Rise in Illnesses Causes More People to Seek Alternative Medicine
By Susan Payne
One of the oldest family-owned pharmacies, or “best kept secrets,” in Santa Monica is celebrating 80 years in business this year, bringing holistic health to the forefront of the city.
Founded in 1944, Santa Monica Homeopathic Pharmacy — a team of homeopaths, nutritionists, herbalists and pharmacists — is a small family business with the same values instilled since the World War II era: placing people before profits and integrity before income.
As a leader in natural remedies and holistic healthcare, current owner Steven Litvak continues this dedication to existing and new patrons in upholding this 80-year-old legacy.
“Part of our success is the change in our business model we’ve implemented over the last three decades. We don’t do drugs anymore, we focus on real health issues that doctors and insurance companies seem to ignore,” Litvak said. “In the last few years, a lot has changed, and more and more people are experiencing illness.”
Since 2021, Litvak said his team has noticed an uptick in illnesses, not pardoned by age: blood clotting, advanced autoimmune conditions, rashes from head to toe, enormous amounts of fatigue, heart palpitations, unresolved thyroid problems, unresolved diabetes, cognitive issues, mood disorders such as depression, anxiety, and more.
“Our goal when someone comes to us for help is to suggestother labs for their doctor to order, and get people clinically diagnosed. A clinical diagnosis is a way of saying you most likely have this problem, so the doctor can do whatever it takes surgically or with drugs, to solve the problem,” Litvak said.
“We do our best to find solutions that don’t require surgery or drugs unless the situation warrants it — if the drug will help, is safe, and doesn’t carry a lot of side effects, it might be the way to go, but we do our best to stay as far away from drugs as possible,” he added.
Alternative medicine and homeopathic remedies have become more of a staple in household homes, but many people do not know that remedies outside of pharmaceutical drugs exist. As more and more people have seen their health decline in recent years, are unable to work anymore or leave their home, Litvak said the upward trend in recent illness since 2021is concerning but they believe the cause is known.
“We carry supplemental formulas that are designed for specific diseases, complex formulas with unique ingredients. We’re not a health foods store or a co-op, we are more likea clinic that doesn’t charge by the hour, take appointments or do phone consultations,” Litvak said. “We just want people to feel better.”
Santa Monica Homeopathic Pharmacy invites people who are experiencing health issues to walk through the doors and visit any of the board-certified staff. Collectively, the staff holds over 200 years ofclinical knowledge in modern and alternative medicine, striving to maintain best practices from research and studies on alternative and integrative medicine.
Virtual consultations may be available soon.
For more information about Santa Monica Homeopathic Pharmacy, visit SMHomeopathic.com. The pharmacy is located at 629 Broadway in Santa Monica, California, 90401. The business is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closed on Sundays.
