The Goldberg Clinic Primal Defense Study
Healthy Living, Vol.6 No.9

The Goldberg Clinic Primal DefenseTM Study by Paul A. Goldberg, m.p.h., d.c. Healthy Living, Vol.6 No.9 As both a private practitioner and college professor, I have endured a constant avalanche of nutritional supplement product promotions over the past 25 years. Numerous individuals with chronic health problems, who have found no relief with toxic drugs and surgeries from medical procedures or from potions from alternative practitioners find themselves easy prey to the hundreds of supplement companies that offer quick fixes via extensive product lines catering to every ill known to man. My training in clinical epidemiology and natural hygiene makes it instinctive for me to diligently seek out and address the reasons for my patients illnesses as opposed to merely trying to suppress their symptoms by handing out pills and potions haphazardly. I have therefore become hardened and wary of the innumerable claims promoted by so many product/supplement vendors. Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is On occasion when coming across an advertisement for a product that claimed to have success with difficult conditions and appeared to have a modicum of logic to it, I would contact the company and request that they put "their money where their mouth is" and allow my clinic (which has direct access to a licensed and certified medical laboratory) to perform studies on the product to objectively assess the claims being made. Typically I found the companies lacked enthusiasm to have their products tested in an objective manner. Over the past twelve years only two companies agreed to allow their products to be tested. Both proved disappointing when measuring clinical outcomes against claims that had been made. Taking Up the Goldberg Dare In January of 2000 I came across promotional materials regarding a probiotic product called Primal DefenseTM containing homeostatic soil organisms thought to be as old as the earth itself; a number of clients had questioned me about this product. My experiences with other probiotic products had been disappointing. I have long recognized the importance of the gastrointestinal flora in good intestinal functioning and in regards to a wide variety of systemic health problems. Dietary modification, fasting, detoxification, lifestyle alterations, all are of positive impact on the gastrointestinal flora when properly applied; yet, with so many forces in our modern lives working against the maintenance of healthy gut flora I felt that additional reinforcement to the flora would be beneficial, particularly in clients with serious chronic health problems. I appreciated the fact that the president of the company that produced Primal DefenseTM, Jordan Rubin, N.M.D., C.N.C., had experienced a serious illness himself and that the product had largely come about through his own experience. A few months later I spoke with Jordan and found him to be both enthusiastic and knowledgeable not only about Primal DefenseTM, but also regarding issues concerning clinical nutrition and gastroenterology. I related my interest, yet significant skepticism, regarding his product (as well as my skepticism about the nutritional supplement market in general) and found him to be understanding of my doubts and willing to put Primal DefenseTM to the test. The Study We arranged for a clinical trial of Primal DefenseTM at the Goldberg Clinic. Most of our clients have serious, chronic, degenerative, disorders and have been through the medical mill prior to ever coming to us. Our clinic has an excellent record of reversing a variety of chronic disorders such as rheumatoid diseases, inflammatory bowel conditions, other autoimmune disorders, long-term chronic fatigue conditions, cardiovascular problems, blood sugar disorders, and other chronic maladies. I chose for our study patients who had initially presented to us with serious health problems and who had made significant progress under our care but whom despite our best efforts had not reached complete recovery. Ours was an open-label, 120-day clinical pilot study. Sixteen individuals suffering from complex digestive and immune-system disorders were given Primal DefenseTM for 120 days. The subjects' gastrointestinal and immune system disorders had been resistant to conventional and complimentary treatments. They had a variety of chronic diseases that were unresponsive to medical intervention for a minimum of three years. The subjects ranged in age from 20 to 65. No dietary or lifestyle changes were made. Upon using Primal DefenseTM and instituting our other suggested protocols, individualized for each patient, 15 of the 16 reported clinical improvements in their overall health. They had partial to full relief from troublesome bowel problems, decreases in asthmatic symptoms, increases in energy levels, improvements in skin conditions, improvement in chronic sinus infection, and general improvement in overall well-being. Eight of nine subjects with elevated yeast levels as verified by stool and/or blood tests had a significant reduction in candida yeast growth. Three subjects with asthma had a 50 percent or greater reduction in usage of inhalant medications and asthma symptoms. One subject, a physician with chronic pulmonary fungal infection, reported greater ease in breathing and improvement in spirometer readings as evidenced by her medical pulmonologist. Moreover, three subjects who suffered from long-term chronic constipation and had laxative dependency were able to move their bowels daily without the use of laxatives. Three subjects with chronic irritable bowel syndrome showed between 25 and 100 percent improvement. Four patients with chronic fatigue syndrome were completely free of symptoms by the end of the 120-day period. Before and after blood tests and physical examinations showed that no subject experienced a worsening of conditions or exhibited any evidence of toxicity. Although this was not a placebo-controlled study and the results should be considered investigative, they definitely deserve further research The study results speak for themselves. There were impressive clinical improvements in most clients without any side effects being noted. Dr. Goldberg is director of The Goldberg Clinic in Marietta, Georgia. We will present additional reports on individualized healing in future articles. His website is www.goldbergclinic.com. The Doctors' Prescription I believe Primal DefenseTM with homeostatic soil organisms to be of significant value if the patient is also willing to make the needed dietary/hygienic/lifestyle reforms. As an adjunct to these reforms, I have found Primal DefenseTM to fill an important gap that is needed in helping many patients improve their conditions. I also believe it is not just for specific disease conditions and will prove useful to the general population. This is not some type of magic pill or potion. Primal DefenseTM simply in my opinion, fills a void. The product supplies a wide range of homeostatic soil organisms that Mother Nature herself provided for us for millions of years prior to the onset of today's modern lifestyle, and, as Dr. Weston Price said, "prior to the 'diet of commerce.'" My skepticism about the nutritional supplement market as a whole has not changed. My doubts about the usefulness of Primal DefenseTM have.