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Cocoa and Cognition
Editor’s Note: As someone who consumes dark chocolate 85% I would suggest that a close look at the label is required, for many brands are still using the sweetener aspartame (or variations of the molecule) which endangers cognitive health. Some brands are now appearing on the market sweetened with Stevia, which is quite safe. Cocoa…
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Fish oil – is it on the nose?
Considerable confusion and many unsubstantiated beliefs abound when it comes to fish oil supplements. An estimated one in four Australians currently take them for a wide range of conditions, even though good research is unconvincing. However, there are suggestions that increased doses of fish oil might provide health benefits. What are fish oils – and…
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Business lessons from George Washington
As a history major, I am intrigued by the origins of our great country. George Washington is a logical place to start. This week we celebrate his birthday with Abraham Lincoln’s as Presidents Day – the third Monday in February. But what do we really know about this founding father who led our country through the…
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Downstream From Hospital Re-admissions
The US hospital system has finally discovered its pharmacy department in respect of its ability to help in the prevention of re-admissions – a very costly exercise. Of course, frustrated hospital pharmacists, both in the US and here in Australia, knew that this was feasible. However, the system here in Australia seems to be permanently…
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Precision Medicine – Pharmacy needs to get a move on
Primary health care teams in the US are currently being considered for the promotion of personalised medicine based on gene analysis. This has to be pharmacist territory, but given the time lag of pharmacist leadership organisations, Australian pharmacists may again miss the boat by not having decentralised training systems to be able to deliver suitable…
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The Huge Information Disconnect in Primary Health Care
The world is beginning to wake up to the resource that comprises pharmacy as the Medicines Use Review (MUR) program in the UK has just been “discovered” by health planners. Australia, of course, has had Home Medicines Reviews successfully in place for well over a decade now, but they are a well kept secret between…
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Time for common sense and good science to prevail in the Australian vaccination debate
In recent weeks we have seen a media led campaign that has resulted in sensible debate about vaccination being sidelined by hysteria and misinformation.An artificial dualism has emerged where people are cast as either ‘pro’ or ‘anti’.This mitigates against myriad other positions, such as being in favour of vaccination in general, but having concerns about…
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Pharmacist Jobs Destroyed by Automation?
We always knew that automation would be disruptive to pharmacy and displace pharmacists. Nobody really objected to that possibility because high initial machinery costs generally slowed down its introduction, giving time to make structural adjustments to pharmacist jobs. But it never happened! It was always assumed that the role of pharmacists would evolve to that…
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Seth Godin and The Productivity Pyramid
The following quotation comes from marketing guru Seth Godin who somehow seems to formulate the essence of a contemporary problem in a few short words. If you study the words carefully you will come to think that he is speaking directly to you as a pharmacist. If the cap fits….wear it! The productivity pyramid (give…
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The Pharmore Demise – a Wake Up Call for All of Pharmacy
One of the saddest aspects of the shakeout that has been occurring in pharmacy over the past 18 months is that a new wave of businesses who have been treading water for that period, are now starting to go under water. One such company is Pharmore, a pharmacy marketing and management service entity that has…