I visit Taiwan nearly every year for 3 months at a time.(90 day visa). Something that sticks out for me is how nearly everyone is overly concerned with their health. Watching TV is interesting. Almost every commercial is for some kind of quack remedy for you-name-it. Whatever your issue is, this pill, lotion, potion, injection will cure it. My Taiwanese wife’s older relatives take endless tablets and pills and worry about catching cold from anything, any time. If there’s a small shower of rain, everyone hides or grabs an umbrella, even if it’s barely a sprinkle. Or maybe I’m being too critical? I just think it’s amusing is all.
There’s definitely something to it IMO. I may be biased due to personal experience however 
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You forgot going to the Dr, getting 12 different types of tablets for a minor ailment then saying that westerners take to much medication.
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Have you visited America recently? Same same.
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They still don’t wash their hands after using the washroom.
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If you mean the US, no, and never likely to.
Anecdotally, health supplements seem to be pretty popular here.
My in-laws house are all stuffed with jars of vitamins - multivitamins, vitamin C, fish oil, and joint health supplements seem most popular. Feels like every trip abroad they bring suitcases of this stuff back.
Sidenote, when I examine them, these vitamins are often past their expiry date and need to be thrown away. Also a lot of the supplements they bring from aboard are available locally in Costco. I don’t get the logic of hoarding them.
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And going to the Dr. for any little thing. Even for ear wax build-up, in New Zealand I would just go to the local pharmacy and buy ear wax solvent. I found out, there’s no such item to buy in Taiwan. You must go to the ear specialist and pay.
Tons of mental health meds with strings of horrible side effects. Ugh 
I understand them going to the Dr for the little things I wouldn’t back home, take a cold for example.
I can go to the pharmacy and get some cold meds for 200nt, or a can go to the clinic for 100nt get my cold meds + my 11 other bonus pills to go with them.
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The fear of catching the flu is very strong in Taiwan when it’s “cold” (below 25 degrees Celsius basically). My understanding has always been that cold temperatures have next to nothing to do with catching the flu or getting a cold (not getting cold).
Good luck trying to explain basic science to many of the locals here. 
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the old lady at my school, she’s lovely to be sure, but seems gravely concerned when I clock out for the night and don’t have a winter coat to combat the bitter 20 degree temperatures.
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There’s a long history of over the counter (or back of the wagon), quack medicine in the US, a history that the pharmaceutical industry is happy to piggyback on (see those television commercials).
I’ve always been struck with how big the oral supplements aisle is at Costco in the US. There’s a pill for everything. At Costco Taiwan locations it may be even bigger.
My theory is that it’s due to hard work, maybe even working too hard, and the effect it can have on health. Anyway, from snake oil to Ozempic, cheat codes regarding personal health are definitely popular in both nations.
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Yeah, I get that as well, from my wife’s relations. As soon as the temperature gets under 25, they start wearing puffer jackets and fur collars. I’m still in T shirt and shorts unless going out. They tell me I’ll get sick. They can’t understand why I don’t.
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It is, hard working sales and advertising people.
UK in the 80’s we had loads on TV, then they introduced advertising standards that mean any claims about health benefits needed verifiable independent research, same with packaging and now online.
Just flip the switch on them, say that wrapping up so warm all the time is an incubator for viruses and bacteria, tell them in the lab they grow cultures in a warm environment, not in the fridge.
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If parents realized that their kids have the ability to develop a tolerance for cold, just like their kids have already been forced to develop a tolerance for studying 20+ hours a week…
They could basically make superhumans.
Ok, but it’s not the same. You’re talking about regulating on the supply side, which is probably a good idea.
My point is about the demand side, the “why” of Taiwanese and Americans hunting cheat codes like treasure and willing to buy anything that sounds like a short cut.
If they cant advertise the claims due to lack of independent evidence, regular people think it must be a scam and gullible people don’t get sucked in. It creates an air of scepticism around such products hence a lac of demand.
Sounds right. But what I’m trying to point out is that, while widget A is no longer fashionable due to lack of independent study, the demand moves over to widget B. And so on.
The demand for a short cut will always be undefeated, in Taiwan (and other Asian countries) and in the US. You can call us stupid or gullible or whatever, but that won’t do much to end it.
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C D and E can’t advertise due to lack of independent study, the company’s also know if they do try and then get caught the impact of having to withdraw the brand, product, advertising, maybe having to do recalls etc, is worse than having not advertised.
This all started in the 80’s so that scepticism had already built up pre internet era.
I believe in each to their own, but I do draw the line at targeting old people with unsubstantiated claims, and putting people in danger (that includes finance and mental health).
It’s not stupid if it works, even if it’s just a placebo effect.