Natural health advocate, Dr. Joseph Mercola, tweeted a story from his website–“Vitamin D Is More Effective Than Flu Vaccine, Study Says”, on his popular website mercola.com.
His text in the tweet stated: Mounting research suggests vitamin D deficiency may actually be a major cause of influenza.
This drew a firestorm in response, questioning everything from his status as a physician to accusing him of failing microbiology:
Aren’t you a doctor? Surely you must’ve been taught that the influenza virus is what causes influenza? No?? Nothing else. Just the virus. Susceptibility is another factor sure, but cause? That’s pretty embarrassing for you I think.
You’re a doctor?? Looks more like quackery to me.
The difference between ’cause’ and ‘correlation’ is the difference between a quack and a doctor.
No. No no no. Influenza virus – highly contagious – is the cause of influenza. JUST STOP with your pseudoscience and “research.”
As a “Dr.” you should be able to distinguish between a cold and a flu. But since you are neither a doctor nor a scientist I understand this post simply as advertising for your vitamin D products.
Aren’t you supposed to be an actual doctor? Where did you go to medical school? Hogwarts?
What is wrong with you?!? Go back to your microbiology textbook, see under ‘Orthomyxoviridae’. Or remove the honorific ‘Dr.’ from your name.
Joseph Mercola, D.O., who practices in Schaumburg, Illinois, also operates one of the Internet’s largest and most trafficked health information sites.
Mercola.com has been described as a horrible chimera of tabloid journalism, late-night infomercials, and amateur pre-scientific medicine, and is the primary web presence of Joseph Mercola. Unfortunately, it is also one of the more popular alternative medicine sites on the web and as such is uncommonly efficient at spreading misinformation.
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Quackwatch says many of Mercola’s articles make unsubstantiated claims and clash with those of leading medical and public health organizations. For example, he opposes immunization fluoridation. , mammography , and the routine administration of vitamin K shots to the newborn ; claims that amalgam fillings are toxic ; and makes many unsubstantiated recommendations for dietary supplements. Mercola’s reach has been greatly boosted by repeated promotion on the “Dr. Oz Show.”
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There are several studies that show higher vitamin D levels are closely inversely associated with flu. Dr. Mercola is correct, but he is being stalked by the anti-sun mafia. Of course the disease is caused by the flu virus, and Dr. Mercola has never claimed otherwise. He believes that vitamin D can fight the virus, and it is ludicrous to claim that that he meant anything else. Personally, I am not sure if higher vitamin D levels among those who don’t have colds really means that vitamin D is stopping the flu. Vitamin D levels are surrogate measures for sun exposure, since 90% of vitamin D in blood serum comes from sun exposure. Sun exposure, however, produces many other photoproducts, such as serotonin, endorphin, nitric oxide, dopamine, and BDNF, all essential to optimal human health. Note that worldwide, nearly 100% of flu occurs in fall, winter and early spring. It virtually never occurs in summer. The answer is sun exposure, whether by vitamin D or otherwise. Please let Dr. Mercola alone.
For more information and documentation on sun exposure and disease: sunlightinstitute.org. And read Dr. Marc Sorenson’s new book, Embrace the Sun, available at Amazon.
Mercola is doing a great job to raise the awareness. There are plenty of scientific studies by independent researchers regarding Vitamin D, infections and the immune system, Mercola is just spreading the news in a way that is understandable by everyone.
His work clashes with the pharmaceutical industry who is the real charlatan, selling useless (in the best of the cases) or dangerous (in most of the cases) drugs to uninformed people.
Dr Mercola never makes unsubstantiated claims. Everything he does and says has research supporting it. But he makes a lot of powerful enemies of people who are happy to make money from human misery or death and want to keep the population ignorant. After all Human Beings are a renewable resource.
I met Dr Mercola over 20 years ago and was around him at a conference for almost a week. I can even claim proudly to have had lunch with him, along with multiple other fans. I have conversed with him. I can say that I found him to be a very genuine and humble person with passion for the health of every person on earth. I have used his advice as my ‘go to’ health service. I am now 70 years old and fit and healthy because I have followed Dr Mercola and his teaching for all of those years. He has a great sense of humor. When we had lunch I had been away from home for a week and I had a burning desire for FRIES. How do you order fries when you are having lunch with Dr Mercola? I explained that I had a big urge and he did not comment. When it came time to leave to catch my international flight home I shook his hand and he pulled me closer and told me quietly ‘When you get home, don’t mention the fries’! I have never forgotten that and I have told everyone who would listen.
I am a big fan. My health and body testifies that I have not misplaced my admiration.
Science Based Medicine answers to what the share holders bottom line is, which is public knowledge. Profits before people is the correct descriptive term to describe who pharma regards the public at large. This shill web site of Science Based Medicine has zero credibility . The Evidence that greed fuels these web sites that trash real science is evident when one takes a look at who is funding them.
most doctors are quacks with expensive degrees and a whole profession owned by the pharm industry. Walk your talk. Lame article for sure.
I had the rare privilege of being mentored by Joe weekly for about 2 years when he had a small office in Schaumburg, Illinois. I even attended his wedding. Together we broadened the scopes of our practices into new frontiers of medicine like environmental medicine, allergy treatment, food sensitivity, clinical nutrition, and functional medicine. He was way ahead of the curve in so many areas. My time with him was very empowering and completely changed the trajectory of my medical practice for the better, and for that I am eternally grateful. Of all the mentors I’ve ever had, he has been the most influential. A super smart and energetic guy who is helping millions of people all over the world be healthy. How many people can say that? And he walks the talk. And he’s got the cohones to stand up to big corporations who would seek to take him down to protect their own interests. To quote Beverly Rubik: “You can recognize a pioneer by the arrows in his back.”