Pharmacist bins ‘crap’ homeopathic products
Perth pharmacist Grant McGill says he has had enough of homeopathic “crap” and is throwing out hundreds of dollars worth of products.
The owner of Kingsley Village Pharmacy said he had stocked only a limited number of homeopathic remedies but was making a statement that he would not sell products he did not believe in.
He was prompted by a National Health and Medical Research Council review this year, which found that alternative treatment was no better than a sugar pill in treating many health conditions, including arthritis, migraines and asthma.
Homeopathy no better than placebos
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners also urged GPs and pharmacists not to promote or sell homeopathic remedies, particularly so-called vaccines.
College president Frank Jones, a Perth GP, warned pharmacists last week to stop selling dubious products if they wanted to do work currently done by doctors under a Federal Government trial.
Mr McGill said he had been concerned for a while about homeopathic goods.
“I’ve never promoted or recommended these products but I’ve accepted them passively and I felt a bit hypocritical having them on the shelves,” he said. “I operate a bit differently to corporate chains and believe a pharmacy should be professional rather than a place selling a lot of cosmetics.
“If someone comes in with sleep problems, I will look at what is known to help and address things like sleep hygiene issues, rather than recommend flower essences.”
He would stock some natural remedies marketed for general wellbeing but his real issue was unproved claims.
