homeopathy/alternative medicine in pharmacies

Akrasia · 17-10-2011 04:37PM #1

Pharmacys are places that people go to get medicine to make them better when they're sick, which is why I get really annoyed when I see them pushing 'natural healing' on their shelves with no attempt at a disclaimer or any indication that the products in the homeopathy range are not licenced medicines.

Pharmacists have ads on the whole time telling people to speak to them for medical advice. How can someone trust a pharmacist to give them honest or reliable information on which medications to take when there is a whole shelf in their store dedicated to quackery and magic sugar pills. They wouldn't sell them if they didn't want people to buy them.

For those who want to waste their money on distilled water or other 'natural' products, there are plenty of health food shops or other hippie run businesses where they can waste their money. I have no problem with people buying whatever potions they want in an alternative health shop (as long as they're not being poisoned) but pharmacys should not be permitted to sell or promote non medicines as medicines.

It's wrong.

krudler · 17-10-2011 04:37PM

"I've got a degree in homeopathy!"
"you've got a degree in baloney!"

--Kaiser-- · 17-10-2011 04:42PM

In Britain, homeopathic medicines are being paid for on the NHS.

Now that's wrong, using taxpayer money for expensive, useless snake oil

Saila · 17-10-2011 04:44PM

everything is wrong when you think about long enough though

back in line soldier, none of that freethinking!

4leto · 17-10-2011 04:45PM

Yay a bit of chemist bashing on boards today and its about time, the greedy cntus.

fontanalis · 17-10-2011 04:45PM

Saila wrote: »

everything is wrong when you think about long enough though

back in line soldier, none of that freethinking!

Hmm I can't tell if you think this woo is to be taken seriously or not.

Akrasia · 17-10-2011 04:46PM

Saila wrote: »

everything is wrong when you think about long enough though

back in line soldier, none of that freethinking!

what about a lovely sunset?

Snakeblood · 17-10-2011 04:46PM

If you're at an accident, you never hear someone shout 'Let me through, I'm a herbalist!'

/Dee.

I've no time for remedies that aren't clinically proven. Apart from whiskey and lemon.

Fremen · 17-10-2011 04:47PM

Scientifically speaking, homeopathy is bunk. The placebo effect, on the other hand, is very real. Under certain circumstances, it's very effective and in general it's poorly understood.

There's something to be said for having placebos available on the market. I guess it all depends how much these homeopathic alternatives cost. If they're as cheap as aspirin, and as long as the alternatives aren't doing any harm (say, people foregoing real treatment in favour of homeopathy), I'm for it.

upforit101 · 17-10-2011 04:48PM

Kill all the Pharmacists, they deserve it.

the groutch · 17-10-2011 04:48PM

homeopathy, along with reiki and fung shui are byproducts of the boom, people getting paid for bull****ting.

noxqs · 17-10-2011 04:52PM

Homeopathy is the worst of lies - especially when you hear the 'anecdotal evidence' brigade chirping in (It's called the placebo effect..). "My ma had a <insert terrible pain> which <doctor/health authority> couldn't get rid of and homeopathy worked. Ergo it works" which means absolutely 0. Nothing. Nil.

--Kaiser-- · 17-10-2011 04:54PM

noxqs wrote: »

Homeopathy is the worst of lies - especially when you hear the 'anecdotal evidence' brigade chirping in (It's called the placebo effect..). "My ma had a <insert terrible pain> which <doctor/health authority> couldn't get rid of and homeopathy worked. Ergo it works" which means absolutely 0. Nothing. Nil.

What I find hilarious is that the 'remedy' is diluted so much that there is a greater than 99% chance that the pill is nothing but water

Ghost Buster · 17-10-2011 04:54PM

It is possible to over does on homeopathy though.

You can drown...

Saila · 17-10-2011 04:55PM

Akrasia wrote: »

what about a lovely sunset?

ESPECIALLY a lovely sunset! 5,000 kittens are slaughtered every day world wide to please the sun gods

reprazant · 17-10-2011 04:55PM

Akrasia wrote: »

Pharmacys are places that people go to get medicine to make them better when they're sick, which is why I get really annoyed when I see them pushing 'natural healing' on their shelves with no attempt at a disclaimer or any indication that the products in the homeopathy range are not licenced medicines.

In fairness, Pharmacies also sell deodorant,shampoo and other such non-medicine stuff.

Not everything in a pharmacy is medicine based.

sensibleken · 17-10-2011 04:56PM

the groutch wrote: »

homeopathy, along with reiki and fung shui are byproducts of the boom, people getting paid for bull****ting.

Fúcking reiki!!!:mad:

I got that once after a recomendation of a friend. It is the biggest, dumbest scam I have ever encountered.

noxqs · 17-10-2011 04:57PM

What I find hilarious is that the 'remedy' is diluted so much that there is a greater than 99% chance that the pill is nothing but water

That's the entire point of homeopathy. The less there is the more effective.

Because water has memory..

(According to those who believe in such nonsense).

sensibleken · 17-10-2011 04:58PM

noxqs wrote: »

That's the entire point of homeopathy. The less there is the more effective.

Because water has memory..

(According to those who believe in such nonsense).

well it remembers to go cold!

fontanalis · 17-10-2011 04:59PM

--Kaiser-- wrote: »

What I find hilarious is that the 'remedy' is diluted so much that there is a greater than 99% chance that the pill is nothing but water

Going by their logic all you have ot do is throw an aspirin (or probably one thousandth of an aspirin) into a reservoir and anyone who drinks form teh supply will have their sore head cured.

Saila · 17-10-2011 04:59PM

noxqs wrote: »

That's the entire point of homeopathy. The less there is the more effective.

Because water has memory..

*head explodes*

Akrasia · 17-10-2011 04:59PM

Fremen wrote: »

Scientifically speaking, homeopathy is bunk. The placebo effect, on the other hand, is very real. Under certain circumstances, it's very effective and in general it's poorly understood.

There's something to be said for having placebos available on the market. I guess it all depends how much these homeopathic alternatives cost. If they're as cheap as aspirin, and as long as the alternatives aren't doing any harm (say, people foregoing real treatment in favour of homeopathy), I'm for it.

The placebo effect is the equivilent of your mammy kissing the booboo better.
I wouldn't mind if some of the foxy pharmacy staff offered that service, but selling snake oil is unethical.

fontanalis · 17-10-2011 05:00PM

noxqs wrote: »

That's the entire point of homeopathy. The less there is the more effective.

Because water has memory..

(According to those who believe in such nonsense).

I wonder does it remember metals from the pipes or any excrement or urine that may have ended up in there?

Chuck Stone · 17-10-2011 05:00PM

Snakeblood wrote: »

I've no time for remedies that aren't clinically proven. Apart from whiskey and lemon.

Vitamin C in the lemon helps recovery from cold (AFAIK) and the whiskey acts like a general anasthetic.

Tastes nice too on a cold winters evening in a country pub.

spdmrphy · 17-10-2011 05:01PM

reprazant wrote: »

In fairness, Pharmacies also sell deodorant,shampoo and other such non-medicine stuff.

Not everything in a pharmacy is medicine based.

True, but it's unethical to sell water with a outrageous mark up and claim it can cure / treat illness.

I am a Pharmacist, and refuse to recommend it to any customers, and will readily tell people there is no evidence to support it's use, and there is plenty of evidence to show it is a load of bollox. It's still on the shelves, but it's not my pharmacy so I have no control over that.

Evidence based medicine is the only way.

conorhal · 17-10-2011 05:03PM

reprazant wrote: »

In fairness, Pharmacies also sell deodorant,shampoo and other such non-medicine stuff.

Not everything in a pharmacy is medicine based.

In fairness, deodorant makes me smell better and shampoo cleans my greasy hair, does homeopathy do exactly what it says on the tin?
If Pharmacies are going to offer homeopathic remedies they may as well go the whole hog and and offer voodoo cures too:

"Eh, I do you have anything for a throbbing headache"

Pharmacist: "Here, take two ....chickens, cut their throats, dip their tail feather in the blood and spatter it where it hurts, if you don't feel unhexed by tomorrow morning I reccomend that you make an appointment to see your GP..."

Spare us.

Snakeblood · 17-10-2011 05:03PM

spdmrphy wrote: »

True, but it's unethical to sell water with a outrageous mark up and claim it can cure / treat illness.

I am a Pharmacist, and refuse to recommend it to any customers, and will readily tell people there is no evidence to support it's use, and there is plenty of evidence to show it is a load of bollox. It's still on the shelves, but it's not my pharmacy so I have no control over that.

Evidence based medicine is the only way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIuKtp3yCTw

spdmrphy · 17-10-2011 05:03PM

And don't get me started on Vit C. Useful only for keeping scurvy at bay. Will have feck all effect on cold / flu symptoms.

(goes well in hot whiskeys though)

Benny_Cake · 17-10-2011 05:13PM

I work with a woman who could only be described as an evangelist for homeopathy and anything alternative or "holistic".Any evidence to the contrary is dismissed as the lies of Big-Pharma,whereas of course,"alternative" medicine which is now big-business would never stoop to such lows.She is constantly sick and refuses to get her kids vaccinated because of mercury in the vaccines etc...I try to avoid getting into any conversation relating to this as it sends me up the wall!There are only 2 types of medicine in the world: those which work and have evidence to that effect, and those that don't. It's completely unethical for pharmacists to stock the second type,although,sadly,they can probably argue that there is a market for it.

Dara O'Briain got it right:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMvMb90hem8

maximoose · 17-10-2011 05:17PM

I like that they sell it, it gives me more opportunities to mock people who believe in it.

Power balance wristbands bring a whole new level of idiocy though....

hooradiation · 17-10-2011 05:21PM

Benny_Cake wrote: »

She refuses to get her kids vaccinated because of mercury in the vaccines

The term for people like this is anti-vaxxer, presumably because "fucking stupid" isn't descriptive enough.

homeopathy/alternative medicine in pharmacies

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