Wasn't there a time...

[Graham.]

...when the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, protected the gullible from quack products like this.

[Tim+]

Possibly but it?s not a pharmaceutical product so probably outwith their remit.

Tim

[spuorgelgoog]

Are you thinking of the time they had a homeopathist as President?

Owain

[Bill Wright]

I've heard of a fanny magnet but I thought it was a sports car.

Bill

[ARW]

Would be good on the dance floor of a nightclub when you go for the last dance and she finds out who has a Prince Albert.

[Jim GM4DHJ ...]

no idea but their viagra connect certainly works ....so ying yang ......

[tabbypurr]

no, they're more interested in peddling quackery. And calling anything they can't profit from quackery

NT

[newshound]

I'm the worlds greatest sceptic when it comes to magnetic products. Some decades ago I developed fairly severe shoulder pains and, more or less as a last resort after getting no help from doctors or physiotherapists, tried a magnetic bracelet. Within hours the pains were much reduced, and they were gone in a day. Physicists will have no difficulty in thinking of a couple of possible physiological mechanisms. I can only imagine that my theorising was sufficient to trigger a placebo response.

[michael adams]

It's nothing to do with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

Despite claims to the contrary pharmacists aren't qualified to comment on the efficacy or otherwise of any medicine. The fact that they may do so, is purely incidental.

Their job is to dispense any medicines prescribed by a qualified doctor in the precise dosages indicated.

Just as barristers aren't qualified to comment on the "justice" or otherwise, of any jury's decision. Their job is simply to ensure that the correct legal procedures and processes have been followed in respect of their client.

The idea seems to have got about because of the wholesale adoption of the term "pharmacy" for what simply used to be called "chemist".

And as chemists are being increasing used as a front line by the NHS to reduce the strain on GP's, it presumably was thought a good idea to stress the "fully qualified pharmacists" angle, rather than that of the possibility of being dealt with by a totally unqualified, but nevertheless quite possibly knowledgeable and experienced assistant, in a chemist's shop.

In the old days where they needed to make up the tablets themselves there may have been cases where each tablet needed to contain at least 1/2 grain(32mg) of a substance to be effective but where a dose of say 2 grains if not fatal might have had long lasting and harmful side effects. Where they may have needed to make up a batch of say 20 such tablets, and where word would soon have got around of any slip ups.

Similarly today when you collect any prescription medicine from a pharmacist each individual package will have the pharmacist's label on it describing exactly what it contains

- the actual drug and the quantity per tablet. Along with the dosage instruction from the doctor. This ensures that the prescription outwardly matches what the doctor prescribed. And also that the contents of the package whatever it says on the box also match the doctors prescription. So that they will need to have sourced their supplies from the most reputable suppliers and manufacturers rather than say getting the best deals off of the net from some supplier in Uzbekistan or Peckham. Failure in either respect, if proven would lose them their licence and renders them liable to uninsured damages.

Boots have been selling off-the-shelf remedies of all sorts for over

150 years*. Whether all of these were as affective as was claimed is another matter. The staff working behind the counters have no specific qualifications as such,* but may make personal recommendations based either on their genuine experience or simply their sales technique. But they have no connection with the fully qualified white coated pharmacists dispensing the prescriptions.

Which isn't to say these roles might not be confused in small dispensing chemists when the assistant is out to lunch. But here the recommendations are being made in the role of the local chemist not the pharmacist.

michael adams

*Its only relatively recently that manufacturers have been prevented from making outlandish claims about the medicinal benefits of all sorts of things. Which Boots as the longest established retailer in the field, will have been happy to trade off.

** Apart from maybe a few days "training" and a general vocational qualification in retailing maybe.

...

[Brian Gaff]

Does it do any harm though? Brian

[Brian Gaff]

I'm surprised they don't just make magnetic underwear. I could do with some myself. Stop keys falling out of pockets etc. I'm more worried about that pelvic floor anti incontinence device for internal use only.

Brian

[Brian Gaff]

Actually lots of magnetic stuff about. I saw an advert the other day for TDK rare earth magnetic wrist bands to help with Arthritis. I have a friend who swears his new mattress cover with embedded magnets helps him with his back ache and improves his sleep Are we perhaps in the old Placebo effect realm here? The mind is very powerful if you can convince it to do your bidding.

Brian

[alan_m]

Isn't much like some of the TV adverts for other products sold in boots where the ONLY claim for the product is "the fastest selling in Germany"

[alan_m]

Only to your pocket!

[charles]

and the pharmacist in a nearby shop gave me a flu injection last winter.

[Dave W]

The second link reveals that it's supposed to relieve all symptoms of the menopause.

[Scott]

I remember reading in one of these dodgy magazines in my student days about someone adapting a vibrator to radio control then getting their g/f to wear it in public, then switching it on remotely and unexpectedly !!!

[The Natural Philosopher]

ITYWF that its now the 'FEMopause to comply with gender legislation

[Bob Eager]

They are now Internet based and quite common, I believe.

[dennis]

Well they appeared on amazons deal of the day recently, lots of them. I think some even had cameras.