It is a long established FACT!!!! that the Welsh School of Pharmacy is the best in the UK, consistently producing graduates with an indepth knowledge of basic scientific principles, a strong research ethic, and the ability to drink for thirteen hours straight in the Park Vaults on international days. God, I miss the Park Vaults.
Anyway, there appears to be a new Professor of Pharmacology there by the name of Gary Baxter. Never met the chap, so I assume he hasn't been there more than a couple of years. Even though I haven't met him, he appears to be a thoroughly good chap. This is why.
"As a pharmacist, I am embarrassed by the attitude of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society to complementary and alternative medicines — and to homoeopathy particularly — where the scientific evidence base clearly points to no benefit greater than placebo.
Edzard Ernst (PJ, 19 July 2008, p69) has provided a great service in highlighting the disingenuous stance of the Society in not making a clear denunciation of the supply by pharmacists of unproven therapies, which includes nearly the entire CAM repertory.
David Colquhoun is the author of the science blog dcscience.net, which I commend to all your readers. He describes, with embarrassing detail, in a written transcript “Royal Pharmaceutical Society defends quackery”, his encounters with the Society in trying to get a clear statement from the former director of practice and quality improvement David Pruce. Mr Pruce’s response was waffling and non-committal and I can only hope that he brings more clarity of thinking to bear in his new position at the Society.
I cannot emphasise strongly enough that the reputation of the profession as a reliable and trustworthy source of information on drugs and their use is at great risk. I believe that the Society’s attitude in not providing clear and unequivocal leadership on this issue says little for it as a responsible professional leader and guardian of the public good. "
(Bolding is mine).
I absolutely agree with him entirely. The attitude of the Society on this matter is absolutely shocking. Borderline criminal, you could say. They're an embarrassment, and the only reason I'm associated with them is because I have to be.
LINK (again):http://www.pjonline.com/forum/alternative_medicine
11 comments:
I particularly enjoyed the comments by the Glasgow homeopathic hospital guys:
"Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are not even the gold standard — merely an accepted standard, until something better comes along."
Well of course, I've heard those double-blind RCTs are really biased and unreliable. We should go back to using historical case studies. Good old historical case studies.
"Where is Professor Ernst’s evidence for the statement “most UK pharmacies have shelves full with herbal remedies, aromatherapy oils, flower remedies and homoeopathic products”?
Slightly hypocritical, given the lack of evidence for their entire medicinal approach, relying as it does on ‘water having memory’. I’m sure the evidence for Professor Ernst’s statement could take at least, oh I don’t know, two or even three days to compile.
“His statement “most of the remedies for sale do not contain a single molecule of what it says on the package” is misleading. Medicines at the 6c potency level certainly do contain molecules of the specified source material.”
Yes, I’m sure there’s at least a couple of dozen molecules in there.
I don't understand the pole please help me
He's a sound bloke. Really knows his stuff. Specialises in pharmacology of the heart. Taught in a medical college in London, done heaps of research blah blah blah.
Also has the most amazing 'tache ever!
picture of said 'tache may be found here, care of the outstanding Welsh School of Pharmacy...
http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/phrmy/contactsandpeople/fulltimeacademicstaff/baxter-garynew-overview_new.html
Is it the lambeth pole please
Phew... thought for a second this Baxter guy may've replaced Prof Broadley... thankfully not the case... legend!
Keep up the crusade TWP.
NM
Yeah, nice to see Broadley still plugging away. I wonder if he's still running marathons?
Him and Dr Pugh deserve to have undiscovered planets named after them.
Broadley ran the New York marathon this year.
Finished lecturing, supervises projects though.
Pugh still sells eggs from his office.
hear hear for the park vaults... may it rest in peace!
CG
I hunger for to felicitate Obama on his success!
I want to felicitate Obama on his success!
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