FEBRUARY 26 — “Oh, you have diabetes? Have you tried taking blah, blah, blah? My aunt has diabetes and her condition has improved since taking it.”

The above is a typical day in the park for someone who’s been living with diabetes for the past 30 years.

In the beginning, it was easier to swallow such comments or even be tempted to try the recommended herbs or product but somehow an inner voice always whispers against going down that road.

And while word of mouth is one way of spreading the good news of effective ways to bring down one’s blood sugar levels, making you fairer or the vastly popular promise of increasing the size of one’s upper or lower parts, the news have spread through cyberspace as well.

In the earlier days, it was through emails that landed in your inbox. Now, it screams on your Facebook timeline.

Typically, the ‘suggested posts’ pop-up cater to what the elves in Facebook land think might interest you based on your profile.

This would then explain the multiple suggestions for me to lose weight (I’m into food porn), tighten or enlarge body parts (I’m female) or to swallow supplements which can help my “sweet” condition (I’m a diabetic who subscribes to the Type I Diabetes memes page).

I normally scroll past such posts but there are times when out of curiosity, I browse the comments sections.

Most times, there are just users who follow the instructions for DM (direct message).

But looking through the string of comments also reveals there are many women out there racing to lose weight or bent on trying an unproven supplement (or cream) that can make them more attractive.

And yes, the slimming and body enhancement posts were the ones that piqued the most interest.

Which begs the question: why do people choose to be so gullible and buy into the idea that something sold on Facebook would be good for them?

As recent as last week, a civil servant was caught selling sex stimulants via social media to supplement his income.

The Terengganu health department’s pharmaceutical enforcement branch nabbed the 32-year-old man and seized 50 types of sex stimulants and weight loss medicines that were not licensed with the Health Ministry.

The officers also found the sex stimulants made into Sex Love Chewing Gum.

He was raking in between RM20,000 and RM30,000 monthly by selling his wares through WeChat, Facebook, and WhatsApp.

Malaysian Medical Association president Dr H. Krishna Kumar opines that it is the knowledge of knowing there is no doctor on the other side of the Internet to dish out ‘tough love’ advice on one’s health that has people hooked.

“When you see a doctor, they tell you face-to-face on how to improve your health.

“Buying products online means there’s no one to tell you to cut down on fatty foods or eat less sugar,” he says.

“Most people will complain about paying RM50 to see a doctor but they don’t mind spending thousands buying something online that promises to cure them.”

“When there are side effects they just stop taking it.

“But if a doctor was the one prescribing it, they would be jumping up and down.”

The dangers of taking illicit medicines, he says, had repercussions and he told of a patient who purchased medication online to terminate her pregnancy.

“She landed in the ICU for a week.”

While it is difficult to monitor these online sales, there is a tiny light of hope as and when the Pharmacy Bill is tabled in Parliament.

It is slated to include a section where action can be taken against Internet sites or non-professionals based in Malaysia that peddle medication sans a licence.

“Right now, they cannot be touched for operating without a license,” Dr Krishna says.

“And if 1,000 sites are shut down, another 2,000 pop up.”

The Health Ministry’s pharmaceutical services division even has a cyber crime unit to tackle the problem.

“It’s difficult to control, especially when it comes up on social media like Facebook,” laments a spokesman.

“Right now, we can only ask for MCMC to block or shut them down.”

The trend is likely to continue especially since it’s proven to be so lucrative, as long as there are people out there who want a quick fix.

In the end, vanity and insecurity are two monsters that exist, either whispering or screaming at you that you are not perfect and need to be fixed.

So, go ahead. You can either feed them by way of potentially dangerous products, or embrace the fact that there is just one you,  so thrive on that and be proud of it.

No matter how imperfect that may be.

* Audrey is news editor at Malay Mail. She can be reached at audrey@mmail.com.my

** This is the personal opinion of the writer or organisation and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.