UPFRONT | From the editor Keeping up with pop culture The celebrity endorsement of a prescription drug for morning sickness made national news and spread like wildfire on social media recently – for all the wrong reasons. Kim Kardashian, star of reality TV show Keeping up with the Kardashians, posted on several of her social media pages how the prescription medication, Diclegis, helped her overcome nausea during her pregnancy, adding “it’s been studied and there was no increased risk to the baby.” The post has since been deleted. U.S. and Canadian health authorities quickly reacted saying Kardashian’s product endorsement violates drug advertisement regulations. In a CBC news report, Toronto physician Dr. Nav Persaud expressed concern with women being misled about a medication and “basing decisions on the ex-perience of one person, in this case a very influential person.” A celebrity giving health care advice is a problem, but not the bigger prob-lem. It’s that drug manufacturers are now finding more creative ways to promote their products to the public, with subtle suggestions from big shot celebrities who are more than willing to do it for the right price, using social media where there is less regulatory oversight. It is human nature to be fascinated by fame and power. People like to emulate those they admire. This is why celebrity endorsements have been a huge part of brand promotions by big corporations. Who does not want to look as sleek as David Beckham in an H&M shirt, right? People like to know what their favourite movie stars eat, drink, wear and use. Drug endorsements by celebrities take branding to the next level, and it may be putting public health at risk. Health-care practitioners have a role to play to ensure their patients are appropriately informed and are able to make health-care decisions based on the evidence – not on media hype. It’s a 24/7 news cycle world we live in. People get their news and informa-tion from different devices and platforms, and from a wide array of sources – from reputable news organizations to gossip-driven blogging sites. We are saturated with so much unfiltered information on a daily basis that it is some-times difficult to distinguish fact from fiction – an important human process that allows us to make the right decisions in our lives. Health-care practition-ers can help patients filter information coming at them and help them make the right choices about their health. When health-care decisions and opinions are formed based on the words of a paid celebrity, public health is put at risk. Patient education has never been more important. October 2015 Volume 20, Number 7 EDITOR Mari-Len De Guzman [email protected] (905) 726-4659 PUBLISHER Christine Livingstone [email protected] (519) 429-5173 • (888) 599-2228 ext. 239 SALES ASSISTANT Shannon Drumm [email protected] (888) 599-2228 ext. 219 MEDIA DESIGNER Gerry Wiebe GROUP PUBLISHER Martin McAnulty [email protected] DIRECTOR OF SOUL/COO Sue Fredericks MAILING ADDRESS P.O. Box 530, 105 Donly Drive South, Simcoe, ON N3Y 4N5 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO CIRCULATION DEPT. P.O. BOX 530, SIMCOE, ON N3Y 4N5 e-mail: [email protected] Canadian Chiropractor is published eight times a year: February, April, May, June, July/August, September, October and December. Published and printed by Annex Publishing & Printing Inc., 105 Donly Drive South, Simcoe, ON N3Y 4N5 Printed in Canada ISSN 1488-6952 CIRCULATION e-mail: [email protected] Tel: (866) 790-6070 ext. 206 Fax: (877) 624-1940 Mail: P.O. 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Publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising that does not meet the standards of the publication. MARI-LEN DE GUZMAN, Editor EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD @CanChiropractor Victoria Coleman, DC; Connie J. D’Astolfo, DC, Dip HA, PhD (cand); Pierre DesLauriers, DC; Karin Hammerich, DC, MHS; James P. Laws, DC, FRCCSS(C)(Hon); David Leprich, DC; Wanda Lee MacPhee, DC; Peter Moore, DC; Don Nixdorf, DC; Renae Rogers, DC; Greg Stewart, BPE, DC; Greg Uchacz, DC, FRCCSS(C). 6 Canadian Chiropractor October 2015 www.canadianchiropractor.ca
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