Smart Publications

Clarifying the Complex World of Nutrition Science

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John Morgenthaler

John Morgenthaler

John Morgenthaler has been active in the field of nutritional medicine since 1986 when he launched a business that assisted AIDS groups in sourcing hard-to-get, experimental treatments. One of those treatments was DHEA, which did not become an over-the-counter nutritional supplement until 1995.

In 1990, John teamed up with Ward Dean, M.D. to create the book Smart Drugs & Nutrients, which became an international bestseller. The book shocked and offended people on both sides of the "drugs versus nutrients" divide because it did not take sides. The book discussed many pharmacological tools that are effective and particularly safe, and discussed many beneficial nutrients that have solid science behind them. The tension between these two camps was so strong that health food stores initially refused to carry the book.

The controversy put John in the limelight. He appeared on the Today Show, Larry King Live, 20/20, and Phil Donahue, and was interviewed in Time, Newsweek, Playboy, New York Times, Rolling Stone, Details, and Cosmopolitan.

It was this book that launched Smart Publications, John’s publishing company, which to this day remains neutral and unbiased in the “drugs versus nutrients” debate.

Over the next few years John co-authored several other books including Smart Drugs II, Stop the FDA, Better Sex Through Chemistry, Natural Hormone Replacement for Women over 45 with Jonathan Wright, M.D., and GHB: The Natural Mood Enhancer. He has also published articles in respected alternative medicine journals such as the Townsend Letter.

In 1995, John co-founded a nutritional supplement company and in three years built it up to a $4 million per year operation before selling his shares.

Since then, John and his team of editors and researchers at Smart Publications have dedicated themselves to reviewing, interpreting, publishing, and disseminating the latest discoveries and breakthroughs in nutrition and medical science. His two monthly newsletters, Smart Publications Health & Wellness Update, and Longevity Medicine Review, both have an impressive track record in regards to alerting the public and practitioners to both the benefits and possible dangers of pharmaceuticals and dietary supplements, as well as to the larger issues that surround the healthcare industry.

John, through Smart Publications, was one of the first to promote the use of bio-identical hormones for women over 45 in place of the much more dangerous synthetic analogs.

However, he is quick to add that he is not all about good news – the negative scientific results are just as important. For instance, John was the first to widely announce the dangers of saw palmetto and the possible negative effects of high doses of alpha tocopheral (a vitamin E isomer), beta carotene (a vitamin A), and riboflavin (B2).

Today, John travels the world looking for breakthrough nutraceuticals and anti-aging therapies. He also continues to publish cutting-edge nutrition and medical science books and periodicals. The most recent book from Smart Publications, released in 2007, is The Eggplant Cancer Cure: A Treatment for Skin Cancer and New Hope for Other Cancers from Nature's Pharmacy By Dr. Bill E. Cham.

John and his family reside in Petaluma, California. He keeps fit by surfing, hiking, playing tennis, snowboarding, and trying to keep up with his three young boys… and, of course, by sticking to a good diet and his extensive regimen of health enhancing nutrients, bio-identical hormones, and smart drugs. 

John can be found in a variety of places online including: Facebook, Twitter, and  Google Profiles.

Articles by John Morgenthaler