Supplements -- herbal, vitamins, minerals, etc. | Photo by Alex Segre from Flickr
The line “No Approved Therapeutic Claims” found at the end of supplement ads is cliche. We see it everywhere — commercials, newspaper ads, magazines, social networks and obviously on the boxes of health supplements themselves. While every Filipino can memorize this 4-line phrase, I doubt that only a few percent really understood the vague yet important message behind it. The Department of Health tried to wipe away the confusion (as therapeutic is not your friendly-type word) by converting the phrase into its Filipino version:
Mahalagang Paalala: Ang (name of product) Ay Hindi Gamot At Hindi Dapat Gamiting Panggamot sa Anumang Uri ng Sakit.
Did that help? Partly, but no. Multi-level marketing models, celebrity-driven commercials and heavy advertising don’t contribute either.
