Don’t Treat Health Supplements Like Medicine
Don’t Treat Health Supplements Like Medicine
Two years ago, Mr. Zhang, a man over sixty, saw a TV advertisement promoting a “hypotensive tea” for treating high blood pressure. He bought it and began taking it long-term, even stopping his prescribed daily antihypertensive medication.
Recently, he experienced emotional distress, which triggered a sudden spike in blood pressure, leading to severe vomiting, pale lips, and unconsciousness. His family rushed him to hospital for emergency care. Doctors measured his blood pressure at an alarming 200/120 mmHg. After urgent treatment, he barely survived and escaped death.
Dr. Qian Yuesheng, head physician at Shanghai Hypertension Research Institute, said this was a typical case of misusing health supplements as medicine, resulting in delayed diagnosis and treatment: Mr. Zhang treated the “hypotensive tea” as medicine, failing to maintain stable blood pressure under normal conditions, making him extremely vulnerable during emergencies.
In fact, many patients—especially those with chronic illnesses—similar to Mr. Zhang, fear side effects of drugs: “All medicine carries toxicity,” so they blindly trust advertisements for health supplements that never mention side effects, believing these products can “cure illness when sick, strengthen health when healthy.” Moreover, during holidays, relatives and children often gift health supplements. As a result, they prefer avoiding medication altogether and instead consume various types of health supplements.
Health supplements, also known as functional foods, may indeed help improve human tolerance, enhance resistance, boost immunity, and regulate certain bodily functions over time, thereby relatively alleviating symptoms such as dizziness, tinnitus, insomnia, irritability, and fatigue.
However, Dr. Qian Yuesheng emphasized that no supplement can replace medicine or become the primary treatment for disease. Supplements can only serve as auxiliary support, helping metabolism. Some supplements may be composed of herbs or herbal extracts, but they are formulated from a health-promotion perspective, not for treating diseases. Therefore, when ill, one must follow doctor’s guidance for proper medication—not substitute supplements for medicine. Otherwise, treatment will be delayed, and the condition may worsen.