Archive for January, 2010
On Mentors and Memes
As we meander through life, there are inflection points – decisions and events that dramatically affect our future. It may take years to recognize them. In 1993, I found out I’d been selected for a hospital pharmacy residency at Victoria Hospital in London, Ontario. I didn’t realize it until years later, but this was one […]
Filed under: editorials | 2 Comments
In a stunning move, the Ontario College of Pharmacists has prohibited Ontario pharmacies from selling health products that are not approved for safety and efficacy by Health Canada. This directive, which takes effect immediately, banishes some of the most questionable “alternative” health products from pharmacy shelves. This message was sent to all pharmacies and pharmacists […]
Filed under: editorials | 25 Comments
Tags: napra, natural health products, nhps, pharmacies, pharmacy regulation
A few weeks ago I blogged about some very public criticism of pharmacy practice in the United Kingdom. I noted that pharmacies were being publicly criticized for selling homeopathy, and this was causing a public relations disaster for Boots, one of the UK’s leading pharmacy chains, and a proud vendor of homeopathy. The mockery of […]
Filed under: announcements | 6 Comments
Tags: #ten23, homeopathy
Among the natural products on pharmacy shelves, I was rooting for Ginkgo biloba for the prevention of dementia. For one, dementia is a horrible illness. Secondly, currently available drugs for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) have little meaningful effect. Thirdly, preliminary data with ginkgo for AD looked encouraging. I recall reading this systematic review back in 2000. […]
Filed under: articles | 5 Comments
Tags: ginkgo biloba
Pharmacies Targeted in Mass Homeopathy Overdose
Hundreds of protesters will gather outside Boots pharmacies on January 30 to swallow entire bottles of homeopathic remedies and embarrass a profession that sells them in the absence of any evidence of efficacy. A few weeks ago, I blogged about the 10:23 protest which was gathering momentum in the United Kingdom. Recall that in late […]
Filed under: commentary | 13 Comments
Tags: #ten23, homeopathy