Dr. Joseph Mercola - Take Control of Your Health

By Dr. MercolaAlternative Health Health & Fitness

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Dr. Joseph Mercola - Take Control of Your Health episodes

October 13This Simple Supplement Could Help Boost Immune Function
Arginine does more than help build proteins — your cells also need this amino acid to produce immune-alert proteins that help T cells recognize infected or abnormal cells

When arginine became scarce, the cellular machinery responsible for building these immune-alert proteins stalled, leaving fewer warning signals available to help the immune system detect threats

In mice, increasing dietary arginine reduced colon tumor formation and improved outcomes in influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections, benefits that disappeared when researchers disabled the immune pathway arginine supports, confirming the effect wasn't coincidental

Whole foods are the preferred starting point for maintaining healthy arginine intake, with grass fed beef, lamb and watermelon providing options without relying automatically on supplements

Adequate protein, sufficient carbohydrates and lower linoleic acid intake support the broader cellular environment your immune system needs to produce energy, build proteins and respond effectively to threats
7 min
October 12Ovarian Syndrome Linked to Fourfold Higher Heart Disease Risk
Women with polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS), the condition formerly called polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), showed a more than fourfold higher rate of artery disease in a large U.S. study based on more than two decades of health insurance records

The analysis included more than 413,000 women with PMOS and over 2 million women without the condition, with an average age of just over 31, showing that cardiovascular risk can emerge during the reproductive years

High blood pressure, high cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes, and obesity explained only about 36% of the association, suggesting that PMOS itself may be an important cardiovascular risk-enhancing factor

The recent change from PCOS to PMOS reflects a broader understanding of the condition as a multisystem endocrine and metabolic disorder rather than one centered on ovarian cysts

Lifestyle strategies that address the metabolic patterns accompanying this diagnosis include eating adequate whole-food carbohydrates, cutting seed oils high in linoleic acid, regular walking and strength training, and limiting exposure to hormone-disrupting chemicals
7 min
October 1010 Natural Remedies for Flu Symptoms
Severe flu season can affect millions, but symptoms such as fever, tiredness, swelling, and mucus often show that your immune system is working to fight the infection inside the body

A large systematic review found zinc lozenges may modestly shorten common cold and flu duration by 2.4 days

Honey, propolis, royal jelly, and other bee products contain natural compounds that may act against viruses, but most evidence still comes from laboratory and animal studies rather than human trials

Tea tree oil did not kill the flu virus directly, but lab tests found that it interrupted an early step the virus needs to multiply inside infected cells

Fluids, rest, broth, honey, salt water, steam, and moist air ease symptoms, while diet, exercise, and sunlight support health. We also review elderberry, quercetin, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin C, NAC, vitamin D, echinacea, and andrographis
7 min
October 08How Brief Breaks from Sitting May Benefit Cognition
Breaking up long periods of sitting with brief movement may improve certain thinking skills, with the strongest evidence showing benefits for memory and executive function

Walking and other gentle activities are enough to interrupt prolonged sitting, so supporting your brain throughout the day doesn't require repeated strenuous workouts

Just four three-minute activity breaks during 80 minutes of sitting helped adolescents maintain the brain's oxygen-rich blood response during a demanding memory task

Some improvements in working memory, attention and reaction speed persisted for up to 30 minutes after activity ended, suggesting the benefits don't necessarily disappear when you sit back down

Regular movement breaks complement rather than replace exercise, so aim to interrupt sitting throughout the day while gradually working toward an hour of daily walking and strength training twice a week
7 min
October 01The Role of Vitamin K in Tooth Decay
Vitamin K2 helps direct calcium into your teeth and jawbone, supporting stronger enamel and the tissues that keep your teeth firmly in place instead of relying on calcium intake alone

People with the lowest vitamin K2 blood levels had the most advanced periodontal disease, including greater gum bleeding, deeper pockets around the teeth, more bone loss and faster disease progression

Healthy teeth depend on more than brushing and flossing because they constantly lose and replace minerals, making your daily food choices an important part of maintaining your smile

Natto, aged cheeses such as Gouda, pastured egg yolks and grass fed organ meats are among the richest natural sources of vitamin K2, yet these foods are uncommon in many modern diets

Pairing vitamin K2 with vitamin D3 helps your body absorb calcium and direct it into your teeth and bones, supporting long-term oral health from the inside out
7 min
September 30Why Simpler Supplement Routines Make More Sense
Every so often, someone takes an industry that had become cold and complicated puts the humanity back into it. The way we take supplements is overdue for exactly that

For decades, supplements were one of the least human corners of health, requiring people to take fistfuls of pills and capsules and maintaining a dosing schedule that was easily forgotten on a busy day

This article series has presented one idea from several angles: removing the burden that makes people quit, retiring the pill pile, abandoning the mega-dose game, and meeting the inevitable backsliding with forgiveness instead of shame

Underneath all of it is a single conviction: optimal health depends first and foremost on real food, and supplements designed to add nutrition to the meals you're already eating is one of the most effective ways to improve adherence long term

The simpler and more natural a health routine is, the more likely you are to keep doing it. Complexity is one of the most common routine breakers
6 min
September 29Vestibular Migraine — The Migraine Many Doctors Miss
Vestibular migraine often causes dizziness, imbalance and motion sensitivity without a severe headache, so many people spend months or even years treating the wrong condition before receiving the correct diagnosis

Looking at all of your symptoms together instead of treating each one separately makes it much easier to recognize vestibular migraine and begin a treatment plan that targets the underlying neurological problem

Keeping a detailed symptom journal helps uncover your personal trigger pattern, allowing you to identify factors such as poor sleep, stress, skipped meals, weather changes or certain foods before they lead to another attack

Symptoms such as brain fog, light and sound sensitivity, blurred vision, motion sickness and feeling worse in busy visual environments provide important clues that your dizziness may be part of vestibular migraine rather than an inner ear disorder

Long-term symptom management may benefit from reducing the triggers that repeatedly overload your nervous system while supporting healthy cellular energy production, rather than simply trying to stop dizziness after an attack begins
8 min
September 28Why Strokes Are More Common in the Morning
Research consistently finds that strokes cluster in the morning, roughly between 6 a.m. and noon, rather than spreading evenly across the 24-hour day

A meta-analysis of 11,816 strokes and a systematic review of 58 studies both linked this window to higher stroke onset across ischemic, hemorrhagic, and transient ischemic attacks

Scientists attribute the pattern largely to normal circadian shifts, including the blood pressure surge on waking and morning changes that make the blood more prone to clotting

Strokes that begin overnight are often recognized late and have been associated with greater severity, which makes knowing the sudden warning signs especially useful

Experts describe stroke as largely preventable, and everyday habits around movement, sleep, stress, drinks, alcohol, and tobacco are linked to a lower risk
7 min
September 25Muscle Health Plays Crucial Role in Diabetes Risk, Study Finds
Having both excess body fat and low muscle mass and strength increased the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by more than 3.5 times, showing that muscle health is just as important as body weight for protecting your metabolism

Your diabetes risk changes as your body composition changes, meaning that building and preserving muscle while reducing excess body fat helps shift your long-term metabolic health in the right direction

Women and adults younger than 60 experienced a greater increase in diabetes risk from poor muscle health than other groups, highlighting the importance of protecting muscle long before older age

Two people can weigh the same but have very different diabetes risk because muscle and body fat influence how efficiently your body regulates blood sugar

Building muscle doesn't require marathon workouts — regular strength training a few times each week, along with enough protein and healthy carbohydrates, helps preserve the muscle tissue that supports healthy blood sugar control
7 min
September 24Why the Best Supplement Routine Starts with Your Real Life
A nutritional supplement regimen is only helpful when it fits the way you actually live

Health communication research suggests narrative messages can influence health intentions when people identify with the story being told. Identification matters because it turns a health message from something abstract into something you can recognize in your own day

A practical supplement routine reduces friction that can otherwise derail the best of intentions. For example, a scoop of nutritional powder added to food you already eat makes adherence as easy as adding spice to your meal, and makes restarting after a missed day or week easy

The formula still matters: nutrient form, dose, absorption and delivery all have to make sense. But even a well-designed supplement can do nothing for you if you don't take it because the routine feels too cumbersome for the life you lead

Consistency requires a routine simple enough to return to after life interrupts your plan
7 min