Back in a minute with Dr. Oz. Stay there.
BEHAR: Okay we`re not done with Dr. Oz because this is just great stuff. So we`ll be back with your questions when we come back. So stay there.
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BEHAR: We`re back with Dr. Oz. I have some questions on Twitter.
OZ: Fire away.
BEHAR: Well first of all, someone want to know there`s a rumor that your kids did not get flu shots or swine flu shots is that right?
OZ: That`s true, they did not.
OZ: No, I would have vaccinated my kids but you know I - I`m in a happy marriage and my wife who makes most of the important decisions as most couples have in their lives.
BEHAR: Yes.
OZ: Who absolutely refuses. And listen the kids are pretty healthy. We actually think two of them caught swine flu very early on anyway. So there`s no point vaccinating them again. And you know -
BEHAR: What do you, on that same subject, what do you think about this controversy that`s going around about vaccinations and autism and other little things that happens to kids?
OZ: I think kids like the canary and the coal mine. That they are more susceptible to some of the toxins maybe our generation was able to overcome. That`s why we have a lot more allergies now. Perhaps one of the reason why we have more autism. But I don`t think it`s just the vaccine.
BEHAR: No.
OZ: Although, I don`t want to ignore the potential role they have. So what we do with our kids is we spread the vaccine out.
BEHAR: Right, so why don`t the doctors just do that?
OZ: It`s a lot more expensive and kids fall through the cracks.
BEHAR: Yes.
OZ: It`s hard enough to get in there once a year for the shots and imagine if you have to bring them in every other month. And those two factors are a big issue.
BEHAR: I see.
OZ: Plus, we have no evidence at all, Joy, none, that they actually cause autism.
BEHAR: Right.
OZ: And a lot of doctors very reasonably say, listen, why you want to spend more money, cause more hardship for the kids and their families, if we don`t think it`s really a problem. But you know if you want to be cautious, you can do what we did.
BEHAR: Well, I don`t remember getting this many shots when I was a kid. Or my daughter getting as many shots.
OZ: We did Joy. When you and I were -
BEHAR: She got the measles on her own. She got chicken pox on her on, so what?
OZ: We got exposed to ten vaccines when we were kids. Children today are now getting closer to 30. So there`s a big difference between the exposure amounts and, plus, we have a much purer environment that we grew up in and compared to what kids are exposed to today.
BEHAR: That - that brings me to this question, is there anything wrong with constantly using hand sanitizers? Don`t we need to be exposed to germs once in a while?
OZ: Well hand sanitizers are the best of all the options because they`re not anti microbial which means they`re not going to stimulate resistant bacteria. And listen, the biggest side effect of using hand sanitizers, your hands will get chapped. So you know, use it with a cream at the same time.
BEHAR: But are they effective?
OZ: Hand sanitizers are very effective, oh no, they are very effective. They kill viruses better than anything else we have in the hospitals. The hospital by the way, I still operate, we use hand santizers all the time.
BEHAR: Yes.
OZ: 30, 40 times a day I`ll be using hand sanitizers.
BEHAR: Ok I`m going fast because I have so many things to ask you. This new body scan idea that they`re using at the airports, can that be dangerous radiation wise.
OZ: We`ll it`s got a very small fraction of the radiation a chest X-ray will give you. And it`s about equivalent to the amount of radiation that you get after an hour in the sky.
BEHAR: Uh-huh. Not to bad.
OZ: So I don`t think they`re very toxic for that reason. I`m very much against some of the searching tactics we are using in general. Because I don`t think they are very effective. And I`m very concerned that a lot of security measures that are used are primarily designed if you and I think we were safer.
BEHAR: Well you mean the taking off the shoes and the liquids.
OZ: Yes, yes.
BEHAR: But the body scanners would help. I believe in those.
OZ: Maybe. But they are pretty innovative people. And I can think right at the top of my head of a couple of different ways to blow a plane out of the sky that wouldn`t be protected by a body scanner. I`m not trying to do that but I`m not sure -
BEHAR: It would be harder, you want to at least make it more difficult. Although there are body cavities. Hello.
OZ: There are body cavities. And there are things we may not even know exist right now that people can smartly bring out of the plane.
BEHAR: They seem to always be a little bit ahead of us sometimes.
OZ: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
BEHAR: Anyway thank you so much, Dr. Oz.
OZ: Yes, yes hurry.
BEHAR: I think you are just miraculous.
OZ: Enchante.
BEHAR: And thanks to all my guests for joining me tonight. Good night everybody.
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See the full transcript HERE.