If you have ever searched for health or wellness information online, you may have come across Mercola.com, a “natural health” website founded by Dr. Joseph Mercola.
In 2021, the New York Times dubbed Dr. Mercola as one of the most “influential spreaders of coronavirus misinformation” online, noting that he both “creates and profits” from “misleading claims” about COVID-19.
Mercola’s site is a prolific one, featuring articles such as “The Healing Power Hidden in Plain Sight – Why Has No One Told You?” and “Antidepressant Use During Pregnancy Linked to Heart Defects in Babies.”
Despite the many health and wellness articles that appear on the site, new claims allege that Dr. Mercola depends on an interesting source for much of the information and claims he puts out: a self-professed psychic who says he channels the spirit of an entity named “Bahlon.”
Dr. Noc, PhD, a content creator who frequently puts out no-nonsense videos about science and health, broke down the full and rather bizarre situation.
He explained that journalist Rick Polito for Natural Products Insider (now called SupplySide Supplement Journal), broke the story on how Dr. Mercola consults an alleged spiritual entity named Bahlon, who reveals himself through a balding white man that Mercola speaks to through Zoom calls.
In alleged leaked video clips, Dr. Mercola consults with the “spiritual entity” over everything from medical treatments he will recommend on his site. For instance, in one clip, he asks the spirit “Bahlon” if certain ingredients, like berberine and aloe vera gel will be appropriate to recommend for the treatment of vaginal candida.
“Everyone will like it,” the man channeling the spirit replies. “It has a high, high probability of adoption.”
Not only does Dr. Mercola ask the “spirit” about medical treatments, but he even consults it for clinical study design, Dr. Noc explains.
In another alleged leaked clip, Dr. Mercola asks the “spirit” how long he should run a “study” for results. “Is five days of daily exposure going to be sufficient to cause changes in mitochondrial function?” he poses. “Or do we need longer? Longer? Okay? How long? 15 days?”
Dr. Noc explained that Bahlon has even convinced Mercola that he’s going to develop a theory, prove it within six weeks, and win a Nobel Prize for it.
An alleged video clip shows Dr. Mercola, shirtless, laughing about how ‘Bahlon’ told him that he was a genius for coming up with the theory and how he would win a Nobel Prize for it.
“I’ll hold the world record for Nobel Prizes,” Dr. Mercola boasts in the video.
Another clip shows Dr. Mercola explaining to Bahlon how the wellness market is a “five trillion dollar” industry, and how his company, as a part of that wellness pie, will eventually scale into a multi-trillion-dollar company.
“Why wouldn’t it?” he asks. “I’m more significant than Steve Jobs.”
Because millions of people visit the Mercola website for information and to buy supplements, Dr. Noc ended his video by explaining that he hopes people will think twice about vetting their sources of health information before consuming content and/or buying supplements online.
“I’m not here to tell you that no supplements or wellness things ever have value,” he notes. “In some cases, for some people, they certainly do. My only goal here is to make you think twice about the sources behind the claims that you’re seeing on social media.”
You can also watch the full hour-long video on Dr. Mercola and his “psychic” from the McGill Office for Science and Society on YouTube.
