Dr. Mehmet Oz is the latest celebrity to find out the hard way that Twitter call-outs can backfire.

Mehmet Oz tweeted on Tuesday, "What is your biggest question for me?" He asked respondents to use the hashtag #OzsInbox and promised to answer his favorites on his website, but along with legitimate health questions, he received name-calling and contempt, reports USA TODAY.

The word "quackery" has been frequently used.

Twitter users have called him a "snake oil salesman."

Medical professionals expressed their strong criticism in response to his request, such as these examples:

  • Sunil K Sahai MD (@DrSunilKSahai) tweeted, "@DrOz #OzsInbox Why have you not been censured or fired from @ColumbiaSurgery for conduct unbecoming a physician, scientist, and gentlemen?"
  • Cathleen London MD (@DrChaya) tweeted, "How do I get my patients to stop believing your bull? #OzsInbox?"

The backlash is a result of the June grilling and scolding Oz received on Capitol Hill by a Senate panel on consumer protection regarding his description of particular supplements on his show as "the No. 1 miracle in a bottle" and a "magic weight-loss cure."  

USA TODAY reported one major interaction during the Capitol Hill scolding between Oz and Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri that was a turning point in Oz's career. McCaskill had asked Oz, "I don't get why you say this stuff because you know it's not true. So why, when you have this amazing megaphone and this amazing ability to communicate, why would you cheapen your show by saying things like that?"

Oz said, "I actually do personally believe in the items I talk about in the show. I passionately study them. I recognize that often times they don't have the scientific muster to present as fact."

"My job, I feel, on the show is to be a cheerleader for the audience when they don't think they have hope and they don't think they can make it happen," he added.

Oz appeared to walk away from the hearing unscathed. He posted a Facebook message saying he would find a way to "deal" with scams.

Judging by the Twitter retaliation, it seems skepticism over his on-air practices is lingering.