Thursday, December 13, 2007

Viagra is no aphrodisiac'

In the age of Viagra, nearly 350 men, all in the 50-plus age bracket, and a handful of women openly discussed impotence at a lecture on `What is new in the Management of Male Impotence?' at the S P Jain Auditorium, Bombay Hospital, organised by the Indo-American Society.

While Dr Bhalchandra Parulkar, Consultant Urologist and Andrologist at the University of Massachusetts Hospital, USA, quoted various examples of the Americans' need for lifelong virility, the questions that followed showed things were barely different this side of the world. Parulkar explained thatthere are a whole list of drugs which should not be used along with Viagra. ``Viagra will not work if the blood vessels and nerves surrounding the prostate gland have been surgically removed. If the vessels are intact, it might,'' he said, adding that if a man was capable of walking up two storeys without getting breathless, he could safely use Viagra, even after coronary bypass.

Parulkar also laid to rest doubts on Vanprasthashram and Hindu culture, quoting the example of a newly married 80-year-old Viagra user. "If every impotent man in the US uses Viagra six to eight times a month, the country will go bankrupt. But if a 60 year-old Indian man wants to use Viagra and pay for it himself, there is no reason why we should stop him!'' Explaining the 21 related Viagra-deaths in the US, Parulkar said: "Those who take this drug must undergo a detailed examination to exclude coronary artery disease. When a patient is hospitalised after a heart attack, a nitrite patch is placed on his chest. Nitrite and Viagramake a lethal combination".
Viagra apart, there was a keen interest evinced on alternative methods to cure impotence. Parulkar spoke of two drugs: Pentalomine and Apomorphine, which are yet to be launched. There is also a range of other products like injection therapy, a supository which has to be inserted in the urethra, a vacuum pump which induces erection using negative pressure, micro-surgery and implants. In the present scenario, where Viagra is being sold in Mumbai without a licence, prescription or medical check up, there is an obvious need to highlight the difference between a drug for impotence and an aphrodisiac. Parulkar stressed that Viagra will not increase libido. The best aphrodisiac, he pointed out, is an understanding partner.

Posted By Dr.Krishna.R.S Ayurveda Helath care for men