Goji and Clinical Trials

Q: Can you cite specific clinical trials or plans for such trials with regard to goji berries.

Most research appears to be based on laboratory studies in China.

Thanks

Mr. Weisner

A: Dear Mr. Weisner,

I am not a research scientist nor do I work for NIH or big pharma. You and I are probably privy to the same information on goji berries.

Here is my answer to people asking for clinical trials to validate the effectiveness of a given supplement, herb, etc.

I have been in private practice for almost 18 years. I carry over 450 unique supplements in my practice of which, I’d bet, 400 of them have never had a double blind, cross-over, placebo, clinical trial, but I use them everyday with great, objective and subjective, success.

My confidence and knowledge in how to use them comes from past generations of doctors who used them and passed on their knowledge. This is called “empirical evidence”. In this sense, an empirical result is an experimental observation. Almost all the medications we have today started this way and have their roots in a natural ingredients.

Prior to 1945 there was no such thing as a medication. How did we survive 5,500 years without them? How did we know what to give a person when he presented with a certain symptom? Did the patient prior to 1945 ask his doctor, “was there a clinical trial on that herb you are giving me?” The answer is no. That question was invented by big pharma to keep people away from nature, make people question their own innate intelligence, and trust only clinical trial medication.

Is a disease caused by a medication deficiency or is it actually caused by a nutritional deficiency that made the body susceptible to a particular etiological agent? Does a medication cure a disease or just treat and/or mask a symptom? Do clinical trials do anything other than prove a medication won’t kill someone when they take it?

There hasn’t been yet, in 17 years, a symptom that has been presented to me, that couldn’t be treated with something natural! The only advantage pharmaceuticals have over nature is that they work far faster. And yes, there is a time and place where faster is better.

I hope this was, at least, a little helpful.

Sincerely,

Marcus Ettinger DC, BSc.

P.S. My family, including my 23 month old daughter, chew the berries daily.