So goes the song in Gilbert and Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore. Sadly, this can be true. We live in interesting times where scams and subterfuge are commonplace. With the world in the enthrall of Covid 19 we have unfortunately not seen any decrease in unscrupulous people taking advantage of others.
The FDA in the USA recently warned against using hand sanitizers that were actually dangerous to use1. You can read about this on the link at the bottom of this page.
Nothing of course replaces washing hands thoroughly with soap and water, but hand sanitizer is a necessary and convenient alternative at times when not being able to wash your hands easily.
Be careful as there are now many products available at much reduced cost that may not be suitable or safe
In the last few months AMC received many requests to supply hand sanitizer. Whilst our main focus has been hormonal health and a commitment as much as possible to natural supplements and products, we did manage to arrange with a pharmacy to have hand sanitizer specially formulated although it was prohibitively expensive mainly due to a shortage of raw ingredients throughout Australia and many parts of the world due to very high demand. It became clear however, that people were still keen to be able to obtain this rare and sought-after product, regardless of the high cost. However, through the kindness and advice of one of our patients, a different supplier was found and we were able to secure stock of hand sanitizer at a more reasonable price although still more than it would be under normal circumstances.
We were able to source a supply that was a quality product with pure ethanol and not de-natured with chemical additives. Only water and a safe gelling agent was added. We saw the need and responded. We did get some criticism for promoting this product even though we were simply responding to requests from many patients as well as our staff. AMC does not seek to exploit or be opportunistic and will always try and respond to the needs of those who are associated with us.
2 Cosmetic Ingredient Review Final Safety Assessment, November 2011 – http://www.cir-safety.org/sites/default/files/crossl092011final_for%20posting.pdf
About The Author - Ron Loftus
Ron Loftus is the General Manager of the Australian Menopause Centre and leads the team. He has many years of experience within the medical industry. His detailed and focused approach to every matter ensures our centre maintains high standards in patient care and that we are forever seeking ways of improving our systems and practices.