Slimming products may cause health risk

Hong Kong's Department of Health has called on people not to buy or take health products for slimming purpose without proper advice from their family doctors or Chinese medicine practitioners.

The plea was made following a report of a suspected case of liver failure involving a woman who had taken a proprietary Chinese medicine (pCm) for slimming.

A department spokesman said the Hospital Authority had been contacted for information on this incident and the Consumer Council had been approached to see if there was any complaint relating to the product. The department will follow up this case and an investigation is on-going.

The spokesman said the department attached great importance to any suspected adverse events related to Chinese medicines. A review of all adverse events reported to the department between January, 2000, and June, 2004, showed that misuse of Chinese medicines including self-medication was the most important factor attributable to adverse events related to Chinese medicines. People should first consult a Chinese medicine practitioner before taking Chinese medicine.

"To promote proper use of Chinese medicines, briefing sessions will be held this month and in October for Chinese medicine practitioners and Chinese medicines dispensers on the proper way of handling Chinese medicines which is a common cause of adverse events.

The department also appealed to doctors and Chinese medicine practitioners to report suspected adverse events related to Chinese medicines via the notification system.

The spokesman said that to safeguard public health, a registration system for pCm and a licensing system for wholesalers and retailers of Chinese herbal medicines as well as wholesalers and manufacturers of pCm have been implemented.

The spokesman reiterated that a healthy lifestyle including maintaining a balanced diet and adequate physical exercise was the crucial factor in keeping fit and healthy. People who need to reduce weight by means of medicines were advised to consult their doctors in advance.