Lost money and got sick because of "dirty" goods

"You are a doctor, how could you let your mother get so sick?" - We could not forget those words when we took her to a large hospital in Ho Chi Minh City for treatment.

My mother's condition at that time was very desperate because she could barely move her arms and legs, had difficulty swallowing, reflux, and pain all over her body but could not use painkillers.

Through many clinical scans and interdisciplinary consultations, the doctors diagnosed my mother with a very difficult to detect injury in her cervical vertebrae, requiring emergency surgery.

Ironically, my mother's liver enzymes were 150 times higher than normal, suspected to be due to the use of milk and functional foods (FF) advertised online. After two months of intensive treatment to lower her liver enzymes, my mother was able to undergo surgery. Although the surgery was successful, the long waiting time caused my mother to have severe muscle atrophy, paralysis of her limbs, poor health, and opportunistic infections due to decreased resistance.

The type of "calcium milk" my mother used. (Illustration photo)

My parents are farmers. Heavy labor, along with unscientific diet, rest, and health care, have caused my parents to have many problems with their bones, joints, and digestion as they age. With the knowledge of a doctor, my younger brother always tries to find the best solution for my parents to be diagnosed and treated according to medical standards; consider and be careful when using medication as well as instruct physical therapy exercises to help improve the pain and aches that almost every elderly person experiences. However, instead of persevering with those solutions, my mother has a strong belief in folk medicine, word of mouth, often hiding it from us to explore on her own following videos on social networks.

The climax was more than a year ago, my mother fell and broke her leg and had to wear a cast for more than a month. During that period of limited mobility, the pain in her spine and joints increased along with symptoms of difficulty swallowing and reflux. Instead of asking her child, my mother chose to look for “bone and joint medicine” online. Among them, my mother chose to believe Master, Doctor HK Toan - former Head of the Department of Traditional Medicine, 108 Central Military Hospital in an advertisement for a dietary supplement brand called Khop KT (abbreviation).

Over the phone, a man calling himself “Doctor Toan” contacted, “diagnosed” and concluded that my mother had very serious spinal degeneration and disc herniation, and needed treatment as soon as possible. “Doctor Toan’s” treatment solution was to take a course of “medicine” for KT Joint Pain and the pain would go away; taking 1-2 more courses would cure it completely, without surgery! A few days later, a course of 9 boxes for 3.9 million VND was sent to my mother via home delivery and payment. “Doctor Toan” frequently called to ask questions and give instructions, making my mother feel more secure about using the “medicine” and finding ways to delay going to the hospital. In addition to believing in “Doctor Toan”, during this time, my mother also believed in a type of “calcium milk” advertised by MC Cat Tuong in the hope of “restoring bones and joints” and curing osteoporosis...

Also because of her belief in the "bone and joint medicine" and "calcium milk" mentioned above, my mother tried every way to delay going to the hospital. However, her symptoms gradually worsened until she fainted and had to be hospitalized.

During the months of taking my mother to hospitals in Buon Ma Thuot City and Ho Chi Minh City, I saw many stories of “losing money and getting sick” like my mother. Some people suffered from acute kidney failure, some suffered from corticoid poisoning with obvious symptoms such as edema, thin skin, shiny face, redness… What they had in common was that they were elderly and had used all kinds of dietary supplements and food supplements (TPBS) through online advertisements and word of mouth. So, why do many patients have such strong faith and are willing to spend money to take such serious health risks?

First of all, it must be admitted that many types of dietary supplements and health foods can reduce immediate symptoms, such as reducing pain, helping to eat well, sleep well, gain weight, etc. This effect is achieved because the ingredients of dietary supplements and health foods labeled as herbs and natural ingredients contain banned substances, anti-inflammatory drugs, pain relievers, and even antibiotics. If medicine must strictly adhere to the principles of dosage, indications, and maximum duration for a course of treatment, then "internet doctors" only need one principle: for serious illnesses, take a lot and take it for a long time; for mild illnesses, take a little and take it for a short time.

Next, the current types of dietary supplements and functional foods are all designed to be eye-catching, showing “high quality” through packaging and selling price. For example, the types my mother used to use all have clear, sharp prints on the packaging about the name, ingredients, manufacturer, distributor, certification, quality control, traceability code, anti-counterfeit stamps, etc. Their prices can be equal to or much higher than a similar box of long-standing, reputable brands on the market, causing many people to mistakenly think that “expensive is good”!

While reputable businesses strictly comply with regulations on advertising, distribution, and marketing, businesses that "make quick money" in the business of dietary supplements and health supplements disregard the provisions of the law. They use words such as "commit to cure", "complete treatment", "best solution", "latest technology"... to emphasize in images, advertising video clips, advice, and introductions. From this "tricky technology", dietary supplements and health supplements turn into "medicinal milk", "miracle drugs" in the eyes of patients who need treatment solutions.

Returning to my family's story, after days of near-death experiences, my mother still cannot stand or walk on her own. Although the lesson of missing treatment time and being deceived by impersonators is leaving long-term consequences on her body, my mother continues to choose to believe in dietary supplements and dietary supplements advertised online, consulted over the phone and absolutely does not need to go to the hospital, whether it is a private hospital, public hospital or traditional medicine hospital. Having suffered many losses in money, time, and emotions, we bitterly admit that we are helpless, only hoping that the authorities will soon intervene and "clean up" the current "mixed gold and brass" food market.

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/xa-hoi/202504/tien-mat-tat-mang-vi-hang-ban-f1d17e6/