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Health and
Fitness
The Myth
of Brain Tonics
| The SSC and HSC examinations in March
in Mumbai heightened the parents’ ambition to see their children excel
actually prompting them to rush to the chemists to buy brain tonics.
Sheefali Mathur, mother of an SSC candidate told The Asian Age, “I was
worried about my child in the beginning of the year as she failed to score
good marks in the test series. Looking at her inability to memorize
important lessons during the examination, we consulted the doctor who
prescribed an Ayurvedic medicine.”
Lured by the advertisements of specially the Ayurvedic brain tonics
promising no side effects the sales of brain tonics have increased
manifold in Mumbai. Confirms Santosh Ghorpade, pharmacist of Rolex
Chemists in Marine Lines, “Previously only one or two bottles of the
Sankhapushpi Baidyanath syrup were sold every month. During exam time two
bottles were sold in a week. Parents with high school children were the
buyers. Since brain tonics are mainly Ayurvedic a prescription is not
needed to procure the medicine.” Brain tonic manufacturers claim that
these medicines improve memory and enhance learning ability by increasing
protein kinase activity and new protein synthesis, relieves the mind from
strain and stress, decreases diversion of attention and distraction and
makes the mind sharp and alert. |
No medical research has
proved that these brain tonics really work. Rather than getting into
brain tonics it is necessary for parents to have a more positive and
lighter approach towards their children’s exams. Instead of stressing
on marks they should stress on the holistic overall development in the
child’s personality, social skills and performance as an all rounder.
– Dr. Zirak Marker |
Kabra SG of Medline however has a different perspective; “Manufacturers of
"brain tonics" claim that tonics improve children's performance in
examinations. Not only are the research findings debatable, but there are
other considerations that do not support use of supplementation to
increase reasoning performance. The tonics, which contain an excess of
vitamins in the daily requirement, are excreted in the urine rather than
being stored in the body. Vitamins are also costly and are available to
only 30% of the India's population. Production of vitamins such as B-12,
B-1, or B-2 are in excess of the amount required if there were vitamin
deficiencies. The assured benefit of consuming extra vitamins and minerals
is in lining the economic pockets of tonic manufacturers and traders with
money.”
Agrees Dr.Zirak Marker, consultant child / adult psychiatrist and
psychotherapist, “No medical research has proved that these brain tonics
really work. Rather than getting into brain tonics it is necessary for
parents to have a more positive and lighter approach towards their
children’s exams. Instead of stressing on marks they should stress on the
holistic overall development in the child’s personality, social skills and
performance as an all rounder. Parents should not show their anxiety and
stress with regards to the examination in front of the child. Prolonged
use and high dosage of herbal brain tonics may have side effects. The
herbal mood enhancer St.John’s Wort is known to increase clotting time in
a person’s blood.”
There however are parents in Mumbai who don’t administer brain tonics to
their children. Says Manjusree Roychowdhury, mother of a teenaged girl who
took the HSC examination this year, “Advertisements of brain tonics have
not prompted me to buy them as I have no assurance that these tonics are
beneficial. I never had brain tonic as a student and will never give it to
my daughter during her exams. To alleviate stress I chat with my daughter
during study breaks and turn on soothing music for her.”
–
Pallavi Bhattacharya
March 27, 2005
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