Homeopathic Insect Repellent? Live Chat Tomorrow on “Man vs. Princess”

 

My post on Mozi-Q from 2013 has drawn the attention of a new show called “Man vs Princess”. Join me (Sara) live on Friday, May 1st at 2:00 pm EST with hosts Luke Tipple and Aria Johnson.

Tweet your questions in advance using the hashtag #ManvsPrincess

You can watch the show live by following this link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iwo5TyinpBk, and it will also appear below:

 

Bogus Children’s Remedy Invented by CBC Marketplace Approved by Health Canada

Nothing is better than Nighton

Like many Canadians who saw last week’s news article “Health Canada licensing of natural remedies ‘a joke,’ doctor says” in the lead-up to Friday’s Marketplace episode on CBC, I was very interested in learning the story behind it. Unlike many Canadians, I wasn’t at all shocked or surprised by the outcome. This blog (and others) have been critical for years about the lack of oversight where the Natural Health Products Directorate (NHPD) is concerned. (The NHPD recently changed its name to the Natural and Non-prescription Health Products Directorate. (NNHPD))  See “Do the Natural Health Products Regulations Benefit Canadians?”, “Health Canada Gets Out a Big Rubber Stamp”   & “Safe and Effective? A Consumer’s Guide to Natural Health Products” for some background. For those who haven’t had a chance to view the episode, it can be viewed here:

THIEVES Essential Oil – Crimes against public health

As discussed in one of my previous posts, the promotion of quackery is so ubiquitous in my town it’s become white noise for me. I mostly tune it out unless I’m personally asked my opinion. Often this promotion comes in the weekly newspaper, in the advertising-disguised-as-advice page “Ask the Expert.” Occasionally there are columns by financial advisors and home improvement experts, but by far the majority of “expert advice” comes from chiropractors, naturopaths, Chinese Medicine practitioners, and holistic nutritionists. One regular advertiser is a local who calls herself a “Divine Healer”. She has some initials after her name, none of which I can trace back to any actual licenced health profession, degree or diploma. Her services include reflexology, mediumship, craniosacral therapy, aromatherapy and card-reading. She also offers a special massage called “vibrational raindrop technique” which apparently involves the use of essential oils and tuning forks or singing bowls. This actually sounds like it might be kind of relaxing and entertaining. Something I would personally never pay the money for, but harmless, right? Earlier this year, however, a local public health nurse who I consider a kindred spirit based on our views of alternative medicine contacted me about the weekly claim.

Mozi-Q – “Insect repellent you eat”. But does it work?

Today’s post is a guest contribution from a Canadian pharmacist who is writing under the pseudonym Sara Russell:

Every morning I open up Facebook and expect to see the usual sharing of my friends’ latest adventures in pseudoscience, but it wasn’t until this morning that I felt compelled to write about something.  A friend had posted this video asking for feedback.

It Takes a Village – Skepticism in this Small Town

In my last post, I introduced myself as a pharmacist in a small-ish town, eager to combat the growing acceptance of pseudoscience into the mainstream.  I love living where I live for a multitude of reasons.  But I’ve found it rather challenging to wave the flag of skepticism.  I have no problem displaying my preference for science-based medicine at my workplace, but outside of work a rather large road-block has emerged – social isolation.  While I have found a few kindred spirits in a public health nurse and a high school science teacher, they, too, remain relatively quiet about their skepticism.  I decided a few months ago to push the boundaries, and learned the hard way why others have been forced to keep quiet.

The Evolution of a Skeptic Pharmacist

Today’s post is a guest contribution from a Canadian pharmacist who is writing under the pseudonym Sara Russell:

For several years after graduating from pharmacy school, when I’d answer the question “What do you do for a living?”, it would be met with responses like “Good for you!”, “You must be so smart!” or simply “Wow!”.  After a decade-long absence from a role in direct patient-care, I returned to pharmacy.  I noticed that my response to that same question was met with much less enthusiasm, with some people even having trouble hiding their disappointment.  How did this happen?  When did being a pharmacist have less caché than saying you worked in a health-food store?