Dossey's writings and opinions have been controversial, having drawn both praise and criticism. Surgical oncologist
David Gorski has written that Dossey utilizes
straw man arguments, misrepresents and misunderstands
medical research and "the evidence base in favor of the woo that Dr. Dossey favors is pathetic in comparison to that supporting science-based medicine." Gary P. Posner, a physician, has criticized Dossey for writing "New Age psychobabble". Posner in a review has stated that Dossey uncritically accepts psychic powers,
parapsychology experiments and dubious claims such as
voodoo or "
distant healing" as genuine, whilst ignoring the literature that has refuted these subjects. Psychologist
Robert A. Baker in a review for Dossey's
Healing Words wrote that it is an entertaining book but "We'd all be better served—Dossey, his patients, his readers, and the general public—if Dossey would take his head out of the clouds, plant his feet on the ground, and stop talking nonsense. Everyone knows that evil looks won't kill you. We also know that sticks and stones will break your bones and a doctor's words alone-no matter how kind or gentle-will never heal you." John Roberts in the
British Medical Journal has described
Healing Words as a religious book, useful to see how an argument could be made on how humans could utilize prayer to heal but some of the book was "convoluted new-age jargon". Dossey's views and activities have frequently been reported in the media. For example,
Business Insider quoted Dossey as having "coined the term 'time-sickness' in 1982 to describe the belief that 'time is getting away, that there isn't enough of it, and that you must pedal faster and faster to keep up.'" The
Belfast Telegraph described Dossey as a "distinguished American physician" and a "New York Times best-selling author", while quoting his views on
Lorna Byrne. The Minnesota
Star Tribune reported that in 1993, Dossey had appeared on the
Oprah Winfrey show, in an episode themed on the power of prayer, describing Dossey as "a physician who advocates for spirituality in health care". The "Jacket Copy" blog of the
Los Angeles Times interviewed Dossey and quoted him extensively when reviewing one of his books. ==Works==