Viagra was discovered by chance
In fact it happened when scientists in Britain were testing a new drug for use in controlling pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and it was quite a surprise to discover an improved sexual performance as a response in male participants. Yet, when they came to analyze the results, the scientists realized the effect they were intending for the major artery through the chest was actually occurring in the penis. A further clinical trial confirmed the results and that was the birth of most popular little blue pill. more…
So here’s the big dilemma. You’ve been having pain and problems “down there” and, finally after much argument and debate, you go see a doctor. There’s prodding and even more embarrassing tests. Finally, a big gun surgeon appears and confirms your worst fears. You have prostate cancer, but it’s treatable. So this surgeon is just getting into the spiel about the new advances in robotic prostatectomy and you interrupt with the most important question. “How will this affect my sex life?” There’s a pause. Now does the surgeon tell you the truth or does the surgeon smile with the magic confidence that comes from having perfect teeth and tell you that all his/her patients are “fine” after the procedure?
In the midst of this, of course, there’s an assumption the surgeon actually knows the truth. The reality is more likely to be that, after the surgery (which is the easiest part of the whole process), you get passed on to the urology department and our famous surgeon never follows up on what happens to you afterwards. That explains why the perfect smile of confidence is so convincing. He/she is protected by a lack of information and so can appear sincere. More importantly, there have been very few research studies looking at significant numbers of men going through the surgery. That’s just changed. Now surgeons have no excuse for not knowing the “truth”. But that brings us back to the dilemma.
Every year, about 240,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer. Suppose you’re only in your 40s and have been expecting an active sex life for the next twenty or thirty years. Loss of hard erections would seriously affect your quality of life. But if you’re already in your 60s and sex has become a slightly distant memory, the potential loss of erections is not going to be so troubling. The tendency among older men with active sex lives has been to refuse surgery. They apparently believe they would prefer a few more years of happiness. They hope to die of natural causes before the inconvenience and pain of the cancer comes to dominate their lives. So which is better from your friendly neighborhood surgeon? Reassuring confidence you’ll be just fine, or total frankness about the risks? more…
As we emerge from the recession, we find the nation in crisis. Think of the bursting of the housing bubble and the loss of credit as like a wound. Now the nation has to endure the pain of unemployment with more people living in poverty in 2010 than at any other time since we began keeping records. To give you an idea of just how bad the situation is, a recent survey of the hundred most prosperous city areas by the Brookings Institute found only 16 have managed to replace more than half the jobs lost during the recession itself. That means increasing financial pressures to pay unemployment benefits at a time when tax revenues are low. Except, ask yourself whether just paying unemployment benefit is a sufficient treatment. If your body had just received a wound, would you think it sufficient if the only treatment was sewing you back together and leaving you to get better? No! You would expect there to be follow-up treatment through physical therapy to help rebuild muscles and improve mobility. If there was continuing pain, you would expect experts to help you find better ways to live your life with less discomfort. This might involve redesigning your home, changing the way you work, offering you various drugs to keep the pain under control, and so on.
When you move beyond the original cause but still have consequences flowing from it, you hope and expect there will be an expert in consequences. Just talking to the surgeon who sewed you up is not really the right person to be talking to. That’s why we’re all frustrated with Washington right now because none of the politicians can agree how to treat the pain. The result? There’s no treatment for the pain as they fight among themselves about whether FEMA should have money to deal with emergencies like hurricanes and other minor issues. more…
When our grandparents were growing up, there were microscopes but, by modern standards, they were primitive. There were moderately sophisticated chemical tests for different medical problems and conditions. Sadly, they were not very precise. So, when a doctor or any other scientist made announcements, the numbers were very general. We found this acceptable. No one expected science to develop into the modern wonders of today where we can measure the presence of trace elements as parts-per-million. We may even have discovered an atomic particle capable of traveling faster than the speed of light. Einstein would be turning in his grave to get a better look at this magic neutrino that might just shoot down one of his best known theories.
Because we’ve moved from general statements that there were traces of a chemical to a precise measurement there were 39 parts-per-million, many now believe even minute traces can be dangerous. We’ve lost the sense of scale. When we can detect the presence of particles at a subatomic level, we want to believe science has more answers. It’s going where no one has been able to go before, therefore it must know more than those who tried to go before. Except, science doesn’t work like that. The best it can do is say people have been able to replicate the same results from experiments, so this suggests a theory is correct. But the theory is only correct until a better theory comes along with experimental evidence to back it up.
When the erectile dysfunction drugs were going through their clinical trials, there were some effects noted on eyesight. This fell into two classes. First, some men experienced a slight color shift so many objects appeared tinged with blue. Second, some men experienced photosensitivity, i.e. their eyes were painful in bright light. This affected between 3 and 10% of all men going through the trials, and the effects were duly noted on the labels and accompanying patient information. Suddenly, there were stories about men going blind. As a knee-jerk reaction, the FDA required the manufacturers to change the labels to include a warning.
In a sense, this is the precautionary principle at work. As a responsible regulator, the FDA prefers not to take any chances. Except, just how many verified cases of vision loss were there to encourage the FDA into action? The answer comes in a new piece of research. A team went through all the published reports in the peer-reviewed literature. All the results were analyzed using the international probability scales. The result? Between January 2006 and February 2011, there were eight reported cases. Eight cases over five years! And even in these cases, there’s no certainty the loss of vision was due to the use of an erectile dysfunction drug. There were other equally valid explanations. more…
Any man that has experienced premature hair loss and balding, or is experiencing such problems at the moment, will know just how debilitating this can be. Whilst some people may think that hair loss is just an aesthetic problem and that men should just get over it and play the hand that they have been dealt, this is actually a problem that can go much further than just aesthetics. Of course, some men have no qualms about losing their hair and to them it really is plain and simple aesthetics. However, for many other men losing their hair can have a profound effect on the way they feel. Many men lose their self esteem and confidence along with their hair and this can make a big difference to their overall quality of life.
Propecia is a drug that is manufactured by the pharmaceutical giant Merck, and it is designed to help men who are experiencing hair loss and baldness. This medication is aimed at helping to stop any further hair loss, so the earlier men consider taking it the better. However, many men may already have bald patches by the time they start taking Propecia. The good news is that this medication is also able to help stimulate hair regrowth on bald areas of the scalp in some men, which means that even those that have already become bald in some areas could benefit.
There are in fact a number of main benefits that come with this hair loss treatment and some of these include:
- This medication may be able to stop any further hair loss in men that have been losing their hair. It can therefore prove very effective for men who start taking it early before too much hair is lost
- For some men this medication will also result in the regrowth of new hair in areas of baldness, as it can help to stimulate the follicles that have stopped producing new hair in order to get them working effectively again
- Propecia comes in the form of a small pill, which only has to be taken once a day in order for men to start benefitting from its effects. This means that there is no need for inconvenient ointments that have to be rubbed onto the scalp each day. It also means that you can take your medication discreetly even when you are away on holiday or business
- Whilst there are side effects that are associated with this treatment many men experience no side effects at all from taking Propecia, and instead enjoy only the benefits of the treatment more…
As long as people deal with erectile dysfunction (and this is probably well since the dawn of mankind) there were countless views on how this condition could be treated. There were different views both on the nature of this issue and the way it should be treated but none of them was adequate or effective. Depending on the stage of medicine development doctors offered everything from magic potions made from bat wings and unicorn hair to complex chemical compounds that were still ineffective against male impotence. Fortunately, things have changed drastically since the invention of the very first ED medication in the late 1990’s.
Until the development of the blue pill the exact nature of erectile dysfunction wasn’t in the spotlight of numerous medical investigations. Sure, people always tried to learn more about the causes behind this medical condition but they never did so to an extent in which it was exercised after the first ED drugs have hit the market. After the year 1998 there were countless medical trial being made both on the effectiveness of erectile dysfunction pills and the actual nature of the conditions. And these developments have lead to remarkable and very interesting results that shed some light on the alternative methods of treating and preventing male impotence. more…
Walk down any street anywhere in our country and you can’t help but notice how few thin people there are. It’s like a lunar month passing over a hundred year cycle. If you go back to 1911, access to plentiful food was limited to the middle and upper income groups. More importantly, only a few overindulged. The new generation grew taller and stronger, but they stayed lean. So, when you walked down any street, anyone overweight stood out. If anything, this trend was reinforced by the 1930’s, the lost decade of the Great Depression. Poverty and starvation left deep scars. It actually took World War II to get us fit and healthy again. We needed stronger people for the war effort and so food supply was improved. As evidence of sexual health, you only have to look at the Boomers. A whole generation of fitter, stronger and more active people were born in the years after the war. That was part of the same enthusiasm that really made America great.
Unfortunately, it’s been all downhill from then on. Fast food spread into all our cities and towns as we earned the disposable income to pack away ever larger portions of it. The results are now plain to see. We’re the most overweight country in the world. Now make no mistake, the rest of the world are catching us up, but that’s nothing to be proud of. It’s not like we should be in a race to see who can be the heaviest nation in the world. As a result, we’re also leading the world in the number of people dying of heart attacks. We have more strokes, there are more diabetics, and food-related cancers of the colon and prostate are reaching epidemic proportions. For the record, there’s recent confirmatory research published in Nature that restricting calorie intake reduces the size of tumors.
So here comes the message part of the article. Everywhere you look, you see talking heads and articles encouraging you to eat a healthy diet. You probably know the advice without having to think about it. Eat more fruit and vegetables, avoid high-fat diary products and pick the lean meats and fish. We can add in whole grains and make noises about regular exercise to complete the picture. Hung on the end of all this well-meaning advice is the fact it reduces the risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancers. And we all nod wisely and, with a smile, tell ourselves we’ll start the diet tomorrow. So here’s the kicker. If you won’t diet to avoid a heart attack, will you cut down the calories to avoid erectile dysfunction? more…
These days we are all keen to try and cut back on the amount that we spend and many people spend time trying to save money on everything that they purchase, from the weekly groceries or gas for the car to purchases such as toiletries and medication.
If you are a man who suffers from the condition known as erectile dysfunction you may have been advised to take a medication called Cialis, which is designed to help men with erectile dysfunction by enabling them to achieve and maintain an erection in order to engage in sexual activity.
However, for men who have to pay for their own medication it can work out expensive to keep buying treatment on a regular basis, which is why many men who are advised to take Cialis are keen to find a way to save on the amount that they pay for their treatment. This enables them to enjoy the huge benefits that Cialis can provide in terms of their sex lives, relationships, confidence levels, and overall quality of life. more…
There are many men who have taken the medication Propecia, which is manufactured by the pharmaceutical giant Merck, in order to help address their hair loss and baldness. Many men find that they start to lose hair prematurely and can often end up with bald patches before they have even hit middle age. This can affect them in many ways, not just in terms of their appearance but in the way that the feel, their confidence levels, and their overall quality of life.
Propecia is a drug that is able to help men that are suffering from hair loss and baldness by helping to stop further hair loss from occurring whilst also stimulating follicles that may have stopped producing hair to start producing new hair again, which can help with hair regrowth in areas of baldness. For men, being able to tackle their hair loss and baldness problem in this way means that they can improve their physical appearance as well as boost their self esteem and self confidence levels.
The simplicity of Propecia is one of the things that many men like about this treatment, as it does not involve rubbing odd smelling ointments onto the scalp. Instead, it is just one simple, small tablet that is taken once a day, enabling men to tackle their hair loss problem conveniently and discreetly. Of course, it is important that this treatment is taken in the right way and that men who use the medication have realistic expectations with regards to the results. It is therefore worth bearing in mind some of the dos and don’ts of taking Propecia.
Do make sure that you take the treatment as directed in order to benefit from the medication. Always read the dosage instructions carefully so that you don’t end up taking more of this medication than you are supposed to
Do familiarise yourself with the possible side effects, so that you know exactly what to expect when you take Propecia and when you should seek medication advise after taking the treatment more…
There are many types of drugs that are used as painkillers these days. And depending on the type of analgesic you choose there will be different effects and different types of pain may be addressed as well. Sure, people these days mostly rely on prescription analgesics they get from their doctors but that’s not the only option to choose from. So if you are forced to deal with pain on a regular basis or simply want to know which options are available for different situations it’s best for you to learn the basics about the most common painkiller medications being used.
NSAIDs
Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs are one of the most common options for addressing both acute and chronic pain. Although these drugs aren’t classified as analgesics they are often used with the main purpose of addressing various pain types. The most widespread NSAIDs include aspirin, diclofenac and ibuprofen, which help reduce inflammatory processes in the body that may be at the cause of painful sensations. Keep in mind however that if the pain isn’t caused by any inflammatory processes this type of drugs won’t be much of a help.
Corticosteroids
Corticosteroids are an advanced version of NSAIDs containing steroid substances that promote more effective and radical anti-Inflammatory effects. These drugs are only available through a prescription due to their potent nature and are mainly prescribed for conditions that involve severe inflammation. And just like in case of NSAIDs corticosteroids like Prednisone and Medrol can be effective painkillers only in cases when the discomfort is caused by inflammatory processes.
Acetaminophen
Acetaminophen, also known as Tylenol, is a very common component found in hundreds of different medications ranging from flu meds to various anti-inflammatory drugs. In its original form, acetaminophen is an over-the-counter medication used for treating mild to moderate acute pain. It is rather effective in cases when you need prompt pain relief and the pain isn’t that bad. However, pay close attention to the contents of all the drugs you are using at the moment, for they may contain Tylenol and you might risk having an overdose of this drug. more…
