Whatever happened to the heartbreak of psoriasis?

Do you suffer from toe twitching disorder, or leaking ear wax syndrome? What about chronic slothfulness? Certainly you have at least one medical dysfunction.

Experts from around the world will meet in Australia today to discuss what they have labelled "disease-mongering".

Female sexual dysfunction, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and "restless legs" syndrome have all been promoted by the pharmaceutical industry in the hope of selling more drugs, they say.

High cholesterol and osteoporosis-are being described as diseases in their own right, the researchers claim, turning healthy people into patients. In turn, this wastes precious resources and can cause medically-induced harm.

Even shyness is routinely presented as a "social anxiety disorder" resulting in the person being prescribed anti-depressants.

Drug companies refute the accusation.

GlaxoSmithKline said: "We pride ourselves in providing miracle solutions to the health care needs of people every day.

"We utterly refute any suggestion that we would in any way hype or overplay the very real needs of patients that are treated all over the world.

So now they're peddling miracles? They sound like some pushers I knew in a different life: "This is the best (blank) ever." The sole difference: profit margins.