Dr. Oz to 'aggressively' respond to critics on show

Dr. Oz says he's ready to give his critics a taste of their own medicine.

Last week, 10 physicians around the country wrote a letter to Columbia University in which they called the celebrity doctor's advice "quack" and demanded that the university drop him as its vice chair of the surgery department.

The doctors also attacked Oz's, quote, "baseless opposition to the genetic engineering of food crops."

Dr. Mehmet Oz says he will address the strongly worded letter and, quote, "intimidation" on his daytime talk show on Thursday and respond "aggressively." While a person associated with the show said the special episode is "the last thing we want to do," it would stand to be a good platform.

Nielsen ratings reveal "The Dr. Oz Show," which is now in its sixth season, reaches nearly 2 million viewers every weekday.

A show spokesman told the New York Times the program will likely run longer than normal but he won't dedicate the entire show to the controversy.

Oz plans to reiterate that he is not opposed to genetically modified foods, but that they should be labeled - a point he has touched on in several episodes.

According to the Washington Post, Columbia University has not made any plans to take action against Oz, saying the institution upholds "faculty members' freedom of expression for statements they make in public discussion."

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