Joseph Mercola, DO (Biography) Add Book

Dr. Mercola is an osteopathic physician, also known as a DO. DOs are complete physicians who, along with MDs, are licensed to prescribe medication and perform surgery in all 50 states. But DOs bring something extra to the practice of medicine. Osteopathic physicians practice a "whole person" approach to medicine, treating the entire person rather that just the symptoms. With a focus on preventive health care, DOs help patients develop attitudes and lifestyles that don't just fight illness, but help prevent it, too. He is also board-certified in family medicine and served as the chairman of the family medicine department at St. Alexius Medical Center for five years. Dr. Mercola is trained in both traditional and natural medicine and has been practicing natural medicine actively since 1990. For his insight on a variety of healthcare issues, he has been interviewed on national and local news, including: ABC's World News Tonight with Peter Jennings CNN CBS, NBC and ABC local news shows Dozens of Nationally Broadcast Radio Shows Practice Profile: Dr. Mercola is dedicated to finding long-term solutions for my patients who suffer from chronic illnesses. A number of prescription medications are beneficial tools that can help to provide relief from some acute illnesses, and as a fully licensed physician he occasionally prescribes them for these purposes. However, he believes that most medications provide only temporary relief at best, and as an osteopathic physician, he seeks to treat the whole person, not just the symptoms. Education: University of Illinois 1972-1976 Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine 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: American College for Advancement in Medicine  (www.acam.org) Christian Medical Association (cmdahome.org) Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (www.aapsonline.org/aaps) American Academy of Neural Therapy (www.neuraltherapy.com) Advisory Board member NOHA (Nutrition for Optimal Health Association) (www.nutrition4health.org) Advisory Board member Price-Pottinger Nutrition Foundation (www.price-pottenger.org) Advisory Board member Weston A. Price Foundation (www.westonaprice.org) Affiliations: St. Alexius Medical Center, Hoffman Estates, IL  Chairman, Department of Family Practice 1988-1993  Publications: Aspartame Can Harm Your Health British Medical Journal October 3, 2004 Fish Oil Far More Effective Than Aspirin For Pre-eclampsia British Medical Journal September 12, 2003 Managing Hypertriglyceridemia Canadian Medical Journal April 1, 2003 Nutritional Ignorance Will Sabotage Treatment British Medical Journal September 13, 2002 Dietary Manipulations That Resolve Atopic Dermatitis British Medical Journal June 7, 2002 Myopia Possible Link to Increased Refined Carbohydrate Intake and Hyperinsulinemia British Medical Journal May 17, 2002 Recent Advances in Nutritional Alternative to Parathyroid Hormone for Osteoporosis British Medical Journal February 26, 2002 Omega-3's and Childhood Asthma Thorax March 2002:57(3)281 More on Terrorism, Journal American Osteopathic Association (JAOA) January 2002 Many People are Taking Insulin Like Growth Factor Without Even Knowing It Western Journal of Medicine Vol 175 (6):378, Dec 2001 Fluoride and Apoptosis: Trading Dental Caries for Cellular Death? British Medical Journal July 20, 2001 Accuracy of Hair Analysis Journal American Medical Association (JAMA) 285:1576-77, March 28, 2001 Mercury Toxicity and Systemic Elimination Agents Journal of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine 11:53-62, March 2001 Columnist for The Townsend Letter, a nationally prominent alternative medicine periodical, from October 1997 to June 2001 Recurrent Otitis? Think Allergy Family Practice News page 12-13; October 1, 1996 Natural Progesterone for PMS Patient Care 30:27-28 September 15, 1996 The Basis For Microcurrent Electrical Therapy in Conventional Medical Practice J Advancement in Medicine 8:107-120, 1995 Cracking Down on "Neck Cracking" Am Family Physician 45:452-459, February 1992 (article to discourage patient's self-manipulation which leads to ligamentous laxity) Minocycline Trials in Rheumatoid Arhtritis Patient Care January 20, 1992 p.20-21 Calcium Channel Blockers and Dysmenorrhea J Adolescent Health 1:1-2, January 1992 Better Sleep For Less Pain in Hand Rheumatoid Arthritis Patient Care December 15, 1991 p. 15 Nutrition Software Helps Monitor Patients' Diets Computer News For Physicians, p. 29-30. June 15, 1990 Premarital HIV Testing JAMA 261:2198, April 21, 1989 Served as editor for HIV Monograph by Abbott Laboratories published in 1989 and distributed to physicians nationally Private Resources Should Share AIDS Funding Responsibility J Amer Osteo Assoc 88:313, March 1988 What Physicians Should Know About AIDS Antibody Testing Osteo Med News December 1988 Premarital HIV Test Is Worth the Money Am Med News p.45 September 9, 1988 Pediatrics and AIDS JAMA 258:3119-3120, December 4, 1987 Recent Developments In Smoking Cessation. Osteo Annals 14:31-32, 1987 The New American Diet (Book Review) J Amer Osteo Assoc 153:107-108, 1987 Update On Rubella, Hepatitis, and H. flu Vaccines Osteo Med News 3:31-32, 1986 Calcium Supplementation in the Treatment of Hypertension J Amer Osteo Assoc 85:104-107, 1985 NMR Analysis of Human and Rabbit Lens Experimental Eye Research 34:545-552, 1982