Dr.Garber’s Blog

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The positive effects attained by homeopathic medicines are often attributed by homeopathy’s detractors to the placebo effect. This phenomenon, while misunderstood by many as something that is not real, is nonetheless a very real part of the human experience. This is why drug studies are conducted as “placebo-controlled” trials - to allow for the fact that participants in the trial will manifest symptoms whether they are given the actual drug being tested or a sugar pill (the placebo.)

To discover whether or not people taking homeopathic medicines are subject to a greater placebo effect than pharmaceutical drugs, as the critics of homeopathy claim, German investigators conducted a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. The study concluded that the placebo effect is no greater in homeopathy than with conventional drugs:

Homeopathy. 2010 Jan;99(1):76-82.

Placebo effect sizes in homeopathic compared to conventional drugs - a systematic review of randomised controlled trials.

Nuhn T, Lüdtke R, Geraedts M.

Klinik Roderbirken, Roderbirken 1, 42799 Leichlingen, Germany.

Abstract:

PMID: 20129180 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

A new study has shown the efficacy of homeopathic medicines in the treatment of moderate to severe depression. The study, conducted at the outpatient clinic at Jundiaí Medical School (Faculdade de Medicina de Jundiaí, São Paulo, Brazil) is the first randomized controlled double-blind trial with a reasonable number of subjects to draw conclusions about the homeopathic treatment of depression. Homeopathy is recognized as a medical specialty in Brazil.

Published in eCAM (an online journal of the Oxford University Press) this study showed that individually selected homeopathic remedies were as effective and were safer than Fluorxetin (Prozac.) You can read the entire study at  http://ecam.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/nep114v1

This is a very exciting study that will go a long way towards the furthering of quality homeopathic research. The study did use individually selected remedies for each participant which ultimately is the best way to treat any illness. For people who don’t have access to a homeopathic physician and are looking for a non-pharmaceutical  approach to dealing with depression, my biotherapy formula for depression has been shown to be a safe and effective way to help with this problem as well as the stress of everyday life.

Suicides are on the rise because of this economy. People are stalled in their lives due to fear and uncertainty. President Roosevelt was right when he said “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Let’s turn that darkness into light.

HELP ME HELP THE WORLD!

My formulas for Sleep, Anxiety and Depression will help you, your friends and loved ones better deal with today’s unprecedented challenges. Without the harmful side effects of pharmaceuticals. They are safe and effective and have been prescribed successfully by doctors to thousands of patients over the years. Together we can help millions!

HELP ME HELP THE WORLD!

Because this is so important to me, and I know that money is tight for everyone, from now through Independence Day (July 4, 2009) you will be able to buy Dr. Garber’s Natural Solutions for Sleep, Anxiety and Depression at 50% off the retail price. Buy for yourself and for someone you know who could use a helping hand. To order, click on the following links: Sleep, Anxiety, Depression.

Together we can get through this and bring a sense of well being to everyone we know.

HELP ME HELP THE WORLD!

Thank you for your support.

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Recently a friend heard that I thought ordering an egg- whites only omelette was not a good idea and asked for an explanation. She was under the impression, as many are, that this was the more preferable, healthier way to eat eggs. After all, It had all of the protein and none of the fat. Precisely why it is not healthy. There is not a single source of protein found in nature that is not accompanied by some fat. It is this protein/fat combination that allows both to be properly assimilated by the body, availing it of all the nutrients that each has to offer. Protein without it’s accompanying fat is acidifies the body, predisposing the body to many degenerative diseases, from arthritis to cancer. It’s yet another example of the synergy of whole foods. If you’re concerned about the fat, or the cholesterol, or the whatever - eat less of the thing - but eat it in the way nature intended it. You’ll get more out of it - more pleasure and more nutirition.

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The successful use of homeopathic remedies for disease prevention has been around for over 200 years, even before Jenner developed his smallpox vaccine, with documented studies dating back to 1907. Known as homeoprophylaxis, and commonly (although not quite accurately) called homeopathic vaccination, the process makes use of special homeopathic remedies called nosodes. I discussed the use of one particular homeopathic nosode, Influenzinum, in my recent blog post on swine flu.

Now, the largest known trial of homeopathy for disease prevention has been conducted with remarkable results. Researchers at Cuba’s Finlay Institute, a scientific organization that researches and produces vaccines, recently reported on their successful use of a homeopathic remedy to prevent an outbreak of Leptospirosis, a tropical bacterial disease. 2.4 million at-risk Cuban’s received the Leptospirosis nosode prepared by the Finlay Institute and administered through the Ministry of Health’s public health system infrastructure. Epidemiologists noted a “dramatic decrease in morbidity” and also that confirmed cases were “at low levels and below the expected levels.”

The Finlay Institute has offered it’s facilities and specialists “to all regions needing emergent alternatives for epidemic control and prevention.” The low cost and ease of administration of homeopathic nosodes has the potential to make a huge impact on the world’s health, especially in countries where public health measures are still substandard.

The calls and emails have been pouring in, asking what to do about this swine flu epidemic. The first and most important thing to do is not panic. I believe this whole thing is being blown way out of proportion by the media (what a surprise!) and being fueled by fear.

There is much circulating on the internet right now, telling us the where and why, what to do and what not to do, including conspiracy theories that this mounting pandemic is the result of some secret government tampering, and web sites selling an endless supply of face masks and antimicrobial soaps and sprays. No doubt this deluge of information, misinformation and nonsense has got you even  more confused. Here are my recommendations:

Everything you would do to prevent getting each year’s seasonal flu is exactly what you need to be doing now. A strong immune system is your best defense. Try to avoid crowds and stay well nourished with an adequate intake of both macro-nutrients (high quality proteins, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats) and micro-nutrients (vitamins, minerals and phyto-nutrients.) Especially important are those micro-nutrients which support the immune system such as vitamins A, C and D, the B vitamins and minerals such as zinc. Take the time to properly cool down after exercise. After a hard workout your immune system is temporarily depressed, making you more susceptible. Wash your hands often using regular soap and warm water. Avoid antibacterial soaps - they are no more effective and contribute to the creation of antibiotic resistant bacteria.

For those of you who believe that getting a flu shot will actually help prevent your getting the flu, well, you may have a bit of a wait. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that at best, a vaccine for the swine flu is still several months away. But homeopathy offers a preventative strategy that is available now. From a homeopathic viewpoint, it makes no difference whether we are dealing with swine flu or avian flu or x, y or z flu. They are all similar enough to each other that any flu virus will respond to a homeopathic remedy made from any strain. I have been using this strategy in my practice for several years now with great success. The remedy is Influenzinum 9C and as a preventative is is taken in five doses over a two month period. If you are a patient of mine you have probably already taken a course of this remedy at the beginning of the current flu season. If you have not, the five dose course can be obtained from Homeopathic Educational Services in Berkeley, CA. If you have already started experiencing symptoms of the flu, another homeopathic remedy which has been well documented as being effective in treating flu symptoms is Oscillococcinum.

We are all inundated with far too much when we sit down at our computers. I promised when I started this blog that I would make my posts informative but also concise and succinct - in a word, readable. I hope I have done that here. If you have the time and are looking for additional information on this issue, please  check out the links I have provided below, which are from sources I find reliable. But either way, do take a moment to view the short video I have linked to at the end of this post, “Aporkalypse Now.”

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/28/regular.flu/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

http://www.naturalnews.com/026156.html

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/29/Swine-Flu.aspx

From Tara Parker-Pope’s blog in the NY Times today: “And if you’re tired of fretting about swine flu, you can join the folks at Gawker who are complaining about the alarmist nature of the swine flu reporting. Check out their “Aporkalypse Now.”

Anytime a patient comes to see me and gets the help they are looking for with their particular health challenges, I am pleased. What I find particularly rewarding, though, is when I get the chance to help a woman who is having trouble getting pregnant, or maintaining her pregnancy, finally have a baby, and to do so without the high costs, frustrations and, most of all, without the side effects of most fertility treatment.

I know this is a very emotional area for most women, and many men too. It’s certainly understandable that when such an important life event seems to be eluding you, you want to explore every option. When you read the comments on any fertility blog or website they run the gamut from those who say they experienced “some side effects” but felt they were worth it now that they had their baby, to those who experienced more severe side effects, or were bed-ridden for most of their pregnancies, or had multiple births, to those who’s use of fertility drugs may have been responsible for their cancer. [I say "may have been" because although there is a strong association between fertility drugs and various cancers, especially ovarian cancer, a definite causal relationship has not yet been demonstrated.]

There are different reasons why a woman may be unable to conceive, or to maintain a pregnancy, but for the majority it is because of hormonal imbalance. One of my stated purposes for this blog, in addition to providing you with my thoughts on issues of importance to you and your family’s health, is to provide information on treatment alternatives to dangerous pharmaceutical drugs. In this particular area, a homeopathic formula of my own design happens to be the best suggestion I can offer. Dr. Garber’s Natural Solutions FemCycle does just what the name implies - it helps to regulate the female cycle. As I mention in the video above, I originally created this formula for a patient of mine with PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome,) which is a common cause of infertility, who had not been able to successfully conceive. After three months on FemCycle she was pregnant, carried the baby to term and subsequently had another child. FemCycle is not a  treatment just for infertility. It helps to balance the hormones by stimulating the body to produce the appropriate amounts for each woman, not by adding hormones from the outside. In doing so it works on problems that arise in every part of the reproductive years, from young girls having their first periods and experiencing physical discomfort or emotional ups and downs, to women experiencing menstrual irregularities, PMS, dysmenorrhea, painful ovulation and endometriosis, to perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms. I have even seen positive improvements in breast health as demonstrated with breast thermography (more on that in another post.)

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Hello To All My Online Friends and Followers.

Welcome to my blog!

It is truly my passion to empower people with the knowledge of holistic health and homeopathy. Thank you for taking a stand.

When you subscribe to my bi-monthly newsletter, Natural Solutions News (sign up box to the right,) you will receive my e-book, Five Homeopathy Myths Dispelled, free. And if you’d like discounts on my products, each edition of the newsletter will have a coupon code only available to newsletter subscribers.

Yours in good health,

Dr. Stuart Garber

A March 30, 2009 article in the Los Angeles Times sited a new poll by the National Sleep Foundation. It found that 27% of Americans say “anxieties about personal finances, the economy or a job loss kept them awake in the previous month.” Even in the best of times, sleep disorders affect as much as 34 percent of the U.S. population - a virtual epidemic. But when times are trying, as they are in this economy, one of the first symptoms people tend to experience is insomnia.

In recent years studies have begun to link chronic sleep deprivation to serious physical health consequences. Regularly catching only a few hours of sleep can hinder metabolism and hormone production in a way that is similar to the effects of aging. Chronic sleep loss may speed the onset or increase the severity of age-related conditions such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and memory loss. Researchers have shown that just one week of sleep deprivation altered subject’s hormone levels and their capacity to metabolize carbohydrates.

The list of side effects from prescription sleep drugs is long, with the most common being headache, drowsiness, dizziness, nausea, muscle and joint pain. The most commonly prescribed class of sleep drug has been shown, in addition, to produce some pretty bizarre behavior. People have been arrested while “sleep-driving” as a result of having taken these drugs and some people have reported “sleep-eating,” sleepwalking into their kitchen, consuming thousands of calories with no memory of it in the morning!

The same LA Times article quoted a sleep specialist at a well regarded medical center in NY as saying that “strange sleep behavior can occur naturally and it’s wrong to blame the pills… .” This doctor also just happens to be a consultant for Sanofi-Aventis, the maker of Ambien (the top selling sleep drug) and commented at the their request. These bizarre side effects are so significant that the FDA in 2007 ordered the makers of Ambien, Lunesta, Sonata and ten others to issue strong new label warnings.

It is because of the prevalence of sleep disorders, the terrible effect sleep deprivation has on the body and the even more terrible side effects produced by prescription sleep drugs that I developed Dr. Garber’s Natural Solutions® for Sleep. This unique, all natural homeopathic formula helps you achieve a restful night’s sleep without the unpleasant and often dangerous side effects of prescription sleep drugs. Some people find that taking Dr. Garber’s Natural Solutions for Anxiety and/or Depression during the day and the Sleep formula before bed produces an even better result, depending on their particular circumstances.

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     For those of you who saw my Digg on this piece the other day and then wondered why I just left it at that, here’s where I was going: The  Top 10 List for Antidepressant SIDE EFFECTS- Insomnia, nervousness, anxiety, dizziness, headache, nausea, anorexia, weight gain, loss of libido, suicidal tendencies. And those are just the big ones - the list goes on and on. Not all antidepressants produce all of these side effects and not in everyone but I have not seen one patient, ever, who was taking a prescription antdepressant who didn’t present with at least a few.

     Clinical depression though can be a very serious condition and should be properly evaluated but when the side effects of the drugs are as disabling as the sypmtoms they are supposed to be treating, other forms of treatment must be considered. It has been well established that physical exercise can be as effective as any treatment for mild depression and if one is able should be a first step. Various herbs and nutrients (St. John’s Wort, some of the B Vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, SAMe, and others) are frequently used and while some report benefit I must say I have found the results disappointing and in some cases harmful.

     Of course, homeopathy is where I have found the best results when it comes to treating depression. On an individual basis there are any number of homeopathic remedies that can come into play, depending on the particulars of each case, which requires an in depth consultation with a homeopathist. After many years of research and developing formulas with a broader application than single remedies I have found that a certain combination of a special class of homeopathic remedies, called biotherapies, can alleviate the symptoms of depression safely and effectively for a wide segment of the population without side effects. For more information on Dr. Garber’s Natural Solutions for Depression, please click on https://www.drgarbers.com/consumer/dpr.html.