THE DOCTOR’S CORNER
Garlic, not just for vampires
by Dr. Timothy Grondin

Garlic is another one of nature's antibiotics, but more than that it does other things as well. But not all garlic supplements are created equally. I'll tell you why I know this shortly. First, the benefits of garlic in your diet and as a supplement.

Garlic has been used as both food and medicine in many cultures for thousands of years dating back to the pyramid builders. Today, garlic is used to help prevent heart disease, including clogged arteries, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and to boost the immune system. Garlic may also protect against cancer.

Garlic is rich in antioxidants, which help destroy free radicals that damage your cell membranes and interact with your genetic material.

As far as protecting your heart goes, garlic has been shown to lower cholesterol (as well as Lipitor). They both lower cholesterol about 15-18 percent. Garlic can lower LDL (bad fat), reduce platelet aggregation (clumping), lower blood pressure and potentially increase HDL (the good fat). Numerous studies have shown garlic can lower both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Recently garlic was found to decrease two other markers for heart disease, homocysteine and C-reactive protein.

Garlic as an immune system booster is excellent. A well-designed study of nearly 150 people found that garlic helped prevent and treat the common cold. In this study, people received garlic supplements or placebo for 12 weeks during the cold season. Those who received the garlic had significantly fewer colds and when they did get a cold the symptoms dissipated more quickly. Impressive.

A high school student showed up at my office about eight years ago and explained that she was testing the antibiotic activity of various types of garlic for her science class. She'd read about Standard Process Garlic supplements online and wanted to know if I'd donate a bottle for her science project. I agreed and said, “Let me know what you find.” She called about six weeks later to report the results. Her store-bought garlic faired poorly, showing “minimal antibiotic activity.” The raw clove of garlic did much better showing “moderate antibiotic activity,” and the Standard Process garlic supplement did the best, showing “substantial antibiotic activity.”

She said, “Doc, you're selling the best stuff.” I replied, “I know, but it's always nice to get independent verification.”

If you'd like to supplement with garlic I recommend Standard Process Garlic. It's the best.

Yours in health, Dr. Grondin

If you have any questions or suggestions for future topics, feel free to e-mail Dr. Grondin at docgrondin@advnet.net, or call his office at 810-984-3344.

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