Theresa May warns that "no-one will get everything they want" out of Brexit negotiations

Spot-on, Graham. I used to groan in UK at TV commercials that used nursery-school-level language and graphics to sell candy-coloured, luridly-labelled medications of often dubious efficacy to the credulous public. Talk about the “nanny state”! The general public has become infantilised in its grasp of health issues. Look at this total nonsense that healthy adults and children need to “maintain their hydration” by guzzling at plastic nipples every five minutes. It’s widely believed that no other liquid other than commercially available bottled water uniquely and expensively " invested with trace elements essential to maintain health and fitness" will “hydrate”: if one is to believe the current health mythology, neither tea, nor coffee, nor milk, nor beer, cider, tap-water nor rainwater collected in a galvanised bucket outside the back door can “hydrate” us. I’ve met trained nurses who believe this guff. God help us all!

1 Like

I do disagree with you as I feel the tight grip french pharmacies have on selling drugs walks straight into big pharma’s hands. Drugs are more expensive here as there isn’t the competition to drive prices down. And the number of times I have overheard pharmacists selling people extremely expensive médecin doux, homeopathy, or home testing kits that are not reliable (if you are worried better to ask GP to send you for proper test). is incredible (some things are effective, but very few in my opinion). I have also been given some extremely bad advice by local pharmacists that did quite shock me.

Everyone seems to walk out of pharmacies with bulging bags of drugs and are given far more than they need. How is it better to have people with cupboards at home stuffed with dangerous drugs? Even if the contraindications etc were explained at the time, will they remember when they reach for drug x a few months later?

I’m sure that there are good pharmacists and bad pharmacists, just as there are in the UK. And I am overall impressed with french health service but it is not all good.

1 Like

Jane… if you have been given bad advice by a French Pharmacist… you should mention this to your Medecin Traitant without delay.

Pharmacists are very strongly controlled/policed… and anyone with a legitimate complaint should not be reticent in coming forward.

2 Likes

“Coming out of the pharmacy with a bagful of medecine douces and homeopathy” who forces the people to go to the pharmacy for these non-prescription things? Who twists their arm so they buy them?
If they are adults spending their money on what they choose so they feel better, then whose business is it? What about people coming out of the tabac with their cigarettes? People buying alcohol?

4 Likes

I don’t say these things without some evidence. One of our gîte clients went into a pharmacy to get a tick hook, and on his return said he felt blugeoned into buying a fairly expensive test for Lyme disease. He hadn’t even been bitten by a tick…(and was a Swiss french speaker so no excuse for language issuues).

The head pharmacist at that particular place is a friend, so yes it was discussed in the gentlest possible way! Generally I have few problems with speaking out if I feel it’s needed. But didn’t want it to go further so felt a gentle word was sufficient.

Forewarned is forearmed! I can see your point. Pharmacists have a business to run and some may push sales in a way that stretches professional ethics, especially if they see the client as a soft touch. In UK I have bought cut-price medicines and basic ‘clinical’ consumables at discount shops, and value the amenity; but supermarkets and big retail chemists do overcharge for proprietary versions of basic medicines, and over-hype their benefits, IMO.

When you told your friend, the Head Pharmacist… what was the reaction… ?

Sounds to me as if your gîte client bought exactly what he wanted… otherwise he would not have done so.

1 Like

Cross!

He is a very shy man, and felt it would be rude to refuse. He had no intention of using the test kit as he said that were he to be concerned about a tick bite he would go to his doctor…

I do appreciate all the comments on here, but I have to ask how is it that this post has turned into a debate over pharmacies and the NHS ?

3 Likes

:smirk: you have a point!

Heavens…my first attempt at using emoticons and I now realise what I thought was a wry face is actually a smirk! Apologies, not intended. Off to clean my glasses and resolve not to try to keep up with new trends I can’t see!

Jane has been decrying French Pharmacies and French Pharmacists…on this thread.

That is why we are discussing them. In more than 30 years of using French Pharmacies… I have never come across any situation such as she describes… far from it… :zipper_mouth_face:

1 Like

Yes but the thread is called: Theresa May warns that “no-one will get everything they want” out of Brexit negotiations.

From there, to people who seem to get more than they want out of French pharmacies, is a fair bit of thread drift…

3 Likes

The joys of the Forum, Anna… the thread wanders here and there… through A&E and UK Hospitals et al…

Personally, I was not interested in discussing Brexit… so I did not join the discussion… until Jane’s posts about Pharmacies and the Pharmacist… 'nuff said.

1 Like

Yes Stella, I understand that but the thread was about TM and Brexit negotiations.
Of course we all veer a little off subject , but maybe start a new thread on health and pharmacies rather than wander all over here on a Brexit thread :thinking: :confounded:

1 Like

LOL …Personally, I blame Mandy :wink::wink: for talking about folk dying waiting for ambulances… :frowning_face::frowning_face::frowning_face: that’s what started the rot… we were alright up until that point… :upside_down_face:

Yup! Hold my hands up! I started it!

4 Likes

I agree with you Anna. The trouble with the thinking today it that the Government is responsible for every aspect of everyone’ life from cradle to grave. This is not right and people should be more responsible for their own lives and actions instead of relying on others.