Life Line

In its April 13 issue, the British Medical Journal has attempted to wake up Illich’s sleeping dogs. Under the broad rubric of "medicalisation of human experience", the journal examines the modern-day phenomenon of turning common problems—from baldness to poor sexual performance—into medical conditions in need of treatment.

The journal ran a poll of readers on its website to establish the top 10 conditions which they felt were best described as "non-diseases"—classified as "a human process or problem that some have defined as a medical condition but where people may have better outcomes if the problem or process was not defined in that way". Ageing came top, followed by work, boredom and bags under the eyes. A significant minority (13 per cent) also wanted the chronic fatigue syndrome on the list. Obesity and attention deficit disorder (or hyperactivity) made the list of eight per cent of the doctors.

In one article, Ray Moynihan, a journalist with Australian Financial Review, argues that drug companies provide medical experts and patient groups offer "victims" to attest to a given condition’s severity while drawing attention to a new "breakthrough" treatment.

When Viagra was launched in 1998, it "became the world’s most popular medicinal drug ever," write Graham Hart and Kaye Wellings. And while many men with erectile dysfunction are thankful for the little blue pill, they add, using an "overly medical" approach to sex threatens to ignore the relationship dynamics and other factors that go into sexual behaviour.

The bmj website makes it clear, however, that it is not saying that people with "non-diseases" do not need help. "We are not suggesting that the suffering of many with ‘non-diseases’ may not be much greater than those with widely recognised diseases. Disease is a very slippery concept," it says.

Testosterone, the font of manliness and virility, may even inspire memory and prevent Alzheimers’ in old age, suggests a study. A University of California, San Francisco, study found that higher levels of testosterone improved cognitive skills like concentration and memory. Men’s bodies tend to produce less testosterone as they age, so some doctors have begun prescribing hormone supplements to increase libido and treat other age-related problems. The scientists, however, do not recommend that men begin taking testosterone to improve cognition. The study only looked at natural testosterone levels and so it doesn’t prove that supplements can prevent cognitive decline. "We will need results of large, random clinical trials in older men before we can confidently say that testosterone supplements are beneficial and safe," the researchers explain.

In India, doctors often treat patients’ enquiries about the nature of their ailment with supercilious disdain. To make this relationship more interactive, Mumbai-based Health Education Library for People (help), India’s first consumer health library, has started offering for a fee of Rs 500 well-researched information to patients curious about their health.

Dr Aniruddha Malpani, infertility expert and founder of help, believes that patients now are more inquisitive. They often resort to the internet for opinions which are often dubious.help taps into commercial proprietary databases to deliver a customised information package to patients, consisting of over 50 pages of easy-to-understand information on their specific medical problem. A typical package will tell you what you need to know about the disease, diagnosis, treatment, leading researchers, recent advances, useful online resources, support groups, mailing list and newsgroups. help can be contacted at 022-368 3334/ 368 1014

If you think short bouts of alcoholic orgies are okay, be warned. A study published in the April issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research confirms what many have suspected for long—that brain damage can occur after only a few days of heavy drinking. The study counters a belief that damage to brain cells occurs when the brain withdraws from long-term alcohol abuse, and not during alcohol consumption. The research, conducted by boffins at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, found that rats given large doses of alcohol for four days in a row suffered brain damage. Much of what is known about human brains and alcohol has come from autopsy studies but the researchers argue that it doesn’t mean the damage hasn’t occurred earlier.