If you're a doctor, not just on TV, should you be in commercials?

Given the recent bevy of ads in which actors play company employees and concerned citizens, it's almost surprising that the doctors who endorse products are often actual doctors. It surprised Peggy Peck, too. The medical reporter looked into it and found out that the American Medical Association doesn't really like it when doctors make sales pitches. In fact, they feel "doctors shouldn't be paid for endorsements [unless the ad makes it clear that they were paid] and ... shouldn't be depicted wearing white coats, scrubs or other attire that would identify them as physicians." It's not hard to imagine why the AMA would have a flea in its ear over this issue. The trust that doctors are given on the subject of health is automatic but delicate, and people like Jon Marshall and Robert Jarvik screw that up for everyone. Plus, from the AMA's perspective, what good is strong-arming the public into accepting their guild as the prevailing medical option if doctors go around shilling acne cream and nasal spray all willy-nilly? "I'm not a doctor" might be campy, but it's a decent end-run around the issue. Then again, if doctors couldn't whore themselves out to the media, Drew Pinsky wouldn't have a job.

—Posted by David Kiefaber