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I've seen homeopathic nonsense in chain drug stores. Is it a symptom of how unaffordable US healthcare is, or are people in other countries also profiting from

I've seen homeopathic nonsense in chain drug stores. Is it a symptom of how unaffordable US healthcare is, or are people in other countries also profiting from selling quackery?

gedy 3y ago
> Is it a symptom of how unaffordable US healthcare is In my circles, it's actually the well-off people who buy into the quack fads.
denton-scratch 3y ago
My local pharmacy (not any kind of chain) sells homeopathic crap. It's a nice pharmacy; it's not actually that local, I have to take a bus to get there. It's tiny - basically a corner shop. UK pharmacies get a fee from the NHS for each prescription they dispense. But I imagine that's not enough to keep them running; they need the profits they make from manuka honey shampoo, argan-oil skin products, dubious supplements and so on.
mindslight 3y ago
I'm sure the same snake oil dynamic exists everywhere, but the popularity sure seems like a feature of rampant individualism as enabled by wealth. Don't follow professional "medical advice" - that's boring, we all know it's bound to fail, and that's if you can even get an appointment with an engaged professional. Instead "do your own research" and find that one simple trick that "they" have been keeping from you. The lure of someone believing that they've discovered their own smarter approach is a hell of a drug.
fzeroracer 3y ago
Every country has some degree of homeopathic cures. What makes the US particularly stand out is that people integrate homeopathic bullshit as a replacement for proper medical care and treatment. It's been a long standing problem heightened over the past few years as certain groups grow in cultish fervor.
infecto 3y ago
It exists everywhere in some form. Germany is famous for have homeopathic MDs. Much of Asia is filled with some style of Traditional Chinese Medicine. In the US it exists in mostly the wealthier circles where people can afford to believe in snake oil. I believe there are definitely certain components/compounds that exist in nature that have been used successfully but I think that dwarfs the vast amount of fake supplements and drugs that exist.
- sixothree 3y ago
  I think the difference is we have entire shelves in many stores stocked with products with zero proven efficacy related to what is claimed on the packaging.
- Nursie 3y ago
  I believe that too. There are none in homeopathic “remedies” though, as their process of manufacture removes any and all potential active ingredients.
diydsp 3y ago
China.

I've seen homeopathic nonsense in chain drug stores. Is it a symptom of how unaffordable US healthcare is, or are people in other countries also profiting from selling quackery?

gedy 3y ago

> Is it a symptom of how unaffordable US healthcare is In my circles, it's actually the well-off people who buy into the quack fads.

denton-scratch 3y ago

My local pharmacy (not any kind of chain) sells homeopathic crap. It's a nice pharmacy; it's not actually that local, I have to take a bus to get there. It's tiny - basically a corner shop. UK pharmacies get a fee from the NHS for each prescription they dispense. But I imagine that's not enough to keep them running; they need the profits they make from manuka honey shampoo, argan-oil skin products, dubious supplements and so on.

mindslight 3y ago

I'm sure the same snake oil dynamic exists everywhere, but the popularity sure seems like a feature of rampant individualism as enabled by wealth. Don't follow professional "medical advice" - that's boring, we all know it's bound to fail, and that's if you can even get an appointment with an engaged professional. Instead "do your own research" and find that one simple trick that "they" have been keeping from you. The lure of someone believing that they've discovered their own smarter approach is a hell of a drug.

fzeroracer 3y ago

Every country has some degree of homeopathic cures. What makes the US particularly stand out is that people integrate homeopathic bullshit as a replacement for proper medical care and treatment. It's been a long standing problem heightened over the past few years as certain groups grow in cultish fervor.

infecto 3y ago

It exists everywhere in some form. Germany is famous for have homeopathic MDs. Much of Asia is filled with some style of Traditional Chinese Medicine. In the US it exists in mostly the wealthier circles where people can afford to believe in snake oil. I believe there are definitely certain components/compounds that exist in nature that have been used successfully but I think that dwarfs the vast amount of fake supplements and drugs that exist.

sixothree 3y ago
I think the difference is we have entire shelves in many stores stocked with products with zero proven efficacy related to what is claimed on the packaging.
Nursie 3y ago
I believe that too. There are none in homeopathic “remedies” though, as their process of manufacture removes any and all potential active ingredients.

diydsp 3y ago

China.