WARNING!
This is an older article that may not reflect Dr. Mercola’s current view on this topic. Use our search engine to find Dr. Mercola’s latest position on any health topic.
By Dr. Mercola
Take control of your health. That's ultimately the best advice I can give to anyone genuinely interested in learning how to maintain or achieve optimum health, naturally. That's been the mantra behind everything we do here at Mercola.com, now entering its 19th year online.
Since 1997, we've dedicated ourselves to making available an all-encompassing and ever-growing compilation of thoroughly researched, up-to-the-minute articles, videos and forums loaded with information you need to help you achieve your health goals.
We're still empowering you with the latest and most effective fitness breakthroughs, dietary information and disease-prevention strategies, all supported by clinical studies and in-depth research, and making them available on one site for your benefit.
Mercola.com has been the No. 1 natural health website for more than 10 years! More than 1 million views per day proves that a growing number of individuals just like you are up for the challenge of living a healthier life!
Our energy is still focused on helping people just like you understand that your body has the innate power to heal itself. One of the most important keys is to avoid interfering with that natural process!
One other piece of advice for those of you feeling fed up with today's medical establishment that's in lock-step with academia, pharmaceutical companies and government entities with its lobbyists and mandates, it's this: Arm yourself with knowledge.
Optimal Health: Up for the Challenge
As you learn how to take control of your health, you can pass along what you've learned to the people you care about so they can live healthier, happier and longer lives. As those individuals begin practicing sound, natural health principles, they, in turn, are able to help guide others. Our main objectives at Mercola.com are to help you:
- Determine the root cause of disease and prevent it, not just treat it
- Learn how real food and other natural strategies can be your "medicine" instead of automatically settling for drug solutions or other invasive treatments that cover up your symptoms rather than bringing your body's systems into harmony
- Take charge of your own wellbeing rather than placing your faith in a doctor who, in spite of all he or she has been taught, may not understand the basic principles behind harnessing your body's ability to heal itself
- Achieve your best health going forward rather than blindly entering or continuing in a health system that, sadly, is largely motivated by greed
- Thrive, not just survive
When scare-mongering and muddying the truth is how the conventional medical profession approaches your health, and slick drug advertisements try to manipulate you into starting or continuing a health-altering regimen that will compromise you even further, it's time to take action.
In the past year, we've both focused on and expanded on several technologically-driven tools you can use to continue your quest toward the best health of your life, mentally and physically, regardless of your age.
Ultimate Guide to Herbal Oils
Ancient healers recognized the potent curative power of oils extracted from herbs. Just like plant-based foods and spices such as avocadoes, blueberries, turmeric and almonds, herbs contain incredibly beneficial organic compounds and phytonutrients, each with its own unique power to heal.
Yarrow oil, for instance, is a wound-healing oil, while cypress oil can be used topically, inhaled or ingested in small doses to regulate blood flow, detoxify your lymph system and relax your muscles. Hemp is used for industrial purposes but also has critical uses for medicine and food.
Dr. Mercola's Ultimate Guide to Herbal Oils explains the attributes of 90 different oils, describing what they are, where they come from, how to use them and what they can do for you, making the guide an indispensable, go-to reference for every need. The herbal list includes:
Healthy Body Hacks
You may have discovered Mercola.com by looking for specific information about natural approaches to deal with a health-related condition or illness. Healthy Body Hacks seeks to provide reliable, clinically-researched information pertinent to your needs. Current Body Hacks topics include:
What Happens to Your Body When
There are a number of ways an individual's health can go by the wayside in today's world. It's quite easy to become addicted to sugar, for example, especially when junk-food marketing is all around us and the products themselves are engineered to get you hooked.
So, too, is the case for smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol. Others struggle to eat healthy because they live in so-called "food deserts" where it's difficult to find fresh produce, while still others may succumb to stress or other emotional challenges.
There are also many who find their health compromised by lack of sleep, failure to exercise, or exposure to harmful chemicals.
When you click on What Happens to Your Body When, each article offers in-depth research and information to answer common health questions and inform you about how to better care for your health. Several of the most-asked questions include:
Mercola Health Infographics
What are the top health benefits of eating mushrooms? What varieties are there to choose from, where can they be found and what dangers might they pose?
Mushroom Nutrition: Discover Outstanding Fungal Benefits Infographic is just one example of the Mercola Health Infographics recently introduced, offering relevant facts and statistics in one handy visual. Just click and read. Additional topics include:
Diseases Directory: What to Do If You Have Any of These Conditions
Even while following a holistic course of living that incorporates a routine of quality exercise, "clean" nutrition and adequate sleep, illness and disease can still occur.
Several factors, such as the environment, hormone imbalances and a compromised immune system can bring health challenges to your door. When you're looking for answers to some of your most pressing health questions, you want quick access to health advice you can trust.
The Diseases Directory is a collection of articles addressing the causes, symptoms, pain-relief options and risk factors for some of the most common diseases, accompanied by a plethora of related information, all from a natural perspective. Several of the topics include:
Vital Votes Health Blogs
One of the most exciting and enlightening tools we've launched at Mercola.com is the Vital Votes health blog, which gives you an opportunity any time of the day or night to delve into a wide array of health-related topics. I encourage you to ask questions and participate in the discussions on a variety of articles designed to help you make informed choices for your health.
The forum gives you a chance to support and encourage each other on your quest for optimum health. You'll find a plethora of topics, from pithy to provocative to persuasive. Start by clicking here, and don't forget to click on the "comments" section at the bottom.
Thanks to YOU, We're Transforming the Conventional Medical Machine
As we've scrutinized the current government, pharmaceutical and educational systems, and revealed the strong-arm tactics of lobbyists, mandates, ongoing conflicts of interest and biased reports designed to "legally" bring revenue to unscrupulous individuals in positions of power, it's been eye-opening to both us and you.
It's been YOUR interest in getting to the bottom of the dubious, money-driven manner in which conventional medicine does business that has helped us to make real positive changes toward bettering personal health and securing global health freedom.
You can join in further by informing your friends, neighbors and colleagues that there is a better, more natural way to deal with disease — not the least of which being prevention — that's typically preferable to the revolving door of toxic prescription drugs, unnecessary surgeries and naïve trust of "medical professionals" to know what's best for your physical well-being. Thank you for believing that you really can take control of your health. It's made all the difference.