When western medicine isn’t doing the trick for us, we lose hope, thinking we’ll suffer for the rest of our lives.
But then a friend comes along and says that they tried this magical pill that cured the same ailment, and your eyes light up.
Is this the solution to all my problems?
But there’s a reason why doctors tell you to be careful when taking alternative medicine because no one knows what the hell is in them.
HSA Warns S’poreans About 3 Health Products Containing ‘Potent’ & Banned Substances
The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has warned the public against taking three health products found to contain “potent medicinal ingredients” and a banned substance.
These are the products:
Shen qi dan bai nian cao yao
One of the health products is shen qi dan bai nian cao yao, a medicine advertised to treat pain and pain ailments (such as rheumatism and gout).
According to the HSA, one woman in her 70s experienced chest discomfort after consuming the substance.
She got the product from a friend who sourced it from Malaysia.
According to CNA, the product claimed to only contain herbal ingredients like cordyceps and ginseng, but HSA detected “multiple medicinal ingredients”, including an antihistamine, a steroid, a painkiller and a medicine used to remove excess water from the body.
Yes, a freaking steroid.
As the HSA said, these potent ingredients can have “adverse effects” when used without medical supervision.
Ricalinu
Just like shen qi dan bai nian cao yao, Ricalinu is also believed to help with pain ailments like gout.
But this medicine was also found to contain a steroid and multiple “potent painkillers”.
One man in his 40s was stopped at the Singapore Cruise Centre by checkpoint officers for attempting to bring in 20 boxes of Ricalinu from Indonesia.
Freaky Fitz
Now, while Freaky Fitz sounds more like the name of a video you might watch in an Incognito window at 3am in the morning, it’s actually a purported slimming product.
The item, which is being sold on local e-commerce platforms such as Shopee, Carousell, Lazada, and Qoo10, was found to contain sibutramine, a prescription medicine that has been banned in Singapore since 2010 due to an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes.
This is scary.
What’s scarier is that the product is advertised as “safe to consume” and even carries a false quality certification mark.
Here’s a tip: When someone brings you food or medicine and before you even ask any questions, they say it’s safe to consume, you should assume that it is absolutely not safe to consume and stay far away from that person.
HSA is working with the online retailers above to take down the affected listings.
What to do if you’ve taken these products
If you’ve consumed shen qi dan bai nian cao yao or Ricalinu, HSA advises you to see a doctor as soon as possible.
This is because the “potent steroids” in them that might cause withdrawal symptoms such as fatigue, confusion, and low blood pressure if stopped without proper medical supervision.
And if you’ve taken Freaky Fitz, stop immediately, and be cautious of products that advertise quick and miraculous results.
Plus, you could always lose weight in the classic, healthier way: exercise.
Reader: But I’m lazy
Ok, but would you rather be fat and lazy or thin with an increased risk of certain deadly diseases?
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Reader: I’ll get back to you on that
