Caer Abred

by **Woodsage** » Fri Nov 27, 2009 9:00 am

Boots: 'we sell homeopathic remedies because they sell, not because they work'
Paul Bennett, professional standards director for Boots, told a committee of MPs that the pharmacy chain stocks such items for no other reason than that they are popular.

"There is certainly a consumer demand for these products," he said. "I have no evidence to suggest they are efficacious.

Mr Bennett made his comments to the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee, which is investigating the scientific evidence behind homoeopathy.

The committee also heard from scientists and doctors who said that giving homeopathic remedies to patients on the NHS is unethical and a dubious use of public money.

The treatments, which are licensed by the government and offered through several NHS hospitals, have insufficient clinical evidence to support them, they said.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/6658864/Boots-we-sell-homeopathic-remedies-because-they-sell-not-because-they-work.html

by **Thistle** » Fri Nov 27, 2009 2:04 pm

That's interesting.
I've had similar suspicions about vitamins and supplements after talking to a friend who is a lecturer in Nutritional Therapy and his view is that most of what is sold is not of a quality or dosage to make much difference and very little information is given on how to take them for best efficiency (I realise that is different to where any effectiveness is being questioned for homeopathic remedies)

by **cursuswalker** » Fri Nov 27, 2009 6:46 pm

As long as they don't label them as "Medicine".

All the same, if someone buys such a "remedy" rather than what they actually need, arguably that is a breach of the Trades Descriptions Act.

by **chris** » Sun Nov 29, 2009 7:46 am

In Boots the homeopathic remedies are expensive. Very.

And the dosage information on the bottles is crap.

And, from the nifty little tables they provide to help anyone select the "right" remedy, it's bloody nigh on impossible to choose the most appropriate one in any case.

by **Hundovir** » Sun Nov 29, 2009 9:26 am

chris wrote:In Boots the homeopathic remedies are expensive. Very.

Exactly how much do you think would be a fair price for a sugar pill that's been soaked with water?

by **chris** » Sun Nov 29, 2009 10:12 am

Hundovir wrote:
chris wrote:In Boots the homeopathic remedies are expensive. Very.

Exactly how much do you think would be a fair price for a sugar pill that's been soaked with water?

It's not what I think is a fair price ..... but they are actually available from at least one homeopathic pharmacy for around a third of the price Boots sell them for.

Homeopathic remedies are not sugar pills soaked with water. They are sugar pills (milk sugar in fact) but they have been soaked with pharmacy grade pure alcohol, not water. And, in fact, they've not actually been soaked with anything - just put in a bottle and a few drops added is all.

I do find people who actually don't know anything about the technicalities of homeopathy but still like taking a pop at it quite amusing. :mrgreen:

by **cursuswalker** » Sun Nov 29, 2009 10:30 am

Let's remember to stay focussed on the issue not the person....just saying.

by **chris** » Sun Nov 29, 2009 10:40 am

cursuswalker wrote:Let's remember to stay focussed on the issue not the person....just saying.

Yes, OK, apologies. I was just about to amend my post but you got in first CW.

What I hate is the simple regurgitation of urban mythology, basically. If I'm going to criticize something I do at least try to do a bit of research into the thing I'm criticizing. There's plenty of freely available information out there about homeopathy, and almost anything one could ever want to look at, but still the same old same old goes round and round and round about homeopathic remedies being made from water. They are not. I suppose there is a lot of water in ethanol, but ethanol is not actually water. It is obviously a cross contamination (excuse the pun) of ideas about water having a memory. Or something.

:trilby:

There is something quite interesting, however, in this topic. A bit of a dichotomy, really.

On one hand there are numerous rules, regulations and legislations that practitioners of complementary therapies have to conform to - presumably to protect the general public from thieves, vagabonds and snake oil salesmen. Complementary practitioners (homeopaths especially) these days have to have professional qualifications, which include a program of regular attendance on Continuous Professional Development courses. They have to be members of their appropriate governing body, and have professional liability insurance for their practices.

So, on the one hand there is all that, which is fair enough - but on the other side of the equation there are the likes of Boots and Holland and Barrett selling these "medicinal substances" to anyone who cares to walk in and buy one, or two, or three, with no advice whatsoever. That's a bit like being able to go into Boots and say "Today I feel like trying a tricyclic antidepressant, or maybe some Ventolin and a few antibiotics" and being able to find them readily available on the shelves without prescription.

by **Hundovir** » Sun Nov 29, 2009 12:54 pm

chris wrote:
Hundovir wrote:
chris wrote:In Boots the homeopathic remedies are expensive. Very.

Exactly how much do you think would be a fair price for a sugar pill that's been soaked with water?

It's not what I think is a fair price ..... but they are actually available from at least one homeopathic pharmacy for around a third of the price Boots sell them for.

Homeopathic remedies are not sugar pills soaked with water. They are sugar pills (milk sugar in fact) but they have been soaked with pharmacy grade pure alcohol, not water. And, in fact, they've not actually been soaked with anything - just put in a bottle and a few drops added is all.

I do find people who actually don't know anything about the technicalities of homeopathy but still like taking a pop at it quite amusing.

Excellent! I do like to think of myself as quite an amusing person.

You can probably help me. I thought homeopathic remedies were prepared with water, not alcohol. Have I got this wrong?

by **cursuswalker** » Sun Nov 29, 2009 1:09 pm

chris wrote:
cursuswalker wrote:Let's remember to stay focussed on the issue not the person....just saying.

Yes, OK, apologies. I was just about to amend my post but you got in first CW.

Caer Abred

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