Health-Food Stores

Nautilidae · #1 by **Nautilidae** » Mar 27, 2010 8:35 pm

I have been to health-food stores many times in my life. My mother used to assist. While they do sell healthy food, I also noticed that most of them carry products that you and I would shun, such as homeopathic remedies, alternative medicine, crystals, etc.

The questions arose: could one consider health-food stores vendors of pseudoscientific products? Do they contribute to the spread of pseudoscience?

Guy McNally · #2 by **Guy McNally** » Mar 27, 2010 10:04 pm

My local health-food store, a food co-operative, is jammed with shit like this. Homeopathic lotions and potions, crystals, Eckhart Tolle books, hemp clothing and Tofurkey. Alternative everything to the point of silliness, sometimes. At least once a year I make a point of asking someone where they keep the Pepsi just to see the look on their faces. The subject of homeopathic "medicines" has come up at co-op board meetings, but there are too many paying members who ask for that stuff. Money and self-preservation disguised as pluralism rule the inventory decisions.

Nautilidae · #3 by **Nautilidae** » Mar 27, 2010 10:25 pm

Guy McNally wrote:Homeopathic lotions

katja z · #4 by **katja z** » Mar 27, 2010 10:43 pm

Nautilidae wrote:I have been to health-food stores many times in my life. My mother used to assist. While they do sell healthy food, I also noticed that most of them carry products that you and I would shun, such as homeopathic remedies, alternative medicine, crystals, etc.

The questions arose: could one consider health-food stores vendors of pseudoscientific products? Do they contribute to the spread of pseudoscience?

Probably depends on the coutry and on the type of the store - most health-food stores I've been to (mostly in Slovenia and France) are just this, food stores, they usually also carry cosmetics and some food supplements, sometimes some essential oils and such, but not that much woo, if you discount exaggerated claims for some "miraculous" exotic foodstuffs.

mmmcheezy · #5 by **mmmcheezy** » Mar 27, 2010 11:07 pm

I used to work in an organic grocer here in town [before it went belly-up] and they only sold foods and organic body products [like lotions, soaps, even tampons!]. But I did stop in a place called "The Herb Shop" last weekend, only to find it was ALL "homepathic remedies" and herbal things. I was expecting to find fresh oregano! :lol:

Alan C · #6 by **Alan C** » Mar 27, 2010 11:13 pm

I visited my local one once to check out Stevia. I don't recall seeing anything other than the expected vitamins and herbal products.

PairOfFeet · #7 by **PairOfFeet** » Mar 27, 2010 11:15 pm

I don't pay any attention to the "medicines", health claims or any of that stuff. I regularly go to a health food store for vegan health food and incense when I run out. As long as people don't take any of the claims seriously it's probly fine. I don't drink their kombucha because of what the bottle says, it's fucking good stuff!

mmmcheezy wrote: But I did stop in a place called "The Herb Shop" last weekend, only to find it was ALL "homepathic remedies" and herbal things. I was expecting to find fresh oregano!

Guy McNally · #8 by **Guy McNally** » Mar 27, 2010 11:38 pm

Nautilidae wrote:
Guy McNally wrote:Homeopathic lotions

"Lotions and potions" sounded better than "potions, and lotions." :mrgreen:

Apollonius · #9 by **Apollonius** » Mar 29, 2010 2:16 am

It's a mystery to me why many people on a forum for rational thought stop thinking when it comes to health food stores and vitamin shops. If they see one thing that is clearly woo, then the assumption is that everything is.

Why not be rational and say some things are questionable, some are smart... It is not logical to over generalize.

What if I were to pick the dumbest few things at the supermarket, and dismiss the whole market based on that one sample? "Never shop at supermarkets, the sell high-fat foods with sugar in them. Everything is unhealthy..." or "When I go into a supermarket, I ask for bacon grease...hahaha.."

PairOfFeet · **#10** by **PairOfFeet** » Mar 29, 2010 2:52 am

Apollonius wrote:It's a mystery to me why many people on a forum for rational thought stop thinking when it comes to health food stores and vitamin shops. If they see one thing that is clearly woo, then the assumption is that everything is.

Why not be rational and say some things are questionable, some are smart... It is not logical to over generalize.

What if I were to pick the dumbest few things at the supermarket, and dismiss the whole market based on that one sample? "Never shop at supermarkets, the sell high-fat foods with sugar in them. Everything is unhealthy..." or "When I go into a supermarket, I ask for bacon grease...hahaha.."

+1

Guy McNally · **#11** by **Guy McNally** » Mar 29, 2010 4:09 am

Apollonius wrote:It's a mystery to me why many people on a forum for rational thought stop thinking when it comes to health food stores and vitamin shops. If they see one thing that is clearly woo, then the assumption is that everything is.

Why not be rational and say some things are questionable, some are smart... It is not logical to over generalize.

What if I were to pick the dumbest few things at the supermarket, and dismiss the whole market based on that one sample? "Never shop at supermarkets, the sell high-fat foods with sugar in them. Everything is unhealthy..." or "When I go into a supermarket, I ask for bacon grease...hahaha.."

No, it isn't logical to over-generalize. I think you might be referring to my post, since I poked fun at my local co-op, but I don't find that I (or anyone so far) have made an assumption that everything about a health food store is woo, or dismissed an entire store. You may be talking about another thread or forum experience with this topic, though. :ask:

Perhaps I shouldn't have poked fun because I do shop there, I'm a participant in its affairs, and without them there'd be no local source for some of the things they sell. I poked at them because they often poke at themselves. The grocery manager and I have had a laugh over Tofurkey, for example, a vegan product in the shape of a turkey. There is humor in that, even to a vegan I would hope. Anyway, I just wanted to respond in case I'm the one that touched the nerve. I don't want to touch anyone's nerves.

Apollonius · **#12** by **Apollonius** » Mar 29, 2010 10:31 am

No worries. I was writing more about forum experience, both here and on RD.net.

There just seems to be an assumption that unless some science association ratifies a product or an approach, then it is superstition and woo. But, as we know, science changes it's mind all the time-as it is supposed to.

I can remember when "certified" nutritionalists would say avoid eggs and eat a low-fat diet, and now that is considered incorrect.

rJD · **#13** by **rJD** » Mar 29, 2010 10:38 am

Apollonius wrote:No worries. I was writing more about forum experience, both here and on RD.net.

There just seems to be an assumption that unless some science association ratifies a product or an approach, then it is superstition and woo. But, as we know, science changes it's mind all the time-as it is supposed to.

I can remember when "certified" nutritionalists would say avoid eggs and eat a low-fat diet, and now that is considered incorrect.

I agree with you, and I shop at my local (independent) health food shop for various specific items (it's, curiously, the only place I can find proper polenta), but I still haven't shopped at Holland & Barrett since they ran a series of adverts featuring "Dr" Gillian McKeith*.

(*for those who haven't encountered "the awful poo lady", quackwatch, and Bad Science)

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