Joseph Mercola

Joseph Mercola

Joseph M. Mercola (born 1954) is an alternative physician practicing in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. He is the author of several books including The No-Grain Diet (with Alison Rose Levy), and The Great Bird Flu Hoax. Mercola is the founder and editor of an alternative-medicine website, where he advocates dietary and lifestyle approaches to health and markets a variety of dietary supplements. Mercola criticizes many aspects of standard medical practice, particularly vaccination and the use of prescription drugs and surgery to treat diseases. He is a member of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, as well as several alternative medicine organizations.

Mercola has been the subject of criticism from the business, medical and scientific communities. A 2006 BusinessWeek editorial criticized Mercola's marketing practices as "relying on slick promotion, clever use of information, and scare tactics." In 2005, 2006, and 2011 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned Mercola and his company to stop making illegal claims regarding his products' ability to detect, prevent and treat disease. The medical watchdog site Quackwatch has criticized Mercola for making "unsubstantiated claims and clash with those of leading medical and public health organizations many unsubstantiated recommendations for dietary supplements."