IAN Carr’s message is spreading.
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The Saxby’s pharmacist has been in the Sunday Telegraph, on Today Tonight and soon ABC’s The Checkout.
Mr Carr is adamant the trend of naturopaths working out of pharmacies will do more harm than good.
It’s a topic Mr Carr has been passionate about for a long time. He’s been published in numerous medical journals and has previously spoken against the sale of homoeopathic products in pharmacies.
“The problem is pharmacists need complete oversight of what goes on in the pharmacy,” he said.
“You are in charge of training your staff appropriately, so that you know, right down the line the correct advice is being administered.
“With a naturopath operating within your pharmacy they would need 100% supervision – but this is not the case.”
Mr Carr said the uptake of naturopaths in pharmacies has been increasing due to public interest and also the industry not being supervised.
“Things are de-regulated and this adds to the confusion over the validity of medicines.”
In Saxby’s Pharmacy Mr Carr has developed a sticker to place on products which are based on evidence-based medicine and ones that are not.
Mr Carr explained when reading over-the-counter medicine labels you will see either an ‘L’ or ‘R’ near the license number.
The Australian Government Department of Health’s website outlines ‘R’ medicines as assessed for safety, quality and effectiveness.
“They include all prescription only medicines and many over-the-counter products such as those for pain relief, coughs and colds and antiseptic creams,” the website states.
For ‘L’ medicines, the website states they “can only contain pre-approved low-risk ingredients.”
“They are used for minor health problems and are reviewed for safety and quality. They include sunscreens over SPF4 and many vitamins, mineral, herbal and homoeopathic products. A purpose must be included on the label.”
To make consumers aware of the difference Mr Carr has formulated a special sticker to place on ‘L’ medicines such as vitamins in his pharmacy.
“We do have vitamins in our pharmacy as this is what people expect,” he said.
The sticker reads “Claims of efficacy for this product are not verified by authorities. Ask your pharmacist.”
Mr Carr would like the campaign against naturopaths in pharmacies to continue by championing the message inside his own profession.
“I am perfectly happy for people to make the most informed health choice for themselves. But naturopathy does become misleading within a pharmacy setting,” he said.
“There needs to be reform in this area. I want others in my profession to listen because otherwise our reputation will decline.”