Integrative Doctors—An Online Guide

Doctor in front of a bright backgroundThe Internet is brimming with info on natural health—including stuff that’s incorrect or incomplete. Which sources can you really trust?
Here is ANH-USA’s list, in alphabetical order, of leading integrative physicians who have good, easily digestible newsletters or blogs or websites on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) available to patients and the general public. The information and practical tools they offer can literally be a life-saver.
Please keep in mind that we are not attempting to list all the best known and most respected integrative physicians, just those who have a very visible web presence that you can tap into without being a patient. If we missed anyone you think should be included, let us know!

  • Jeffrey Bland, PhD, FACN, FACB, CNS: Synthesis (online articles and podcasts). A nutritional biochemist and registered clinical laboratory director, Bland is a former professor of biochemistry at the University of Puget Sound, and was director of nutritional research at the Linus Pauling Institute of Science and Medicine. With his wife, Susan Bland, MA, he founded the Institute for Functional Medicine. He is the author of numerous books for both the general public and for health professionals.
  • Russell Blaylock, MD: The Blaylock Wellness Report (digital newsletter). Blaylock is a nationally recognized board-certified neurosurgeon, health practitioner, author, and lecturer who practiced neurosurgery and ran a nutritional clinic for twenty-six years but now focuses his full attention on nutritional studies and research. Blaylock serves on the editorial staff of the Journal of the American Nutraceutical Association and is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons. He’s also the author of four books on nutrition and health, as well as his newsletter, which is an excellent source of new ideas.
  • David Brownstein, MD: Holistic Medicine (blog). Brownstein is a board-certified family physician and the author of eleven books. He received the American Academy of Integrative Medicine’s Distinguished Clinician Award for the advancements he made in the diagnosis and treatment of chronic diseases.
  • Jeanne Drisko, MD: Integrative Medicine: A Healing Response (website). Drisko is director of integrative medicine and professor of orthomolecular medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center. The only integrative doctor on the faculty of a major medical school, she also runs a clinic within the medical center. Her clinic combines the best therapies from conventional medicine with integrative biomedical practices and mind-body therapies. She is a past president of the American College for Advancement in Medicine and a board member of ANH-USA.
  • Ronald Hoffman, MD: Intelligent Medicine (digital newsletter). Hoffman is the founder and medical director of the Hoffman Center in New York, and the author of numerous books and articles for the public and for health professionals. He is a past president the American College for Advancement in Medicine and a board member of ANH-USA.
  • Mark Hyman, MD: newsletter (digital). Hyman addresses the root causes of chronic illness through a whole-systems medicine approach. He is a family physician and an eight-time New York Times bestselling author. Hyman currently chairs the Institute for Functional Medicine.
  • Joseph A. Mercola, DO: Mercola.com (digital newsletter). Mercola is an osteopathic physician, board-certified in family medicine, and chair of Family Medicine at St. Alexius Medical Center. Trained in both conventional and natural medicine, Mercola was named “Ultimate Wellness Game Changer” by the Huffington Post. He has written several bestselling books, including one on diet. Diet advice is one of the most potentially confusing areas in integrative medicine, and we find Dr. Mercola’s authoritative advice in this area, as well as others, to be clear, simple, and extremely helpful. He is also an excellent source of new ideas.
  • Mehmet Oz, MD: blog and newsletter (digital). Oz is a cardiothoracic surgeon, author, and TV personality. He directs the Cardiovascular Institute and Complementary Medicine Program at New York Presbyterian Hospital. His research interests include heart replacement surgery, minimally invasive cardiac surgery, complementary medicine, and healthcare policy. He has authored over 400 original publications, book chapters, and medical books, has received several patents, and has performed more than 100 heart surgeries per year.
  • Nick Perricone, MD: Daily Perricone (digital newsletter). Perricone is a board-certified dermatologist, healthy aging expert, host of a series of PBS specials, and the author of several New York Times bestsellers. He is a Fellow of the New York Academy of Sciences, the American College of Nutrition, and the American Academy of Dermatology.
  • Robert J. Rowen, MD: Second Opinion (physical newsletter, digital archive available). Rowen, a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Johns Hopkins University and the University of California at San Francisco, is certified by the American Board of Clinical Metal Toxicology. Rowan pioneered the nation’s first statutory protection for alternative medicine in 1990 in California, and is the author of several books. His newsletter is also an excellent source of new ideas.
  • Al Sears, MD: House Call (digital newsletter). Sears is the founder of Center of Health and Wellness, an integrative medicine and anti-aging facility, and is the first doctor to be board-certified in anti-aging medicine. Dr. Sears has published over fifteen books. He is especially well known for his innovative work on fitness and exercise.
  • Frank Shallenberger, MD: Real Cures (digital and physical newsletter). Shallenberger has been practicing medicine since 1973 and has been a pioneer in alternative/integrative medicine since 1978. He is one of only a handful of physicians in Nevada licensed both in conventional as well as alternative medicine. He is board-certified by the American Board of Anti-Aging Medicine. Dr. Shallenberger has published numerous scientific papers, and is the author of several books. He is the originator of Bio-Energy Testing and Prolozone Pain Therapy, and has trained more than 700 doctors in the use of his techniques. His newsletter is an excellent source of new ideas.
  • Steven Sinatra, MD: Heart, Health, & Nutrition (digital archives, blog, and online newsletter). Sinatra takes an integrative approach to treating cardiovascular disease. In 1987, he founded the New England Heart Center, and has since become a well-known advocate of conventional medical treatments for heart disease complemented by nutritional, anti-aging, and psychological therapies. He has authored over a dozen books and contributed to many peer-reviewed medical journals.
  • Andrew Weil, MD: newsletters (digital, numerous topics). Weil is a medical doctor, professor, naturopath, and a teacher and writer on holistic health. Director of the Arizona Center for Integrative medicine at the University of Arizona, Weil is an internationally recognized expert on medicinal plants as well as the author of numerous books. Despite the image that might be drawn from his luxuriant beard, Dr. Weil is regarded by some as practicing more on the conventional side of medicine.
  • Julian Whitaker, MD: Health and Healing (physical newsletter and blog). Whitaker is the founder and director of the Whitaker Wellness Institute, one of the largest alternative medicine clinics in the US; he has served over 40,000 patients for over thirty years, working to heal patients with techniques based on diet, supplements, and lifestyle. He has authored fourteen books in addition to his newsletter, another source of new ideas.
  • David Williams, DC: Alternatives Newsletter (physical newsletter, digital archive available).. Williams is a medical researcher, biochemist, and chiropractor, and is a leading authority on natural healing. He was among the first to write about the power of coenzyme Q10 (a powerful preventative against heart attacks), and recommended saw palmetto (a native herb in the southeastern US that among other things protects the prostate) years before most others had even heard of it. His newsletter is especially known for its in-depth and thought-provoking treatment of broader topics.
  • Jonathan V. Wright, MD: Nutrition & Healing (digital and physical newsletter). Wright, one of the most renowned integrative physicians in the world, has degrees from both Harvard and Michigan, and is recognized as one of the inventors of “applied nutritional biochemistry.” He also introduced a nutritional remedy for benign prostate disease, the first successful treatment to reverse macular degeneration, the safe medical use of DHEA therapy, natural hormone replacement therapy for women, and many other revolutionary natural cures. He has written numerous bestselling books and his authoritative newsletter is also a reliable source of fresh ideas.

Other good online resources for an integrative approach to health include:

  • ADVANCES in Cancer Treatment (digital newsletter, online archive). Ralph Moss’s monthly progress report on the war on cancer—not just FDA-approved drugs but also the most promising complementary and alternative treatments. Clinically oriented, but written with the patient as well as the physician and healthcare practitioner in mind.
  • Life Extension Magazine (monthly magazine, archives and many other resources available online). Life Extension reports on new discoveries involving nutrition, hormones, anti-aging supplements, and the diseases that threaten many of us, such as atherosclerosis, cancer, and diabetes.
  • Natural News (digital newsletter). Mike Adams’ natural health advocacy newsletter covers holistic health, nutritional therapies, consciousness and spirituality, permaculture, organics, environmental health, food and superfoods, and performance nutrition.
  • Gary Null’s website (blog, Internet radio). For nearly four decades, Null has been one of the foremost advocates of alternative medicine and natural healing. A multi award-winning journalist and author, Dr. Null has written over seventy books.
  • Townsend Letter (physical newsletter with website). A trusted resource and forum for the entire alternative medicine community, with info on a wide variety of alternative medicine topics.

47 comments

  2. Thanks very much for publishing this list, as with so many doctors online it is very hard to determine which ones genuinely have good information and which don’t. I am glad to see Dr, Jonathan Wright on the list as I think his site is terrific. Thanks again for making this list for us.

  3. I really appreciate having the “Integrative Doctors Online Guide”, and to see the names of my favorite physicians listed: Sinatra, Whitaker and Wright. I’m still going strong, at the ripe-old-age, of 75 years, thanks to their professional help in making it possible to use integrative remedies, rather than prescription medicines with all their negative side-effects, and high expense.
    Keep up the good work!
    Gratefully,
    Cecile Bertheau

    1. Dear Folks,
      I really appreciated having a copy of the “Integrative Doctors Online Guide” which includes the names of my favorite physicians, i.e., S. Sinatra, J. Whitaker, and J.V. Wright. At the ripe old age of 75 years, I’m still enjoying a healthy- productive life-style, thanks to the professional research and
      integrative remedies of these dedicated physicians. I will be forever grateful to them in giving me an
      alternative in maintaining a healthy life-style, as oppose to being exposed to all the negative side-effects, and overpriced expense of prescription medications.
      Sincerely,
      Cecile Bertheau

  4. Thank you for this information. I recognize a number of them who’s newsletters I have gotten for some years.
    Thank you
    Gail

  8. What we need are such MDs with integrative backgrounds WHO PRACTICE IN THE LOCAL HOSPITAL, or in a hospital close enough to be accessible by ambulance…. If you’re in an accident and taken to the usual garage shops, you will be in such bad shape, if you even make it, that the fancy newsletters are useless by the time they are done with you….
    They don’t have to be surgeons themselves though that surely would be great, but unless there’s the RIGHT doctor checking your charts and ordering IV-C and cod liver oil etc, you can kiss yourself goodbye….
    Perhaps goups of people who subscribe to one or another or all of the above could locate one another in their area and form a co-op that would sponsor such a doctor to cover their needs… how many would that be…?? Any idea? and what would it take to ‘sponsor’ such a deal, as was done by remote peoples up North…. I bet we could even invite the Amish to join the co-op…
    And.. Couldn’t we be like New Zealand with some serious health care freedom rights.. ttyl

  9. God Bless all of you on this site who make a difference in what is right versus wrong information given us by most of our family physicians. Keep up the wonderful sooooo appreciated information to us patients. God Bless.

  10. I would add Dr. Bruce West to this list. I subscribe to quite a few alternative-health newsletters, including some of those mentioned in this article, but if I could keep only one, it would be Bruce West’s “Health Alert.”

  11. Have been following several of these Drs for several years. Iam 73 yrs young and use no rx drugs. other than eye drops for pressure control, hasn’t been high for a couple of years. Diet is my home cooking, Frozen vegies, grass raised beef, free range chicken and some fish.Most cookine on the os grill or black iron. The information is very useful but use your own discretion.
    I do have a regular pcp for routine and special stuff when needed. Have had several issues in the past
    COPD, asthma, inphesima, carpel tunnel and m/c accident injuries. I am active and enjoy life.

  14. I receive several news letters from Drs. Mercola, Rowen, Shallenberger, Sinatra, Williams, and Wright. Also previously from Drs. Sinatra, Williams, Whitaker, and West.
    Dr. West, of Monterey, CA, who specialises in phytonutrients, was not listed

  15. Bravo, glad you published this information. As an ardent reader, resaerchr on the health and nutrition front for over 35 years, very pleased to see this appear. While I read most of these newsletters personally not so sure I would concur with including on this list DR OZ.

  16. I really am wondering what this “report” is doing? I see mostly MDs, no NDs or Acupuncture-Chinese Medicine, and think it is a disservice to publicize these MDs in this way. At least where I live, the governing board for MDs is separate from all other care provider boards, and their attitude and legal power is used to oppose CAM over and over again! While I think a couple of them are doing good work (Mercola) and the websites you listed possibly leading folks to CAM, it is scary that only ONE is female, and I wonder are they all white? Once again, the seat of power comes to play. I hope you’ll add Dr. Richard Horowitz, a leading doc and researcher in the world, publisher, speaker talks about the complexities of Lyme and Tick Borne Diseases, which cross several of the CAM boundaries in order to address these illnesses. There were over 300,000 NEW cases of just lyme reported last year and that is a low estimate of what is out there.
    Thank you for your work and for sharing the best info you that you have found so far. I encourage you to keep looking, while reaffirming that these are just a FEW, mostly MDs commenting upon CAM.

  17. Sorry to see no naturopathic doctors (NDs) on this list. There are plenty that could fit the bill, including Peter D’Adamo (director of the Center for Generative Medicine at Univ of Connecticut, Bridegport)
    Naturopathic doctors are to a significant degree what made of all this possible – starting in the 19th century and continuing to the present. The use of nutrition as therapy, herbal medicine, bioelectric therapies, etc
    The ANH-USA should show some respect if it wants the support of our community of physicians.
    If you want to find a physician who actually trained from day 1 of medical school in natural therapeutics, visit http://www.naturopathic.org (website of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians)

  19. What about Dr. Carolyn Dean from Hawaii with her work on magnesium? Thanks for this list!

  20. Dr. Oz has claimed genetically-modified foods are “safe” and that people who eat organic foods are “snobs”. He’s also made unsubstantiated claims for dubious products.

  23. You might want to add integrative oncologist Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez to the list. For the past 25 years his NYC clinic has been successfully treating Stage IV cancer patients, who had been sent home to die by their orthodox oncologists, with impressive results.

  25. Life Extension uses GMO’s in their supplements. They believe the “junk”science that thinks GMO’s will feed the world and are safe for us to consume. I won’t buy their supplements anymore.

    1. Hi Lori, this counter to what we know of Life Extensions. Would you mind providing a link to a reliable source for the GMO claim? Thanks!

    2. My experience with Life Extension Foundation products is much different from Ms. Lambs.
      Over a decade of ordering from LEF, and I continue to find them on the leading edge of new research and products.. I can’t find anywhere that LEF has endorsed (or even hinted) that GMO products are unilaterally safe or “will feed the world”.

    3. Thanks Lori. GMOs are extremely dangerous experiments on our bodies for profit of Dow/Monsanto et al. Combining DNA of varied species and making plants resistant to their toxic herbicides and superweeds developing that require ever more and stronger toxins is a perilous spiral.
      Despite the alarmist headline, a great reasoned article is: http://www.anh-usa.org/gmoscould-destroy-life-on-the-planet/

    1. Hi Ben! The list includes links to the Dr.’s websites and blogs, which should also provide you with that info. We chose not to include these details to put the focus on their work to reliably inform the public about integrative medicine.

      1. I agree, would like to see city and State, since I don’t have time to go to each web site to see if they are somewhat nearby. That could take all day +.

  29. It is important to remember that Integrative MD’s are not always the best choice. To be a good Doc up on the medical side, and be great on the alternative side….well it is very rare. Being extensively trained in homeopathy, it is difficult to see MD’s with a smattering of knowledge and an expensive computerized device (in some cases) prescribing homeopathic remedies and not really knowing what they are doing. It is also questionable when they take a1-2 weekend or short courses in acupuncture and practice when acupuncturists take 4 yrs of training.
    There are a few MD’s who “see the light” and ditch regular medicine and throw themselves wholeheartedly into learning an alternative modality- but they are rare. So I say- beware- an MD doesn’t make a great alternative practitioner. Each has their place. Be sure the training is extensive and you are not just getting an inadequate mix of a little bit of both when it comes to herbs, homeopathy, or Chinese medicine.

  31. I recommend that you add Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum and his website, http://www.vitality101.com, to your list of integrative medicine practitioners. Dr. T (as he is called) is a best-selling author and researcher on CFS and fibromyalgia, and an expert on sleep and pain issues. His website has hundreds of articles he’s written on integrative health approaches covering health issues in an A-Z format. It’s a fantastic resource.

  32. While I think that traditional medicine doesn’t have all the answers, this list contains the names of some of the biggest frauds in the art of pseudomedicine. People like Blaylock, Mercola and Oz push a variety of unsubstantiated products, for their own profit. I don’t see them as being any better than the “Big Pharma” that is constantly being denigrated by the supporters of naturipathic medicine. In the meantime, I don’t think anyone wants to go back to the good old days of prescientific medicine, when the average life expectancy was 40 years and conditions like cholera, typhoid, pueperal fever, etc. were rampant. There’s not that large a gap between many traditional drugs and natural sources, except for matters of purity and standardization in dosing. After all, aspirin is derived from willow, foxglove was the original source for digitalis, and anticancer therapies like vinblastine were developed from plants like periwinkle and yew. I don’t think it’s asking for too much for “natural” therapies to be held to the same standards that we ask for prescription drugs. Natural doesn’t necessarily mean safer or more effective.

    1. I have to disagree with you as I know from personal experience that straight conventional medicine has almost “done me in” a couple of times and I frequently have reactions to some of the others. However it is from some of the info of these people where I have heard about other things, tried them and they have worked where others didn’t. That is how the pharmaceutical industry does it and they don’t always get it right either. So I am glad that there are others watching out for us. I know they offer products under their own labels, but I don’t have to get them.
      When my doctor prescribes a medication for me, I find all the research I can and then take it and discuss it with my doctor. The sad part is that they tend to prescribe and it seems that they hope you’ll be okay and don’t follow up very well. Primarily because of the way the medical clinics are now set up with time limits for our doctors.
      My husband has taken a prostate supplement for years now and at 74 his doctor says he is very healthy. Something must be working. So, Sir, unless you have personal experience, you should be a little more open minded.

    2. Sir, I take a lot of supplements. I am 66 years old and had a full blood panel did just couple months ago. My primary care physician is an alternative doctor. I went to a local doctor for refill on a prescription and carried my blood results. The doctor said that was the best numbers she had ever seen any male have from this extensive blood work. After taking supplements that would raise my good cholesterol and lower the bad, in 90 days time my good went up 122% and the bad dropped 53%. I would put my numbers up against anyone’s.
      With alternative treatments, all do not work or you have to change just like with traditional meds. But I can say, I have never had side effects from natural products like prescription medication. Before one knocks the alternative way, you should try it first.

    3. The only reason I can see for saying things against doctors like Mercola is ignorance. Doctors of Osteopathic are becoming more popular than ever because people are beginning to realize the difference between natural, body and mind connections, RX with long term issues, etc. Also, some MD’s are going back to school for an ND (naturapathic) so they may reach patients whose needs bypass the Medical Assoc and Big Pharma. I say this based on my own experiences and knowledge, reading much, being on Disability and overseeing my own mother’s health, who just passed at 96 with Dementia. I saw results of long term Statins, and other RX side effects. Homeopathy also is of interest. I do not identify with Holistic because of their belief systems, although I feel they are on to some good health methods, as well as Integrative Medicine. No doubt, I also as a heart patient, DDD, watched my father die at 50, my brother die at 63 with exclusive medical doctor treatment. When I had my heart attack and was treated by an office of MD’s, I asked the doctor this from my hospital bed, “Will I ever have another heart attack, do you think?” “We don’t know” he said. I know medicine isn’t a perfect science, but give me a clue, doc.

    4. I would like to point out that the advent of indoor plumbing did far more to increase lifespan in the United States than did the advances in medicine. All of the diseases mentioned in the previous writer’s post were ameliorated through improved sanitation.

  33. Consider Dr. Mitchell Fleisher, M.D.,D. Ht. in Virginia. His website:www.alternativemedcare.com
    He has developed a lot of supplements that many may be taking for various illness.

  34. I would add Dr. John Mandrola to this list, who came down with Afib and began a website dealing with it by changing ones lifestyle and adding supplements, while questioning the dangerous blood thinners, beta blockers, anti arrhythmias along with intrusive surgical ablations.

  36. The internet is flooded with talented writers who are attempting to discredit our best sources of information. It’s an all out war against Mike Adams and Dr. Mercola and Dr. Oz. Big money skunks, like Google, are fraudulently accusing Mike Adams and Dr. Mercola of publishing “fake news.” “Fake news” to them is information that might hurt profits. The USA has a growing cancer and chronic disease epidemic. People are misinformed and uninformed .. We in the USA actually believe our sickness is our own fault. The corporations running the government continually drum it into our heads that it’s our fault while they poison as a side-effect of profits at any cost. We’re basically dying by the millions from misinformation. Soon cancer will be the new normal.

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