Joseph Mercola

Joseph Mercola
Mercola in 2009
Born (1954-07-08) July 8, 1954 (age 70)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (BS)
Midwestern University (DO)
PartnerErin Elizabeth
Medical career
Sub-specialtiesNutrition

Joseph Michael Mercola (/mərˈkoʊlə/;[1] born July 8, 1954) is an American alternative medicine proponent, osteopathic physician, and Internet business personality.[2] He markets largely unproven dietary supplements and medical devices.[3] On his website, Mercola and colleagues advocate unproven and pseudoscientific alternative health notions including homeopathy and opposition to vaccination. These positions have received persistent criticism.[2] Mercola is a member of several alternative medicine organizations as well as the political advocacy group Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, which promotes scientifically discredited views about medicine and disease.[4] He is the author of two books.[5]

Mercola's medical claims have been criticized by the medical, scientific, regulatory, and business communities. A 2006 BusinessWeek editorial stated his marketing practices relied on "slick promotion, clever use of information, and scare tactics".[6] In 2005, 2006, 2011, and 2021 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned Mercola and his company that they were making illegal claims for their products' ability to detect, prevent, and treat disease.[7][8] Quackwatch has criticized Mercola for making "unsubstantiated claims [that] clash with those of leading medical and public health organizations and many unsubstantiated recommendations for dietary supplements".[9][10] Of Mercola's marketing techniques, surgical oncologist David Gorski says it "mixes the boring, sensible health advice with pseudoscientific advice in such a way that it's hard for someone without a medical background to figure out which is which".[2]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mercola spread misinformation about the virus and pseudoscientific anti-vaccine misinformation on social media platforms.[11][12][13] Researchers have identified him as the "chief spreader of coronavirus misinformation online".[11][14][15][16]

  1. ^ As he pronounces his name on his own videos, e.g. [1] Archived February 16, 2021, at the Wayback Machine.
  2. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Satija_Sun_12/20/2019 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Who Sits at the Clintons' Table, and Who Picks Up the Tab?". Association of American Physicians and Surgeons. April 1, 1994. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  5. ^ "Doc's got odd appetite". Chicago Tribune. May 25, 2003. Archived from the original on February 6, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Gumpert was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Tsouderos, Trine (April 26, 2011). "FDA warns doctor: Stop touting camera as disease screening tool Archived January 12, 2020, at the Wayback Machine", Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference fda-2-18-21 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Barrett S (July 25, 2021). "Dr. Joseph Mercola Ordered to Stop Illegal Claims". Quackwatch. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  10. ^ Ronald PC (2018). Tomorrow's table : organic farming, genetics, and the future of food (Second ed.). New York, N.Y. p. 138. ISBN 978-0199342099.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  11. ^ a b Srikanth A (March 24, 2021). "12 prominent people opposed to vaccines are responsible for two-thirds of anti-vaccine content online: report". The Hill. Archived from the original on March 25, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  12. ^ Jonathan J (June 4, 2021). The Upside-Down Doctor (Report). Office for Science and Society. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  13. ^ Brumfiel G (May 12, 2021). "For Some Anti-Vaccine Advocates, Misinformation Is Part Of A Business". NPR.org. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  14. ^ "The Disinformation Dozen" (PDF). Center for Countering Digital Hate. March 24, 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2021.
  15. ^ Frenkel S (July 24, 2021). "The Most Influential Spreader of Coronavirus Misinformation Online". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
  16. ^ Casado L (July 25, 2021). "This natural health doctor has published over 600 articles claiming coronavirus vaccines are a fraud — he's part of the 'disinformation dozen' responsible for the vast majority of COVID-19 misinformation on Facebook". Business Insider. But beating Robert F Kennedy Jr to the No. 1 spot in the 'disinformation dozen' is Joseph Mercola, a natural health doctor based in Cape Coral, Florida.