Doctor Feders: Latvians widely use supplements, yet medicines often go unused
Physician Roberts Feders criticised reliance on dietary supplements and poor adherence to treatment on the TV24 programme. He argued that Latvia's weak health statistics suggest something is being done wrong.
Roberts Feders, founder of the Dr. Feders Centre and the Feders Medical Institute, used an appearance on the TV24 programme “Nacionālo interešu klubs” (National Interests Club) to urge a more critical look at how people in Latvia use dietary supplements and follow medical treatment. In his view, the country's health indicators do not match the belief that capsules protect against illness.
Supplements as prevention
Feders said there is a widespread belief that taking dietary supplements can help people avoid disease. According to him, Latvia is among the leaders in using “jars of capsules”, which people regard as prevention.
If that approach delivered the expected results, he argued, health statistics should be excellent: people would live to 90 and there would be no premature deaths. “So the question is, where is the problem? Then we are doing something wrong, because our statistics are bad,” Feders said.
Low adherence
The programme also touched on the notion that doctors may have an interest in people being ill, as well as accusations of selling too many medicines. Feders, however, considers low adherence a major problem, meaning how closely people follow their treatment and take prescribed medication.
“Overall, medicines get bought, put in a cupboard, and the expiry date passes,” Feders said, describing the situation.
The source gives no specific statistics on supplement use or Latvia's health indicators; these are the doctor's own assessments.
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