Doctors warn of dangers of self-injecting weight-loss medications

Doctors warn of dangers of self-injecting weight-loss medications

2026-03-04

Weight loss injections are becoming increasingly popular in Taiwan. Though they are marketed as easy solutions, they can have serious side effects. The Taiwan Medical Association for the Study of Obesity recently shared the case of a 40-year-old man who gave the popular treatment a try, after buying online syringes purported to contain the medication. The injections did make him lose weight as promised, but they also caused vomiting and dehydration, and eventually the man put the weight back on. Experts say the injections should only be used after an assessment by a qualified doctor. Let’s hear more.

Kao Hsiang-han
Obesity expert
He followed tutorials he found online. He injected the fluid and afterwards suffered from severe vomiting and dehydration. He was unable to eat anything for two to three days.

Lin Wen-yuan
Obesity expert
I know there’s people who go to Japan or mainland China to buy these medications. But just because people sell them doesn’t mean there couldn’t be issues, such as with storage. So, the best approach is to find a medical team with doctors, nutritionists, exercise therapists, pharmacists, nurses and health educators.

Shen Ching-fen
Health Protection Administration
If you want to lose weight, do it the right way. We hope that the general public can have access to correct information, and create personalized and detailed treatments for patients to deal with obesity.

But it could be a struggle to change habits and the stigma relating to obesity. According to surveys, about 80% of the general public is aware that obesity is classed as a disease, but only 20% of people with obesity are willing to seek medical help. With medications more easily available than ever, health authorities are urging the public to always consult a doctor before administering weight-loss medications. Not doing so may risk losing not just weight, but also your money and good health.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#obesity #weightloss #injection #obese #ozempic

網購"瘦瘦針"亂打嘔吐又脫水! 籲經醫師評估才安全

2026-03-04

台灣每2人就有一人過重，很多人想到時下最夯的瘦瘦針，台灣肥胖醫學會分享，一名40歲男為了改善健康，竟然網購來路不明瘦瘦針，最後雖然瘦了但也導致嘔吐、脫水，最後還復胖。醫學會提醒瘦瘦針有其副作用，要經過專業醫師評估後才能使用。

[[台灣肥胖醫學會秘書長高湘涵]]
“他就是直接看網路上一些教學，一轉可能轉到底，打下去之後，就發現一些嚴重嘔吐，脫水的情況，可能兩三天沒有辦法吃東西”

[[台灣肥胖醫學會理事長林文元]]
“我知道有一些人好像，會去日本，去大陸，去買一些這些藥物，畢竟人家賣給你了，儲存各方面可能都是問題，找合適的醫療團隊，醫療團隊當然是包括，醫師，營養師，運動治療師，藥師，護理人員，衛教師等”

[[國健署長沈靜芬]]
“就是希望民眾(減重)，不要用不對的方式，也希望這樣子的正確知識，可以傳遞給民眾，將來我們在對於肥胖的處理的時候，能夠更精緻化，更個人化”

台灣已經有8成民眾知道肥胖是病，卻只有2成願意就醫，衛生單位呼籲網購與代購亂象頻傳的時代，減重拿藥務必透過醫師管道取得，否則減重不成，反而賠上金錢與健康。

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Qipan means chessboard in Chinese, and for four years running, Qipan棋盤 Village in Yunlin’s Gukeng Township has been hosting a national Chinese chess competition. To promote the village’s namesake competition, students at a local elementary school created a life-sized chessboard. With the trademark round characters emblazoned on their shirts, students stood in for the pieces as they played out a live game called by their teachers.

Elementary students standing in as human chess pieces move across the board according to their teachers’ instructions.

Sometimes they move to the wrong spot. Other times, they can’t help but crack up when facing down one of their classmates. Once they’re knocked out, they leave the board. The rules are the same as regular Chinese chess, only these are life-sized pieces. The exercise gives the kids a feel for the game.

The reason these students at Qishan Elementary are acting out a match is to promote the annual chess competition hosted by Qipan Village in Yunlin’s Gukeng Township.

Lin Hui-ju
Gukeng Township Mayor
It exercises the mind while keeping kids off their phones. It’s a good activity.

Liu Chien-kuo
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Anyone who likes playing Chinese chess, Western chess, Go, should come to Qipan Village for thoughtful discussions and friendly matches. For this, Qipan in Gukeng Township has an important role to play.

The school’s chess instructor returned to his alma mater to teach in the hopes of cultivating the skill among the younger generation.

Peng Mu-kuei
Qishan Elementary chess instructor
Chess is a very positive, intellectually stimulating game. I’ve been promoting chess programs at Qishan Elementary for many years now, laying the foundations for its development.

Real-life chess gives these kids a chance to step away from their phones and into an intellectually stimulating game, while also serving as an exciting warm-up for the competition in April.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

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Lost phone found in tupperware buried in soil in deserted plot

A man in Pingtung recently found his lost phone in an unexpected location. It was in a ziplock bag, inside a tupperware, buried under the soil of a large deserted plot of land in Chaozhou. He was able to track down the phone, and could even hear it ringing, but was unable to find it, as he had never thought that it would be underground. In the end, he called the police for help, and they managed to recover the phone.

The officers are demonstrating how they recovered a lost phone in this large plot of land. The search took quite some time in the bushes.

- The location of the phone was identified, so I turned on the tracking function, but the plot of land was more than 300 ping.

The plot of land was on Beimen Road in Chaozhou Township, Pingtung. The owner knew that the device was somewhere here. After making a phone call to the device, he could hear it ring, but still couldn’t find it anywhere, so he called the police for help.

Wu Chun-sheng
Pingtung County Police
I knelt down and noticed that the ringtone grew increasingly louder. I dug into the ground with my bare hands, and there it was, covered with a white towel.

Voice of Mr. Hsu
Owner of lost phone
It sounded like it came out of a speaker, but I couldn’t figure out where exactly it was. I could tell that it’s underground. We were all surprised when the officer dug it up.

The phone was sealed in a ziplock bag and placed in a tupperware. After an hour, the police finally found it and dug it up, much to the surprise of the owner. But how did it end up there in the first place? Not to mention that the location actually changed once.

Shopowner
Beimen Road, Chaozhou Township
The day before, it was on the other side. After just one day, it was here on our side. They probably wanted to embezzle it, but the device was locked, so it was of no use and couldn’t be sold or pawned.

Fortunately, the rightful owner managed to recover his lost device with the help of the police. It was an almost impossible feat in this large crop of deserted land.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

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From planting coffee trees to roasting: NCNU offers unique coffee courses

Aspiring baristas and coffee lovers, take note! National Chi Nan University in Nantou is offering a series of courses relating to the coffee industry, the first of its kind. The courses cover all aspects of the coffee making process, from planting coffee trees, to roasting and making your own hand-brewed cup of joe. There’s even a coffee plantation on campus with more than 1,000 coffee trees. Let’s find out more.

Each tiny red fruit, with its glossy skin and wafting aroma, sheds its red coat and undergoes washing, sorting, and many other intricate processes to become the coffee beans we know so well.

Nantou’s National Chi Nan University is offering an unprecedented series of courses and research related to the coffee industry in its College of Management. The university also has a coffee plantation of over 1,000 square meters on campus, with over a thousand coffee trees.

Zheng Jian-xiong
National Chi Nan University
The area around the university, including Guoxing Township, Puli Township, and Sun Moon Lake, had already started planting coffee. We thought, if coffee can grow in the surrounding region, could we also cultivate it at National Chi Nan University? In 2020, we began planting about 1,000 coffee trees here, providing a hands-on learning field for our undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students.

From planting coffee trees, through flowering, fruiting and harvesting, to washing, drying, roasting and brewing the beans, this course combines hands-on practical experience, allowing students to master professional skills at each stage.

Student
Joined the course
I found out that the university had this coffee course, so I joined. I learnt how to savor a cup of coffee and brew a cup of coffee that I like.

By arranging a comprehensive curriculum and transforming the campus into a dedicated coffee house, students can immerse themselves in the world of coffee and cultivate their interests. Meanwhile, more talents are being cultivated for Taiwan’s coffee industry.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
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Cute sheep turn to life of crime munching sakura on leisure farm

With cherry blossoms in full swing up in the mountains, the ever-popular sheep at Nantou’s Qingjing Farm have turned to a life of crime. A herd of several sheep were caught red-handed munching on pink petals in broad daylight, leaving tree branches bare. But far from being upset, visitors and members of the staff were delighted by their adorable antics.

The cherry blossom trees are in full bloom at Qingjing Farm, making for a magical moment. But among the flower admirers, there is a herd of thieves munching on the pink petals and leaving the tree branches bare.

They take bite after bite, and even let out a satisfied burp. These wooly culprits were caught red-handed ruining the trees. Far from upset, holidaymakers let them keep going, as the sheep make for an adorable picture.

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Visitor
Qingjing Farm
They must be very clever. There are so many flowers close together and they feast on them. If they’re high up, they even leap up.

Tourists flock to Qingjing to see the sheep grazing on lush rolling hills. The farm mainly raises Corriedale sheep, bred for their wool and their aesthetic appeal. In recent years, the farm has also brought in Suffolk and Barbado sheep, and in 2022 it brought in the highly-popular Valais Blacknose, made famous thanks to the series “Shaun the Sheep.” Now they’re famous for being naughty and eating sakura too.

Huang Jui-wen
Qingjing Farm
Sheep won’t get sick from munching on flower petals every now and then. We’ve been keeping an eye on them for several days now, and the sheep that have been eating cherry blossoms are in good health.

Qingjing Farm posted about the incident on social media with a humorous tone, “The suspects remained calm and showed no remorse. Though cherry blossom levels were decreasing dangerously fast, their adorable factor only increased exponentially. Facing such cute opponents, the battle to protect the sakura was declared lost.”

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
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ITRI builds innovation alliance for technological advancement

The Industrial Technology Research Institute, or ITRI, announced the formation of an innovation alliance on Tuesday. The R and D institution is partnering with 17 research institutes and 33 universities to implement a mid- to long-term technology strategy and road map for Taiwan. ITRI hopes to play the role of coordinator in Taiwan’s R and D ecosystem, thereby laying a solid foundation for global partnerships.

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In addition to global partnerships, domestically, ITRI is also partnering with 17 research institutes and 33 universities to form an innovative alliance, with a focus on emerging sectors including AI, robotics, and unmanned systems.

Chang Pei-zen
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Businesses in Taiwan join baseball craze ahead of WBC

Amid the baseball craze that is sweeping Taiwan ahead of the World Baseball Classic, many companies are coming up with special baseball-themed products for their customers. Airlines have launched special themed flights while the Taiwan Railway has rolled out a "Home Run" bento box to wish Team Taiwan success. Even a hotel and a century-old bakery have joined in the excitement, launching dim sum shaped like baseballs and pastries to snack on in hopes that Taiwan can devour the competition.

A succulent pork drumstick to hit a home run, and red braised carrots to get fiery, red-hot success every game. This is the Taiwan Railway’s newly launched “Home Run” bento to celebrate the World Baseball Classic.

Member of public
Would buy bento
I think any form of support is good. I would buy it, if I got the chance. Winning or losing is one thing, but I think the most important thing is making it to the end of the tournament in good health.

Support for Team Taiwan is coming in all forms, even on this China Airlines plane, which is packed with good wishes for the baseball players.

The pillows and cups on this charter flight all say “Team Taiwan.” Even the in-flight meals have been especially designed to wish the team success. Meanwhile, Starlux Airlines has put together a mile-high baseball fan package.

Each seat has an adorable baseball player card memento. Until March 8, all flights from Taipei to Tokyo will feature these mementos and baseball-themed videos on the entertainment system. But if you can’t make it to Japan to watch the games and don’t want to miss out on the fun, you can head to this hotel.

The Chateau de Chine in Kaohsiung is going full-out for baseball fans offering a dim sum menu featuring baseball balls bursting with a succulent filling.

Member of public
Eating baseball dim sum
They really look like baseballs, they have the stitching line. They’re so cute. It’s perfect for the upcoming competition.

Over in Tainan, a century-old bakery is now selling its famous brown sugar pastries stamped with messages of support for team Taiwan, a reminder to eat up the competition.

Ms. Ho
Baker
Eat these if you want them to eat their competition. The seals are spray-painted on the top of the pastries after they are done and they already have set into their domed shape. You have to consider the curvature.

Everyone is excited to see Taiwan succeed at the World Baseball Classic, and businesses are making sure fans get their baseball fix.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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