CVS pharmacies sell homeopathic “remedies”

March 31, 2016 • 10:00 am

CVS is the second largest chain of pharmacies in the US, and became famous (and lauded) in 2014, when the company decided, on grounds of public health, to stop selling cigarettes to the public. That was a good thing.

But there’s a bad thing, too, and one injurious to health. As reader Chris reports, the chain sells homeopathic “remedies.” As he noted in an email to me yesterday:

This morning when I woke up, my knee was killing me so I ran (or hobbled) over to the corner CVS to get some relief. I nearly bought a cream that was labeled unscented and then luckily noticed that it is also labeled homeopathic. The main inactive ingredient is alcohol and naturally the only active ingredient is so diluted it can only be found in trace amounts. One absolutely confounding review of the product claims it works and only has a slight smell of alcohol upon application, a smell that quickly dissipates. I wonder why this is the case!

I know you’ve posted about homeopathic remedies at places like Whole Foods that are more left-leaning and into the organic trend, but I was surprised to see this at CVS. I suppose I wouldn’t object to them selling these things (they’re free to sell whatever they please), but it is completely misleading to put these products in the medicine aisles. Not only does it give legitimacy to these products, it could mislead knowledgeable customers, something that almost happened to me this morning. To make things worse, the homeopathic remedy is more than double the price of actual medicine. They should be ashamed of themselves. I’m writing a letter to them to see if they have any explanation; I’m not holding my breath that their reply will have any substance, much like the woo they’re peddling.

I asked for a photo, just so you could see, and here it is:
To the left, real pain medicine. To the right, the woo in a box for 200-250% more.
CVS
The Arnicare product page is here, and clearly identifies the remedies as homeopathic here.
Here are two videos on the Arnicare site by REAL DOCTORS recommending homeopathic medicine. Shame on them! (They’re both, of course, plastic surgeons.) Comments are disabled for both videos.
Boiron Arnicare pain-relieving medicines are recommended by plastic surgeon Shirley Madhère, MD from New York, NY.
Boiron Arnicare pain-relieving medicines are recommended by Mark Youssef, MD, board-certified cosmetic surgeon at Younique Cosmetic Surgery Center in Santa Monica, Calif.
If you want to weigh in with CVS about this, here’s the information, or you can fill in a comment page here and send it directly to CVS .
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Readers’ wildlife video

March 31, 2016 • 9:00 am

Today we have a video by Tara Tanaka called “Great Egret and Anhinga: an Afternoon in my Blind.” I had no idea egrets displayed in this way: it’s very graceful. (Her flickr site is here and Vimeo channel is here.) The Great Egret is Ardea alba and the Anhinga is, naturally, Anhinga anhinga.

The details:

It’s only March 2nd but spring is in full swing on our swamp. This Great Egret was displaying while a female watched from above. I’ve seen this male Anhinga and a female in breeding plumage but I’m not sure if they’re a pair, or just thinking about it. Every day more and more Egrets are arriving, and a few are already incubating eggs.

This video was digiscoped using a GH4 + 20/1.7 mounted on a Swarovski STX85 using a Digidapter. The video was shot in 4K and I zoomed in to about 140% in post processing.

Thursday: Hili dialogue

March 31, 2016 • 6:00 am

by Grania

Good morning from a suspiciously sunny Ireland! I say suspicious because only the day before yesterday we had a freak hailstorm that sent cars on the freeway careening into a spectacular pile-up. Fortunately, no-one was seriously hurt.

There’s a cat extravaganza today, and it seems that they are all getting up to their usual shenanigans in the new northern hemisphere Spring. Hili is up to something, but Cyrus ruins the effect by not appearing particularly alarmed.

Hili: I will attack you now.
Cyrus: What? Again?

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In Polish:

Hili: Teraz na ciebie napadnę.
Cyrus: Jeszcze raz?

Reader Taskin sent Jerry this lovely photo of Gus the Fearless & Earless enjoying the spring sun.

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And a little lagniappe from Leon.

Leon: You may jump up here, Balbina, without fear. Nobody is looking!

balbina

 

Jerry has scheduled some posts for later on in the day, he’s still busy adventuring with his most excellent hosts.

 

Reader wildlife photo

March 30, 2016 • 1:30 pm

by Greg Mayer

My Okinawa correspondent sends a happier picture than last time, this one of a living longhorn beetle, a member of the family Cerambycidae. Note the very long antennae, and the impressive tarsi. Cerambycids are often brightly or contrastingly colored.

An Okinawan longhorn beetle, 30.iii.2016.
An Okinawan longhorn beetle, 30.iii.2016.

Normally I’d have no idea what particular genus or species an Okinawan insect would be– I was happy I recognized the order and family!– but this seems to be an Asian longhorned beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis, which has become an invasive species in the US, Canada, Trinidad, and several European countries. The larvae feed on the sapwood of maples, elms, and other trees. If a reader more knowledgeable about Okinawan or East Asian insects has an opinion, please weigh in.

I’m still alive

March 30, 2016 • 12:00 pm

I have been out and about with no Internet, and that will continue tomorrow. I’m back in Bhubaneswar for one night before we head out for Crocodile City and Turtle Beach tomorrow, so will quickly post some photos.

At the Temple of the Sun at Konarak, I made friends with a calf; it shows some red dye for Holi (even the animals get colored!). Cows really are sacred here; it’s highly illegal to kill one, although there are exceptions in some states. Almost nobody in the entire country eats beef, though water buffalos don’t count as cows.

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Lunch yesterday started with baked paneer (Indian cheese) with onions, mint, and pepper:

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Main course: Hyderabadi chicken biryani; excellent!

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And raita to accompany the biryani, of course.

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An amorous couple at Konarak, stealing a quiet moment:

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More pictures of noms, people, and temples in the next few days!

Jesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ Easterology

March 30, 2016 • 10:00 am

This strip “plan 2,” is 9 years old but the author informs us it’s been slightly edited. No matter—it’s still timely. And the whole Easter story and the salvific effects of Jesus (aka God) being crucified has never made any sense to me. I suppose that senselessness makes it even more plausible to a Sophisticated Theologian™. After all, “Credo quia absurdum.”

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Open thread: Lahore, Pakistan

March 30, 2016 • 9:00 am

by Grania

There have been two really good articles that I have read since the appalling violence in Pakistan. The first is by Kunwar Khuldune Shahid writing in The Guardian.

It is a very clearly written analysis of the religious and political tensions in Pakistan and why this is happening.

1

It has been pointed out by numerous commentators both here and elsewhere that blasphemy laws endanger members of minority religious groups wherever they exist. They are used to intimidate and oppress vulnerable minorities and for that reason alone, blasphemy laws should be consigned to the rubbish bin of history, wherever you find them, and no matter how benign they may appear on the surface.

The second piece you should read is by Maajid Nawaz in The Daily Beast where he examines this attack against the global backdrop of jihadist civil wars.

2

On a slightly tangential note, Wahhabism is one of the main exports of Saudi Arabia, long-time ally of many Western nations and recently the darling of the UN and more specifically the UN Human Rights Council. In a deeply troubling move, it appears that Saudi Arabia has managed to convince the UN to remove any overt mention LGBT rights and equality from its Sustainable Development Goals.

Although one is tempted to dismiss the UN as irrelevant, it nevertheless has a certain global influence and cannot be ignored. Any attempt to walk back progress made to equality needs to be highlighted and opposed as vocally as possible.

 

Wednesday: Hili dialogue

March 30, 2016 • 6:00 am

by Grania

Yes, it is Wednesday today – I double-checked!

We still have radio silence from Jerry, which can only mean he is in a Place Of No Internet while he is cavorting at Chilka Lake. He should be back at his hotel later today for a bit of rest and will doubtless check in with us then before setting off again to Bitarkanika.

In Poland today we have a Life Lesson from the Princess. Wise words.

A: What are you watching so carefully?
Hili: I’m analysing the situation.

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In Polish:

Ja: Czemu się tak przyglądasz?
Hili: Analizuję sytuację.

As I said, wise words indeed, and ones possibly heeded (or not) by Ben Innes who managed to pose for a selfie with the Egyptian hijacker whose bomb later turned out to be a fake.

In his own words:

I’m not sure why I did it, I just threw caution to the wind while trying to stay cheerful in the face of adversity. I figured if his bomb was real I’d nothing to lose anyway, so took a chance to get a closer look at it.

 

hijacker
As Zaphod Beeblebrox once said “and you, baby, should be in real life”.

 

Speaking of the ennui of the jaded, our other feline friend has had anough of leisure. I should be so lucky.

Leon: I’m tired of of the holidays!

leon on holidays

Hat-tip: Martin