Health is wealth. We use to often hear that saying. The phrase actually means that if you have good health you are wealthy, for the true measure of wealth is not only money.
But could this saying have a different meaning? What if the saying has a literal meaning for some people?
Well, in the Philippines for some it really does. Today the market is saturated with so called “Herbal food supplements” and savvy business people are catching on to this herbal food supplements food craze.
I have nothing against herbal food supplements. In fact I take several of them myself everyday. Some of them are even highly recommended by good and reputable doctors.
What I am against is the marketing of this product as a “cure all.” While it is true that some herbal food supplements are very effective against certain diseases, the fact that the Philippines’ bureau of food and drugs has only labeled these products as “food supplements” they should only be marketed as such.
What is worse is that some of these products has never undergone strict laboratory experiments or even availed of third party clinical laboratory service to at least ascertain their efficacy with regards to certain types of diseases.
The Philippine government should not forget that its prime duty is to “to serve and protect the Filipino people.” By not putting a tight leash on these herbal food supplement companies, they are exactly doing the opposite. I call on the government to fulfill its primordial duty !
Herbal food supplements are also popular in the U.S., but foods that are labeled “organic” are even more popular. Organic means less chemically processed and less pesticides. Consumers are paying premium prices for organic foods – milk, cereals, meat, fruits, vegetables and even TV dinners. People who support organic foods have a misconception that organic are healthier and comes from small family farms, but most organic products are manufactured by large industrial corporations. In fact, many businesses and their marketing departments are catching on and labeling everything they sell as “organic”. However, the government is not regulating organic products so how can consumers be sure an apple is really organic? Since organic foods are relatively expensive, only the upper middle class and above are able to afford and benefit, which is absolutely not fair for the rest of the population.
Iris: Yep I agree. That is one of the many ironies of our day and age. Organic has become expensive instead when several decades ago, organic is much more cheaper.