Sex
In rural Scotland they told me that if the gorse bushes ever fail to flower, kissing will go out of fashion.
So far it hasn’t happened.
I think the same applies to sex.
Its popularity hasn’t waned for quite a while now.
But non-physician sex therapists are under increasing pressure from the medicalisation of sexual dysfunction.
The film Pharma Sutra examines whether Female Sexual Dysfunction (FSD) is a real disease or a marketing ploy created by pharmaceutical companies.
According to filmmaker Marion Gruner, the controversy surrounding this issue and the prevalence of FSD is deserved.
“When a new disease is identified it’s important to find out what’s behind the number,” she says.
“A statistic widely quoted is that 43% of American women suffer from FSD.
People hear that number and start thinking that they have it.”
Not that there’s anything wrong with an imaginary disorder.
Remember the case of Enovid in the 1950’s.
Searle(/Monsanto/Pfizer marketed the drug as a treatment for menstrual disorders with the warning that it would prevent ovulation.
Over half a million American married women mysteriously developed these disorders and asked their physicians for the drug.
(See: “Companies That Changes the World” Jonathan Mantle, Quercus Publishing London 2008.)
Drugs and Rock-n-Roll
Every time I watch a wild life documentary,
I notice that all the events in the animal kingdom have a musical soundtrack.
I sometimes wonder how the poor critters would make it through the day without musical accompaniment.
Much the same seems to apply to the animations on the Xarelto brand web-page.
Are they just trying to dress up basic Brochureware with a jingle?
An extraordinary amount of time and effort has gone into trying to understand the role of music in human affairs.
Charles Darwin was famously stumped by music’s ubiquitous presence around the world:
“Man’s predilection for music”, he wrote in 1871 in The Descent of Man, “must be ranked among the most mysterious with which he is endowed.”
My breakthrough in thinking came when reading Oliver Sachs book “Musicophilia”.
In its inspiring pages he writes of a researcher who was able to produce changes in the brain chemistry of pigeons.
First he used narcotics to produce the changes.
In the second experiment, he played music to the birds.
The changes were identical.
Music to Pharma’s Ears
Pharma are in the drug business.
What sort of music do you think Pharma could be generating? Suggestions include:-
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“ Lets Make Lots of Money ” |
Pet Shop Boys |
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“ Money for Nothing ” |
Dire Straits |
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“ I want a new drug ” |
Huey Lewis & the News |
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“ Little White Lies “ |
Fastball |
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“ Bad Medicine ” |
Bon Jovi |
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“ I still haven’t found what I’m looking for ” |
U2 |
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“ Under Pressure “ |
Queen |
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“Somebody save me " |
Cinderella |
I suspect it may be some time before we see Pharma releasing a chart-busting rock-n-roll contribution.
But when they do it should be appropriately labeled with the required health warning.
“Caution - do not play until the gorse has failed to flower.”
(Tomorrow’s Post: “Wake up Call.”)
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