Unproven COPD treatments use doctored footage of Mehmet Oz, Snoop Dogg

"Picture this. Just two gummies on an empty stomach each day, and in three days, your oxygen levels should be back to normal. Stick with it for a few more days, and symptoms like shortness of breath, mucus, and coughing will be completely gone." Oz says in a January 5, 2025, Facebook post with thousands of interactions.

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Screenshot from Facebook taken January 9, 2025

The same claim, using other clips of Oz and Snoop Dogg, has circulated elsewhere on Facebook.

COPD encompasses multiple diseases, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis, which can cause feelings of breathlessness, coughing, tiredness and chronic coughing. Most cases of COPD are linked to smoking, but other factors include inhaling pollutants like ammonia, asbestos and dust (archived here and here).

The disease has no cure, but patients can improve their breathing with medicine and rehabilitation (archived here).

Oz, a 2022 US Senate candidate who has been chosen by President-elect Donald Trump as the nominee to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, has previously come under fire for misleadingly promoting unproven weight loss drugs, supplements and Covid-19 treatments on his television show which ran from 2009 to 2022.

Oz has spoken about COPD in the past but usually recommends people at risk improve their diet and avoid polluted air, not purchase CBD gummies or other supposed cures. There is no evidence that Oz or Snoop Dogg has ever developed or advertised any over-the-counter COPD treatment.

David Mannino, chief medical officer and co-founder of the COPD Foundation (archived here), said doctors often prescribe medications to manage the disease but also recommend other options including oxygen therapy, diet improvements, increased exercise, pulmonary rehabilitation and certain scheduled vaccinations.

He also said he was "unaware" of any clinical trials that indicate CBD products or other types of supplements are effective in treating COPD. 

"Many people with COPD can live full lives. By adhering to medication recommendations, avoiding infection and irritating fumes, and exercising regularly, individuals with COPD can maintain a good quality of life and an active lifestyle," he said in a January 9 email,

AFP has previously debunked claims that COPD can be cured by taking CBD gummies.

Suspicious advertisements

A search of the Meta Ad Library, which tracks advertisements on the company's various platforms, revealed dozens of sponsored posts using Oz to promote COPD products, seemingly targeting former smokers.

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Screenshots from the Meta Ad Library taken January 9, 2024 (Daniel Patrick GALGANO)

Some of the posts claim someone named "Dr Seijun Jhin" developed the treatment and say he was "inspired" by Oz. However, AFP searched the databases of the medical boards in all 50 US states and the District of Columbia and found no licensed physician by that name, despite most of the ads running in the United States.

A keyword search similarly revealed no reputable results for a medical doctor named Seijun Jhin.

Altered footage

The social media advertisements use several different clips of Oz and Snoop Dogg, where the two appear to be discussing how to cure COPD in a matter of days with their nonprescription products.

A reverse image using keyframes revealed one post uses an October 2017 interview Oz gave to the Interactive Advertising Bureau about the dangers of fake advertisements (archived here). He says that most Americans he meets believe he sells products he has no association with because of "fake" ads.

It also uses a December 2024 clip of Snoop Dogg briefly discussing basketball for sports channel ESPN (archived here).

Another iteration uses an October 2022 video Oz posted, talking about breast cancer during his Pennsylvania Senate campaign, along with footage from a Snoop Dogg appearance on the ABC show "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" in October 2023 (archived here and here).

Neither Oz nor Snoop Dogg mention COPD or pitch a specific medical product in any of the original videos.

AFP contacted Trump's presidential transition team and Snoop Dogg for comment, but no responses were forthcoming.

AFP has fact-checked other ads using altered footage to push unproven health products.