An independent pharmacy carves out a niche in a mercurial health landscape. The trend for mainstream spaces to merge divergent systems of medicine is a nationwide economic opportunity. In this April 22, 2019 article (2 minute read) by the BC Local News, “Fort Langley Pharmacy Combines Conventional and Holistic Health Approaches” personalized healthcare takes on a new approach. Integrative pharmacies employ a combination of conventional and alternative medicine therapies, effectively blurring the demarcation between the two schools of thought. “If we give them a pill, we know that will work for certain symptoms they have. But we also know its going to deplete their body from certain nutrients, vitamins, minerals, which are important for the healthy function of our body,” says Bob Mehr, CEO of Pure Integrative Pharmacy.
While it is a step in the right direction for accessibility and awareness of natural health products, the use of herbals and supplements just to counter side effects of drugs poses a dilemma. There are conditions that can be treated safely and holistically, without pharmaceuticals. The burgeoning area of dual therapy drugstores is changing the face of retail pharmacy but it is important to grasp what integrative pharmacy is and what it is not. What does this integrative pharmacy concept mean to you?
