ABC...I agree.  But much, much worse is due-diligence medicine.

A  VERY LONG DUE-DILIGENCE MEDICINE STORY, (so don't read this if you are
late for a Cytoscopy): ....A guy visits his G.P. complaining of difficulty
urinating.  G.P.: "bend over...no nodules...take a PSA and blood glucose
test...no, nothing unusual...likely no cancer but your prostate is
enlarged...do you have burning when urinating?..No?  Then likely not
prostatits--[G.P. thinking due-diligence medicine to himself: I really
should massage the prostate and look for white blood cells, but it is such a
hassle so, I won't bother since most GPs and many urologists don't got the
extra mile either.]...Here, try this...It's an Alpha Blocker"...(Several
months pass)...G.P.: "Didn't I see you a few months ago?  Ok, let's add a
DHT inhibitor and titrate your Alpha Blocker so you can pee while the DHT
kicks in"...(Severl months later)...G.P.: "You are back again?  Better pass
the buck, ummmm, I mean, better refer you to a specialist...[GP thinking to
himself: that's the extent of my liability.]"   Urologist: "Here,  lay back
and let me shove this cozy tube up your pecker...Hmmm, no node, bladder is
fine...live with the Alpha Blocker and DHT inhibitor..."  (Several months
later.)   Uro: "You back again?...Prostate is still growing?...better
titrate your DHT blocker...Oh, look, you are growing boobs.  Cool, uh!?  And
you have no sex drive?  Where's your sense of humor?  That'll keep you out
of trouble.   Let's do a blood test...Hmmm, your DHT is still very
high....DHT inhibitor should be working??  You sure you are having trouble
taking a whizz?...Give it more time...(Time)...You back again?...Boobs are
bigger?   Wife is pissed off at ya because you haven't chased her a.s around
the house in a long time?  OK, then only other thing is to operate.  Here,
pick one: TURP is the gold standard, but it has risks, but be a man about
it.  Don't want to risk pissing in your pants while giving presentations to
the company?  You can always try one of the other methods, TUMT, PVP, etc.,
but they have risks, too.  Why all this hassle?  Well, you are getting
older, so, suck it up.  No, there is no other choice.  That's what all the
other doctors like me will offer you, it's called due-diligence medicine...I
do what they do...they do what I do...That's how it works in Canada and the
USA.   What country did you say you were from?  Here in North America, we
don't have to try to find a cure.  Just have to provide you some relief from
the symptoms."  (But, Mr. Cool Cat reads "sci.med.prostate.bph" and is
reading the new discussion thread about "Trying To Treat Causes".)     "Hey
Doc?   What about a complete blood work up?"  Uro: "We did that."   Cool
Cat:  "Naw.  You just looked at my DHT and glucose.  What about the rest of
the stuff?"   Uro: "I don't know what you mean?  We did what any other Uro,
(due-diligience medicine)  would have done."   Cool cat:  "What about my
TSH, Prolactin, Cortisol, DHEAS, Androstenedione, LH/FSH, SHBG, and the rest
of my TESTOs, as a starter?"  Uro:  "Huh?  Dunno what you are talking about.
Besides UROs don't have to do that.   None of my colleagues do that. Hey,
wait a minute.  Are you trying to turn back the clock?  Do I have to remind
you that you are getting older?!   Why don't you just suck it up like the
hundreds and thousands of other BPH-ers are doing?!"  Cool cat: "I just want
all the answers, Doc.   I am not happy that you are doing only what all the
other Uros are doing...I don't want to settle for due-diligence medicine.
I want more than that.   I want the answers, too.   So, if you don't have to
look for the answers, then, please refer me to an ENDOcrinologist so we can
get to the bottom of the DHT mystery."   Uro: "You just don't give up?  Do
you?"  Cool Cat: "No.  I read about this stuff on the newsgroup and I ain't
going away until I get all my answers...."  Endocrinologist  [expressing the
greatest hope of Spread DeMocracy and the reason why he started this
thread]: "Here, take this pill and you won't need all that other stuff."
Cool Cat:" What about side effects?"   Endo: "None."  Cool Cat: "C'mmon Doc.
I didn't just fall off a turnip truck.   Everything has side effects?!"
Endo: "Maybe, but not this.   This simply replaces the (hormone??) that your
body stops making as you get older...Without this hormone to keep everything
in balance, your DHT kick starts your Prostate to grow all over again like
when you were a baby and it will keep on growing until you bring this #@+##
hormone back into balance again. Take this and it will put everything back
into balance for you."   (This story ends as the newsgroup cheers for the
brave and wise Endocrinologist...)

[snip]

Well, I'm not for socialized medicine but it actually might increase
the money for research into the causes of BPH.  My perception is that
under the current (market driven) system there is little or no economic
incentive for organizations to focus on this problem.  In fact, there
is little economic incentive to "cure" anything.  Once X is cured, no
one makes any money on it.  However, developing a pill to treat the
symptoms guarantees a perpetual revenue stream :-)  Do the math.

The whole Medical-Drug-Insurance Complex makes money from _sick_
people, not well people.  You would think the insurance companies, at
least, would have an incentive to keep people well but it seems that
they just react by raising premiums and cutting benefits, so they win
either way- like a stock broker who makes his commission both when you
buy and when you sell.  Whether you lose money or make money is not his
concern.

A cure for BPH would probably cause a depression in the yacht market as
well as the luxury car and house market and a crisis in Urology
departments nationwide.  We can't have that :-)

Identify who has a significant economic incentive to find a cure for
BPH and you might have a chance.  Otherwise, it's TURP City.