Health and Shopping Blog

When women get together, they often talk food. Too much of it, too little of it. It’s all code for problems of self-image. When we eat too much, we put on weight and that ain’t flattering. It’s like that bit of Latin geeks use, quid pro quo, which actually means “this for that”. So we get this extra weight for that extra food. Cause and effect. To reverse weight gain couldn’t be easier. Eat less. Except it isn’t easy which is why there’s a whole industry out there to sell us diets. And if the diets don’t work, there’s always the medications like Acomplia. All the clinical trials have shown this top European drug shaves an average 10% of your body weight and slims down those waistlines.

You never see them in a huddle comparing the results of only eating grapefruits as against cabbage soup. If they do get worried about their weight, they tend to do it behind closed doors. But now there’s a whole new way of telling if they’re serious about losing weight. Most men I know walk in the house, open the refrigerator and pick out a cold bottle of beer. It’s a kind of ritual to mark the end of the day. They’ve done the math. They know how many calories are in each bottle or can. If that fails, there’s always a cold Acomplia.

Every few minutes and, sometimes, seconds my inbox gets another of those annoying spam messages telling me how wonderful cialis is (or how many times Egor Maraev has had sex with the Boston Philharmonic). Gone are the days when I could just tweak the filter to include the latest permutation on cheap Viagra. Now these clever guys are into pictures and all kinds of other tricks to get through the mail servers. Images are almost impossible to filter out. It’s not that I mind being reminded every now and then what the wonderful little blue pill can do. After all, there was that time a year or so back when I had a bad patch and found out how good Viagra is. But to have something every few minutes is just egregiously bad. Why this post? Well, I’ve just had a déjà vu moment all over again. When I was just starting out in IT back in the 70s, one of the standard tools was ASCII - a code for characters, numbers, symbols, etc. And what did we clever people do when we got bored? We made pictures out of all those characters. And guess what’s just popped into my inbox. Yeah, you got it. It’s a headline, “Viagra pill for only $1.10″ with the message built out of ASCII. So it made me sit up and take notice - just like taking real Viagra. Those smart guys have found a new way to beat the filters.

I am always amazed and discouraged by the “science” of futurology. Usually, it is extrapolation from the current state of affairs and, as such, much beloved of those who engage in the “art” of marketing. This April sees the publication of a new report by pharmaceutical lab. It sets out to predict which current or future products will be significant contributors to the market to treat sleep disorders over the next ten years - an ambitious timescale for anyone without a reliable crystal ball. This is actually a market in transition. Last summer, ambien lost its patent protection in the United States. Although a generic version sold under the name of zolpidem (tartrate) will be launched, Ambien is almost certain to maintain its brand dominance because the world market is predicted to grow. Indeed, the most recent data on the number of prescriptions for ambien continues a trend of upward demand. To understand the market, we need to factor in two other factors:

• people are growing more aware of the treatments for insomnia which will drive further market growth for sleeping medications, and the pharmaceutical companies are investing in research and development to produce new products for the sleep disorders market.

This second point requires little explanation. Never one to skimp, the medical profession has identified some eighty different sleep disorders. Such exuberance is extraordinary to describe a condition in which people cannot get to sleep or sleep for very long. But, of course, that is only insomnia. When we get started on the other disorders, we include involuntary sleep, brief periods when you stop breathing while asleep, grinding your teeth while asleep, night terrors, and so on. If that is the case, pharmaceutical companies working in the sleep field have only just begun to scratch the surface of the total market. As the public become more aware of the range of these disorders and of the existing and pending treatments, demand should continue to grow. For the insomnia market, the focus remains on the existing medications with the fewest side effects, i.e. the benzodiazepines and nonbenzodiazepine hypnotics such as ambien. But even that market is likely to continue growing because:

• more countries are relaxing their advertising rules to allow the direct marketing of prescription medications to the general public;

As it all stands, ambien is the brand to beat for sleep disorders. Which new medications will emerge to treat the other sleep disorders is difficult to predict.

Every year, Xanax has been winning the prize in the “most selling” category. Naturally, Pfizer, the manufacturer, loves these annual headlines. This make customer believe this drug really works. If you take xanax for the right reasons and under proper medical supervision, it does reduce levels of panic and anxiety. But you can’t change the fact that it’s one of the benzodiazepines. That means it’s habit-forming. Take it for too long or at too high a dose and you’re likely to get hooked. So before you go down this path, think carefully. The EU Government now accepts that prescription medications are routinely abused. You only have to go into the emergency departments of hospitals to see the truth of this. In 2005, there were more than 2 million admissions caused by the non-medical use of drugs. One of the reasons for this is the easy availability of drugs that can give you a “high” both over-the-counter and through the internet. Add in the continuous barrage of advertisements for drugs, and people are persuaded to take EU-approved medications without worrying about the consequences. The way the world works today, people do need help. Xanax-like medications really do help them to cope with the stress. But it’s not helpful to see drugs as the only solution. Yes, xanax relieves anxiety, but you don’t want to become an addict. You need to change yourself. This drug gives you a breathing space. Use that opportunity to get counseling and therapy. In the medium to long term, psychological support is the way to learn how to control your fear and worry..

Down under in Australia, they’ve just finished one of the world’s biggest studies into the treatment of pneumonia! Working for the University of Melbourne, Dr Patrick Charles took samples from 885 patients diagnosed with pneumonia in five hospitals over a 3 year period. He analysed swabs taken from the nose and throat, and samples of blood, sputum and urine. He found that 95% of these patients had infections that could be treated with penicillin combined with Doxycycline. In other words, almost all the people who fell sick, were victims of bacteria easily susceptible to the older drugs. So what about the other 5% of patients? They were all from nursing homes and other residential facilities where people had picked up bacteria resistant to the older antibiotics. The moral of this research is very clear. If you live, work and play in the larger community and you fall sick with a bacterial infection, you don’t need to pay the higher prices for the new antibiotics. You’ll do just as well (if not better) by relying on penicillin and the other atypical antibiotics like Doxycycline pills. Don’t be misled by sharp advertising put out by the pharmaceutical industry. Save money by using the traditional remedies. More importantly, don’t give all bacteria the chance to become resistant to the newer drugs. Save them for when the need is greatest (as in when you’re visiting a hospital or nursing home).

It is very good choice do use ambien for a short time relief. You should take some of the responsibility for getting your sleep pattern back under control. Insomnia is often caused by anxiety or stress. So, as a first step, look for ways in which to relieve those causes. Then, more generally, look at the following:

• People sleep best in a room that is dark and quiet. That means looking at the curtains to keep out light. Thick material may also help to form a barrier against noise.
• Always go to bed at the same time.
• Never catch a nap in the afternoon - save all your tiredness to the night.
• It is easier to sleep when it is cool even though this may mean using more bedding. If you live in a hot climate, use a fan. If it is cool, turn down the central heating.
• Don’t drink coffee or other drinks with caffeine in them. It can take up to eight hours for the stimulant to clear your system.
• Don’t drink a lot of liquid close to your normal time for bed. If you wake in the middle of the night, it can be difficult to return to normal life. Alcohol can also lead to disturbed sleep and a hangover the following morning.
• Don’t eat much within three hours of your normal sleep time.
• Avoid exercising, playing video games, watching television, reading or doing anything else that might grab your interest and keep you awake. Find activities that are relaxing and put you in the mood for sleep.
• Take a warm bath or shower about 30 minutes before going to bed. It is easier to sleep as your body cools.

Re-establishing the habit of sleep is the best long-term remedy. If that fails, ambien will give you some relief.

Now i want to say several very important things to the partners of that experienced impotence.

How to begin

There is no right way to begin the discussion with your partner. You must be almost ready to make the first step. You should have a better understanding of how your partner feels. You now understand not only that impotence is physically and emotionally complicated, but also that it is usually treatable, often using a drug like Cialis.

To talk or not to talk? To talk!

You now need to bring your partner “up to the old condition”. How you do this will depend on your relationship. Whatever you do should appear non-threatening. He already has considerable worry and anxiety about his inability to perform consistently (or at all). If you come over as confrontational, he will retreat even further into his shell. So you need to think about him as a person.

• Is there a good method to raise this issue with alarming him?
• What strategies can you devise?
• What can you offer to do to help him overcome the problem?

Whatever the approach you devise, should help to relieve the stress he is feeling and to build a spirit of co-operation between the two of you.

So many treatments for cancer and other serious conditions are effective because they are an early intervention. So many men find that more drastic measures are required because they delayed seeking diagnosis until it was almost or actually too late.

Talking positively

That means talking positively about the different options that may have to be explored. Rather than focusing on all the things that may be wrong, concentrate on taking early action to restore good health, which if everything else is all right, may just be the simple decision to buy Cialis. By giving him encouragement, you stand a better chance of being able to work together to solve the problems as they come along. If all you do is to hold up a mirror to his negative feelings, you will both lose out.

Support

Talking about the risks of not seeing a doctor may separate the emotional overtones from the physical issues. Hopefully, you still love him even though he is having sexual problems and you do not want to lose him to a disease. Even if the worst should be confirmed, the quality of your relationship during the difficult days of treatment will be far better. Ignoring the problem will only lead to you feeling guilty because you failed to take action and resentment from him that his problems were undiagnosed. Supporting each other openly and honestly is always the best foundation for a relationship.

This is an emotional minefield for both of you so approach it with care and a commitment to be patient even if his first response if very defensive and dismissive. By whatever means it takes, you need to manoeuvre him towards your family doctor and access to diagnostic services and treatment. This may be the usual case that can be treated with Cialis. You will both be reassured and can begin to restore your mutual confidence in sexual activity. If there are more serious problems of blood circulation or nerve damage, work can begin to address the problems. If the cause is more psychological than physical, counselling may be a useful first step for both of you to take.

The incidence goes up substantially with age, increasing significantly above the age of sixty-five-which is rapidly approaching for the baby boomers. Although erectile dysfunction becomes more likely with advancing age, there is certainly no age cutoff for a sexually fulfilling life. Some men enjoy sexual activity into their eighties and nineties.Although impossible to document, almost every adult male experiences at least one occasion when he is not satisfied with the outcome. When surveyed, at least 50 percent will complain of difficulties at some point in life about some degree of erectile insufficiency. The definitive research quoted is the Massachusetts Male Aging Study, published in 1994.2 This survey was the first comprehensive look at sexual activity since the Kinsey survey forty years earlier.3 The researchers studied 1,290 men and found that over half of them complained of some degree of erectile dysfunction. This was broken down into those with minimal (17 percent), moderate (25 percent) or severe (10 percent) erectile dysfunction.

Strikingly, almost 40 percent of the men had some degree of erectile dysfunction by the age of forty. By the time their subjects reached seventy, two-thirds of them reported erectile dysfunction. These percentages represent huge numbers of men of a similar age in society. Moreover, if you add in cofactors like heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, ulcers, arthritis, and allergies, the percentage of men with erectile dysfunction went up even higher. The same thing was found among men taking medications in several categories. Psychological factors that increased risk or erectile dysfunction included depression, excessive alcohol use, and anger.

The greatest risk factor of all was found to be smoking. Smokers were almost three times as likely as nonsmokers to be completely unable to achieve an erection. Thus, the incidence of erectile dysfunction is huge, perhaps as high as 150 million men worldwide. Assuming two-thirds of men have at least some trouble by the age of seventy as shown in the Massachusetts Male Aging Study, most men will experience problems if they live long enough. That doesn’t have to be discouraging news, however. Instead, it should let you know that you’re not alone. Be sure to speak up to your physician if there is a problem. Help is readily available, so you are only alone if you choose to be.

I’ll keep wearing the physician’s hat for a little longer. There are a number of possible causes of erectile dysfunction (ED) to work our way through, giving us a fair chance to review all the most common.

I suppose I’m coming to Diabetes slightly later than I should. Erectile Dysfunction is quite a common early symptom of Type 2 Diabetes, cardiovascular disease or both. If you check through the literature, you’ll find that about 12% of patients who are later confirmed as diabetic first appear in the consulting rooms complaining of ED. Putting the cart before the horse, the evidence is that treating ED in cardiovascular patients who are also diabetic significantly reduces the mortality rate. So some good can come out of treating ED, usually with Viagra, Cialis or Levitra although, given that these drugs may not always be allowed as treatment, it is better to prevent the onset of the Diabetes if at all possible, say, by reducing excess weight.

A few years back, the Massachusetts Male Aging Study (MMAS) of men aged between forty and seventy years found that 28% of men with diabetes had ED - about three times the incidence in the general population. Averaging out the later surveys over the age range, ED develops between ten and fifteen years earlier in men with diabetes. Above the age of 50 years, between 50-60% of men with diabetes will have difficulties with an erection. Above 70 years, it is almost certain that diabetic men will have some difficulty with erectile function.

The cause of ED in diabetic men usually has both organic and psychological elements. Even if the first cause is not psychological, the onset of organic ED almost inevitably produces serious performance anxiety and, if not treated, depression. The combination inevitably affects the libido and this reinforces the disability.

Vascular disease with decreased flow of blood into the penis through arterial narrowing, hardening and closure, high blood pressure, peripheral nerve damage, hormonal problems, say, because of decreased gonadal function, and obesity are all more common in diabetic men and each one may be the cause of your ED. An increasing body of research indicates that half of all ED cases in diabetic men over 50 years are caused by arteriosclerotic disease resulting in a thickening, hardening and loss of elasticity in the arterial walls.

So that leaves us with the question of how we treat both the ED and the diabetes.

• Good control over the level of blood sugar can prevent the nerve and blood vessel damage that leads to ED.
• Many of the medications used to treat high blood pressure and depression may cause ED. Sometimes, a simple change can restore function.
• Smoking and other uses of tobacco, (a) constrict and may block your blood vessels; and (b) can also reduce nitric oxide levels, both of which which may limit the flow of blood into your penis.
• Drinking too much alcohol can damage your blood vessels and make ED more likely.
• Performance anxiety and depression can cause ED. To keep your stress levels under control, you should review your current tasks, and set more reasonable goals and deadlines.
• Regular physical exercise can keep your arteries clear and boost your stamina. If you lack motivation, do not stay solitary. Join a club or gym.
• If you sleep well, you are less likely to suffer from ED.

As your physician, I can also consider Viagra, Cialis or Levitra, but these drugs are not safe if you are taking nitrates to treat heart disease or alpha blockers to treat high blood pressure or prostate enlargement This takes us into new territory for these articles. The vacuum constriction device works no matter what the cause of the ED. If you find the idea of using this piece of equipment off-putting, there is the possibility of intracavernosal injections to the penis to help stimulate an erection. Surgery and penile prostheses implantation are highly successful, but there are greater risks of infection when operating on diabetic men.

Thus, there are well-established systems for treating both diabetes and ED. There is no need to suffer in silence. Your sex life can be restored in most cases, albeit that sometimes, you cannot rely on a simple pill to solve the problems.