2023 kicked off with some new rules governing homeopathy, thanks to an FDA action that finalized its guidance on Homeopathic Drug Products on December 6, 2022. News outlets, well-intentioned advocacy groups, and industry associations all picked up the news. Unfortunately, some were fueling fears that access to homeopathic remedies might be significantly and negatively affected.

We don’t agree with the FDA’s assertions in its new policy, but we also felt compelled to correct some of the misinformation being spread. Our assessment of the new rules concluded that most holistic practices would not be impacted and that you wouldn’t lose access to products you value.

Mid-2023 we analyzed all the FDA’s enforcement actions since the new guidance was issued. The results didn’t surprise us, but they pleasantly surprised many healthcare professionals who care about homeopathy.

Not long after the FDA issued new rules for homeopathy, an FDA advisory committee concluded that oral phenylephrine is not effective for relieving congestion, even though it’s been a staple on pharmacy shelves since the FDA approved it 47 years ago. The irony was not lost on us, and we know it was not lost on you.

On a related topic, a group of medical experts issued a statement warning of the potential link between autism and acetaminophen a few years ago. Acetaminophen is the active ingredient in Tylenol (and its generic forms), among the most popular pain relievers in the world.

The acetaminophen-autism connection gained so much momentum that a class action lawsuit was certified in 2022. Finally, just a few weeks ago, a federal judge ruled that the evidence connecting acetaminophen and autism or ADHD was “inadmissible.”

We know it can feel like the FDA unfairly persecutes holistic health while approving drugs that are ineffective or potentially harmful. But, these news stories have a different impact on consumers/patients who are losing trust in the OTC products they buy and the system that approves them. And while that is sad for several reasons, it may be why research reports predict 17-25% compound annual growth in holistic health for the next 8-10 years!

The pandemic changed so many things that almost any human circumstance, behavior, or attitude can be described by how it changed from pre-pandemic to post-pandemic. One such example is consumer expectations about ordering products or services online for home delivery. The reports of ecommerce growth during and after the pandemic are staggering. Patients increasingly demand online access, especially for consumable products like the supplements and homeopathic remedies we produce.

We understand the many benefits of dispensing from an in-office medicinary, so we’ll always support it. At the same time, in the last few years, we’ve experienced a 2x increase in practitioners shipping direct-to-patients and a 3x increase in the number of practitioners giving their patients access to our website.

The good news is that your medicine continues to grow, even as consumer behaviors shift. We know because we shipped more products to more doctors and patients in 2023 than ever before. Patient affinity for online tools will only grow, but rest assured that we’re committed to developing great resources to help you engage your patients and grow your practice in light of these trends.

The biggest news of 2023 is, without a doubt, the explosion of artificial intelligence, or AI. It has implications for almost every industry, but the implications for the future of healthcare can’t be overstated. In fact, if you read any reports on the future of healthcare, they all predict AI will play an increasingly significant role in patient diagnosis, drug development, remote patient monitoring, robotic surgery, and hospital system administration.

We love technology, and we think everyone should explore AI and its potential. But we’re also struck by something profound about the difference between your medicine and the predictions about AI in healthcare.

Your medicine is up-close, personal, sometimes physical, and holistic in its view of a person, their physical body, their mental/emotional state, and even their energetic balance. Your approach looks deep into a person’s history and projects far into their future. Those are just some of the reasons your patients love you and why your health outcomes are extraordinary. On the other hand, western medicine’s use of AI is designed to make medicine less personal, less physical, more distanced, and faster. In other words, it has the potential to help differentiate the benefits of your approach.

2024 marks 40 years that Professional Formulas has been serving healthcare professionals. A lot has changed since 1984. Our President, Mike Grubb, recently wrote a nostalgic, encouraging note about your role in advancing holistic health over the last 40 years.

As evidence of that progress, videos with magnesium hashtags have over 1 Billion views on TikTok. Perhaps even more interestingly, Johns Hopkins and others have published research on a “relatively new” method of treating allergies with highly diluted allergens taken orally. Several new high-profile consumer brands have also launched low-concentration allergy drops sold online.

We’ve been producing allersodes for 40 years, so we’re thrilled with the growing body of evidence that low-concentration allergen drops can help relieve the symptoms of seasonal or pet allergies. More broadly, the Johns Hopkins studies, and others like it, prove that low-concentration oral products (i.e., homeopathy) can significantly impact the body.

Not all holistic healthcare professionals use homeopathy, but more than 90 percent of our customers incorporate it into their practice in some way. So, more clinical studies supporting homeopathy are just another step in a long-term trend toward the adoption of your approach. You’re radically changing how people think about their health, and your approach is growing in acceptance. Progress can feel slow, but you’re building a legacy that will endure long after you’re done practicing. In the meantime, count on our continued support for you and your practice!