When it comes to health-related concerns, celebrity commercials ;md endorsements have always made me a little nervous. The direct-to-consumer advertisements with known personalities such as Bob Dole for erectile dysfunction or Sally Field for bone health often made me cringe. I couldn'thelp but wonder if television viewers would really understand whether or not the proposed treatment was right for them. Or would they just be swayed by the celebrity exposure and endorsement? The sticky issue of celebrities being paid for their endorsements really should impact the audience's outlook as well, but does it? Yet when Angelina Jolie came out with the very frank story of her potential risk for breast and ovarian cancer due to her BRCA1 mutation status, it really got me thinking. The public and the media paid attention too. Health-care professionals, in particular, have debated the positive aspects of her announcement and the subsequent newspaper and media coverage of the "Angelina Jolie effect" and the "Jolie gene." In terms of health care, has this been a positive or negative development?
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