Bridging the gap

Are people patients or customers? Or both? Viridian MD Cheryl Thallon argues the case for a closer relationship between health food stores and the NHS.

What does the future hold for the relationship between the health food store and the mainstream medical profession? This is a subject that has obsessed the sector for decades, with the term ‘integrated medicine’ much discussed but rarely actioned.

However, the keynote speech by Dr Rupy Aujla at this year’s Health Food Institute luncheon, and the appearance of the BBC’s ‘Doctor in the House’, Dr Rangan Chatterjee (as the guest of Viridian Nutrition) at Natural & Organic Products Expo, indicate that things are changing.

So how does the health food store fit into a broader programme for the health of the nation?