In the last post, we took a look at some little known facts about women’s sexual health. It’s the men’s turn this time. Here goes…

Yeast infection. Yes, men can get yeast infections too. Untreated, male yeast infections can affect reproductive organs and sexual performance.

To be honest, I didn’t really know about this. I have always thought that yeast was mainly a woman’s problem. I guess I was wrong!

Biological clock. Men’s fertility has long been touted as an ageless concept. Studies now show that a man’s ability to reproduce actually goes down after age 35. Additionally, the genetic disorders linked to a woman’s age at time of conception now also applies to men. After age 40, men’s sperm shows more than twice the DNA problems than that of a 20 year old.

So it’s not just women who have to watch the clock. Then again, we have heard of countless men aged over 50 becoming fathers all over again, haven’t we? Still, the potential DNA problems are not something that we should brush off.

“Broken” penis. A man’s erect penis can actually be injured similarly to a broken bone. If while erect, the penis is pushed too forcefully into an object harder than the penis, the result can be a penile fracture that requires immediate medical attention.

Another thing that should not be disregarded. Though I don’t suppose we talk about this as much (I mean, who would want to talk about broken things?), since it is possible, we better watch out.

There, I hope you enjoyed this two-part post on sexual health.

In this day and age, where liberalism seems to be the trend, you’d think that a large majority would be well versed when it comes to sexual health. Apparently, there are still some things that are not too commonly known. Perhaps it could be that for a liberal society, there are still things that are not discussed too much? In any case, the information for this post was brought to our attention by a reader – thanks, Fiona King!

So here are few things that you might not know about sexual health. Ladies first?

Testosterone. Women’s ovaries produce testosterone throughout their life. If this testosterone is significantly reduced, it can result in a loss of libido, less sensitivity, and less pleasurable orgasms. Experimental testosterone patches in post-menopausal women have shown encouraging results for regaining the loss of sexual feelings.

Ok girls, head on to your local pharmacy for testosterone patches now!

Sex allergy. Yes, there really is an allergic reaction some women have to semen. Thankfully, there is a way to treat this disorder which can lead to anaphylaxis in some women.

Oh wow, this would really suck. I can’t imagine having an allergic reaction to sex.

Thongs. While the comfort and loss of panty lines leads many women to love their thongs, there may be a connection between thong wearing and increased chances of urinary tract infections and yeast infections. Due to the fact that the thin strip of material of the thong moves between the areas of the anus and the vagina, fecal matter and bacteria can be easily spread.

Fashion or health? You would think that this was a no brainer!

(more to come)

Photo courtesy of eszter

Here are two more interesting myths about our feet – I have to admit I had always taken them to be true.

Myth: Over-the-counter scrubs and soaks for corns are safe and effective.
Fact: “At-home soaks or scrubs would just exfoliate, not remove corns,” Vlahovic said.
Diagnosis: A corn is a buildup of skin with a hard center. This often is caused by a hammertoe in which the toe knuckle rubs against the shoe. To permanently remove a corn, the hammertoe must be corrected so that it stops rubbing against the shoe. Or, just wear shoes with a wider toe box.

I don’t have corns – honest, I don’t! But I still buy those OTC scrubs and soaks just to melt the tiredness of my feet away sometimes. The explanation above makes sense, though, doesn’t it? It could also explain why I have no corns – I rarely wear shoes!

Myth: Feet don’t need sunscreen.
Fact: “Skin cancer on the legs and feet actually has a high mortality rate due to people forgetting to do skin checks on that area. It’s often caught too late,” Vlahovic said. “This is due in large part to the fact that many people simply forget to apply or reapply sunscreen to the lower extremities.”
Diagnosis: Apply sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15 and with both UVB and UVA protection every two to three hours to the feet. Apply more often if you’re going to be at the beach, in and out of the water, or sweating.

This is amazing, really. I never even gave a thought to this point. Have you?

Photo courtesy of chiodachic

It is summer time and a lot of people are probably excited about wearing nice footwear that are easy and cool on the feet. Whether you are a man or a woman, keeping your feet presentable when wearing flip flops, sandals, and other similar footwear should be a prime consideration. More so, keeping your feet healthy and clean should be at the top of your list.

I was browsing MSN the a few minutes ago when I saw an article on foot care for the summer. In it, myths about feet were debunked. Here are some of the points that I found interesting.

Myth: Flats, flip-flops and going barefoot are good for your feet.
Fact: “This is a common misconception, because we always hear about the problems with high heels,” Vlahovic said in a prepared statement. “But these three present their own types of problems.” Flip-flops provide no support, which can cause plantar fasciitis, ankle sprains and tendonitis. Wearing flats can lead to severe heel pain and blisters, crowding toes and conditions such as hammertoes and bunions. Walking barefoot leaves feet open to cuts, scrapes, bruises, and puncture wounds along with skin issues or nail injuries.

That blows. I am a firm believe in flip flops and flats and now I read scientific material on how they can be harmful? Hmm, come to think of it, though, I have never experienced the problems above – except for when going barefoot. I suppose I shall continue my love affair with flip flops but I’ll leave going barefoot for when I am in the house. How’s that?

(to be continued)

Photo courtesy of Chewy Chua

You already probably know that many cases of back pain are not treatable. That is, even if you go to the doctor, some cases just cannot be “healed.” They normally go away on their own or you have to take pain killers till they go away. So what is the best medicine to take when your back is killing you? I personally take Tylenol most of the time. However, I read that taking too much of it can cause liver damage. Maybe it’s about time to look at other options?

An article from Spine Health provides insight on this matter:

Half of back pain sufferers reach for Advil or Aleve for relief, according to a poll conducted by Spine-health.com, a leading Web site for those with back problems.

Ibuprofen in general (Advil, Motrin and Nuprin combined) accounted for 39% of the responses. 26% of the respondents said Advil (ibuprofen) is their first choice for OTC pain relief, while 24% selected Aleve (naproxen). Tylenol (acetaminophen) was chosen by 11%, and aspirin was selected by 5%. “Other” accounted for 15% and responses ranged from various prescription drugs to no alternative specified.

It seems that I am part of the minority here. I have tried naproxen before – the generic kind – and from what I recall, it worked well. Perhaps I should try that next time I have a back pain episode.

How about you, what medication works best for your pain?

Photo courtesy of Billie

The S-word creates quite a big stir each time it is mentioned in the news. It used to be chicken that was in the forefront when the issue of salmonella came up. Now it’s in tomatoes!

So what happened?

News-Medical.net reports:

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says a cluster of nine cases of salmonella poisoning in a single geographic location, may lead to the source of an outbreak - it appears that all of the sickened individuals ate similar tomatoes.

The cluster is possibly nine cases reported by the Chicago Department of Health where the victims ate at two restaurants from the same chain but food safety officials continue to maintain that the outbreak is not linked to a single restaurant or grocery store chain.

Tomatoes from dozens of states and countries whose producers have not been linked to the outbreak have been identified by the FDA and include California, northern Florida and Baja California in Mexico.

The outbreak has been linked by health officials to raw plum, Roma and round tomatoes and consumers are warned to avoid those tomatoes if they come from producers not yet cleared by FDA.

At the time of the initial outbreak the major tomato suppliers were in Mexico and Florida and this has been the main focus of investigators.

According to the CDC the bacterial strain responsible for the current outbreak, Salmonella serotype Saintpaul, is uncommon and last year there were only 25 reported cases of the saintpaul strain with the same genetic fingerprint as that seen in the current outbreak - Mexican officials say Salmonella Saintpaul has never been found in Mexico.

Salmonella bacteria are often the culprit in food-borne illnesses and symptoms include fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain and generally appear within 12 hours to 72 hours of eating tainted food.

It has been weeks since the first case of salmonella contamination was reported. Things seem to be alright now and restaurants are starting to serve tomatoes again. But I am sure those 227 people who have fallen ill because of the contaminated tomatoes will not be eating tomatoes anytime soon.

Photos courtesy of Zeetz Jones

Do you make it a habit to give your father a gift every year at this time? Or maybe at least give him a call to tell him how much you love and appreciate him. This year, maybe it’s time for a different kind of gift – a gift of health awareness. If you are a father yourself, you should reward yourself with this kind of gift as well. I am talking about three key questions regarding prostate cancer , as presented by the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC).

The three questions are:

What could put me at risk for prostate cancer?
Is genetic testing for prostate cancer available?
If I decide to have genetic testing, what should I expect?

It may sound morbid to some people but I think we should all think in practical terms. I never thought that we would have a case of prostate cancer in our family but my uncle died of this disease 2 years ago. He was married to my aunt so we weren’t related by blood but still, the fact that I personally know someone who died of prostate cancer is enough to make me want to answer those three questions above, especially since prostate cancer is the second most common form of cancer in American men.

Is testing going to help? According to Angela Trepanier, president of the NSGC:

Genetic tests for prostate cancer can help save lives, but they can also raise more questions than answers. It is important that someone who has expertise in genetics helps you understand and interpret your risks, options and the impact that test results could have on you and your family.

Photo courtesy of Melilotus

I am not talking about people killing other people here but health threats that are the most common. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has data from 2003 (the most recent they have) of the top ten health issues that threaten the lives of the male population most. And they are:

1. Heart disease
2. Cancer
3. Unintentional injuries
4. Stroke
5. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
6. Diabetes
7. Influenza and pneumonia
8. Suicide
9. Kidney disease
10. Alzheimer’s disease

So why are men more susceptible to these diseases that ultimately lead to death? There is no clear cut reasoning but researchers think that one reason may be the lifestyle of most men. Take note, this is not a sweeping statement as different men have different lifestyles. However, it is a fact that even in the most modern of societies, there are certain behaviors that are more acceptable for men than women.

The article on MSN Men’s Health section states:

Socially sanctioned “male” behavior also may predispose men to premature death. CDC statistics show men are more likely to smoke, drink, use illicit drugs and engage in casual sex than are women — all of which can increase their risk of serious diseases. Males are also more likely to take risks and behave aggressively, which may partly explain why they have a higher risk of dying from accidents, suicide and homicide. Young men are especially at risk. In young men, accidents, suicide and homicide are among the most frequent causes of death. In young and middle-aged men, AIDS is on the top 10 list.

The average mouse doesn’t care much about skin cancer. Outside of Disney cartoons, you won’t see one slathering on sunscreen before heading out to dodge cats and search for cheese. But Gary Stoner, Ph.D., a professor emeritus of hematology and oncology at the Ohio State University medical center, does care about cancer. That’s why he spends his days in a lab, feeding rodents polyphenols from seaweed and learning how to shrink skin cancer–like tumors. He’s a mouse’s best friend. Maybe yours, too.

Stoner is just one of many researchers working to bring new weapons to the cancer battle. Some study humans to take a fresh look at existing theories. Others, like Stoner, are testing tactics so bold that, so far, their only subjects have tails and whiskers.

But all these approaches (seaweed included) have one very positive thing in common: They’re just plain good for you and bad for cancer cells. Here are eight strategies that just may turn the Big C into the Big See-Ya-Later. (Or, better yet, See-Ya-Never.)
Drink Pomegranate Juice

Some say this luscious, lusty red fruit is Eve’s original apple, but what the pomegranate truly banishes is cancer risk. The fruit’s deep red juice contains polyphenols, isoflavones, and ellagic acid, elements researchers believe make up a potent anticancer combo. It’s been shown to delay the growth of prostate cancer in mice, and it stabilizes PSA levels in men who’ve been treated for prostate cancer. And now University of Wisconsin at Madison researchers have learned that pomegranate may also inhibit lung-cancer growth. If you currently smoke, have smoked in the past, or hang around in smoky places (Cleveland, for instance), the juice of the fruit could bolster your defenses.

Use it: The mice in the Wisconsin study received the human equivalent of 16 ounces of juice per day, so quaff accordingly.
Eat Blueberries

Got pterostilbene? Rutgers University researchers say this compound — found in blueberries — has colon cancer-fighting properties. When rats with colon cancer were fed a diet supplemented with pterostilbene, they had 57 percent fewer precancerous lesions after 8 weeks than rats not given the compound did. Eat blueberries and you’ll also benefit from a big dose of vitamin C (14 milligrams per cup). In a study of 42,340 men, New England Research Institute scientists discovered that men with the highest dietary vitamin C intake (as opposed to supplements) were 50 percent less likely to develop premalignant oral lesions than men with the lowest intake were.

Use it: “About two servings daily is the human equivalent of what we fed the rats,” says Bandaru Reddy, M.D., Ph.D., a chemical-biology professor at Rutgers. Load up at breakfast: A cup and a half of blueberries over cereal, plus 8 ounces of juice and half a grapefruit (for extra vitamin C), will do the trick. If that’s too much to stomach at dawn, spread it out over the course of the day.

Relax a Little

Anxiety won’t only make you soil your shorts. Purdue University researchers tracked 1,600 men over 12 years and found that half of those with increasing levels of worry died during the study period. Talk about flunking the exam. Only 20 percent of the optimists died before the 12-year study was completed. More anxiety-producing news: Thirty-four percent of the neurotic men died of some type of cancer. How neurotic are we talking? “Think of the biggest worrier you know — someone who stresses out over everything,” says psychologist Daniel Mroczek, Ph.D., who conducted the study. “That man is probably above the 95th percentile in neuroticism. Then think of the most cool, calm, collected man you know. He’s probably below the fifth percentile.”

Use it: To develop that critical, casual Jeff Spicoli vibe, learn to slow down your fast times: “The more time you spend in the present moment, the more relaxed you’ll be, because most mental anguish occurs over stuff that’s already happened or that may or may not happen in the future,” says Claire Wheeler, M.D., Ph.D., the author of 10 Simple Solutions to Stress. “For the most part, right now is pretty damn good. If you practice being present while shaving, for example, eventually you’ll also be more present when eating, making love, and working.”
Pop Selenium

Selenium has long been thought of as a cancer fighter, but you can have too much of a good thing, says David J. Waters, Ph.D., D.V.M., director of the Gerald P. Murphy Cancer Foundation, in West Lafayette, Indiana. A study of almost 1,000 men, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, found that when those with the lowest initial levels of selenium in their bodies received a daily supplement over a 4 1/2- year period, they cut their prostate-cancer risk by an impressive 92 percent. But men who started out with high selenium were rewarded with an 88 percent increase in total cancer risk when they took the supplements. Moral: It pays to get your selenium level right.

Use it: Selenium in the body is measured through toenail clippings. Send yours to the Murphy Foundation, and for less than 0 (price varies by state), they’ll ship them to a lab and then inform you of your level 2 weeks later. If yours is out of range, the foundation will explain how to adjust your intake of Brazil nuts, tuna, meats, grains, and selenium supplements. Learn more at www.seleniumhealthtest.com.

Order Sushi

As mentioned, Gary Stoner is using seaweed to fight the Big C. When he fed the polyphenols from brown seaweed to mice that had been bombarded with UV rays, their incidence of skin tumors dropped 60 percent. And the polyphenols shrank existing tumors by 43 percent. Better still, the doses that produced these effects were the equivalent of only 1 or 2 tablespoons in a human being. “Seaweed is low in calories and fat, yet it provides heart-helping fiber, bone-building calcium, and iron,” says nutrition consultant Molly Morgan, R.D., C.D.N., owner of Creative Nutrition Solutions, in Vestal, New York. “Dried, roasted seaweed sheets used in making sushi also provide vitamins A and C.”

Use it: “Eat more sushi rolls,” says Stoner. “It’s not quite the same seaweed, but it has some of the same compounds.” As a bonus, sushi itself is a great muscle food. A typical spicy tuna roll has only 290 calories but packs 24 grams of protein. Also, look for a Korean-made, seaweed-fortified drink called EntroPower (entropower.com), which should be hitting U.S. health-food stores soon.
Spend More Time Outside

Scientists have viewed vitamin D as a potent cancer fighter for decades, but there’s never been a gold-standard trial — until now. A Creighton University study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that women who supplemented their diets with 1,000 international units of vitamin D every day had a 60 percent to 77 percent lower incidence of cancer over a 4-year period than did women taking a placebo. “I don’t think the effect is limited to women,” says Joan Lappe, Ph.D., the lead study author. “Vitamin D is necessary for the best functioning of the immune system — it causes early death of cancer cells.”

Use it: Nature intended us to make vitamin D from the sun, but depending on where you live, the time of year, and how much of an agoraphobe you are, you may not reach the optimal level of 80 nanomoles per liter of blood that way. A blood test can give you a baseline. From there, Lappe recommends supplementing with 1,100 to 2,000 IU of vitamin D in a stand-alone pill every day. Vitamin D is also in sardines, salmon, shiitake mushrooms, and reindeer meat — which may explain Santa’s longevity, despite the odd hours and jelly belly.

Clear Your Air

Secondhand smoke may be even worse for you than we thought. A recent American Journal of Public Health study reveals that nonsmokers working in smoky places had three times the amount of NNK, a carcinogen, in their urine than nonsmoking workers in smoke-free joints had. And their levels of NNK rose 6 percent for every hour worked. “There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke, and the greater the exposure, the higher the risk,” says the study’s lead author, Michael Stark, Ph.D., principal investigator for the Multnomah County Health Department, in Portland, Oregon.

Use it: Nine states have banned smoking in all workplaces, bars, and restaurants: Arizona, Delaware, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Washington. So change locations, change professions, or change the laws. As you sip your pomegranate juice, sign up with Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights at no-smoke.org.
Invest a Little Sweat Equity

Study after study has pointed to the cancer-beating power of exercise. Now research from Norway has found that even a tiny dose of exercise has big benefits. A study of 29,110 men published last year in the International Journal of Cancer shows that men who exercised just once a week had a 30 percent lower risk of metastatic prostate cancer than did men who didn’t work out at all. Increasing the frequency, duration, and intensity of the exercise correlated with a further, gradual reduction in risk.

Use it: Just one bout of weekend warriorism — a company softball game, pickup basketball, racquetball with your crusty uncle — might qualify you for inclusion in the cancer-free 30 percent.

Sex researchers are peculiar beasts. Armed with their tape measures, clipboards, surveys, and hidden cameras, they seek to provide a peephole from which to scrutinize that most private of spheres, human sexuality. What’s most surprising is that we let them in—we’re more than happy to unzip our pants and bare our private lives. Why do we do it? Maybe it’s precisely because sex is so private that we’re compelled to share. We know that without sex researchers to disseminate data about our sex lives, we’d be forced to rely upon furtive glances in the men’s room, never sure of what to add or subtract to account for the angle; upon locker room stories, never sure how many grains of skeptical salt to apply; upon porn that only leaves us feeling depressed about ourselves. So cheer up, because most of what you think you know is probably wrong. Today, sex researchers step out from behind the curtain and share the real numbers on five areas of men’s sexual health. The answers may surprise you.

Sex on the Brain

The idea that men think about sex every seven seconds, like the claim that we only use 10 percent of our brains, is often repeated but rarely sourced. The number doesn’t bear up against scrutiny. According to the Kinsey Report (Sexual Behavior in the Human Male), 54 percent of men think about sex every day or several times a day, 43 percent a few times a week or a few times a month, and 4 percent less than once a month. Even though the Kinsey Report relies on men to self-report on how often they think about sex, it’s still eye opening to find that just under half of men aren’t even thinking about sex once a day. Clearly, the seven-second rule may be a tad hyperbolic.

Not Tonight, Honey

The stereotype about the sex-starved man and the disinterested woman may be more than just a cliche. As it turns out, the instant a woman enters a secure relationship, her sex drive begins to plummet. Four years in, a German study found, fewer than half of women wanted regular sex. And after 20 years, only 20 percent did.

Among men, libido held steady no matter how long they’d been in the relationship. Researchers provide an evolutionary explanation—women’s sex drive is initially high to facilitate pair bonding. Meanwhile, desire for tenderness showed the opposite trend. Ninety percent of women craved tenderness, but of men who’d been in relationships for ten years, only 25 percent said they hoped for the same from their partner.

Measuring Up

For as long as there’s been such thing as a ruler, men have been putting wood to, um, wood and wondering how they measure up. “There’s nothing wrong with you. You look at yourself from above and you look foreshortened,” Hemingway reassured a panicking F. Scott Fizgerald. “It is basically not a question of the size in repose. It is the size that it becomes. It is also a question of angle.”

The trouble is that most of the actual surveys of penis size are unscientific and unreliable. The Kinsey survey relied on men to report their own numbers honestly and accurately—never a good idea. (Curiously, that survey found that gay men reported having longer penises than straight men—a finding never since replicated.)

Since then, there have been numerous attempts to settle on a number: from various Web surveys to the condom company that did a survey in Cancun during spring break (”Excuse me, could you step into my office, I need to check something”). But the most rigorous studies to date found similar results—the Journal of Urology put the average penis size at 5.08 inches, and the International Journal of Impotence Research put it at 5.35 inches.

The Spread of HIV

In Africa alone, AIDS kills some 6,000 people every day. While treatment must be made available for all who need it, some elements of the AIDS epidemic are likely exaggerated. Remember when Surgeon General C. Everett Koop called AIDS “the biggest threat to health this nation has ever faced.” (Presumably bigger than cancer, heart disease, obesity, and smoking.) And when Oprah told her viewers: “Research studies now project that one in five heterosexuals could be dead from AIDS…” It seemed as if no one was safe, not even non-drug users, straight men, or housewives.

But the truth is that HIV isn’t nearly as easy to spread through heterosexual sex as many people think. According to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, men almost never get HIV from women. A healthy man who has unprotected sex with a non drug-using woman has a one in 5 million chance of getting HIV. If he wears a condom, the odds drop to one in 50 million. And though it’s easier for men to infect women, the odds that an HIV-positive man will transmit the virus to a woman through sex are less than one in 1,000.

In Three Minutes Flat

Judging from the average porn flick, romance novel, or locker room conversation, a Martian landing on Earth would probably assume that intercourse would last somewhere in the vicinity of 40 minutes. But if that Martian were to actually enter into a relationship, he might be in for a big disappointment. Such marathon sessions are the exception to the rule; surveys find that the average sex session lasts from three to ten minutes. Not that any of this should be so surprising—the average hotel porn viewer watches for just 12 minutes.