THE ANNUAL SALES OF HEALTHCARE PRODUCTS could reach 200 billion yuan ($29 billion) in China, more than half of which are expected to be purchased by senior citizens, according to a report by China Central Television. The Mirror commented on Wednesday:

Purchasing healthcare products is a part of life for elderly people, but the pain is being felt by their loved ones who often fail to convince them that many of the much-touted "healthcare programs" are nothing but scams.

Earlier this month a senior citizen in Qingdao, East China's Shandong province, jumped into the sea to end his life after being swindled out of nearly 100,000 yuan by the salespersons of healthcare products during the past four years.