Behind the hot selling of hypoglycemic and antihypertensive health products:
Fake doctors to teach, fake experts to bring goods, circle of friends to solicit customers
Products such as blood sugar lowering and blood pressure lowering are indeed the hardest hit areas for false propaganda, and they also disrupt the normal order of formal health food companies and industries.
Assisted lowering blood pressure and assisted lowering blood sugar are the functional claims of regular health foods. These effects are also concluded after rigorous animal and human tests. Products without health food approval should be regarded as ordinary foods. Can not claim efficacy, let alone efficacy.
—— Xu Huafeng, Vice Chairman of China Health Care Association
The latest data show that the number of people with chronic diseases in my country has exceeded 300 million.
In terms of diabetes, the number of patients with diabetes reached 128 million, and due to the lack of timely blood glucose monitoring and medication, lack of attention and other factors, the treatment rate and control rate of diabetes patients were not ideal, and less than 16% of Chinese patients had blood glucose control standards; In terms of hypertension, the number of adult hypertensive patients over 18 years old in my country has reached 245 million, the prevalence rate is about 27.9%, but the control rate is very low, only 16.8%.
In addition to conventional medications, many chronically ill people, especially the elderly, also turn their attention to health care products, which include both regular health foods and products with illegally added unknown ingredients.
Moments of friends and short videos have become new channels for promoting health products
The scale of my country's nutritional and health food market is about 400 billion yuan, making it the second largest health food market in the world.
On the one hand, there are hundreds of millions of people suffering from the disease, and on the other hand, the average blood sugar and blood pressure control compliance rate is less than 20%, which undoubtedly gives some illegal products a chance.
Ms. Wang lives in Daxing, Beijing. In the past, when she danced square dancing, she often heard her friends mention some health care products that could cure diseases and make money. Some people took everyone to attend classes and buy them together.
Ms. Wang is in menopause, and she always feels all kinds of discomforts, so she bought a lot of them along with it, and spent a lot of money, but there was no effect.
After the outbreak of the epidemic at the beginning of last year, such word-of-mouth sales "routines" have become rare. WeChat Moments, various group chats, and short videos have become new channels for promoting products.
Because an elderly person in the family suffers from diabetes, not long ago, Ms. Li came into contact with a health care product recommended by a friend on WeChat, claiming that it can relieve diabetic patients from medication.
Ms. Li was very tempted, “Elderly people always take drugs to control blood sugar, which may have some side effects. If this product can lower blood sugar or even get rid of drug treatment, it is naturally the best choice.” However, Ms. Li also has some ideas about this product. A hint of doubt.
Wang Xing, who is engaged in the IT industry in Beijing, also said that the elderly at home often use short video platforms. He is worried that if there is no strict censorship standard, the information on the platform will not make the elderly "hooked".
This worry is not unreasonable.
On a short video platform, a reporter from the Beijing News conducted a search using diabetes as a key word. The results showed that in addition to the popular science information of doctors and medical institutions, there were also many "diabetes remedies" and "blood sugar decreased significantly after a week." And other content.
For example, a number of users posted content about lowering blood sugar, that is, using 15 grams of Panbaicao instead of tea a day, one week later, you can see a significant change in blood sugar.
The Beijing News reporter saw that the authentication information of multiple account subjects who posted the above-mentioned related content all showed that they were health practitioners, managers, etc., and did not have the qualifications of physician practice.
Hypoglycemic and antihypertensive health products have become the hardest hit by false propaganda
In fact, health foods including blood sugar lowering products have been the hardest hit areas for false propaganda.
A reporter from the Beijing News used "diabetes" as the key word to search on a shopping platform, including Ginseng Flower Xiaoke Tea, Momordica Charantia Capsules, Jinyu Bag Tea, Kudzu Bitter Gourd Chromium Capsules, Sihuai Tangzhian Capsules, Momordica Ginseng Compound Tablets, Many products such as buckwheat bitter gourd and mulberry leaf capsules are listed among them.
A product called Baihekang brand bitter gourd and ginseng soft capsule is claimed to be the "hyperglycemia nemesis", with monthly sales of 1,000+.
The customer service said that the product is nationally certified to help lower blood sugar. “After taking a period of time, blood sugar control is almost the same. You can take our control without taking medicine.”
The Beijing News reporter also searched on a shopping platform using "hypertension" as the key word. Related products include nattokinase soft capsules, fish oil soft capsules, seal oil soft capsules, ambergris antihypertensive tea, Hehui Antai tablets, and Robb Hemp tea, soybean lecithin soft capsules, antihypertensive tea, Gynostemma pentaphyllum tea, Danshen chrysanthemum tea, etc.
The monthly sales volume of the top-ranked "Nattokinase Soft Capsules" is also 1,000+. The customer service said that if you are taking medications, this product can better lower blood pressure.
Regarding whether the drug withdrawal effect can be achieved, the customer service said, "When the follow-up stabilizes or is close to the normal value, you can follow the doctor's advice to reduce the dose or stop taking the drug."
In recent years, market supervision departments in many places have issued health food consumption reminders, and they must be cautious when buying health foods that help lower blood sugar, lose weight, and relieve physical fatigue.
Monitoring results show that health foods that help lower blood sugar, lose weight, and relieve physical fatigue are easy to add drugs illegally. Before purchasing such products, you should check the product-related information on the website of the State Food and Drug Administration, especially for the elderly.
The State Administration for Market Regulation also issued health food consumption reminders. All products involving false propaganda statements are sold in offline physical stores such as supermarkets or supermarkets.
It is sold through the Internet, conferences, TV, radio, telephone and newspapers, etc. Consumers are asked not to buy.
Wang Guang, director of the Endocrinology Department of Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, pointed out in an interview with a reporter from the Beijing News that in terms of treatment effects, diabetic patients can be relieved, and it is even possible to stop the drug in a short period of time.
Of course, to achieve this goal also requires preconditions, that is, in the early stage of the disease, treatment with good lifestyle interventions at the same time, but diabetes still can not achieve the cure effect.
Liu Wei, chief physician of the Department of Cardiology, Cadre Health, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, also said that from the mechanism of hypertension, most hypertension is caused by arteriosclerosis, which is irreversible, and hypertension cannot be cured. of.
Shenhua Xiaoke Tea has been notified more than a hundred times by the State Administration of Market Supervision
Not only are some health care products suspected of false propaganda, some drug advertisements also contain unscientific efficacy assertions and guarantees that tamper with the approval content.
For example, the Deshan Pharmaceutical product Shenhua Xiaoke Tea, which is frequently advertised on TV, was notified 166 times by the State Administration for Market Regulation in 2018 alone.
According to the official website of Deshan Pharmaceuticals, the functions of Ginseng Flower Xiaoke Tea are to nourish yin and nourish the kidney, replenish qi and promote fluid. It is suitable for type 2 diabetes with deficiency of both qi and yin and deficiency of kidney qi. It can improve: thirst, preference for drinking, displeased heat and insomnia , 60 bags of Ginseng Flower Xiaoke Tea is priced at 495 yuan.
A reporter from the Beijing News dialed the service hotline of the official website, and the automatic prompt sounded: "Welcome to call the Diabetes Health Management Center, Shenhua Xiaoke tea, tea for people with diabetes, to treat type 2 diabetes, and to stay away from complications, choose Shenhua Xiaoke. Tea. Due to the large number of consultations, your call has been recorded, and the health consultant will call you back as soon as possible."
Subsequently, a health consultant from the Health Management Center of Shenhua Xiaoke Tea called to introduce that Shenhua Xiaoke Tea is not tea, nor is it a health food, but the only domestic product approved by the State Food and Drug Administration. It is a tea-type medicine with the standard name of Sinopharm, a patent medicine for the treatment of diabetes and complications.
"It contains pure Chinese medicine, so you don't have to worry about side effects like western medicine, and it won't hurt the liver or kidney or stomach."
Regarding the question of whether it is possible to stop the western medicine, the customer service said that it cannot be stopped immediately. It can be used with Xiaokecha first. After the blood sugar stabilizes, the western medicine should be completely stopped on the doctor's recommendation.
After one year or six months, the blood sugar stabilizes, and then consolidates for a period of time, and gradually it may be possible to achieve the goal of not having to drink the tea.
The customer service also introduced to reporters a successful case of taking Shenhua Xiaoke tea to treat diabetes: “I once served a diabetic patient, an aunt in her 70s. She just used Shenhua Xiaoke tea. Scientific and reasonable diet and exercise can already control blood sugar very well."
A reporter from the Beijing News further inquired on the website of the State Food and Drug Administration and learned that only one company from Deshan Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. held the approval document number in the domestic ginsenghuaxiaoke tea. The latest drug advertisement approval document number expired on September 10, 2020.
A few years ago, Shenhua Xiaoke Tea declared in an advertisement that “it activates pancreatic islets within 30 days, stabilizes blood sugar in one month, significantly improves two-cycle complications, does not rebound blood glucose, recovers pancreatic islet function in three cycles, and reduces the use of various hypoglycemic drugs. "Cure diabetes once, and enjoy a healthy life of eating, drinking, playing, and having fun" and so on.
In July 2017, the Liaoning Food and Drug Administration issued a notice stating that the drug advertisement of "Shenhua Xiaoke Tea" issued by Deshan Pharmaceuticals had seriously tampered with the approved content and contained unscientific efficacy assertions and guarantees, and decided to withdraw Deshan Pharmaceuticals. The 68 drug advertisement approval numbers of "Shenhua Xiaoke Tea".
Although Deshan Pharmaceuticals issued a statement stating that it “has never issued any illegal advertisements for Shenhua Xiaoke Tea”, the Food and Drug Administration of Liaoning Province subsequently issued a revocation of the approval number of the drug advertisement for “Shenhua Xiaoke Tea”. Notice.
Public information shows that Deshan Pharmaceuticals can produce Chinese and Western medicine teas, tablets, hard capsules, granules and other various items. Its main products include Shenhua Xiaoke tea, Quzhuo tea and so on.
According to the company's official website, its market and sales network covers more than 20 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities across the country.
Among them, the sales of Shenhua Xiaoke Tea is directly related to the performance of Deshan Pharmaceutical.
In 2018, 2019 and the first half of 2020, the income of Shenhua Xiaoke tea accounted for 76.39%, 94.09%, and 48.71% of Deshan Pharmaceutical’s owner-operated business income, respectively. Although the proportion is declining, Shenhua Xiaoke tea still Supported half of the performance of Deshan Pharmaceuticals.
■ Consumer tips
People with chronic diseases who stop medication without authorization can endanger their health
Beijing News: Can chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension be cured?
Wang Guang, director of the Department of Endocrinology, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital: As far as the treatment effect is concerned, it is possible for diabetic patients to be relieved, or even stop the drug within a short period of time.
However, it needs to be clear that even if the patient's symptoms are relieved, the cell function of diabetic patients may be impaired, and the patient must gradually embark on the path of drug treatment.
Liu Wei, chief physician of the Department of Cardiology, Cadre Health Care, Beijing Anzhen Hospital: With age, blood pressure tends to increase, and the main reason is arteriosclerosis.
Arteriosclerosis is mostly irreversible, and the hypertension caused by it requires lifelong medication.
For some hypertension caused by poor living habits, it is possible to cure the hypertension after adjusting the lifestyle.
Beijing News: Are the products claiming to lower blood sugar, lower blood pressure or even stop the drug credible?
Wang Guang: This kind of propaganda is definitely not credible.
Except for drug treatments and bariatric surgery, such as health care products, they cannot achieve good blood sugar control, and it is impossible to cure diabetes.
To achieve the hypoglycemic effect in a short time, or even stop the drug, the publicity of such products is obviously not credible.
Liu Wei: The claimed effect of some products to prevent vascular sclerosis mainly depends on the ingredients of health foods.
Some ingredients have the effect of scavenging free radicals in the body, can maintain the stability of the microenvironment of the blood vessel wall itself, and remove the garbage in the blood vessels. This kind of health food still has a preventive effect.
Health foods have certain restrictions. Don't believe that health foods can cure diseases, but some health foods still have a certain effect on disease prevention.
Beijing News: What are the health hazards for people with chronic diseases if they rush to stop the drug?
Liu Wei: If the medication is taken irregularly, it will have a very big impact on the body.
Because our blood pressure needs to maintain a steady state, if the antihypertensive drugs are suddenly stopped, the stability of the human blood pressure will be affected. The blood pressure may suddenly increase a lot, even more than 180mmHg, and sometimes the blood pressure may suddenly drop below 110mmHg. Blood pressure fluctuations are very harmful to the body.
Wang Guang: If you stop taking the health food for one or two weeks, the risk is still relatively high.
If the drug is stopped rashly, the patient's blood sugar may rebound, and some patients with poor pancreatic islet function may even have ketoacidosis, which is also a common acute complication of diabetes.
Beijing News: Can people with chronic diseases use health food as an auxiliary treatment?
Liu Wei: I don't think it is necessary for hypertensive patients to take health food.
Leading to high blood pressure is genetic factors on the one hand, and arteriosclerosis on the other.
Only drugs, such as captopril and sartan, can regulate blood pressure and treat hypertension.
If you over-take health food, it may also cause a kind of pressure on the human body.
Therefore, for patients with chronic diseases, it is still necessary to choose rationally as much as possible and follow the doctor's advice.
Wang Guang: The treatment of diabetes requires long-term medication.
I don't think there is a particularly effective product to choose from. What health food can play is a supplementary role, after all, it is not a medicine.
According to the current guidelines, health foods are not included in the recommended range.
Beijing News reporter Zhang Xiulan Liu Xu