Dr. Oz is being sued by a man who claims to have suffered third-degree burns on his feet after trying one of the TV doctor’s home remedies for insomnia, ABC News reported on Tuesday, March 19.
As a sleep remedy, in April 2012 Dr. Mehmet Oz shared his “heated rice footsie.” He recommended filling socks with rice, heating them in the microwave until they were warm and wearing them in bed for up to 20 minutes. Dr. Oz explained how this home remedy promoted sleep:
“To a get a good night’s sleep, your core body temperature must drop slightly in order to enter a restful sleep phase. The heated rice footsie diverts blood to your feet due to the heat, which in turn cools your core, allowing you to get your Zzzs all through the night.”
Frank Dietl, a 76-year-old man from New Jersey, followed the cardiothoracic surgeon's instructions for the heated rice footsie and reportedly ended up with third-degree burns. Dietl is a diabetic who suffers from neuropathy and has diminished sensation in his feet. As a result, he says he wasn’t aware that his feet were burning until it was too late. The severity of the burns from Dr. Oz’s insomnia cure kept him bedridden for weeks.
Dietl has filed the lawsuit against Dr. Oz in Manhattan’s Supreme Court. His gripe:
“What upset me was that Oz should have had a disclaimer for people with neuropathy.”
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