Ron Stock uses his traditional experience to challenge standard prescribing habits.
Name: Ron Stock
Position: Pharmacist/Owner of The Herbal Path
Interview Summary with Ron Stock
Ron Stock is a pharmacist and owner of The Herbal Path, a natural pharmacy that specializes in natural remedies and alternatives to prescription drugs.
1. Can you give us an overview of natural pharmacy?
- Natural pharmacy is one piece of a larger pie
- Natural medicine encompass herbs, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and nutraceuticals
- Goal is to treat the person holistically, not just looking at a specific disease/condition
2. Can you expand on how The Herbal Path fits into alternatives to prescription drugs?
- Ron obtained his pharmacy degree from Rutgers University
- Also worked in hospital pharmacy, retail pharmacy, pharmaceutical industry as a sales rep, and for an HMO
- Career at the HMO involved in-depth patient counseling, including in-home pharmacy counseling
- The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) allowed us to start talking about the importance of dietary supplements (FDA originally wanted to remove dietary supplements from the market)
- People are placed on too many prescription medications.
- Instead of 65+ year olds on 6 medications, we are now seeing 40 year olds on 12 or more medications (and they aren’t getting any healthier)
- Went through a paradigm shift after questioning whether we were really “helping” patients by dispensing all these medications
- Have to see the difference between what you were taught in pharmacy school and what is really happening in the world
- Natural remedies are often dismissed due to lack of evidence
- A very large percentage of prescription medications are prescribed for off-label uses (which also lacks the evidence)
- The FDA does not accept foreign studies
- Natural medicine has potential to save billions of dollars if it was considered before starting with prescription drugs
- Move onto prescription drugs when the supplements fail us
3. What is The Herbal Path’s perspective within natural medicine?
- Ron started his business with integrative solutions in mind
- Developed a positive reputation and became a common referral
- Most primary care practices around The Herbal Path are owned by the hospitals
- Hospitals are reimbursed by certain levels of drug utilization (not based on what your patient population needs)
- We are no longer practicing medicine on an individual patient level, but rather what fits into the economics of the situation as a whole
4. What roles do pharmacists play at The Herbal Path?
- Patients come into the store for a few reasons:
- They were prescribed a drug and don’t want to take it
- They are on a medication they can’t come off of
- They are on a medication that they can’t afford or can’t tolerate due to side effects and are looking for an alternative
- Not on any medications, but looking to improve their overall health
5. Are pharmacists filling prescriptions at The Herbal Path?
- No, all natural
- Made a conscious decision to be a patient advocate
- There is an expectation that the pharmacist is supposed to fill a prescription unless it is blatantly wrong
- Help to offer integration and alternatives, not to fill prescriptions
6. What kinds of opportunities exist for pharmacists/pharmacy students to pursue a career in natural medicine?
- You have to be an entrepreneur
- There aren’t going to be many jobs available
- You have to work in a drug store and spend a number of years working in pharmacy to understand how the system is broken
- This will allow you to see what role alternative medicine can play
- Must have a paradigm shift
- It is important to understand how medicine is broken in this country
7. What resources do you recommend for people who want to learn more?
- No official program in natural medicine
- Weekend courses and seminars
- Manufacturer training
- Professional line seminars
- Apprenticeship opportunities with herbalists
Ron absolutely loves his work and thinks there is a lot of room for other pharmacists to do what he does. Natural medicine does not mean that prescription drugs aren’t utilized, it just means that drugs need to be selected more carefully.
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I really enjoyed this discussion on youtube regarding this work as an herbal pharmacist. I have investigated this concept and currently on independent study at my current pharmacy school. I am interested in doing a rotation to obtain more information about what you do at Herbal Path Pharmacy. How can I obtain the opportunity to learn more and possibly secure a APPE rotation through my institution?
Thanks Michelle! Does your school offer an herbal pharmacy rotation? I would ask the administration what you available to you in this field. Additionally, we are happy to connect you with Ron Stock if you have specific questions for him. Thanks for reaching out!
I’m actually planning to do a PhD in this area. The most frustrating thing is how my pharmacy school doesn’t offer any rotations on this, but I’m grateful for the elective I got to take in this.
This was my first APPE rotation and I can’t even begin to tell you how awesome it was for me. I have always had a connection to nature and have wanted to do something with that. At my school (Mass College of Pharmacy) this is an elective rotation that you have to luck into. It was also my hardest and most rewarding rotation. Just like in school you will get out of this rotation what you put into the rotation. Ron is right in saying this rotation has irrevocably changed my life as well as my pharmacy practice. I am now able to actually help my patients pick the right herbal product instead of whatever has the best packaging or even worse just pointing to the supplement section and telling them its over there. I am putting in my years as a staff pharmacist in a chain retail pharmacy and I can see where the system is broken and breaking more everyday. My wish is that we can integrate holistic and allopathic medicine into a cohesive treatment plan so that our patients win for a change. Thanks Ron (and everyone else at the Herbal Path) you guys are amazing and I miss you all soooooo much!!!! Hey Ron if you ever want to franchise The Herbal Path out west, I landed on the Oregon Coast! Come play =D
This was an extremely informative and eye-opening post! I am about to start my first semester as a pharmacy student at Rutgers University and I am looking to keep my options open and broaden my horizons as I am going through my schooling. I have spent my whole life using my Mom’s natural home remedies for the common cold, digestive problems, and even skin issues like acne. I have truly developed a strong desire to gain more experience and knowledge within this remarkable field of pharmacy. If I get the opportunity to combine my passion for being a healthcare professional and for discovering homeopathic and natural alternatives to the conventional drugs marketed by Big Pharma, my dreams would become a reality. If I can get any advice and/or words of wisdom, it would be greatly appreciated! So happy I stumbled upon this page while I was doing my research. 🙂
I really love this. I wish I could learn from him. Also, what is the career path to become naturopathic pharmacist
Glad you liked the post! Be sure to check out our recent interview on Integrative Medicine as well – there is a pharmacy resident, Swathi, that does a great job describing the path she took.
Thanks for putting this interview out. I have been searching into this, I have a huge interest to open a similar pharmacy. I think Ron would be a great mentor. How can I get connected?