Pink of Health BlogFor truthful and reliable information on health and wellness

By James Ong

If you are a regular reader of the Straits Times, you may have caught my letter which was published on the Forum page on October 20, 2009, calling for a paradigm shift in the regulation of foods and supplements.  Click on the link below to read the published letter:

http://www.straitstimes.com/ST%2BForum/Story/STIStory_444175.html

As there is a word limit on the letters that ST Forum publishes, important details were left out.

I am reproducing below the full contents of my letter:

PARADIGM SHIFT NEEDED IN CERTAIN ASPECTS OF HEALTHCARE POLICY

I refer to the letter entitled, “HPB shouldn’t be playing catch-up on healthy diets,” written by Mr. Richard Seah.  I strongly agree with his view that the HPB has not been at the forefront of nutritional science and as a result, the public does not always get the right information on what truly constitutes healthy eating.  The problem goes deeper however.

I feel that the three government agencies that are responsible for safeguarding and promoting the health of Singaporeans – the HPB, AVA and HSA – have not done a good enough job so far in fulfilling their objectives.  Here’s why.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), non-communicable (also known as chronic, degenerative) diseases are the major cause of death in almost all countries today – whether rich or poor.  Statistics for Singapore show that such diseases account for 83% of all deaths in this country in 2002.  That’s 15,000 deaths out of 18,000.  The economic cost to the country of these diseases is enormous, not to mention the emotional, psychological and financial distress they bring to the patient and their loved ones.  Since 2002, little has changed.  Cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease and other chronic diseases continue to claim about the same number of lives each year in percentage terms and have remained among the top ten leading causes of death in Singapore year after year.  It was not always so.  In 1950, statistics for Singapore showed that cancer and CVD was quite rare then (cancer was not even listed in the top ten).  So, we have not made real progress, despite all that conventional medicine promises.  If we compare with the progress made in IT and aeronautics, conventional medicine has performed very badly indeed.

The WHO estimates that 80% of premature heart disease, stroke and Type II diabetes and 40% of cancers can be prevented through healthy diet, regular physical activity and avoidance of tobacco products.  That is without supplements.  If one adds supplements and mind-body techniques to the protocol, many of these diseases can be effectively overcome.  Yet, despite the strong and indisputable link between diet and chronic, degenerative disease, distributors of health foods and supplements are not permitted to make health and therapeutic claims on their products.  This defies simple logic.

What is especially ironic is that books on nutritional therapy, herbal medicine and other forms of natural medicine are allowed to be freely sold in Singapore.  Such information is also easily accessible on the Internet, radio and TV.  Yet, for some strange reason, this same information is not allowed on foods and supplements.

Examples of prohibited health claims include chromium and its effect on blood sugar metabolism, selenium an its effect on cancer prevention, Vitamin D and its immune-enhancing benefits, folic acid and its role in preventing neural tube defects, probiotics and immune health, melatonin and sleep benefits, etc.  CoQ10 was not permitted to be sold in Singapore for many years despite its tremendous benefits for cardiovascular health.  Vitamin K, which is crucial for building strong bones, preventing osteoporosis and reversing arterial calcification, continues to be prohibited.  All this in spite of overwhelming scientific evidence documenting the therapeutic benefits of these nutrients.

It often saddens me that casinos are being built on this island-state and sexually explicit, coarse language or violent materials are allowed in videos, films and magazines in Singapore while foods and supplements that have documented health benefits are not allowed to carry health and therapeutic claims or worse still, are prohibited outright.  Why are the authorities permitting the “evil” while gagging/suppressing the “good”?

Practitioners of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM, e.g. those practicing TCM, therapeutic massage, aromatherapy, osteopathy, chiropractic, naturopathic, ayurvedic, herbal and nutritional medicine) rely on foods and supplements as a large part of their treatment protocol.  Denying the health and therapeutic benefits of such products is tantamount to denying the value of these professions in the treatment and alleviation of disease.  It should be borne in mind that what is termed CAM is actually “original” medicine, relied on by millions of people through the ages for health and wellbeing.  And conventional medicine is actually “later” medicine (only blossomed in the last 100 years), which has proven to be quite ineffective in the prevention and treatment of chronic, degenerative diseases and, besides, carries many potentially toxic side effects.

What is urgently required is a paradigm shift in the way these organizations regulate the industry and market.  While one would not consult a marine engineer if his sports car is developing engine problems, we continue to form panels of “experts” to regulate food and supplements who have received little or no training in CAM and may have no experience whatsoever with reversing health conditions using food and supplements.  These “experts” are invariably trained in allopathic (conventional)/pharmaceutical medicine or dietetics (which, as a profession has committed itself not to encroach on conventional medicine’s turf).  In their world view, only approved pharmaceutical drugs, prescribed by conventional MDs, can treat and overcome disease.

Hippocrates, the Father of Western Medicine said, “Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food.”  There is a Chinese proverb that states that the cause for disease is linked to what we put into our mouths.  There is so much truth and wisdom in these ancient sayings.  Let’s hope that the authorities respect our diverse ethnic and cultural roots and create a level playing field for all legitimate parties involved in healthcare.  One that does not stifle the efforts of the private sector – be they distributors of health foods and supplements or practitioners of natural medicine – by suppressing truthful health information from being communicated to the public.  Since the authorities have not done a very good job with overcoming the prevalence or reversal of chronic, degenerative disease, the private sector should be given a freer hand, even encouraged, to play a bigger role in promoting and safeguarding the health and wellbeing of Singaporeans.

Do make it a point to read Richard Seah’s as well as Dr. Yik Keng Yeong’s letters.