Less Médecins Sans Frontières and more Médecins Sans Medicine Via CBC News: Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis) is an insidious tropical infection that begins with flu-like symptoms and can end with heart failure. The only proven treatments are a pair of costly pharmaceutical drugs. But a group of Canadian homeopaths say they can detect, prevent and treat the disease, and the federal government is paying to take their remedies to sick Hondurans. Quebec-based Terre Sans Frontières (TSF) is spending $350,000 in aid money from Global Affairs Canada to dispatch more than a dozen volunteer ..read more

This is excellent – Britt Hermes, of Naturopathic Diaries fame, has been awarded the John Maddox Prize. Hermes said her own professional journey had come at a personal cost and she was being sued for defamation by an American naturopath in a case due to be heard in a German court. “I was a naturopath, until I looked at the evidence and decided to speak up about the dangerous therapies used in naturopathy, especially those to treat cancer,” she said. “Walking away cost me my friends. I am harassed and being sued for defamation. I am honoured to be recognised by the scientific community for ch ..read more

“There’s no evidence subluxations exist. There’s no evidence innate energy flows through the body. And no evidence-based health-care profession believes any of this.”   More here.   ..read more

Britt Marie Hermes is an ex-naturopath who has come clean about her time as a naturopath. This video explains her transition from naturopathy to science and evidence, and is well worth watching: Britt is being sued by a naturopath who believes you can treat cancer with vitamins and baking soda. From Britt’s post: Colleen Huber is a naturopathic cancer crusader and owner of Nature Works Best (NWB) naturopathic cancer clinic in Tempe, Arizona. She is not a medical doctor and, to the best of my knowledge, has no formal training in cancer research. Yet, Huber promotes herself as a cancer expert ..read more

This year will bring a Canada Day for the history books. Only July 1, 2018, recreational marijuana (also called cannabis) will be legalized and regulated in Canada. The federal Cannabis Act creates a legal framework for producing, possessing and selling marijuana across Canada, meaning that each Canadian province will set its own rules to oversee its distribution, subject to federal government conditions. Provincial and federal governments will share in the responsibility for the oversight of this new system, and will also share in the tax revenue. Different provinces are taking different app ..read more

From The Guardian: Nearly one third of pharmacists are recommending complementary and alternative medicines with little-to-no evidence for their efficacy, including useless homeopathic products and potentially harmful herbal products. The finding comes from a Choice survey of 240 pharmacies including Priceline, Chemist Warehouse and Terry White. Mystery shoppers were sent in to speak to a pharmacist at the prescription dispensing counter and ask for advice about feeling stressed. Three per cent of the pharmacists recommended homeopathic products, despite a comprehensive review of all existin ..read more

Unsubstantiated claims for natural health products could be a thing of the past in Canada. I suppose I owe Health Canada some thanks. It was Health Canada’s lackadaisical  regulation of dietary supplements and natural health products that turned me from a “shruggie” pharmacist into one that started advocating, publicly, for putting consumers’ interests ahead of those of supplement manufacturers. While health regulations are seemingly created to protect consumers, Health Canada has  consistently given manufacturers the upper hand, prioritizing a company’s desire to sell a product ov ..read more

Natural remedies are popular. But are they an appropriate substitute for medication? The idea of taking medication can be frightening. And as consumers and patients that want to make our own informed health decisions, it’s understandable and even appropriate to question our physicians when they recommend drug treatments. We need to understand the rationale for any medication that’s recommended or prescribed, the benefits of therapy, the side effects, and if there are any other approaches that might be more appropriate. Dietary supplements and natural health products are widely marketed as be ..read more

The tension between the “business of pharmacy” and the professional responsibilities of pharmacists, as health care professionals, has always been present in retail (“community”) pharmacy practice.  For much of the past several decades, pharmacies have generally been owned by pharmacists, elevating pharmacy ethics and professional responsibilities to the level of the owner. But the era of the independent pharmacist-owner-operated pharmacy is disappearing, and the era of the massive pharmacy chain is upon us. In the United States, CVS and Walgreens command 50% of the retail pharmacy ..read more

A day of Science-Based Medicine, a weekend of science and skepticism If you’re interested in science, skepticism and medicine, then NECSS, the NorthEast Conference on Science and Skepticism, is the conference for you. NECSS will be held May 12-15 in New York City at the Fashion Institute of Technology. The entire program is available schedule here. The conference will welcome over 400 people and include panels, presentations and performances. Included in the program will be a full day of Science-Based Medicine, featuring speakers from the blog like including yours truly. SBM day is Friday, Ma ..read more