On-line Search for Health Info

This article has been updated. It was originally posted September 2019.

If you like to do your own health research on-line, you should know that censorship has hit the natural health industry with a vengeance.

It was already bad enough in late 2019 that Dr. Joseph Mercola, who has one of the largest and longest running alternative health websites, decided to leave Facebook, leaving behind 1.8 million followers. By the end of 2021 he was forced to remove 25 years of archived natural health articles from his website.

Originally, the natural health censorship started banning certain topics like alternative cancer therapies and pro-choice vaccine information. Then it moved on to natural health therapies and health freedom websites.

Now many of the top alternative health websites and social media platforms, including those by licensed medical doctors, are being affected. If you search for a specific health-related topic, previously popular links are no longer being provided.

Google was one of the first to change their search algorithms, essentially removing millions of natural health-related search results from their formally prominent positions, which in turn greatly skews the search results towards main stream medicine. Bing has been shown to use preprogrammed search suggestions that manipulates the wording of certain health topics. Most other browsers have followed suit, including most recently DuckDuckGo.

Pinterest has also banned certain health-related subject matter. Facebook has selectively dropped entire user groups. MailChimp has shut down and in some cases wiped out large email accounts. Even Amazon has banned many books that discuss alternative health topics like vaccines.

What Sites Have Been Affected?

Some of the biggest names in the alternative health and integrative medicine industry have been effected. In fact, you will probably recognize many of them: Dr. Mercola, Dr. Weil, WellnessMama, GreenMedInfo, NaturalNews, OrganicFacts, LiveStrong, Dr. Axe, MindBodyGreen, EatThis, just to name a few.

I have frequented many of these sites over the years – reading studies, looking for recipes, getting other opinions, etc. I have met some of the people that started these sites and/or listened to them speak at conferences. They are educated, knowledgeable, good people trying to help others.

During the past two years, many additional licensed medical doctors have been de-platformed and even discredited for their health-improving and immune-building protocols. Sadly, this included medical doctors who had proven methods for reversing the symptoms of the current virus.

What Can You Do?

Fortunately, many of these websites and newsletter platforms have found alternative hosting and emailing platforms.

There are a few things you can do to stay connected and keep informed:

• Start using alternative browsers. The best one I know of at this time is Brave, which continues to be unbiased and will not pull content off their sites (unless required by law). Brave protects your privacy, it will block ads, and it gives you the option of blocking scripts. After downloading the app be sure to also go to settings to set the search engine to Brave as well. (If you are more tech savvy, you can subscribe to a VPN provider and connect to a server in a country that has less censorship.)
• If you have not already done so, subscribe to the newsletters found on your favorite alternative health websites, so you can stay connected. (See list below to help you get started. To further protect their content, some of the sites have switched to paid subscription-type models.)
• Build your own library of natural health information. Most of these sites have great internal search capabilities. Bookmark pages that may be helpful in the future. Better yet, download pertinent information and/or cut and paste into a Word document so you have the information handy when you need it. Start your own collection of health-related books.
• Share what you learn with others both on-line and in person. Just knowing that there is more than one way to heal can be very comforting for someone who does not feel well.

Where Do Your Start?

To help you get started, I have compiled an updated list of some of my favorite sites on a wide variety of topics. Check them out, bookmark them, and signup to the ones that call to you. Share them with people you know.

• GreenMedInfo – Founded by Sayer Ji, GreenMedInfo is a database of news, articles, and published studies that are geared towards alternative health and natural remedies. His newsletters keep you informed of breaking health-related news. www.greenmedinfo.com
• Dr. Mercola – Joseph Mercola, MD started one of the first and most respected alternative health websites. He stays ahead of the curve, researching studies and interviewing many experts in the field. (Currently his articles are only posted for a total of 48 hours.) www.mercola.com
• WellnessMama – Started as a blog and podcast by a mom of six, Katie Wells provides tons of great information on how to raise a natural family and live in a healthy home. www.wellnessmama.com
• Natural Family Living – Husband and wife team, the Zielinski’s have created a resource for making and using your own essential oil products among other things. www.naturalfamilyliving.com
• Healthy Kids Happy Kids – Holistic pediatrician and mom Elisa Song, MD provides many helpful articles and protocols on her website, covering many children’s health-related issues relevant in today’s world. www.healthykidshappykids.com
• Dr. Roseanne Capanna-Hodge – Dr. Roseanne is another champion of children’s health, concentrating more on their mental health. www.drroseann.com
• Conscious Medicine – Dr. Kim D’Eramo has a great way of explaining how our mind affects our physical health. She has a weekly podcast too. wwwdrkimderamo.com
• Zach Bush MD – Originally a triple certified medical doctor and now educator of a healthy microbiome and so much more. He is on a mission to change our inner terrain, our soil, our water ways, and how we view the world. www.zachbushmd.com
• Dr. Brighten – Her work concentrates on female issues including birth control and hormones. www.drbrighten.com (Also has great book called Beyond the Pill.)
• Isa Herrera – Another advocate of women’s health, specializing in pelvic healing. She has multiple online self-help programs. www.pelvicpainrelief.com
• TruthAboutCancer – After multiple family members died of cancer, Ty and Charlene Bollinger have search the world for alternative therapies and healing strategies for cancer. www.thetruthaboutcancer.com
• ChrisBeatCancer – Another perspective on healing cancer naturally from Chris Wark, who learned how to heal his own cancer. His site includes many interviews with cancer survivors. www.chrisbeatcancer.com
• Dr. Mowll – His specialty is reducing blood sugar in the body and reversing Type 2 diabetes. www.drmowll.com
• Natural Heart Doctor – Board certified cardiologist Dr. Jack Wolfson regularly posts articles and videos about heart health. www.naturalheartdoctor.com
• EnvironmentalHealthTrust – Founded by Devra Lee Davis, this organization keeps people informed of EMF and wireless radiation news around the world, in the US, and in our schools. www.ehtrust.org
• ResponsibleTechnology – Founded by Jeffrey Smith, this is the go-to source for the latest information on GMOs (genetically modified foods). www.responsibletechnology.org

For those of you that are interested in natural ways to build the immune system and assist the body during current times (much of which can be done at home), here are some trusted sources: Early Treatment Protocol, World Council for Health Early Treatment Guidelines, and Z-Protocols.

And, of course, my website (www.sharonharmon.com) is full of great health-related information including many articles on EMFs and wireless radiation safety, the gut-brain connection, children's health, gluten and GMOs, toxins, healthy lifestyle and much more, including books and on-line courses.

Be Proactive

If you have followed me for a while, you know that I am all about empowering a person when it comes to good health. You need to do your own research and take charge of your own body. That means researching both conventional methods and alternative methods, so you can decide what feels right for you.

Armed with this information you can ask your medical doctors and/or alternative health practitioners the important questions, allowing you to make good health decisions for yourself and your family. Also know that it may take the advice of more than one expert to help you figure things out.

There is so much that can be healed naturally without drastic medical intervention or long term use of medications. . . if you know where to look and who to ask.