Consumer watchdog organization by the name of Choice has published a report in which it says that pharmacists often offer advice to customers regarding weight loss pills and programs when they are not qualified and have not undertaken any training to allow them to be capable of offering quality advice.
According to the watchdog, there is a great need for a new training system to be created as well as some kind of accreditation system before any weight loss consultants and pharmacists are allowed to offer advice.
The organization had sent out “fake” overweight shoppers and asked them to go into various pharmacies and ask for advice about weight loss products.
They asked advice about a wide range of available “diet” products and programs such as AlphaSlim, Xndo Weight Control System, Dr Tim’s Success, MediTrim, Ultra Light Weight Management and several others.
These would-be customers discovered that pharmacists and other staff they approached made no attempt to ask questions that are extremely important before under taking a new weight loss regime.
They did not ask anything about medical history, what weight control programs they had tried before, the amount of alcohol consumed each week or any of the many questions that would be asked by a qualified physician.
Choice believes that such information is essential in order to point an overweight person in the right direction for the correct treatment for their specific needs.
