Risk of multi-level marketing products

The claim that Multi-Level Marketing (MLM ) supplements  and other products are curative for ailments like diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure and infertility continue to be on the rise since multi-level products marketing crept into our domain. Some of these products come in the form of  food supplements, beverages, juices, tablet, capsules. They often require […]

The claim that Multi-Level Marketing (MLM ) supplements  and other products are curative for ailments like diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure and infertility continue to be on the rise since multi-level products marketing crept into our domain.

Some of these products come in the form of  food supplements, beverages, juices, tablet, capsules. They often require people to register and rise in the network as one markets them, register and accesses products at lower prices or buy them from pharmacies.

There are many people marketing these products claiming they are “natural” and can cure all sorts of ailments. It is said that some doctors give credence to their claims by prescribing them for their patients.  

Mr. King markets and sells for one of such companies. The company has a range of products  such as vitamins, toiletries and drinks. He said the products were of high quality and also profitable when one marketed them.

He said when his “reward” started coming in from marketing the products,  he registered his wife as a distributor . He added that he has also benefitted from using the products.

“Since I came across these products and  started using them, I have not had any cause to worry about high blood pressure which I used to have. The truth is that they are working and people are attesting to that,” he said

His wife who markets the  company’s sanitary pad, panty liner and other cosmetics products said she used the toothpaste.

“The toothpaste fights any tooth- related disease such as gum pain, tooth decay, even mouth odour. The panty liner is also good; very medicinal for women. It helps in removing any kind of infection, including fibroid,” she said.

Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) is a business model in which product distributors are compensated for enrolling further distributors, as well as for selling products. This kind of marketing has experienced dramatic growth in recent decades across the world.

While the business model has been subject to a number of criticisms, few have analysed the explicit health claims of their distributors. The majority of the products distributed through MLM are health products which are presented as offering transformative health benefits.

A Consultant Family Physician and Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee, University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH), Gwagwalada, Dr. Nicholas Baamlong, said the companies and their marketers claimed the products could cure so many diseases; especially non-communicable diseases like diabetes, hypertension and cancers.

Dr. Baamlong said most of the products were vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants that were supposed to be preventive and not curative, adding that some might actually slow the process of developing the disease before they occured. 

“They are not drugs that can cure once you have any of the diseases,” he said.

Dr. Baamlong explained that most of the companies manufacturing these products used medical doctors to get credibility. 

“For preventive medicine, it may not cause any adverse effect, but when used as a cure, substituting it for the regular drugs for the treatment of such a disease, it is not advisable and should not be encouraged,” he said.

He explained further that the claims for such cures could not be substantiated at all adding that a well-trained medical doctor could not allow his or her patient to abandon treatment with drugs for a multi-vitamin or antioxidant.

Dr. Baamlong advised  the general public to be very careful in taking such substances. 

“Most of these substances are used only for healthy living and should be taken with care. Never abandon your drugs for a particular disease to take the substances. Most people that do this eventually come down with severe or serious complications because they abandoned the correct medications meant for that disease,” he said.