About Dr. Joseph Mercola

Personal:Dr. Joseph Mercola

I was born and raised in the inner city of Chicago, IL. I had a normal childhood, and it was in my school years that I truly took an interest in health and wellness. In my early twenties, I worked as a pharm tech at a physician’s office. I worked at the Illinois Eye Bank to harvest donated eyes to be used for cornea transplant. I also worked at the Kidney Bank.

I first began seeing patients at my private wellness clinic in Schaumburg, IL, in 1985. I was a sole practitioner. It was filled with routine checkups, school physical exams, and seeing chronically ill patients. I was prescribing drugs, but realized that they were not working.

I began exploring the world of natural medicine in the early 1990s. After seeing drastic improvements when my patients modified their diet and became more physically active, I changed the way I practiced medicine.

My passion is to transform the traditional medical paradigm in the United States, and that consumes most of my free time. For 40 years since 1968, I was an active runner; I completed the Chicago Marathon in just over three hours, among other accomplishments. I have also been a computer hobbyist since 1985, with an interest in the Internet that dates back to the early ‘90s.

The existing medical establishment is responsible for killing and permanently injuring millions of Americans, but the surging numbers of visitors to Mercola.com since I began the site in 1997 - we are now routinely among the top 10 health sites on the Internet - convinces me that you, too, are fed up with their deception. You want practical health solutions without the hype, and that's what I offer.

Education:
  • University of Illinois at Chicago - UIC 1972-1976
  • Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine – Midwestern University 1978-1982
  • Chicago Osteopathic Hospital 1982-1985 Family Practice Residency. Chief resident 1984-1985
  • Board Certified American College Osteopathic General Practitioners July 1985
  • State of Illinois Licensed Physician and Surgeon

Professional Organizations:



Emord & Associates P.C., a constitutional and administrative law firm that has represented integrative physicians, food and dietary supplement manufacturers, and non-profit groups, recognized my contributions to holistic medicine and health journalism at the 2014 Sacred Fire of Liberty Gala. They honored me with the:

  • Sacred Fire of Liberty Award - For consistent philanthropic and intellectual support for the cause of health freedom, thereby upholding that trust given the American people at the Founding of the Republic: to preserve "the sacred fire of liberty" and to ensure "the destiny of the Republican form of Government." (President George Washington, First Inaugural Address, April 30, 1789)
  • Excellence in Integrative Medicine Award - For pioneering achievements in the field of integrative medicine that have lessened suffering, cured disease, and prolonged life in ways not achievable with traditional modalities and treatments
  • Excellence in Health Journalism Award - For incisive and thorough reporting on health markets, law, and policy
  • Freedom of Informed Choice Award - For successfully breaking down government barriers that deny consumers access to promising therapies and health information, and for thwarting efforts at industry capture of government
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