High blood pressure advice given by natural health food stores.
OBJECTIVE
Complimentary and alternative medicines are widely used but are not registered medicines. The aim of the study was to compare advice given by health food stores and pharmacists for hypertension.


METHODS
Twenty-six health food stores and 26 pharmacies were visited by an individual for advise on a hypothetical problem of hypertension.


RESULTS
Staff in 25 out of 26 health food stores did not refer the researcher to a medical practitioner; instead they recommended and sold a wide variety of compounds of unproven efficacy.


CONCLUSIONS
We recommend the implementation of a formal training programme for health food stores staff and that complimentary and alternative medicines-use in New Zealand is regulated.
Siebers
Robert
R
Department of Medicine, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Otago Wellington, P O Box 7343, Wellington South, New Zealand. rob.siebers@otago.ac.nz
Holt
Shaun
S
Healy
Bridget
B
Beasley
Richard
R
Burgess
Carl
C
D003157:Community Pharmacy Services / Q000592:standards* / Q000639:trends; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends; D003257:Consumer Product Safety; D003376:Counseling; D058870:Food, Organic / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009520:New Zealand; D004366:Nonprescription Drugs / Q000008:administration & dosage; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010595:Pharmacists / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008517:Phytotherapy / Q000592:standards* / Q000639:trends; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D012307:Risk Factors
D004366:Nonprescription Drugs