Dr. Josh Axe

Who is Dr. Josh Axe?

The story starts at home. When Josh was a teenager his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. She went through conventional treatment and survived — but the treatment left her depleted, and for the next ten years she battled serious health problems, including chronic fatigue, depression and a weakened immune system.4

Then, twelve years after her first diagnosis, the cancer came back. In 2006, during the final year of his medical training in functional medicine and chiropractic care, she was diagnosed with lung cancer and given a 40% chance to live. This time she made a different decision: she forwent conventional treatment and went all-natural — a protocol built on nutrient-dense foods, vegetable juicing, herbs, and prayer. Within months her scans showed the tumors shrinking, and she went on to be declared cancer-free — living with more energy and joy than she had known in decades. Watching her transformation set the course of his life.4

In 2008 he opened his natural medicine clinic in Nashville and spent the following years doing the work most people only write about: helping thousands of patients — from families to professional and Olympic athletes, including Team USA athletes at the 2012 London Games — reverse chronic conditions through food, targeted supplements, and lifestyle medicine.2 DrAxe.com carried that clinical knowledge to the world and became one of the most-visited natural health websites anywhere; Ancient Nutrition brought bone broth protein and collagen to the mainstream; PBS specials and regular appearances on The Dr. Oz Show brought the message to television; and his books made him a three-time New York Times bestselling author.135 Today his clinical work continues through The Health Institute virtual practice, co-owned with Dr. Will Cole, and The Longevity Clinic in Franklin, Tennessee.

Dr. Josh Axe's credentials and education

A DNM is a Doctor of Natural Medicine, focused on natural and lifestyle-based therapeutics. A DC is a Doctor of Chiropractic — a licensed, doctorate-level clinical degree, which he earned at Palmer College of Chiropractic, the founding institution of the profession.2 The CNS is the Certified Nutrition Specialist credential — an advanced, board-certified qualification in clinical nutrition. Before his doctorate, he studied at the University of Kentucky, where he competed on a national-championship triathlon team.6 In 2023, he graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a Master of Science in Leadership.7

In practice, that training translated into a specific kind of clinical work: reviewing lab testing, investigating the underlying contributors to chronic health problems, and building individualized programs of nutrition, targeted supplements, movement, and lifestyle change — the model he practiced with thousands of patients at his Nashville clinic — including professional and Olympic athletes — and continues today through The Health Institute and The Longevity Clinic.2

The Health Institute: his virtual practice

The model is the same one that helped thousands of patients at his Nashville clinic: test deeply, find the drivers, then build a program — customized diet, targeted supplements, movement, and lifestyle change — matched to the person's unique biology. The virtual format simply removes the drive: care is delivered anywhere in the world by webcam, with ongoing practitioner support.

The data engine behind it is CellRx, his root-cause blood test program: a panel of bloodwork markers scored through the Cellular Health Index (CHI) across the heart, liver, kidneys, brain, pancreas, and thyroid, paired with a personalized consult and plan.

The Longevity Clinic — Franklin, Tennessee

Where the virtual practice handles what a webcam can, The Longevity Clinic delivers what it can't — the hands-on and technology-driven therapies:

Many of these are the same therapies Dr. Axe credits in his own recovery — regenerative medicine, hyperbaric oxygen, and nutrition — now offered to patients in one place. Learn more about the science behind them in our guides to red light therapy and peptides.

The companies Dr. Josh Axe founded

The portfolio rounds out with Leaders.com, the leadership media company he founded in 2021, and CellRx, his blood test and bloodwork-analysis program.

Dr. Josh Axe's health philosophy and approach

The through-line is the conviction that runs through everything he builds: the body was designed to heal, and the most powerful tools are the oldest ones — ground covered across our guides to leaky gut, the ketogenic diet, and the most nutrient-dense foods on earth.

Dr. Josh Axe books — and which one to read first

The Dr. Josh Axe Show

The show is where his worlds meet: deep clinical conversations, healing stories, and faith on the table without apology. Recent guests include:

Carrie UnderwoodHealth, faith & life at the highest level

Dr. Mark HymanFood, functional medicine & longevity

Gary BreckaBiomarkers, breathwork & human optimization

Dr. Mehmet OzMedicine, media & longevity

Subscribe at draxe.com/podcast — and if you enjoy the show, the companion is The Art of Being Well with Dr. Will Cole.

In the media: PBS and The Dr. Oz Show

Before podcasts, millions met Dr. Axe on television.

Watch Dr. Axe

Hundreds of teachings on food as medicine, healing, and faith — on YouTube and DrAxe.com.

Dr. Josh Axe supplements

His supplement philosophy matches his clinical one: target real gaps rather than mega-stacks — foundations like collagen, omega-3s, vitamin D, magnesium, probiotics, and adaptogenic herbs, matched to the person and ideally guided by lab work. On DrAxe.com, every supplement ingredient is evaluated independently through the computed Dr. Axe Score — Some of his most recommended are: vitamin D, magnesium glycinate, omega-3 fatty acids, collagen, probiotics, and creatine.

Is Dr. Josh Axe a Christian?

Faith is not a footnote in his work — it is the foundation. He believes we are called to love God, love people, and make the earth a heavenly place, and that healing engages the whole person: body, mind, and spirit.4 That conviction runs through The Biblio Diet, the way he tells his own recovery story — prayer first, alongside the best of regenerative medicine — and The Dr. Josh Axe Show, where he often shares his own faith and gives guests room to share theirs, in conversations with Craig Groeschel, Candace Cameron Bure, Tim Tebow, Carrie Underwood, and Erwin McManus. It is also why DrAxe.com covers prayer for healing with the same seriousness as nutrition.

Questions people have about Dr. Josh Axe's approach

How is his approach different from conventional medicine?

Conventional care is organized around diagnosing a condition and managing it, usually with medication — the same protocol for every person with the same diagnosis. His model starts from the opposite conviction: personalized medicine. He develops precise protocols for each individual based on their history and testing, because the patient he cares for with cancer, hormone imbalance, or gut issues each has different needs. Personalized nutrition and personalized medicine sit at the center of his philosophy, along with treating the whole person — body, mind, and spirit — with conventional medicine as the essential partner for acute and emergency care. The way he practices is by recommending holistic protocols: prescribing a specific diet, supplements, lifestyle changes, therapies and prayer to get the highest level of results. He says this approach is how he has helped thousands heal the most challenging conditions. Our full functional medicine guide covers the model and its evidence in depth.

What kind of doctor is he?

A doctorate-trained natural health practitioner: Doctor of Natural Medicine, Doctor of Chiropractic (Palmer College), and board-certified clinical nutritionist (CNS). His clinical work has always centered on nutrition, lab-guided programs, and lifestyle medicine — the model he practiced with thousands of patients at his Nashville clinic and continues through The Health Institute and The Longevity Clinic.2

Where is the evidence strongest?

The tools his programs lean on — whole-food nutrition, gut-health restoration, supplementation, exercise, sleep, and stress care — carry substantial published research, which DrAxe.com cites study-by-study across its guides. Where evidence is still developing is around his views on personalized nutrition, integrative cancer therapies like high-dose vitamin C, and regenerative medicine like peptides and stem cells.

Career timeline

Frequently asked questions about Dr. Josh Axe