me.
It's clean, by the way.
Okay.
These are super tiny teeth.
And what we do is we, like, you know, do your hair.
I take a bunch of conditioner or oil.
You want to drown them because they breathe.
Lice.
So you have to suffocate them.
And you have to comb it out with the conditioner and you have to do it several times during the week.
This is garlic extract.
It turns out that they don't like garlic, I've been told.
And you want to put it around the hairline.
Okay.
Yes.
Do you have a demonstration?
Please do.
Take it away.
I cannot believe this works.
I've never heard of garlic.
I've heard of not wearing the same helmet.
Earbuds, by the way.
Earbuds can pass lice along.
Yes, simple things like that.
Yeah, sure.
So basically, you just want to take a little drop on your hand, and you want to rub it.
Turn around the hairline, behind the ear.
Now, this garlic, not a lot.
Turn.
And you want to go all the way around the hairline.
That's right.
She was a stylist.
I forgot.
Turn.
You smell like a pizza now, by the way.
Now, yes.
Now, the smell does go away.
Like, trust me, I have two daughters, and they would not be having it if they smelled like garlic, even though they are Italian.
And you want to just go around the hairline.
You want to keep the hair pulled back in a braid when there's a lace outbreak at school.
Julie, thank you very much.
Yes, thank you.
Hope it's helpful for your kids.
Thank you very much.
Thanks for being game.
All right.
There's one last problem.
Problem number three is none of us have time for wrinkles.
So what do you do about your wrinkles?
One thing that I like to do is I have an avocado that's going bad.
I squeeze some lemon in the avocado because this is brightening.
I take coffee beans, I grind them up, and I make a really nice mixture.
What I do with this is I take it and I rub it on my skin.
The avocado oil actually is wonderful on the skin.
You can put a little bit of olive oil in there as well.
I like the lemon because it's got kind of like a bleaching component.
You could eat the leftovers, probably.
You could eat the leftovers.
You could put this in your hair, minus a coffee bean.
Does it help with the lice, too?
Probably not.
Probably not.
They might want to eat it or something.
This is a picture of Debbie with the mask on.
She's brave enough to allow it.
You're not wearing anything.
That's me.
Are we allowed to show that picture?
Actually, I have on a strapless bikini.
Oh, good.
Because I was on camera.
Now, you want me to put this on your face?
All right.
Why not?
Yeah?
Why not?
So...
What I want to do is, let's put this here, just a little bit so we don't get...
We'll just do one side.
And what you're going to realize is that, like, see, if I go like this, you feel how the coffee...
It's exfoliating.
It's great.
So between the olive oil and, you know...
You can do both sides.
I can?
No, I'm kidding.
Can I get the more show?
It feels really good, though.
Yeah, and so there you go.
I'm going to just do a little bit right here.
I mean, I would coat it more, but, you know, then you're going to be a mess.
You have to go backstage.
But, like, see, like this, and then you leave it on.
What I like to do is I sit, like, in the bathtub, and I have a nice glass of wine, a book, and I cover my entire body.
'Cause I used to have an avocado tree when I lived in L.A. So I would give all the avocados away, and what was left over, I would keep using my salad, and then the excess, I would make, like, a full-body thing.
And then you just jump into the shower, and you're, it's like, you're, like, silky.
I'd shake your head.
Oh, I can't shake your head.
You can check out Debbie's new show, Younger.
It premieres Tuesday, March 31st on TV Land.
We'll be right back.
Coming up next, do you enjoy the occasional glass of wine with friends?
But has it become a nightly habit?
If wine is a crutch to relieve stress, something in your life may be broken.
The plan to control drinking that can lead to a problem.
Coming up next.
Many of us enjoy a glass of wine or two with friends.
It's sociable.
It's relaxing.
It's a good thing to do.
But what happens when wine becomes your crutch, your stress reliever, your comfort device, and something you can't go at night without?
Over the years, Melissa has developed a ritual with wine.
After a hard day's work and dinner is done, she settles in to relax with TB and a glass of wine.
But that one glass can become two or three.
Even a whole bottle.
And that has Melissa's family and friends worried about her health.
Melissa and I have been friends for five years.
We definitely bond and enjoy a glass of wine together.
She's a great person.
She's a great mother.
She's a great friend.
But I have noticed that Melissa's drinking has increased over the years.
I think her habit started with her ex-husband and has increased after the divorce.
Just the daily life of being a single mom and raising three kids by herself, it's not easy.
I have told my mother that I think she drinks too much.
That can't be healthy for anyone.
One time I was talking to her about her drinking and we got into a really big argument about it that lasted for a few hours.
I think Melissa relies too much on having a glass of wine at the end of the day to relax and relieve her stress.
You okay, Melissa?
Yes.
It's on the surface, isn't it, when you see your family talking about you?
Yeah, it is.
So, people who love you think this is becoming an issue.
I understand that.
If you don't mind, I'd love you to describe your relationship with wine, and what was it like to hear them talking about that relationship?
They're right, it's a crutch, you know, and it's probably not healthy for me, but I enjoy it.
You know, that's my way of, at the end of the day, taking, you know, a breath and just breathing, and it just makes me feel better for the moment.
When did you start the drink?
About 15 years ago, after I gave birth to my second child, me and my best friend, we both had children together, and we would stay-at-home moms, and we would watch, like, General Hospitalona, you know, together, and she brought over a bottle of white Zinfandel.
So that's how I got introduced to it, and that's when I started.
I mean, I didn't drink every day back then.
You know, that was just for fun in the beginning, but it progressed.
What's the trigger now?
Take that first glass of wine.
It's just every day.
It's just, I feel like...
Every day is the same routine over and over again.
You've got to get up with the kids.
You've got to take the kids to school.
Then I've got to come home and I've got to get ready for my work.
And then to pick the kids up, to come home, cook dinner, it's the same thing every day.
And it's just stress.
It's stressful.
So is the wine a reward or is it the crutch that your friends think it is?
I believe sometimes I look at it as it is my reward.
You know, it's me saying, I deserve this.
I worked hard today.
I'm entitled to sit down and have a drink.
You know, and it makes me feel good.
And your friend commented on the role of your husband, your divorce.
And the way you were feeling back then when that first separation became apparent.
I was scared.
I was petrified.
And, you know, I started to drink more because it was helping me subside my feelings for the moment.
Subside the feelings.
Yeah.
But, I mean, you would still get up every morning and they were there.
But it would help me to, you know, not think about it for the moment.
How does it do that?
How does it help you subside the feeling?
How does it help you cope?
It just relaxes me.
I don't think about anything.
I just, I veg out, I do my thing, and I just relax.
It just, I just breathe, I guess.
I don't know.
Well, breathing is something you ought to be able to do.
All the time.
See, I think the wine is putting a blanket over your emotions.
It's not the same thing as dealing with them.
And they're still, you know, inside of you percolating, looking for a way to express themselves.
So we heard from your family and friends, who obviously love you, and they see your nightly wine routine as concerning to them.
So we followed that ritual from their point of view, but I wanted to follow you with your perspective.
So you let us kindly into your house.
What we did was visit Melissa with cameras and a member of my medical team to see how the wine was affecting her.
Right.
Take a look.
Hi.
Hey, how are you?
Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you, too.
Come on.
So I'm just here tonight to monitor your drinking.
Occasionally I'll pull you aside for some testing, but otherwise I'm just a fly on the wall.
It's the end of the night.
I just put the kids to bed.
Now it's time for me.
It's mommy time.
I just want to sit back and I just want to relax.
I just finished my first glass of wine and I'm feeling relaxed.
So right now I'm going to give you a breathalyzer test.
Take a deep breath and blow out for two seconds into this hole.
It's.04.
.04.
.04.
*music*
What I'm going to do now is test your coordination, raise your right leg, and then count upwards from 1,000.
Walk heel to toe and keep your hands by your side.
I just finished my third glass.
I'm tired.
0.07.
I'm ready for bed.
Good night.
Interventionist and former addict herself, Christina Wanzelok, is joining us.
So, Melissa, by the end of the night, you had the three glasses of wine.
Yes.
And that breathalyzer test, you got a 0.07.
Yes.
If you're driving in a car, a 0.08.
I wouldn't be driving in a car.
You wouldn't?
No.
Once I'm home, and I know I'm going to have a glass.
I don't drive even if I have a glass of wine.
I won't go anywhere.
Good for you.
Good for you.
I only point that to the audience because at.08 it's a DUI.
Right.
But it also to me is a point at which all of us in medicine sort of say you're not yourself anymore.
Right.
So that sends a signal to me that you're sort of living on the edge.
Do you think you're on the edge of danger at the border?
Probably.
And is that something that you, are you striving to stay on that edge?
No.
That's almost a byproduct of all this.
So you're not harming others, I don't think.
Not yet.
But I worry about you harming yourself and the message that you're sending out.
So I think when you go into these boundary areas, we just need to have an open conversation about what impact it could have.
So if you don't drink, if you didn't have that first drink, or the second or the third, what would happen?
Well, first of all, it helps me to sleep at night.
So if I don't have a couple glasses of wine, I can't sleep.
I just can't sleep.
So I like to also have a couple so I can sleep.
So it's soothing you.
Right.
Helping you cope.
You know you're getting close to a boundary, but you don't go out.
Christine, let me go to you.
How can you tell the difference between someone who's a social drinker and someone who's an alcoholic?
Well, first of all, social drinking is actually social.
When you're out or with friends and you're sharing time with people.
So social drinking is a social event.
Habitual drinking is doing something every day, maybe not knowing why we do it or not.
And then addiction, of course, is moving into the feeling that I can't do without it.
And of course, I think the hallmark is how your relationship with alcohol, when we look at addiction, how your relationship with alcohol or any substance is affecting other members in your family or in your social life.
I also want to say that you do not have to get in a car to cause damage with alcohol.
Right?
That's one piece of it.
And frankly, with all due respect, you don't know if you're going to get in a car or not.
I mean, you don't plan on it, but it's the unplanned events that really change lives in catastrophic and profound ways.
So if there was some sort of event or some sort of emergency, you actually are unfit to drive.
And I think more importantly, what happens with a relationship with alcohol is it becomes...
A relationship in your life.
It is what is between you and the rest of your family members.
It becomes a more significant relationship in your life than the people around you.
It doesn't mean you don't love the people in your life.
It just means that alcohol or that relationship is first and that's how children are affected.
Does that make sense to you?
Yes.
You understand how that makes sense?
Yes, I do.
Does it resonate with you?
Do you see yourself in any of those three categories?
As I heard you, there's the...
Social drinkers, which is social with people.
There's the habitual drinkers, people who want to have their glass of wine because it's part of their routine.
There are people who are alcoholics.
Which category would you put yourself in?
I don't want to put myself in any of them.
I don't know.
Probably an alcoholic.
Christy, let me go to you.
I think that if you feel that you're alcoholic, it is something to pay attention to.
Alcoholism isn't generally something you wake up in.
It's something that you slide into.
You kind of arrive into the disease, like all other great diseases.
And that's what's happening to you, right?
What I hear you saying is that you're sliding toward a very significant, profound, and life-altering disorder.
I want you to know how incredibly brave I think you are.
Because you are like so many women.
My practice is filled with people just like you.
Beautiful, articulate, educated, high-functioning moms running households, working in businesses, raising children, sometimes alone, sometimes with somebody else.
It's a busy life.
And we live in a culture that is entitled to taking the edge off.
You are doing what we are trained to do.
It takes the exceptional person to ask the hard questions.
And I love that you talk about being nervous about the answer because what that tells me is that you're on the precipice of a great truth.
Melissa, do you want to change?
Yes, I do.
All right, so when we come back, we've got a plan to cut back on whatever drinking it is before it becomes a problem.
Stay with us.
Next, there's nothing wrong with a glass of wine to relax.
But when it becomes your crutch, it could get out of control.
Stop using wine to blanket your emotions and identify what triggers you to drink.
The plan to replace your nightly wine ritual with new ways to de-stress.
Coming up.
Barbara Streisand, her fight against the number one killer in women.
One out of three of you will die of it.
And the moment she never expected.
Next, Oz.
That's coming up tomorrow.
There's nothing wrong with a glass of wine to unwind.
When it becomes your crutch, and the only way to de-stress, it could get out of control.
Today, the plan to cut back on social drinking before it leads to a problem.
Interventionist and former addict Christina Wanzelak is back, as well as Melissa, who's currently drinking three to four glasses of wine a night to unwind.
So, Christina, how do you know when the drinking of the wine has become a bigger problem than you think, than you anticipated?
I think the greatest thing to do, if anyone out there is questioning their relationship with alcohol, is to cut it out.
For, say, 90 days.
I know it sounds like a long time, but it's the best way to learn about your relationship with alcohol.
It's a great social experiment.
You get to see the world that we live in.
You know, we live in this culture where alcohol is just part of it.
Honestly, I pick up my kids from school and women are talking about going home and having their wine.
It's acceptable.
It's part of it.
And it takes the exception, right?
I haven't had a drink for 21 years.
21 years.
Thank you.
I only share that because it's a gift.
You know, when we learn how to take care of ourselves without a substance, and that's the culture we live in.
If you hurt or something's happening, take something for it.
So we're going to go into this plan, just to focus on this issue.
We're going to get people to unwind without having to use a substance.
We're going to focus on wine because it's one of the ones we're using a lot more.
Food, we used to be in this category.
Wine's quickly catching up.
So, like a lot of folks, I think you're drinking your feelings.
You think I'm accurate when I say that?
Yes.
So when we drink our feelings, we don't allow those feelings to become a weapon for us, to allow us to be who we can be.
So the first step of this plan for everybody out there is to keep a drinking diary to uncover your trigger emotions.
So please, Christina, walk us through what this is and why it's so important.
You're not just writing down that you're drinking, you're writing down the emotions with it.
So this is a great thing to do.
It's about before you take the drink or the second drink or the third drink to sit down for a I think it's a good first step, again, to connect with why you're drinking.
Second big issue is to replace one glass of wine every night.
With a social interaction.
If it's truly social drinking, you should be able to make that reality occur.
So Christina, walk us through this.
Send an email to a friend.
Or call your dad, who I know that you're close to.
Or go visit a neighbor.
What would you do to replace one glass of wine?
What social interaction?
Well, my favorite person to talk to is my best friend in Pennsylvania.
Fine.
Call Pennsylvania.
These are small steps.
Don't cost anything that you can do every day because you drink wine every day.
So we're not looking for magical solutions here.
We're looking for practical, everyday solutions for you and everybody at home.
Again, whether you're social or more of a drinker.
All right, come on over here.
I've got another step for you.
Okay.
You can actually replace the ritual completely.
So you actually like to take the wine you say because you like to get to sleep.
Yes.
It's a big deal for you.
Yes.
To get you there.
Yeah.
So instead of wine, I recommend tart cherry juice.
You like the tannins of wine.
The tartness of it?
Yes.
Right?
This has tannins in it.
This actually also has melatonin in it, which is a natural substance that's going to let your brain realize it's nighttime time to go to bed.
These type of replacements might get that iconic feel of this without the impact of the wine.
Yes.
Okay.
These are small things done right, and it'll get you to sleep.
So, you seem skeptical to me, which I'm happy you are, because a lot of folks watching at home are probably thinking it's too easy to do it this way.
What do you think will work for you?
I'm going to take it slow.
I want to take it a step at a time.
I want to adjust to changes.
It's a change for me because I'm used to doing this every night.
Is this scary for you?
It's very scary because it's a change again.
Is the change scaring you or the possibility that you're slipping into a darker place with the alcohol than you thought?
I don't know.
I don't know.
I think I can do this.
So maybe I'm not falling into that dark place.
I don't want to.
That's the whole thing.
I know you can do this.
I don't just think I know you can.
And there are millions of folks just like you are wondering how they can put their life together without all this happening, whether it's food or alcohol or anything else.
This is why I do this show.
We'll be here for you.
We'll make this happen if you want it to happen for you.
But you've got to have confidence in here that you can make this happen.
I do.
Thank you.
Thanks for being here.
Thank you.
Thanks for all the advice.
You get the full plan and the information for all of our tweets.
You're back first on DrIs.com.
I'll be right back.
Coming up, whether you dream of dancing or just playing on the floor with your kids, back pain may be stopping you from doing what you love.
Find out how you can get long-term relief.
Three at-home solutions for all your back pains that are drug-free.
Coming up next.
We are bringing a healthy back this season and want you to bring it too.
Grab your prescription pad for fun and sign up for free tickets today.
You can go to dros.com slash tickets and sign up.
Did I get it right?
Sometimes the first step towards healing is to ask, what if?
So today I'm asking all of you, what if?
For example, what if you didn't have back pain?
How would your life be different?
What would you be able to do?
And that's exactly what I asked our studio audience before the show.
They went out there and they pinned their answers to the place where it hurts the most.
Notice the lower back's getting a lot of little posters here.
These are a couple of them, by the way.
Kristen said that she would take dance lessons.
Well, she actually started dancing again.
Kaifera over here said that she wanted to play with her daughter, with her kids.
And Tanya, look at that one.
Sex with exclamation points.
She says she wants to have more sex.
Today, I'm going to have all of you make all these things happen.
I'm going to start with Tanya because of that provocative post.
I want to help her get back in action right away.
Thank you for putting up here where most people don't.
Some people put in marathons, walk their dogs, but sex was...
Definitely.
Definitely.
I hear that excuse a lot, the back pain, I can't have sex.
It's really not an excuse.
My back really does hurt, doctor.
I'm sure your back hurts, but would it change how intimate you are if you didn't have the pain?
Absolutely.
I think I could do a little more.
And what have you done for it?
Well, rest, you know, sit and try to just keep everything, you know, lay down and relax.
But it's not working.
Alright, so the rule of thumb, everybody, when you hurt your back, don't delay getting back into action because it will delay your recovery.
Oh, okay, okay.
So one day you get to take off.
And of course, don't go out and run marathons when you come back.
Just do things that are rational.
But get back to daily activities.
More quickly you can do that.
Your body will compensate and take you through it and help you cope.
So just don't lie there.
Okay.
You're right.
I probably should.
I probably shouldn't say, "Just don't lie there." I should use different phrases, but yes.
Maybe with your post.
Thank you very much.
No problem.
Thanks, Dr. I. All right, let's go back to the what-if wall.
Let's go back to Kaifura.
She talked about wanting to play with her kids.
Where's Kaifura?
Come on down.
It's a great pleasure to meet you.
How old are the kids?
My daughter, she's eight years old.
You have an eight-year-old?
Yes.
That's a good time to play with her.
She's very active.
You have to wrestle them down at that age.
Yes.
Your daughter's a little easier than boys, by the way.
Yes.
So what games would you play with them if you didn't have the back pain?
Oh, she's on a track team, and I used to run track, so I would run track with her.
I would love to take her ice skating, rollerblading, you know, just do those active things with her.
Come on over here.
I want to show you something with me.
It's called myofascial release.
It's one of the most effective ways to get rid of the pain at home.
See these little rollers here?
You've probably seen them in stores.
This is how you use them.
They cost almost nothing, by the way.
You have membranes around...
The muscles.
The casing around the sausage.
Think of it that way, that little plastic-y kind of thing.
You need to loosen that up and allow that restricted motion to therefore open.
And it'll take care of a lot of your discomfort.
So I'll show you how to do it.
So sit down on top of this with your buttocks.
Okay.
Okay?
And then you can use your feet to balance you.
And you're going to slide this roll behind your back.
There.
And then, depending on how much discomfort you have, you're going to roll like this.
With your elbows?
Yep.
You keep your elbows on the roll.
And move your back back and forth on there.
Now, as you get better at this, you can actually stretch your legs out and put more weight on your back.
You do this with your daughter, by the way.
She'll love it, too.
She wants to do this all the time.
That's the problem.
Well, now you'll be able to keep up with her.
I love it.
Thank you.
Take it with you.
It's all yours.
Thank you.
And finally, let me get the one last one we had over there in the wall.
Kristen, where's Kristen?
She's here.
Come on over.
How are you?
Now, you wrote that you wanted to take dance lessons.
Yes, I actually used to dance, tap, jazz, ballet, even have my undergraduate degree in dance.
Is that you dancing?
Yes, that is me dancing.
That's one heck of a get-up.
Yes.
What were you dancing in?
Actually, I was competing for Miss Ohio America.
Congratulations.
Thank you.
So, do you have a partner you danced with?
No, I was hoping you would be my partner.
Well, if we can deal with your back pain, we'll dance our way off the set.
How's that?
All right, sounds good.
All right, so solution number three, one that I really like a lot, it's probably my favorite, is called the TENS therapy.
So can I do it with you?
Sure.
The TENS stands for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation.
There's no quiz on this.
It's a very simple concept, but it's incredibly powerful.
It blocks the pain with waves of relaxing pulses that penetrate into your skin.
So our trusted sponsorship partner, Icy Hot, makes a smart relief TENS therapy device, which I'm allowed to try on you if you're up for it.
Yes, of course.
All right, so thank you.
So get comfortable.
Pretend you fell while dancing.
That's happened before.
So get comfortable.
You can sort of relax your back a little bit there.
Okay.
So I'm going to expose your back if you don't mind.
So obviously we all have spines.
So these are the pads you place on one side of the spine or the other.
They look like this.
We take them out of the package.
And they have a plastic that they adhere to.
You pull them off.
And then you've got on the back of them a sticky material.
You can sort of feel my fingers sticking to it.
You see it?
Yeah.
And then in the middle, it'll instruct you where to place them.
You don't want to place it over the spine.
You place it on one side of the spine.
So, for example, in your case, I place it like that.
Do you feel it there?
Mm-hmm.
Okay.
And then once it's on there, I'm going to turn this on.
And as it turns on, you're going to start feeling there's the little green light that went on.
Now, you can actually turn it on and then...
Increase or decrease the amplitude.
So I'm going to increase it a little bit.
Do you feel the little electricity going in there?
Yes, a little bit.
So this is technology.
Is it enough or do you want some more?
You can do more.
Okay.
So doctors use this technology.
Physical therapists use it quite a bit.
How's that about right?
It's great.
Okay.
So the nice thing is you can just change the intensity as you desire.
And they've done all kinds of cool experiments looking at how to randomize the pulses so your body doesn't get used to it.
You don't need a prescription.
It's 100% drug-free.
It's portable.
You can use it at home.
You can use it on the go.
Describe to everybody what it feels like.
It's just like a nice little tingly massage.
It doesn't hurt.
It actually feels pretty good.
The interesting thing about this technology is you should get pain relief almost instantaneously.
And it can last hours after you've used it.
So it's sort of a nice little trick to try in the morning before you go to work, or if you're going to go out in the evening, and then you don't have to wear it all night long.
You can if you want, but you don't have to.
Great.
You want another one?
Yes, please.
But that one will turn off in half an hour, and you can turn it back on again, but that's for tomorrow.
Okay, great.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Now let me give you a little, some good news for everybody.
Thanks to Icy Hot, beginning tomorrow at 3 p.m. Eastern time, you can go to DrOz.com to be one of the first to receive one of 300 Icy Hot Smart Relief TENS therapy devices.
These are available at Walmart as well.
And audience, I will never forget about you guys.
You know how much I love you.
You're all going home with an Icy Hot Smart Relief TENS therapy device, too!
We will be right back.
Come dance with me.
Come dance with me.
Next, Dr. Oz.
The one.
We watch you every day.
The only.
I'm still a work in progress.
Barbara Streisand.
I want women to be powerful.
Her passion to fight the number one killer in women.
One out of three of you will die of it.
And the moment she never expected.
Have you ever held a heart?
No, but I'd like to.
Oh my God.
Next, Dr. Oz.
That's coming up tomorrow.
Seeing this quote show up on a lot of your Instagram and Facebook pages, she believed she could.
So, she did.
Think about that.
I really love how you're embracing this philosophy.
It makes me think of my wife, daughters, even my granddaughter, Philo, and how they're going to accomplish a lot of things in their lives thinking about that mantra.
Remember, whether you're dealing with an extra five pounds or a really big obstacle, you have the power, and only you have the power, to transform thought into action.
It all starts with believing in yourself.
And I'm putting this inspirational code up on drraz.com.
Log on and share what you believe you could accomplish and what you have done and plan to do in the future.
Now it's time for In Case You Missed It.
Big reality check for those of you who lean on wine as a crutch.
Many of us drink the occasional glass with a nice meal when socializing with friends.
But when you start to need it for stress relief and comfort, then things can get out of control.
So today, we gave you a plan to cut back on social drinking before it becomes a problem.
This is unlike any other plan because it's going to help you assess your relationship with drinking.
And a great way to gauge that is to keep a drinking diary.
You can download it on DrRoz.com right now.
And here's how you're going to do it.
You're going to write down the number of drinks you have every day.
Next to each one, write down the feeling you're having, experiencing.
Were you sad, happy, stressed?
What were you feeling when you had the wine?
It's going to help you identify why you're using this as a crush.
Remember, social drinking is supposed to be social.
So we also gave you the insight that you should try to be more social instead of drinking.
Maybe you can replace one for the other.
Finally, please be careful of dubious people online that make it seem like I'm endorsing their products because they don't.
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