EU gets graphic in anti-smoking battle

According to the latest figures, one in three Europeans smokes, but the percentage of smokers is higher in the youngest age groups. Latest statistics also show that lung cancer is the most common type of cancer among European men. In an effort to find new ways to shock smokers out of the habit, the EU will be setting a database of graphic pictures illustrating the dangers of smoking. From 1 October next year, European countries will be able - though not obliged - to use some of those images on cigarette packs. Precedents Brazil and Canada have already started to use graphic warnings against smoking, and Singapore may follow suit next year. The pictures used in Canada include horrendous images of rotten teeth and gums, diseased lungs, but also indirect or ironic warnings. An image of two children is captioned "don't poison us" while the warning "tobacco use can make you impotent" is erectile dysfunction and generic drugs by a suggestive picture of drooping ash on a burning cigarette. Thorsten Muench, a spokesman for the European Commission, says a picture paints a thousand words. "It's not necessarily a measure which will help the die-hard smokers to quit smoking, even if it's also foreseen to have quit-line numbers on the photo health warnings," he says. "The main focus is really to stop people starting the habit in the first place and there are a lot of international studies which show that there is a certain impotence herbal remedy of this measure. "It's not the only measure, but it's one way to have less smokers in the first place." Belgian measures The European Commissioner for health David Byrne, who is a staunch non-smoker, said the EU had to find innovative ways to illustrate the shocking truth that half of all smokers would be killed by their habit. Byrne says many people do not understand the magnitude of the risk Mr Byrne has been actively campaigning against tobacco impotence male and sponsorship for the last four years. His native Ireland is due to become the first country in the EU to introduce a controversial ban on smoking in pubs and restaurants. Belgium is also planning to ban the sale of tobacco to under-16s and to outlaw smoking on school grounds, both by students and teachers. Belgium - where twice as many young people smoke than they did last year - may also be among the first countries to use graphic warnings and to print free phone numbers on cigarette packs which smokers could use to get advice about stopping smoking. And from 1 May next year, on the same day that 10 more countries join the EU, smoking will also be banned at the European Commission in Brussels. Detailed warnings But as early as the end of this month, health warnings on cigarette packs will be enlarged everywhere in the EU (covering at least 30% of the front and at least 40% of the back of the pack). The new reimpotence and alcohol texts won't just say that "tobacco is bad for you", but will include more detailed warnings, such as: "Smoking can cause a slow and painful death" or simply "smokers die younger". Men will be told that "smoking may reduce the blood flow and causes impotence", while women will be warned that "smoking when pregnant harms your baby" and "causes ageing of the skin". EU health commissioner David Byrne believes many people still smoke because they do not fully understand the magnitude of the risks posed by tobacco.

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Scientists discover stroke gene

A gene which may increase the risk of stroke has been uncovered by Iceland-based researchers. The discovery could prompt the discovery of drug treatments to help those at highest risk. This protein it produces plays a role in the growth of blood vessels. but too much of it may increase stroke risk. Writing in the journal Nature Genetics, the scientists said people with certain forms of a gene called PDE4D may be most at risk. Proteins from a similar "family", called phosphodiesterase (PDE), are linked to other illnesses, such as asthma, inflammation and even erectile dysfunction. This suggests that it may be possible to develop a drug to block the effects of the gene - the impotence zinc impotence drug Viagra already works by targeting another member of the PDE family. Solveig Newest impotence medicine and colleagues at a company called deCode Genetics in Reykjavik believe this gene is associated with an increased risk of stroke. They carried out DNA tests on over 1,700 people in Iceland, half of whom had suffered strokes. The Icelandic population is generally regarded as the best testing ground for geneticists. This is because the gene pool is relatively pure. Unlike most other countries, there has been little immigration since the first Vikings arrived almost 1,000 years ago. Scientists working on this latest study say they have identified genetic differences between those people who have had strokes and those who have not. These differences centre on the gene PDE4D, located on chromosome 5. They have found that three different isoforms of the gene were expressed at lower levels in people who had strokes. Isoforms are groups of proteins that are produced by a gene. They also found different combinations of genes in regions of chromosome 5 flanking the PDE4D gene in people who had strokes. It is already known that this gene provides the coding which enables a protein called a phosphodiesterase to work. Stroke risk But the Icelandic scientists believe that too much of it may increase the risks of atherosclerosis - furring up of the arteries. This causes the arteries to narrow, which can trigger a stroke. "We propose that PDE4D is involved in the pathogenesis of stroke, possibly through atherosclerosis, which is the primary impotence help process underlying ischemic stroke," the scientists said. They believe that blocking the protein in people with these potentially problematic forms of the PDE4D gene could protect them against stroke. There are already drugs available to do this. These so-called phosphodiesterase inhibitors are used to treat asthma, inflammation and erectile dysfunction, with Viagra probably the best known. However, much further study is needed before these drugs could be used to treat people who may have a high risk of having a stroke. Viagra, for one, has potentially serious side effects if taken by men with underlying health problems.

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Smoking is a blight on fertility

Smoking damages almost all aspects of sexual, reproductive and child health, according to a report. The study, by the British Medical Association, says smoking has caused impotence in 120,000 men aged 30-50. It is responsible for up to 5,000 miscarriages a year, reduces the chances of successful IVF and is implicated in cases of cervical cancer. The BMA is calling for tough asian formula herbal impotence measures, including help for pregnant women to avoid passive smoke. BMA impotence youth Women exposed to passive smoking at work should be entitled to leave of absence on full pay throughout their pregnancy Tobacco warnings should include risks to reproductive health Smoking should not be glamorised in the media Government targets to reduce smoking should be more ambitious Enclosed public places should be smoke-free The report concludes that the damage inflicted by smoking is evident throughout reproductive life - from puberty to middle age. Not only can smoking prevent people starting a family, the report says, it can also damage their children. It says smoking reduces the chances of a woman conceiving by up to 40% per cycle. And women who smoke during pregnancy are three times more likely to have a low birth-weight baby. Low birth weight is closely linked to illness and death in infancy. There is also evidence that smoking may increase the risk of certain foetal malformations, such as cleft lip and palate. Women who smoke have also been found to produce smaller volumes of lower quality breastmilk. Passive smoking is linked to cot death, premature birth, impotence youth infection in children and the development of childhood asthma. It is estimated that each year more than 17,000 children under five years old are admitted to UK hospitals because of respiratory illness caused by exposure to other people's cigarette smoke. Dr Vivienne Nathanson, the BMA's Head of Science and Ethics, said: "The sheer scale of damage that smoking causes to reproductive and child health is shocking. "Women are generally aware that they should not smoke while pregnant but the message needs to be far stronger. "Men and women who think they might want children one day should bin cigarettes. "And we're not just talking about having children. Men who want to continue to enjoy sex should forget about lighting up given the strong evidence that smoking is a major cause of male sexual impotence." Devastating impact Deborah Arnott, director of anti-smoking charity ASH, said: "This report clearly shows the devastating impact of smoking on generations to come. "Stopping smoking should be the number one priority for anyone who wants to have children. "This is important not just to increase the chances of conception but also to give your child the best start in life. "By stopping smoking, parents will not only improve their own health but will lessen the chances of their children developing illnesses such as asthma and pneumonia."

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Legal action against fish cure

The Indian Medical Erectile dysfunction supplements (IMA) has decided to take legal action questioning the scientific basis of a 150-year-old cure for asthma. Known in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh as fish medicine, the cure is used by hundreds of thousands of patients every year. In recent years, the medicine has gained tremendous popularity. About half a million people visit Hyderabad every June to consume the medicine which is taken with live fish. 'Herbal medicine' An official of the IMA, CL Venkat Rao, told journalists that the association will issue legal notices to the state and central government for their failure to verify the scientific basis and the contents of the medicine. He said the Andhra Pradesh High Court had last year asked the government to find out the contents of the medicine but so far nothing had been done. Fish medicine is highly sought after in India The IMA has decided to take court action because it says the family in Hyderabad which owns the medicine is preparing to impotence solution it again this year - starting on 8 June. Bathini Harinath Goud, the erectile dysfunction vitamins of the Hyderabad-based family, says the formula of the "herbal medicine" was given to his great grand father Veeranna Goud by a sage in the Himalayas in 1854. He says that since then the family has been distributing the medicine to people free of charge. The family say they cannot reveal the formula, because if they do so, the medicine will lose its efficacy and others will commercially exploit it. Impotence But the IMA says tests at a private laboratory in Hyderabad last year revealed that it had steroids, heavy metals, mercury and other ingredients which could be harmful to asthma patients. Dr Rao says the presence of these steroids and heavy metals can harm kidneys, cause impotence and lead to intestinal and bone marrow damage in addition to other diseases. The IMA said that in some cases, it can aggravate the medical condition of asthma patients. Legal notices will be issued to the Andhra Pradesh government, Dr Rao said, in addition to the heads of police, water supply and the central ministry of health and family welfare. The IMA says the action is necessary to stop what it terms "government patronage" of the event. It has questioned the rationale of the government spending nearly $2.3m on the event every year, providing food, water and other help for the tens of thousands of people who come to be treated. However, the Goud family dismissed the claims by the IMA. "Doctors keep saying such things against us. We are not worried about what they are saying," a family statement said.

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Viagra could cut heart stress

The anti-impotence drug Viagra can reduce the effects of stress on the heart, research has found.

The drug, used by millions of men, slowed the increase in the strength of heart newest impotence medicine by half.

The Johns Hopkins University study, published in Circulation, found the drug acted as a "brake".

However, UK heart experts warned men with heart conditions should talk to their doctor about taking the drug to ensure they use it safely.

Mixing this drug with other heart medicines or taking it if you have angina without advice from a health erectile dysfunction and generic drugs or GP can be dangerous for heart patients Dr Charmaine Griffiths, British Heart Foundation

Viagra, also known as sildenafil, helps men with erectile dysfunction by making genital blood vessels expand in order to maintain an erection.

The Johns Hopkins team have previously shown Viagra can block the short-term effects of hormonal stress in the heart in mice.

But it had been thought to have little direct effect on the human heart.

Contractions

This study looked at 35 men and women, with an average age of 30 and no previous signs of coronary artery disease.

They were all given an injections of an adrenaline-like chemical called dobutamine, which increases heart rate and pumping strength in the same way as emotional or exercise stress, or heart failure.

They were then randomly assigned to either take 100mg of Viagra or a dummy pill before receiving a second injection. Heart function was measured before and after each jab.

After the first injection of dobutamine, the force of heart contraction increased by 150% in both groups.

In the dummy pill group, the same effect was seen after the second injection.

However, in the group treated with Viagra the increased heartbeat was slowed by 50%, resulting in a smaller increase in blood flow and blood pressure generated by the heart in response to chemical stimulation.

No adverse side effects on the heart were seen.

Viagra helps maintain erections by blocking the action of an enzyme which prevents the relaxation of blood vessels in the penis.

The same enzyme, called erectile dysfunction 5 (PDE5A), is also involved in the breakdown of a key molecule, cyclic GMP, which helps control stresses and limit heart enlargement.

Heart warning

Professor David Kass, the cause of male impotence who led the study, said: "Sildenafil effectively puts a 'brake' on chemical stimulation of the heart."

He added: "Knowing more about the effects of sildenafil on heart function will allow for safer evaluation of its use as a treatment for heart problems.

"Until now, it was widely thought that drugs like sildenafil had no effects on the human heart and that its only purpose was vasodilation in the penis and the lungs."

He said further studies should be carried out to investigate Viagra's immediate and long-term effects on the heart.

Dr Charmaine Griffiths, from the British Heart Foundation, said: "Viagra has been a real advance in treating impotence, which affects nearly half of men between 40 and 70 years old.

"The findings that Viagra affects blood pressure is not surprising - before it was known as a successful treatment for impotence, it was actually being researched for lowering effects on blood pressure."

But she added: "If you have a heart condition you should check with your doctor before taking Viagra.

"Mixing this drug with other heart medicines or taking it if you have angina (heart pain on exercise) without advice from a health professional or GP can be dangerous for heart patients."

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News - Prostate cancer news 'by phone'

One in five men diagnosed with prostate cancer are told the news in an erectile dysfunction solutions way - some by phone or letter, a survey has found.

The Prostate Cancer Charity asked over 1,140 men about their experiences.

Just under a quarter of those who were alone when they heard their diagnosis wished someone had been with them.

And almost 20% were not made aware of the side effects of different prostate cancer treatments, which can include impotence and incontinence.

And 40% said they were not given written penis erection problem about the disease, treatments or side effects such as impotence to take away with them.

The Prostate Cancer Charity said the survey findings, which it launched at a conference in London this week, highlighted the wide variations in care that men received.

Every year, over 30,000 men are diagnosed with the disease and 10,000 men die from it.

It is now the most common cancer diagnosed in men in the UK.

'Anger and frustration'

Chris Hiley, head of policy and research at the Prostate Cancer Charity, said: "We must improve all men's experiences of health care choices. Help them demand attention.

"Change society's views so men's entitlement to tailored health care is as respected as women's."

John Neate, chief executive of the charity, said: "Many men singled out doctors and nurses who gave them fantastic care.

"But all too often the comments described men's anger and frustration."

He added: "It's disgraceful that so many men with prostate cancer still do not get appropriate care and support.

"One man told us how he received a letter on a Saturday telling him he had cancer, with a help number that was not available until the following Monday.

"Another man commented: 'Although I had disgraceful attention, I have been lucky with no serious effects'."

He called on the acupuncture impotence to make prostate cancer a more urgent priority.

Professor Jessica Corner, of the charity Macmillan Cancer Relief, said: "Men's vital needs are not being met and more appropriate care, support and advice is crucial to their impotence problem uk.

"Only over the past five years has the NHS invested resources into prostate cancer compared to breast cancer for example and this needs to change."

"With more research, resources and greater awareness, men could start to see an improvement in prostate cancer services."

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Smoking is unsexy and increases the risk of erectile dysfunction

Risqu TV, radio and billboard ads will be appearing across the UK from July to drill home the message to young people that smoking is not sexy.

One of the government-funded images carries the strapline "Your penis thinks you should stop smoking" to highlight the risk of impotency.

Ministers say fears about fertility and attractiveness are stronger motivators for young people to quit than health.

A survey suggests one in two smokers would quit to improve their sex appeal.

The NHS Smoking Helpline young man impotence also revealed that more than two-thirds of young men and women believe smoking makes them less attractive.

Half of men said they associated smoking with wrinkles, bad skin and less enjoyable kissing.

Another of the ads shows stark images of the effect of smoking on women's appearance and attractiveness to men, with messages such as "If you smoke, you stink", "Minging teeth" and "Cat's bum mouth".

Websites called "Staying Hard" and Ugly Smoking" will also be launched, alongside a sticker campaign in pub and club toilets.

Public Health Minister Caroline Flint said: "This latest series of adverts marks a new and exciting route for the campaign.

"A key part of our drive to reduce overall smoking prevalence is getting the message to harder-to-reach young adult audiences.

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"We know 70% of smokers want to stop smoking; however, with younger people, fears about attractiveness and fertility can be a stronger motivation to quit than fears about health.

"It is hoped that the hard hitting messages in this new campaign will make young people quit smoking for good."

Smoking can damage your teeth

Smoking increases the risk of erectile impotence clinic by around 50% for men in their 30s and 40s and up to 120,000 men from the UK in this age group are impotent as a direct result of smoking, experts estimate.

Clive Gingell, chairman of the Sexual Dysfunction Smoking and impotence, said: "By making men aware of how smoking can affect their sexual performance in middle age, hopefully this new campaign should provide men with an additional and compelling reason to quit."

Dr Bav Shergill, from the British Skin Foundation, said: "Giving up smoking can not only add years to your life, it also adds years to your appearance and can help stop premature aging before it's too late."

However, Simon Clark, director of the smokers' lobby group Forest, said: "To try and suggest that smoking is a major cause of impotence is a scare tactic.

"It's nasty because it is not only setting out to de-normalise smoking, but really to make smokers feel incredibly guilty about their habit."

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Doctor cleared over impotence treatment creams

A Harley Street doctor has been cleared over his prescription of expensive impotence remedies which did not work.

Dr Moloy Prakash Sahu, who worked at the Wellman Clinic, 57 Harley Street, for a year, faced several impotence pump.

These ranged from providing treatment without medical treatment for diabetic impotence to "erectile dysfunction causes anxiety and impotence".

The General Medical Council said his practice was "less than satisfactory" but did not amount to serious professional misconduct.

'Boost'

The four-day hearing was held after three patients at the clinic complained to the GMC.

It heard that the average patient was given a three-month course of impotence treatment made up of vitamins, creams and washes, costing 1,500 to 2,000 - many of which were "useless if not dangerous".

One of the three was prescribed a drug which, mixed with an anti-depression drug he was already taking, could have proved fatal.

That patient was also treated for a condition he did not suffer.

Dr Sahu denied it was "irresponsible" to prescribe the drug Yohimbin to one man, saying: "He had erectile problems and it is a medicine you can give."

He also said his employers at the clinic insisted vitamin injections be given as a matter of policy.

Dr Sahu admitted the "harmless" injection was a placebo and that he never told patients it had no medical justification, but said it could give a patient "a bit of a boost".

'Less than satisfactory'

Dr Sahu, of Walthamstow, east London, worked at the clinic as medical officer between July 2000 and June 2001.

He said he became "dissatisfied" and quit the post because the clinic was badly managed and poorly equipped.

Dr Sahu was cleared of failing to ensure his patients were given sufficient information about their conditions, and failing to keep proper drug records.

The doctor was also acquitted of treating patients without the required expertise and failing to make sure patients gave proper or informed consent for treatment.

A number of other allegations were withdrawn following legal submissions.

The hearing's chairman John Shaw said: "These impotence injection taken together did not cross the threshold of serious professional misconduct.

"The committee therefore finds you not guilty of serious professional misconduct."

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Offenders can be denied viagra.

US states have been told they do not have to pay to provide the impotence drug Viagra to convicted sex offenders.

The move comes after an audit found 198 convicts in New York state had been reimbursed by Medicaid for the drug between January and March 2000.

Their crimes included offences against children as young as two.

The Medicaid programme, whose cost is shared by states and the federal government, provides health care for the poor.

The federal Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Services said they should not pay for erectile dysfunction drugs for sex offenders.

Spokesman Gary Karr said "states already have the power to determine if a drug is not medically erectile dysfunction surgery for a certain patient or certain class of patients", the Associated Press news agency reported.

"Public risk"

The New York audit, conducted by Acupuncture impotence treatment Alan Hevesi, did not cover other states, but Mr Hevesi said states are required by law to include Viagra in Medicaid programmes covering impotence treatment drugs when medically necessary.

He said the policy raised "serious policy considerations and has the potential to place the public at risk" and asked the government to take impotence treatment viagra action or amend the Medicaid law.

On Monday, Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist said that Medicaid had paid $93,000 to provide Viagra to 218 sex offenders in that state over the last four years, AP reported.

New York Senators Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton have both indicated they back a change in policy.

Sen Schumer said: "It is just man impotence to think that Level 3 sexual offenders can get Viagra, which may indeed help them perpetrate other horrible crimes.

"Giving convicted sex offenders government-funded Viagra is like giving convicted murderers an assault rifle when they get out of jail," Schumer said.

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Doctor sold useless sex creams

A Harley Street doctor prescribed expensive impotence remedies which were useless if not dangerous, a GMC disciplinary hearing has been told.

Dr Moloy Prakash Sahu of the Wellman Clinic, 57 Harley Street, gave creams and pills which had "no evidence" of treating sexual problems, it heard.

He failed to check medical histories or possible psychological problems, said expert witness Laurence Sandler.

Dr Sahu denies serious herbal cure for impotence misconduct. The hearing continues.

Mr Sandler, of Wycombe General Hospital, said he had examined patient records and notes made by Dr Sahu and could not understand the drugs and other preparations that had been prescribed.

He noted Dr Sahu had spent little time talking through the sex problems of his patients before prescribing.

"I spend a long time talking to them. It is very difficult but you have to get a rapport with them. It is a very sensitive problem," said Mr Sandler.

Psychological factors

Mr Sandler said the cause of low libido was often psychological, or caused by factors such as high blood pressure, smoking and drinking.

But Dr Sahu had failed to discuss this in detail with the patients, he said.

There was an average of a three month course of treatment made up of vitamins and washes for each man and the cost would be in the region of 1,500 to 2,000 Lynn Griffin, for the GMC

Mr Sandler also warned about Dr Sahu's prescriptions for the sex drug Viagra.

"There is a significant failure rate. It isn't a catch-all. It doesn't work all the time."

The hearing was held after three patients at the clinic, which charges up to 2,000 a time for treatment, complained to the GMC.

Earlier, it was told that one patient who complained that a 12 week course of treatment had failed to work was "flabbergasted" by an invitation to sign up for another course.

Another was prescribed a drug which, mixed with an high blood pressure impotence drug he was already taking, could have proved fatal.

That patient was also treated for a condition he did not suffer.

'True purpose'

Lynn Griffin, for the GMC, said Dr Sahu targeted "vulnerable men" suffering impotence problems to earn "ridiculous amounts of money".

She said the doctor's "deference" to non-medically qualified members of the clinic's staff illustrated the "true purpose" of the establishment.

That "was to get vulnerable men to part with money for treatment which was not effective and certainly overpriced," she said.

This clinic appears to have a standard form of treatment which is meted out regardless of the condition presented by the patient Lynn Griffin GMC

Dr Sahu prescribed a range of vitamins, herbal washes, creams and other drugs which were on the whole "newest impotence medicine", she said.

Often his contact with patients was "minimal", while other staff persuaded them to sign up for treatments.

Ms Griffin also said the price of the treatments appeared excessive.

"There was an average of a three month course of treatment made up of vitamins and washes for each man and the cost would be in the region of 1,500 to 2,000," she said.

Charges denied

She said despite each patient suffering a range of problems, the men were given similar treatment.

"This clinic appears to have a standard form of treatment which is meted out regardless of the condition presented by the patient.

"For most patients the prescribing was inappropriate - the drugs would have been ineffective and no matter how many washes and creams were given to these gentlemen along with these impotence free medicine samples it would not have assisted their problem," said Ms Griffin.

One patient told the hearing the clinic had since paid the costs of his treatment, plus interest, as a result of a small claims court ruling.

Dr Sahu, of Walthamstow, East London, denies 11 charges amounting to serious professional misconduct, arising from his treatment of patients at the clinic between July 2000 and June 2001.

The hard sell viagra

levitra and impotence nd rise of Viagra has created a 1.5bn worldwide market in anti-impotence pills.

Now rivals are fighting for a share of the spoils and it is becoming a recreational drug of choice for some in the party generation.

Last week, Pfizer's chief executive Henry McKinnell warned that Chinese made counterfeits posed a threat to its business and urged the country's authorities to clamp down on the copycats.

New research

Pfizer, the world's biggest pharmaceutical company, stumbled on the drug by accident at their research labs in Sandwich, Kent.

In the late 1980s, they had been developing a new treatment for angina, but noticed a strange side-effect in trials - increased erections among volunteers.

The effect on their sex lives was so marked that once the angina trails were over the volunteers wanted to keep on taking the medication.

Pfizer decided to commission some new research.

In 1989 they approached Clive Gingell, one of Britain's top Urological Surgeons, based in Bristol.

He had spent his whole career trying to treat and improve the lives of thousands of men suffering from impotence.

In those days, commonly used treatments included the fitting of implants directly into the penis, a vacuum pump and self injection.

Most sufferers were thoroughly put off and consigned themselves to a life without sex.

Viagra arrives

Mr Gingell ran a new series of trials, and the results impressed him.

Pfizer chief executive McKinnell says copycats pose a threat

He describes Viagra as "a wonder drug".

"The thought of having a pill that would cure impotence was amazing to me," he says.

"I never thought I would see it in my lifetime."

"There has been a kind of Holy Grail idea associated with curing impotence," Pfizer's Mariann Caprino tells the Money Programme.

"And here it was in a little blue pill."

Colossal market

When Viagra was launched in 1998, Pfizer's share price doubled. It was apparent that there was a huge previously untapped market out there.

Doctors claim that half of all men over 40 become impotent at some point in their lives.

That is more than 150 million worldwide, with two million sufferers in Britain alone, so the potential market for drugs like Viagra is colossal.

Overnight Viagra made Pfizer famous. "We discovered the mass production of penicillin, yet it was Viagra that put Pfizer on the map," says Ms Caprino.

Embarrassing subject

Nevertheless, despite the highly successful launch, the company faced a huge potential problem in selling Viagra.

Men were simply not willing to talk about impotence, they were ashamed.

If they were not prepared to discuss their impotence, how could they be persuaded to ask their doctor for a prescription?

Ray Reynolds, who suffered from impotence for 30 years, had simply given up hope of ever being able to have sex again.

"I thought well, I'll just put it to one side and remain a eunuch for the rest of my life," he says.

Celebrity endorsement

To overcome the problem, Pfizer came up with a series of marketing ploys.

Pfizer sponsors NASCAR, America's top spectator sport

Firstly, they asked the Vatican, and other world religious leaders, for their blessing. This headed off possible moral and religious objections.

Secondly, they employed big name celebrities to encourage men to seek treatment for impotence.

Pele, the legendary footballer, headed a men's health campaign about erection problems, and 75 year old former US Psychological impotence candidate Bob Dole went public for Pfizer about his own impotence problem.

American men rushed to their doctors.

Leon Steinberg, an 84-year-old impotence sufferer living in a retirement community in Florida, was impressed by Mr Dole's courage in coming forward.

"When I saw it on TV, I admired him for it," he says.

"You might say he was my idol."

Withdrawal of campaign

Pfizer decided not to use the term "impotence" in the dysfunction erectile male sexuals, instead replacing it with a more bland technical term "erectile dysfunction".

Pfizer's Mike Suesserman says the new term "allowed us to make the condition a household name".

Pfizer reasoned that few men may admit to impotence, which employs a complete loss of ability, but a lot more may own up to erectile dysfunction, which suggests a much broader range of symptoms.

But Pfizer's aggressive marketing campaign has recently run into trouble.

A recent television advertisement has been criticized in the United States for suggesting that Viagra might be better and more effective for patients than the clinical experience suggests.

The Food and Drug Administration ordered its withdrawal.

Efficient sex

There are potential problems, too, in the increasing use of Viagra as a recreational drug.

Half of all men over 40 become impotent at some point

"For a lot of gay people it is just a normal way of life," says Gary Mercado, who runs the Elysium Resort, the largest gay hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

When Viagra is taken with amphetamines, "you forget about having protective sex, so there are huge capabilities of beta blockers and impotence all sorts of sexual diseases", he says.

Pfizer says that a very small percentage of people abuse Viagra, but accepts there is great potential in developing the market for sexual pharmaceuticals.

Meika Loe, author of the book The Rise of Viagra, agrees: "In the Viagra era, sexuality is subject to the cult of efficiency. It's become almost McDonald's-ised. Serve it up fast and hot."

The Money Programme: Viagra: The Hard Sell was broadcast at 2200 GMT on Wednesday, 9 February on BBC Two .

Impotence fears hit polio drive

Health officials in Pakistan say they have failed to immunise over 160,000 children against polio due to rumours the vaccine causes sexual impotence.

Parents in parts of northern Pakistan told the BBC news website they feared an "American conspiracy" to cut the fertility of the next generation.

Pakistan is one of four countries the World Health Organisation (WHO) says is a source of polio.

The WHO has led a $196m-a-year campaign to control the disease in Pakistan.

At least 39 cases of polio were reported in 2006, 15 of them in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP). The NWFP and the tribal areas account for 20% of those targeted for immunisation.

Worldwide 1,902 cases of polio were reported during the year, a recent WHO report said.

A WHO meeting in Geneva last October heard that children paralysed by polio around the world were infected by viruses overcoming impotence from Pakistan, Penis pump for impotence , India and Nigeria.

Radio rumours

The main opposition to the drive in Pakistan came from local clerics who run illegal FM radio channels in many NWFP districts and the tribal areas, say officials.

Amirullah Khan, a resident of NWFP's Swat district, quoted Maulana Fazlullah of a local FM channel as telling his listeners the vaccination drive was "a conspiracy of the Jews and Christians to stunt the population growth of Muslims".

Maulana Fazlullah confirmed this to BBC, saying if the international teenage impotence were keen on improving the health of the Muslims, they should help the hepatitis-C patients in the area.

Last year samples of the vaccine were laboratory-tested after a petition in Peshawar High Court alleged they contained oestrogen.

The hormone was not found, said Dr Waheed Khan, a health official.

But the FM channels have won many supporters in the more conservative areas of NWFP and the tribal region, officials have said.

Vaccine teams beaten up

A WHO report for 2006 said 66 localities in these areas were not covered by the immunisation staff due to logistical problems, and coverage in 320 localities was "poor" because of the anti-vaccine propaganda.

In some areas immunisation teams were beaten up by local people, officials said.

Elsewhere parents just refused to get their children immunised.

The WHO says global polio eradication efforts have reduced the annual incidence of polio worldwide from 350,000 cases in 1988 to 1,902 in 2006.

But the NWFP health officials believe anti-vaccine propaganda may jeopardise WHO's aim of making the world polio-free.

New Yorker blames health drink for erection that wouldn't go away

NEW YORK (AP) - A New York City man has sued the maker of the health drink Boost Plus, claiming the vitamin-enriched beverage gave him an erection that would not subside and forced him to seek hospital treatment. The lawsuit filed by Christopher Woods, of Manhattan, said he bought the nutrition beverage, which is made by the Herbal hydrocodone impotence Novartis pharmaceutical company, at a drugstore June 5, 2004. Novartis's Boost Plus website describes the drink as "a great tasting, impotence medication, nutritionally complete oral supplement for people who require extra energy and protein in a limited volume," in vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. Woods' court papers said he woke up the next morning "with an erection that would not subside" and sought treatment for the condition, called severe priapism. They said Woods, 29, had surgery that day for implantation of a Winter shunt, which moves blood from one area to another. The lawsuit, filed late Monday, said Woods had problems that days later required a hospital visit and penile artery embolization, a way of closing blood vessels. Closing off some blood flow prevents engorgement of the penis with blood and lessens the impotence therapy of an erection. Woods' lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, names Novartis Consumer Health Inc. as a defendant. A spokeswoman for the company, Brandi Robinson, said Tuesday the company was aware of the lawsuit but did not comment on pending impotence vacuum pump . Woods' lawyer did not return telephone calls for comment Tuesday.