title: Do natural health food stores require regulation?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare advice provided by health food stores (HFS) and pharmacies in relation to medical conditions and assess the need for regulation of HFS.
  
  
  METHODS
  We assessed the advice provided by 26 health food stores (HFS) and 26 pharmacies to an individual presenting with symptoms suggestive of moderate to severe asthma who had not seen a general practitioner.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The advice provided by the two stores differed markedly. 22/26 pharmacy staff diagnosed asthma/probable asthma, whereas only 15/26 HFS staff reached the same conclusion. 92.3% of pharmacy staff compared to 34.6% of HFS staff referred the investigator to a doctor; 5 HFS advised the investigator against seeing a doctor. A wide variety of remedies were recommended by the HFS, none of which are known to be beneficial in the treatment of asthma.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HFS promoting herbal products for medical conditions should be regulated in a similar fashion to shops that dispense pharmaceutical products.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Wellington School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Wellington.
authors.forename: Bridget
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Healey
authors.forename: Carl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Burgess
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Siebers
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Beasley
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weatherall
authors.forename: Shaun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Holt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003254:Consumer Advocacy / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003257:Consumer Product Safety / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D005260:Female; D058870:Food, Organic / Q000592:standards*; D029001:Herbal Medicine / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D009520:New Zealand; D010594:Pharmacies / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012135:Respiratory Sounds / Q000209:etiology; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy