‘Superspreader’: New York Times documentary investigates natural products peddler and vaccine rejectionist Dr. Joseph Mercola

Dr. Joseph Mercola is the subject of a New York Times documentary. Credit: New York Times
Dr. Joseph Mercola is the subject of a New York Times documentary. Credit: New York Times

Sarah Long credits the information she found on Mercola.com with potentially saving her life.

For years, she had health issues but found few answers from doctors. Then, she learned of Dr. Joseph Mercola, an osteopathic physician based in Florida who sits at the helm of a multimillion-dollar health business spanning books, products and online content.

“He steps up and says, I have answers, where others don’t,” Ms. Long said in our documentary. “You watch his videos and he seems very earnest and very much like he cares.”

Ms. Long eventually became disenchanted, however, finding it hard to ignore the darker and riskier advice he espoused: “At a certain point it shifted,” she said.

Follow the latest news and policy debates on sustainable agriculture, biomedicine, and other ‘disruptive’ innovations. Subscribe to our newsletter.

Headlines on his website have included “Learn How Homeopathy Cured a Boy of Autism,” “Your Flu Shot Contains a Dangerous Neurotoxin” and “Vitamin D: The Silver Bullet for Cancer.” And in 2021, he topped the “Disinformation Dozen,” a list of 12 people responsible for sharing 65 percent of all anti-vaccine messaging on social media, according to the Center for Countering Digital Hate.

In our documentary, we explore Dr. Mercola’s journey from a Chicago-born physician with a healthy skepticism toward the pharmaceutical industry to a millionaire at odds with the Food and Drug Administration and many in his profession.

This is an excerpt. Read the original post here

{{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.singularReviewCountLabel }}
{{ reviewsTotal }}{{ options.labels.pluralReviewCountLabel }}
{{ options.labels.newReviewButton }}
{{ userData.canReview.message }}
skin microbiome x final

Infographic: Could gut bacteria help us diagnose and treat diseases? This is on the horizon thanks to CRISPR gene editing

Humans are never alone. Even in a room devoid of other people, they are always in the company of billions ...
glp menu logo outlined

Newsletter Subscription

* indicates required
Email Lists
glp menu logo outlined

Get news on human & agricultural genetics and biotechnology delivered to your inbox.