30/08/2026
In this "modern times" and advances in Human "health" regimes.
What this Doctor point out is so so important and true.
Thanks to Dr Ng for sharing and explaining.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Bcyum82HC/
Today I cancelled a surgery. I think itโs important to explain why.
A patient flew in from out of town, all booked for liposuction and a tummy tuck. Everything on paper looked straightforward โ her medical history was clear, her pre-surgery photos had been reviewed, no known illness, no medications. The surgery slot was ready.
Then I examined her.
Her tummy was large, but her arms and legs were thin โ almost disproportionately so. That pattern is called โtruncal obesity,โ and to a surgeon, itโs a red flag, not just a body shape. When I asked more questions, she told me she had been taking various health supplements for years โ the kind sold by friends, online sellers, and social media influencers, marketed as โnatural,โ โsafe,โ and good for immunity and energy.
Putting the picture together, this was very likely a case of exogenous Cushing syndrome โ a hormonal condition caused by long-term exposure to steroids, often hidden inside unregulated โhealthโ products. I had to cancel her surgery. Operating on an unstable hormonal system, even for a โsimpleโ body contouring procedure, could have caused serious complications โ poor wound healing, infection, even a medical crisis on the table.
This is not a rare story. Iโm seeing it more and more.
We live in a time where many people trust their friends, their favourite influencer, or a direct-selling agent more than they trust a doctor. I understand why โ modern medicine can feel cold, rushed, or expensive, while a friendโs recommendation feels warm and personal. Many of these products are marketed as โnatural healingโ โ an alternative to โwestern medicineโ or โchemical poison.โ
But hereโs the uncomfortable truth: a significant number of these supplements, slimming pills, joint remedies, and โenergy boostersโ are secretly laced with steroids โ undeclared, unregulated, and taken without medical supervision. Used long-term, they can cause real and sometimes irreversible damage: a rounded โmoonโ face, a hump at the back of the neck, thinning skin that bruises easily, purple stretch marks, weakened bones, diabetes, high blood pressure, and suppressed adrenal glands that can be dangerous if the product is suddenly stopped.
The hardest part? Many patients donโt know itโs happening to them. They just think the supplement is โworkingโ because they feel more energetic, or their skin looks fuller โ until the underlying damage starts to show.
So here is my appeal to you, as your friend and as your doctor:
โข If youโre taking any long-term supplement, bring the actual bottle or box to your doctor โ not just the name you remember.
โข If youโve noticed new weight gain around your belly and face, but your arms and legs seem to be getting thinner โ please get checked.
โข If you bruise more easily than before, or wounds are healing slowly, mention it to a doctor.
โข Please donโt stop any long-term supplement abruptly without medical advice โ if it does contain steroids, sudden withdrawal can itself be dangerous
Surgery isnโt always about saying yes and operating. Sometimes the most important thing I can do for a patient is say no โ and help her find out whatโs really going on first.
If this post helps even one person recognise these signs in themselves or someone they love, please consider sharing it. Awareness usually spreads best through the very same networks โ friends, family groups, social media โ that these products spread through in the first place. Letโs use that for good.
โ Dr. Ng Hian Chan
ไปๅคฉๆๅๆถไบไธๅฐๆๆฏใๆ่งๅพๆๅฟ
่ฆ่งฃ้ไธไธๅๅ ใ
ๆไธไฝ็
ไบบไปๅคๅฐๅ้ฃๆบ่ตถๆฅ๏ผ้ข็บฆๅฅฝไบ่ฆ่ฟ่กๆฝ่ๅ่
น้จๆดๅฝขๆๆฏใไป็บธ้ขไธ็ไธๅ้ฝๅพ้กบๅฉโโๅฅน็็
ๅๅพๆธ
ๆฐ๏ผๆฏๅ็
ง็ไนๅฎกๆ ธ่ฟไบ๏ผๆฒกๆๅทฒ็ฅ็พ็
๏ผไนๆฒกๆๆ็จ่ฏ็ฉใๆๆฏๆกฃๆๅทฒ็ปๅๅคๅฐฑ็ปชใ
็ถ่๏ผๅฝๆไธบๅฅน่ฟ่กไฝๆฃๆถ๏ผๆ
ๅตๅ็ไบๅๅใ
ๅฅน็่ๅญๅพๅคง๏ผไฝๅ่ขๅดๅพ็ฆโโๅ ไนๆพๅพๅพไธๅ่ฐใ่ฟ็งไฝๅ่ขซ็งฐไธบโๅๅฟๆง่ฅ่โ๏ผtruncal obesity๏ผ๏ผๅฏนๅค็งๅป็่่จ๏ผ่ฟไธไป
ๆฏไธ็งไฝๅ๏ผๆดๆฏไธไธชๅฑ้ฉไฟกๅทใๅฝๆ่ฟไธๆญฅ่ฏข้ฎๆถ๏ผๅฅนๅ่ฏๆๅฅนๅคๅนดๆฅไธ็ดๅจๆ็จๅ็งไฟๅฅๅโโ้ฃไบ็ฑๆๅใ็ฝ็ปๅๅฎถๅ็คพไบคๅชไฝ็ฝ็บขๆจ้็ไบงๅ๏ผๅฎไปฌ่ขซๆ ๆฆไธบโ็บฏๅคฉ็ถโใโๅฎๅ
จโใๅฏนๅขๅผบๅ
็ซๅๅ่กฅๅ
่ฝ้ๆ็ใ
ๆ่ฟไบๆ
ๅต็ปผๅ่ตทๆฅ็๏ผ่ฟๆๅฏ่ฝๆฏไธไพๅปๆบๆงๅบๆฌฃ็ปผๅๅพ๏ผexogenous Cushing syndrome๏ผโโไธ็ง็ฑไบ้ฟๆๆด้ฒไบๆฟ็ด ๏ผ็ฑปๅบ้๏ผ่ๅผ่ตท็ๅ
ๅๆณ็พ็
๏ผ่่ฟไบๆฟ็ด ๅพๅพ้่ๅจๆช็ป็็ฎก็โไฟๅฅๅโไธญใๆไธๅพไธๅๆถๅฅน็ๆๆฏใๅจไธไธชไธ็จณๅฎ็ๆฟ็ด ็ณป็ปไธ่ฟ่กๆๆฏ๏ผๅชๆๆฏไธไธชโ็ฎๅโ็่บซไฝๅกๅฝขๆๆฏ๏ผไนๅฏ่ฝๅผๅไธฅ้็ๅนถๅ็โโไผคๅฃๆๅไธ่ฏใๆๆ๏ผ็่ณๅจๆๆฏๅฐไธๅ็ๅป็ๅฑๆบใ
่ฟไธๆฏไธไธช็ฝ่ง็ๆ
ไบใๆๅ็ฐ่ฟ็งๆ
ๅต่ถๆฅ่ถๆฎ้ใ
ๆไปฌ็ๆดปๅจไธไธช่ฎธๅคไบบๆดไฟกไปปๆๅใๅ็ฑ็็ฝ็บขๆ็ด้ไปฃ็๏ผ่ไธๆฏๅป็็ๆถไปฃใๆ็่งฃๅ
ถไธญ็ๅๅ โโ็ฐไปฃๅปๅญฆๆๆถไผ่ฎฉไบบๆๅฐๅฐๅทใไปไฟๆๆ่ดต๏ผ่ๆๅ็ๆจ่ๅๆพๅพๆธฉๆ่่ดดๅฟใ่ฎธๅค่ฟ็ฑปไบงๅ้ฝ่ขซ่ฅ้ไธบโ่ช็ถ็ๆณโโโๅท็งฐๆฏโ่ฅฟๅปโๆโๅๅญฆๆฏ่ฏโ็ๆฟไปฃๅใ
ไฝ่ฟ้ๆไธไธชไปคไบบไธๅฎ็็็ธ๏ผ็ธๅฝไธ้จๅ่ฟ็ฑปไฟๅฅๅใๅ่ฅ่ฏใๅ
ณ่็ต่ฏๅโ่ฝ้่กฅๅโไธญ๏ผ้ฝ็งๅฏๆทปๅ ไบ็ฑปๅบ้โโ่ฟไบๆๅๆชๆ ๆใไธๅ็็ฎก๏ผไธๅจๆฒกๆๅป็็็ฃ็ๆ
ๅตไธๆ็จใ้ฟๆๆ็จ๏ผๅฎไปฌไผ้ ๆ็ๅฎไธๆๆถไธๅฏ้็ๆๅฎณ๏ผๅๆถฆ็โๆปกๆ่ธโใๅ้ข้จ็โๆฐด็่โใๅฎนๆๆทค้็่็ฎ่คใ็ดซ่ฒๅฆๅจ ็บนใ้ชจ่ดจ็ๆพใ็ณๅฐฟ็
ใ้ซ่กๅ๏ผไปฅๅๅฆๆ็ช็ถๅ็จๅฏ่ฝไผๅผๅๅฑ้ฉ็่พไธ่
บๆๅถใ
ๆ่ฐ้พ็้จๅๆฏไปไน๏ผ่ฎธๅค็
ไบบๅนถไธ็ฅ้่ฟไธๅๆญฃๅจ่ชๅทฑ่บซไธๅ็ใไปไปฌๅชๆฏไปฅไธบ่ฟไบไฟๅฅๅโๅพ็ฎก็จโ๏ผๅ ไธบไปไปฌๆ่งๆดๆ็ฒพๅไบ๏ผๆ่
็ฎ่ค็่ตทๆฅๆด้ฅฑๆปกๅๆถฆไบโโ็ดๅฐๆฝๅจ็ๆๅฎณๅผๅงๆพ็ฐๅบๆฅใ
ๅ ๆญค๏ผๆไฝไธบไฝ ็ๆๅใไฝไธบไธๅๅป็๏ผๅๅคงๅฎถๅๅบ่ฏๆ็ๅผๅ๏ผ
ๅฆๆไฝ ๆญฃๅจๆ็จไปปไฝ้ฟๆไฟๅฅๅ๏ผ่ฏทๆ็ๆญฃ็็ถๅญๆ็ๅญๅธฆ็ปไฝ ็ๅป็็โโ่ไธไป
ไป
ๆฏๅญ่ฎฐๅฟ่ฏดๅบๅๅญใ
ๅฆๆไฝ ๅ็ฐ่ชๅทฑ็่
น้จๅ้ข้จ็่่ชๅขๅ ๏ผ่ๅ่ขไผผไนๅจๅ็ฆโโ่ฏทๅปๆฃๆฅไธไธใ
ๅฆๆไฝ ๆฏไปฅๅๆดๅฎนๆๆทค้๏ผๆ่
ไผคๅฃๆๅ็ผๆ
ข๏ผ่ฏทๅๅป็ๆๅใ
่ฏทไธ่ฆๅจๆฒกๆๅป็ๅปบ่ฎฎ็ๆ
ๅตไธ็ช็ถๅ็จไปปไฝ้ฟๆไฟๅฅๅโโๅฆๆๅฎ็กฎๅฎๅซๆ็ฑปๅบ้๏ผ็ช็ถๆๆญๆฌ่บซๅฐฑๆฏๅฑ้ฉ็ใ
ๅฅฝ็ๅค็งๅป็ๅนถไธๆป็ญๅบๅนถ่ฟ่กๆๆฏใๆๆถๅๆไปฌๅฟ
้กป่ฏดโไธโโโๅนถๅธฎๅฅนๅ
ๅผๆธ
ๆฅ็ฉถ็ซๅ็ไบไปไนใ
ๅฆๆ่ฟ็ฏๆ็ซ ่ฝๅธฎๅฉๅฐไฝ ๅไบฒไบบ่ฏท่่่ฝฌๅใ
