Conscious Choice: The Uncommon Healer

In 1995 I began growing breast cysts and benign tumors so rapidly I had surgery twice in a year. Terrified, I began to search for the cause. I learned certain foods promote inflammation and stimulate tumor growth including dairy products, refined sugars and flours, margarine, hydrogenated oils, processed foods, alcohol and sometimes wheat, a common undiagnosed allergen. Completely changing my diet overnight, I began eating fish, organic poultry, three fruits and four to five vegetables daily; beans and legumes; nuts, seeds; olive oil; herbal teas and filtered water; plus high potency multi-vitamin and mineral capsules. My energy skyrocketed. After six weeks all arthritis pains disappeared. In six months I lost 20 pounds. After two years, however, another breast tumor appeared. I suspected an antidepressant as a possible trigger so I stopped taking it. Within six weeks the tumor disappeared. Refusing other drugs for manic depression, I consulted Pfeiffer Treatment Center, brain chemistry researchers who use vitamins and minerals to correct disorders. They found low zinc and vitamin B6 levels due to a genetic condition, plus I had elevated histamine and copper levels. After taking Pfeiffer supplements for two months, my mania disappeared yet varying levels of depression persisted. In his book The Omega-3 Connection, Harvard’s Dr. Andrew Stoll reported successful clinical trials using fish oils for manic depression. I began taking three grams of fish oils daily. Within 48 hours of starting to take 6 capsules daily, my depression lifted and hasn’t returned. Over 6 years, I have no more arthritis, dropped to my high school weight, stopped the growth of breast cysts and tumors and halted life-long manic-depressive cycles — all holistically, without drugs.

May 2004 | Choice Health: Practitioner Profile

The Uncommon Healer

Who: Joseph Mercola, D.O., Medical Director, Optimal Wellness Center, Schaumburg, IL.

Quick Take:

Comes down hard on the U.S. health care system, calling it a “fatally flawed medical paradigm.” Refers to it as a “disease care system,” in which we’re encouraged to “take a pill” if we have a problem.

Old vs New: Consumers have always been clamoring for information about alternative therapies. However, the majority of conventional physicians, he says, are not interested. With the advent of the Internet, Mercola says, patients have practical options for alternative approaches. He was an early adopter of the Internet and now boasts the fifth largest Web site with his alternative health site, Mercola.com, getting 600,000 hits a day, a million-and-half on busy days. “There’s a tremendous need for this type of information.”

Knowing the Difference: He readily acknowledges that there’s an important place for conventional medicine approaches in “acute traumatic events.” For instance, if someone is in unrelenting pain, it’s often useful to alleviate it with painkillers until the natural approaches kick in. He says we have the best acute treatment system in the world.

Biggest Myth: “Drugs solve health problems. If you have a problem, take a pill.” He say this attitude has become worse as drug companies have ramped up their advertising directly to consumers via TV and other media. But in reality, Mercola believes that a pill is virtually never the solution to a health problem.

Case History: Mercola’s always been interested in disease prevention. Became an osteopath instead of M.D. because he thought it’d be more oriented toward health and wellness. Turns out, he says, studying osteopathy wasn’t much different than conventional medical school. Practiced conventional medicine for about four years after med school before a mentor and friend, the late Dr. William Crook (author of The Yeast Connection) turned him on to alternative approaches. Mercola’s never looked back.

Personal File: 49, single, not much of a socializer, occasionally drinks wine, runs 20 miles a week. Not “obsessive-compulsive” about his diet, takes cod liver oil (for the omega 3’s), probiotics and digestive enzymes. Does well on 6 hours of sleep.

Recommend this page to a friend

Top Ten pages recommended to friends: