About Us
Welcome to our weblog. Please take some time to learn about our history and background.
How We Got Started
About 8 years ago, I received a call from the Lord to “walk in the footsteps of Luke, the beloved physician.” At that time, I knew that Luke was a physician (equivalent to a medical doctor). However, unlike medical doctors today, what he practiced then was much more like what naturopathic physicians and herbalists do today, relying primarily on diet, special foods, herbs, essential oils, body manipulation, etc. to restore health to the body. At that time, I was already showing keen interest in natural health and medicine and was buying and borrowing books from the library to read. I must also thank our former church pastor, Pastor Lawrence Koo, for inviting Dr. Peter Tong, MD and Dr. Lynn Tan, ND, to speak to our church on biblically-based health principles. Dr. Tong, for whom I have great admiration, healed himself of late stage lung cancer (regarded as practically incurable by modern medicine) by adopting the Gerson Therapy. For more information about Gerson Therapy, visit www.gerson.org. That was how it got us (my wife and I) going – the call to begin a business selling natural healthcare products – nutritional supplements, herbal & homeopathic medicines, aromatic essential oils, natural and organic foods, personal care and household cleaning products. Last year, we added a new dimension to our business, by starting a naturopathic healing center staffed by an ND and a TCM physician.
I remember the first book on natural health that I read, Patrick Holford’s Optimum Nutrition Bible, recommended by Dr. Tong. Since then, we have added countless books to our ever-expanding library.
When we first started, we had a small wholesale operation, distributing Nutricology products to a few dealers in town. Shortly afterwards, we decided to rent a small kiosk in Shop ‘N Save supermarket at The Amara. Then, we were selling only a few brands like Nutricology, Source Naturals, Planetary Formulas (as it was then known as), Herbs for Kids and ChildLife Essentials (GNC has since taken this brand over) and some foods.
We then moved to Forum in July of 2002, when a retail space became available. The shop was small, only about 240 sq ft. Because of the mall’s theme, we worked with the landlord and felt that a kid-focused supplement and health foods shop was the best move. That was how VitaKids started. Business was slow at first but grew gradually over the months, through hard work and sacrifice. It was at this time that we felt that I had to leave my comfortable, well-paid job with a large property developer/owner and plunge into the uncertain world of natural product retailing, healthcare and medicine.
Since that humble beginning, we have grown from strength to strength, by the grace of God and thanks to the dedication and hard work of all our staff and the wonderful support of so many loyal and faithful customers, from a small outlet to a small chain of 4 shops (one of which is franchised). Our latest, Pink of Health (emphasizing adult health), and largest at 760 sq ft, opened in August 2008. We currently import and distribute more than 35 brands from all over the world and retail many more. Brands like Nature’s Plus, Nordic Naturals, Sambucol, Garden of Life, Natrol, Green People and Organix have become household names.
Importance of Knowledge
The key to the growth of consumer interest in natural health and medicine is the provision of truthful and reliable information on what foods, supplements, herbs and natural medicines really work and for which conditions they work. Such evidence-based medicine could be gathered from peer-reviewed, placebo-control scientific studies, epidemiological studies or from observations of centuries of traditional use among indigenous cultures all over the world. The Internet has been a great tool enabling us to search for such information. Of course, all information should be used carefully and with discernment.
When it comes to our health, ignorance is certainly not bliss. Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” We therefore need to learn as much as we can about taking care of our personal health and from trustworthy sources.
Sadly, what we often read or hear about in the mass media may actually take us down the road to chronic degenerative disease. The mass media doesn’t always report objectively, free from institutional pressures and influence. And scientific research that gets reported is not always objective, free from bias, prejudice or political-economic ties. Sometimes our health authorities are woefully out-of-date with their advice. For instance, we are often told to avoid butter, coconut milk and oil and red meat which are all high in saturated fat. Instead, we should switch to low-fat foods and “heart-healthy” polyunsaturated (Omega-6) oils. These are the same foods that are contributing to the epidemic rates of cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease in the modern world! Common sense would tell us that there is nothing wrong with butter, coconut milk/oil and red meat (provided they are from free-range, hormone- and antibiotic-free animals, in other words organically-raised animals) because traditional cultures have been consuming these foods for millennia and they do not suffer these chronic degenerative diseases like we do. That is why I am such a great fan of the Weston A. Price Foundation.
Often, we read that such and such a newly developed drug is expected to bring a cure to such and such a disease, without any supplementary information about how natural approaches could work just as well, or even better, without any potentially toxic side effects. It is to be expected, since Singapore hardly has any land or natural resources to provide inputs to a natural products industry. Instead, she has lots of giant pharmaceutical dollars invested here. So we often read news that is pro-pharmaceuticals and anti-naturals. It may shock many that in the USA, more than 300,000 deaths each year are caused by modern medicine – the administration of drugs, surgery, radiation and chemotherapy – making modern medicine the third leading cause of death after heart disease and cancer. On the other hand, we hardly hear about anyone dying from consuming supplements or healthy foods. Isn’t it sad that our local universities do not even offer a course in nutrition, nutritional therapy or dietetics, considering that all of us eat between 3-5 times a day throughout most of our lives? It should therefore not be surprising that cancer, heart disease, stroke and diabetes claim the lives of more than 80% of Singaporeans each year.
Malaysia, by contrast, has lots of agricultural land and forests, and is far more committed to the development of the natural health and medicine industry. Naturopathy, organic agriculture and traditional medicines are more highly regarded there than in Singapore. The same may be said for countries like Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia.
Experiencing Excellent Health
Since we applied the proven principles of natural health to our lives, we have lived in excellent health over the last 8 years. During this same period, our visits to medical doctors numbered less than 3-4 times and have hardly used any pharmaceutical drugs. In fact, we have seldom been ill for any appreciable period of time and when we were hit by the occasional viral or bacterial infection, we bounced back to health within 1-2 days. I am sure many people who have applied these same principles to their lives can attest to the same experience.
Our Hope
We hope that by creating this weblog, we will be able to share with as many customers and visitors as possible the wonderful, therapeutic benefits of God-given whole foods, natural medicines and healthy lifestyle practices. Please visit us regularly as the weblog’s contents will keep on growing over time.
As we are Christians, we have also dedicated quite a bit of space in this weblog to a subject that we are really passionate about – Biblical health principles and guidelines. The devil cannot take away our salvation, but he can certainly attack our bodies so that we become less effective servants in the kingdom of God. Don’t let him. Take charge of your health today!
Organization
There are 7 keys to health (I have adapted these from Dr. Don Colbert’s book, Seven Pillars of Health):
1. Eating Healthy, Wholesome, Living Foods
2. Taking Nutritional Supplements & Herbs
3. Getting Lots of Clean Air, Water and Sunshine (these are the free gifts of God or nature)
4. Physical Exercise
5. Sleep and Rest
6. Managing Stress and Emotions
7. Cleansing, Personal Hygiene and Detoxification
We have organized the weblog around these 7 keys. It is advisable that you cover all these topics since a balanced approach to health is going to yield far better results that just focusing on one or two areas. In addition, we have created categories for health challenges that affect the major body systems as well as issues faced by men, women and children. We will also be adding categories on healthy aging and longevity soon. Enjoy and may you be in the best of health!