My wife is one of the 1.5 million subscribers to Dr. Mercola’s electronic newsletter that is published 3 times each week. 

Yesterday, she came charging into my study with a fist full of papers and fire in her eyes.   Once I calmed her down a bit and found out that I hadn’t done anything wrong, I breathed a sigh of relief.  Then I read over the printout of the recent story by Dr. Mercola and went online and watched the video of the interview that accompanied the story.

A Peek Inside Dr. Mercola’s marketing empire:

According to published facts, in 2004, Mercola’s newsletter had 850,000 subscribers, and 15 employees, including 3 editors working on his newsletter.  Now that the newsletter has almost doubled in size, I imagine his newsletter now employs 25 staff members or more. 

His newsletter is famous for providing a review of 200 medical studies that are released each week. Imagine the pressure placed on Mercoal’s staff to review 200 articles and write 3 newsletter each week.  While 200 reviews is a lot to cover, not many of them make for interesting reading.  So, Dr. Mercola’s staff has to search for “sexy” topics, and very few topics are as “sexy” as the safety of our drinking water.  When you throw in a bit of controversy, the subject makes for more sensational reading.  

Mercola doesn’t do the research himself.  I doubt if he does more than read over what is being publishes.   I know how much effort goes into the research that I do, and I can tell you for sure than no single human being could crank out what the Mercola newsletter cranks out three times per week.   The man is a doctor, a writer, a video reporter, he owns the world’s largest health related website, and his marketing company is huge.   Do you think the guy maybe spreads himself a little too thin?

How can Mercola afford such a large and expensive research staff? 

I did a quick check of Mercola’s website this morning and found 104 featured items, all with product pictures that are easy to purchase with the click of a button.   I have no idea how many hundreds or even thousands of products he actually sells.  What he does tell us is that he would never sell a product he doesn’t use.  Hmmmm.

Here is a clip that I copied from his Affiliate Program listed on his webstite that gives you an idea of what his real motive in all about:

Affiliate Program

Here’s what makes our new affiliate program so powerful:

• We do the selling for you. Our toolkit will create lifetime commissions for you.
• As a Mercola.com Affiliate, there is no limit to your commission. Our commissions start at 15% on all products for every customer you refer! This can translate into hundreds of dollars of extra income a month for you!
• You earn .20 cents per subscriber lead if you choose to offer this option to your clients!
• Bullet-proof tracking system makes sure you get the commission. System tracks with cookies.
• Turn-key tools ready for your promotions. We have everything ready for you to generate income and serve the health and wellness of your clients! You’ll receive ready-to-go promotional tools! Not just banners to post up to your site (although you will get banners also). You’ll get everything you need to start generating orders right away!
• You can always check your stats and visitors in real-time to see how you’re doing.

Sign up for our Affiliate Program NOW

Do you really think Dr. Mercola operates his newsletter for the benefit of mankind?  Everything this man does, he does with an agenda.   Before you start accusing me of “the pot calling the kettle black” please be aware that I don’t sell anything and I don’t get paid for writing this blog. 

Why am I Writing about Mercola?

I’m the first to congratulate Mercola on the information that he provides in his newsletters.  However, his recent attack on alkaline ionized water and the machines that produce them is a disgrace.

You would think that Mercola would rely upon his large and sophisticated research team to actually perform proper due diligence and fact checking before writing about such an important subject as water.  But no, he didn’t do the work.  Instead, he brought in his water ionizer expert Houston Tomasz.  The problem is that Houston Tomasz is the VP of Aquasana water filters and knows absolutely nothing about water ionizers.  But, he does make water filters that Dr. Mercola sells on his website. 

Neither Tomasz or Mercola have ever drank ionized water.  They have never tested the water, and obviously, they have never done any proper research on the water.

Mercola says in his article that he interviewed two other “experts” on the subject along with the infamous Mr. Tomasz.  I wonder if Dr. Mercola will publish the names of the other so-called experts.   I doubt he ever spoke to an actual expert at all, but then Mercola doesn’t always let facts or the truth interfere with what he publishes.  Nobody that knows anything about water ionizers would support Mercola’s ridiculous attempt to self promote himself with a fluff piece like what he reported.

If Mercola really wanted to learn about water ionizers, why didn’t he contact people that actually know something about them.  He could have spoken to Bob Mccauley, or Jay Hare, or myself, or Ronnie Ruiz, or Gavin Davidson, or others who actually know what they are talking about.  Such a complete lack of due diligence leaves no doubt about Mercola’s agenda with his article and video.

A Summary of the Mercola Article on Water Ionizers:

The article starts out well, as Mercola talks about the importance of water and the need to replace soda and other sugar based beverages in our diet with water…..good stuff.   He then continues on talking about the importance of filtering our drinking water as our municipalities do a poor job of removing dangerous contaminants…..more good stuff.  He should have quit while he was ahead.  Unfortunately, providing useful information was not enough for Mercola as there is no money in it and there is no controversy.

Mercola proceeds to start talking about ionized water, which he obviously knows absolutely nothing about, and consequently lays the groundwork for making a complete fool of himself.  

Mercola’s artice is so bereft of real information that he ends up using the old ”Snake Oil on Tap” line from the quackwatch guy Stephen Lower as a internal headline in the article.  Lower has been “outted” a number of times and has admitted that the water probably works. I wrote an article about this guy that you can see at:  http://www.waterfyi.com/alkaline-water/exposing-the-quack-behind-the-alkaline-water-quackwatchers/.

He talks about his inability to find a scientific justification for the machines, which means he didn’t do his homework.   He then states that consumers “ fall under the spell of skilled marketers who selectively misuse pseudo scientific information” and twist the around to scare people into buying.  This from the man that has been warned repeatedly by the FDA for making false claims (see  http://www.casewatch.org/fdawarning/prod/2006/mercola2.shtml).

The article then talks about the MLM pricing silliness, which I must agree with, but it fails to reflect all the hard work done by the MLM dealers to make people aware of the product. 

Mercola goes on to admit that many people do notice an improvement in their health initially, but he attributes the improvement to other things and is convinced that drinking ionized water is not a good strategy over the long term.  He then provides a “strong recommendation to avoid alkaline water ionizers”.  The man has never drank a drop of the water in his life and hasn’t done any tests, and hasn’t done any research. 

He goes on to provide a decent explanation of pH, but then seems to lose his concentration or else he is trying to baffle the reader with BS.  He talks about the misguided efforts of the World Health Organization (WHO) and then launches into  a list of studies about plants and fish that have absolutely nothing to do with ionized water and human beings. 

He then quotes studies that argue against alkalinity with respect to treating cancer.  Obviously, the man has never seen or learned about the post-mortem results of an organ that was full of cancer, or he just hasn’t done his research. 

There are a few things that Mercola said that I do agree with. 

I agree with his statement that the relationship between alkalinity and cancer has been oversimplified.  The scientific and medical communities are only just beginning to investigate what eastern medicine has known for a long time, so research does need to be done. 

Mercola also stated that alkaline water is not cancer’s magic bullet and he is correct.  However, I have been privy to some pretty incredible results that have been achieved when cancer patients started drinking ionized water.  I don’t think anyone has to drink ionized water, as they can obtain the same positive results through a proper alkaline diet. 

I also agree with his statement that water ionizers are not filters.  While the ionizers all have a filter to remove chlorine from the water, they are not sufficient to remove the many contaminants found in our water supply.  Unfortunately, he goes into an extended discussion about whether or not water filters are certified, which he has done in an effort to scare people into buying his filters….oh well, there goes the roll that he was on.

A Summary of the Houston/Mercola Interview

I wasted 16 minutes of my life watching the interview of Dr. Mercola interviewing Mr. Tomasz, who was never properly introduced in the video.   

Mr. Tomasz has spent 10 years selling water purification systems, but knows absolutely nothing about water ionizers.  Despite his total lack of knowledge or understanding of the subject, Mr. Tomasz tells us that he would never use a water ionizer and that they won’t last long on the market.  The worst part is that Mercola agrees and then tells us that water ionizers could actually be dangerous.  Water ionizers have been around for thirty years in Asia and have helped hundreds of thousands of families.   I have researched long and hard and have never been able to find a formal complaint or lawsuit being leveled against a water ionizer company.  Mercola just looks like an amateur shill.  Both Houston and Mercola embarrassed themselves with their statements, and they will both eventually regret their predictions that water ionizer won’t survive for much longer.

To be fair to Mr. Tomasz, I do agree with his statement that everyone should use a pre-filter to remove contaminants found in our water supply.   I also agree with his statement that water ionizers are not built to take all the contaminants out of the water.  The man does know something about filters.  His statement about the effects of an MLM system pushing the price of water ionizers higher than than they should be is true, but he is certainly not qualified to speak about it as an expert since he knows nothing about the machine.

I didn’t write this article to bash Mercola.  I have read some of his stuff and I like the fact  that he provides free information and he is not afraid to buck the establishment.  He just missed the mark with his article and video on ionized water and I just couldn’t let it go because his opinions are sought after by so many people .   The fact that my wife is now off my case is also a bonus!

Related posts:

1. Marketing hype in the water ionizer industry
2. Two Things that Bother me about Multi Level Marketing and Ionized Water.

The simple truth is that ionized or ”Kangen” water can help your body heal itself of many ailments that people face on a day to day basis.  Your body is capable of working brilliantly, but it needs the right fuel mixture, just like any other machine.  Abuse the machine, and the performance deteriorates rapidly and often permanently.  Take care of the machine, and it will work tirelessly for a lifetime.  The great news is that all water ionizers are effective in regards to helping your body heal itself. 

How can something so good be known by so few? 

The level of awareness of water ionizers in many countries in Asia is virtually 100%. How can it be that more than 99% of people in the United States and Canada have never heard of these simple but effective machines despite the fact they have been available here for 8 years? 

The simple answer is that nobody is telling the story.  Let me refine that statement… nobody except the dedicated Enagic dealers have been telling the story.  The water ionizer industry in North America owes its entire existence to the efforts made by Enagic dealers.  

Enagic dealers are just regular people who have discovered that drinking ionized water changed their lives.  When the owners of Enagic water ionizers start seeing positive results, they share the information with others.  This process has been going on, one person at a time since 2004.  The dealers of the Enagic MLM system have sold tens of thousands of machines, which is a huge accomplishment.  However, the number still represents less than one Enagic unit for every five thousand homes in the USA and Canada.   As you can see, Enagic has only scratched the surface when it comes to awareness of water ionizers.  Enagic representatives have done a fantastic job with effective demonstrations and providing education about ionized water during their meetings with prospective clients, but the work has only begun.   

While the Enagic system has been successful, it has the same fatal flaw that eventually ruins most MLM systems.  The flaw is the high price that is charged for the units.  At a price of $3,980, the units are just too expensive for the average person to pay for drinking water.   The price issue is accentuated by the fact that competitive products offered by more traditional distribution systems offer excellent products at much lower prices.

When I was in the water ionizer business, virtually all of my sales were made to people who had been introduced to ionized “kangen water” by an Enagic dealer.  Everyone that contacted me wanted to purchase an Enagic SD501, but the high price turned them off.  As competitors, we would direct potential customers who had been educated by Enagic dealers to the “independent” review sites that offered machines producing similar results for half the cost. Enagic dealers would typically respond to the price difference by bashing our products as being inferior. We would refer to the 8 levels of sales commission paid out for Enagic machines under the MLM system, and presto, the sale was made.  

I suspect that if the price of the Enagic SD501 was under $2,000, the dealers would sell five to ten times as many machines because of the great work done by the Enagic dealers.  Instead, sales are lost to other companies, or the sales are lost because people want the Enagic Sd501 or nothing at all, or sales are lost because people get turned off by the entire process.  Since my goal is to get people drinking ionized water, regardless of the brand, I find it disturbing that so many more people could be drinking the water.  

As time progresses and awareness of the payout structure of Enagic increases, Enagic’s well deserved role as the industry leader will continue to erode.  Additional pressures are building for Enagic dealers who are now faced with updated models offered by Sanastec via the traditional means of distribution.  Now, Vollara has popped up presenting itself as an MLM alternative to Enagic with an untried product that sells for half the cost of the SD501.  The same pattern happens over and over again to MLM organizations, and the dealers often move on to other MLM products as they see the writing on the wall.  I believe it would be a shame for Enagic dealers to move on to other MLM endeavors, because it is the water ionizers themselves that are important, not the MLM system.

I have had a number of high ranking Enagic 5A and 6A dealers contact me recently expressing great concern about the future of Enagic.  The Enagic dealers had always been under the impression that the Enagic machines were superior to all other products.  This impression allowed the dealers to sell their units at $3,980 with a clear conscience.  They correctly believed that nothing is more important than your health, so it was logical for people to pay more for the “best” product.  Enagic dealers believed for years that they were providing a valuable public service to people by telling them that the competitive products were inferior.  As the reality that other machines are as good or even better than Enagic struck home, many Enagic leading dealers have been devastated.  It is easy to understand their frustration, because they are good people who are passionate about helping others.    

My concern is that many of the great Enagic dealers are going to become discouraged and stop educating others about ionized water.  I believe that it is imperative that we keep these incredibly valuable people working with water.  If you are an Enagic dealer who is feeling angry, or if you just feel like giving up, don’t quit!  The game is still in its infancy and we need people like you to continue the education process.     

If you are still experiencing success with Enagic, keep doing what you are doing.  However, you might want to consider investigating other brands that are less expensive.  I can assure you that they are effective.  If you have customers that can’t afford the SD501, put yourself in a position to offer other great products at lower prices.  You know from your own experience that the water works.   

If this article applies to you, but you don’t know where to start, contact me.  I will be happy to take time to answer your questions.  I will provide facts and tell you the truth, without a sales pitch.   There are lots of good machines on the market to choose from.  I believe the key to success is to find people with strong business ethics who will support your efforts.  It will be very difficult to find anyone with a support system as strong as Enagic, but there are good people out there.  My goal is to increase the awareness of the water and I believe that Enagic dealers are the “best of the best” when it comes to educating others about water.  Since I can use all the help I can get, I’m at your service.  

The opinions in this article are those of the author.

Related posts:

1. Praising Enagic for Building Awareness of Kangen (Ionized) Water