title: High blood pressure advice given by natural health food stores.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: 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
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Siebers
authors.forename: Shaun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Holt
authors.forename: Bridget
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Healy
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Beasley
authors.forename: Carl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Burgess
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D004366:Nonprescription Drugs