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Heartburn is one of those sensations that can spoil the aftermath of the tastiest meal you’ve had. We certainly enjoy eating food and the burning sensation in the chest we get with heartburn is a huge pleasure spoiler that can make you think twice before eating anything. Heartburn is usually cause by high acid content in the stomach and structural peculiarities of the gastrointestinal tract that let the half-digested food flow back into the esophagus and damage it. (more…)

People cannot avoid some things in life the first of which is process of aging. The latter is an unpleasant thing to deal with because of numerous processes going on in the body and mind changing their simple states we have accustomed to . Nobody likes to become weaker, with muscles lost shape, and less perfect cardiovascular system , and a mind not as sharp as it used to be. Besides there are hormonal changes, namely the amount of testosterone is gradually dropping decreasing libido, a person’s behavior changes, an веруку are changes one can just see in the mirror. The hair is turning gray and one is balding – and this is also the result of hormonal changes, but this is not always happen when men age. Hair loss as a result of hormonal change occurs in yong men too. (more…)

Cannabis has been around as a medicine for centuries. Usually taken as an infusion, it has been used to treat a range of different problems. But it’s most common use is as a painkiller. This is not the same as the high created by the recreational form of the drug. The psychoactive chemicals come from a different part of the plant. In the West, cannabis arrived as a street drug and, once its qualities were recognized, illegal farms were set up to grow it. However, the strong Asian and African cultures for medicinal use was never completely ignored and, after some detailed research and a positive political campaign, sixteen US states have now legalized its use for medical purposes. This is controversial. The FDA warns the drug can be abused. Indeed, the recreational form is classified as a Schedule 1 drug. That’s the highest class, reflecting the perceived level of danger. So, even under medical supervision, the FDA does not permit the medical profession to use or recommend cannabis as a medicine. Nevertheless, seven states allow dispensaries to sell medical cannabis and collect sales tax. This generates several billion dollars in extra tax revenue at a time when the state deficits are growing.

At this point, we come to a grey area of policy and law. If you talk to the regulatory authorities and law enforcement agencies, cannabis remains a dangerous drug. Even though there are laws permitting its use by individual patients and caregivers, there’s considerable suspicion that morality and the law are being undermined. That said, states find their budgets under pressure and, when it comes to deciding priorities in enforcement, cannabis is low down on the list. The law enforcement agencies do not unnecessarily harass clinics and hospices where cannabis is routinely given to patients. We should also recognize an overall irony in all this.

If you look at all the major drugs developed by the manufacturing industry, all the patents are or were held privately. The assumption has been that effective drugs can be exploited for profit by the large corporations. But, when it comes to medical cannabis, the federal government holds the patent. This has not prevented the for-profit sector trying to produce individual drugs based on cannabis. Indeed, in some countries, synthetic cannabinoids are available on prescription. So far, there are no signs the FDA will approve any of these drugs for distribution in the US. In the UK, for example, there’s a new spray being made available for pain relief. There’s no high associated with its use. It works by numbing the muscles and it’s being prescribed for use in treating multiple sclerosis and will soon be available in hospitals for end-of-life treatment in cancer wards. (more…)

Acne is one of those health problems that doesn’t have a significant impact on the functioning of the body but has a very negative effect on the person’s looks. A person experiencing acne breakouts tends to become slightly isolated from social activities because acne seriously affects the person’s attractiveness, which can be crucial during teenage and early adulthood when social activities are most important. And during this stage people most often fall prey to myths and misconceptions about acne that can lead them to taking wrong decisions or contemplate about things that are actually unimportant. Let’s look at some of the most common acne myths and debunk them with hardcore facts to set your perception about acne straight:

Acne are caused by bad hygiene

Most people think that acne breakouts are caused by bad hygiene of the skin and if you wash your face and other parts of the boy affected by acne frequently it will help get rid of the problem. In fact, acne breakouts have nothing to do with skin hygiene. Sure, some infections can give you a rash and if the pores get clogged the oil produced by the skin can lead to inflammation. However, by rubbing your face three times a day and applying countless hygiene products you will only damage your skin more and cause more irritation that will certainly not be good for your acne.

Acne wear off with sexual activity

Another very common misconception that is particularly widespread with teens is that sexual activity can cure acne while long term abstinence causes breakouts. There’s a little sense in this statement since the start of sexual activity is often associated with particular hormonal changes (which often cause acne development in the first place) and when these processes overlap one can think that sex can make acne disappear. However, there’s no direct link between sexual activity and acne breakouts confirmed by doctors and scientists. (more…)

When that inspired individual invented the wheel in those distant centuries, there was no patent system to protect the novelty of the idea. Everyone else looked on as the first wheels appeared on the streets and, before you could say, Jack Robinson, everyone had wheels. Those were the days when everyone shared the benefits of all the inventions. Times were hard and survival mattered more than commercial intellectual property rights. It took a long time for the world to come round to the view that inventions should be subject to a monopoly protection. We had a fully developed market economy back in Ancient Greece and Rome. There was a universal currency throughout both political groups, but it was not until a few hundred years ago that aggressive merchants began to buy monopoly rights from the political rulers. Now, we seem to take it as given that anyone who creates something new should have protection. Except, that is, when it comes to downloading the odd copyright-protected MP3.

In theory, this should not cause too many problems except the patent system is used to stifle creativity and keep out competing products while the patent holder changes the maximum possible retail price. This penalizes us, the consumers. We either pay the asking price or go without. So welcome to the court of District Judge Rebecca Beach Smith. Note it fell to a woman to decide the fate of men as we all waited for cheaper erectile dysfunction drugs. So here comes an international company with the nerve to threaten the cosy US market with cheap generic drugs. This competition on price would have affected the three current patent holders. Pfizer took the lead and argued it had a patent up to 2019.

Why so long? Well, after patenting the underlying chemistry as a treatment for high blood pressure in the arteries running through the chest and lungs, it registered a second patent for the same drug as a treatment for erectile dysfunction. Check out the history. You’ll find the erectile dysfunction use of the drug was an accidental discovery during the trial for hypertension. The foreigners were bold, arguing this was nothing new. It was obvious from the first research trial. Unfortunately, the judge disagreed and ordered the foreigner to take its cheap generics away and not return until 2019. This means we continue to suffer the price gouging from all three manufacturers with no immediate sign of there being anyone able to introduce a generic into the market. (more…)

The problem of hair loss is certainly a very sensitive issue both for men and women. Hair is a good indicator of how healthy a person is, and if the person starts to get bald it is seen as either a sign of poor health or aging. Of course, it’s not always so and in case of male balding it’s often seen as a matter of genetic predisposition or poor hair nutrition. But how relevant these assumptions are to the actual causes behind hair loss in men?

A large number of scientific and clinical studies on the problem of hair loss in men have come to the same conclusion that there’s a reason for male pattern hair loss other than what was assumed before. Yes, genetics, nutrition, care and environment play an important role in maintaining a good condition of hair. But the majority of male hair loss cases have been observed to be caused by hormonal changes. And it’s not about a particular glad dysfunction or hormonal imbalance. It’s all about one of the most important male hormones – testosterone.

But it’s not the abundance of shortage of testosterone that really matters. Of course, the level of testosterone in general influences many aspects of a man’s health. But when it comes to hair loss, it’s the way testosterone is processed that really matters. Usually, testosterone is converted into another male hormone, dihydrotestosterone (DHT), after some time. And it’s the DHT that’s responsible for hair loss in men. When there’s a small quantity of this androgen in the bloodstream there’s nothing to worry about. But as it accumulates in the body and starts contacting with hair follicles it gradually stops natural hair growth and makes the follicles weaker. By having a low natural hair growth rate a person will gradually start balding because of the normal hair loss rate (100-200 hairs per day). Usually, the lost hair gets restored rapidly and we have a constant form of hair. But as the follicles get weaker, the usual hair loss becomes a real problem. (more…)

The latest report from the Census Bureau has produced some worrying figures. It seems almost 17% of us are living below the federal poverty line. You have to go back to 1993 to find a higher percentage of Americans living in poverty. To add to the interest, the Super Committee in Washington has just begun its discussions on what to do about the federal deficit. Its choices are between increasing revenue to maintain more of our services or simply cutting spending. Given the terrible state of our economy, it’s hard to see what the federal government can do to help the poor. In this, there’s a secondary consequence looming into view. No matter what happens to Obamacare in its journey to implementation in 2014, there are an increasing number unable to afford health insurance. It’s currently estimated some 52.5 million adults are without any form of support from Medicare, Medicaid or VA benefits. This reflects the dramatic and sustained increases in the costs of treatment and care. We now have the highest retail prices for drugs, medical devices and hospital treatment in the world.

The European approach to pain management is evidence-based. In other words, the regulators have invested time and money to research which treatments are the best value-for-money. These treatments are then made available either free or at subsidized rates. All other treatments are left available but the patient must pay the full price, whether through private insurance or out of savings. The evidence consistently shows counseling in general and cognitive behavioral therapy in particular, are the best long-term strategies for pain management. In labor terms, this one-to-one approach is relatively more expensive than drug therapy in the short-term. But, if you look at the continuing costs of drugs and the added costs of dealing with problems of dependence and addiction, paying more at the initial stages of treatment gives a better outcome.

Unfortunately, this is not going to be rolled out in the US. First, it’s against the interests of the drug manufacturers. At the current high retail prices, their losses would be spectacular if doctors and therapists referred their patients to cognitive behaviour therapists. So the lobbying to doctors is firmly in place to keep the flow of prescriptions running smoothly. Second, the doctors would lose a share of the revenue to therapists. As things stand, it’s easy money to see multiple clients an hour and write prescriptions. Unless there’s a culture change, doctors are unlikely to cooperate. The only hope for forcing change comes from the health insurance industry. As more people are unable to pay their premiums, the profitability of insurers is being squeezed as health costs rise. They may decide to prefer paying for preventative medicine and cognitive behaviour therapy as the pain management strategy. Such is the insurers’ buying power, they may force some change. Except we need thousands of therapists and they are not in training. Someone in federal health planning forgot to order more people trained. (more…)

Let’s admit it, nearly all men watch porn. There’s nothing strange about it because visual representation of sex is very arousing for the male eye, in contrast to the emotional aspect of it that most women tend to. The porn industry is a multi billion business with hundreds of studios all over the globe and tens of thousands of titles produced every year. Porn movie development is less complicated, costly and time consuming as mainstream film production. A typical pron movie is shot during one day with actors sometimes being required to have sex several time during the shoot. When you realize it and take a look at the intense action on the screen there’s only place for wonder how come male performers are able to pull it all off in front of the camera. Well, of course, there are certain secrets of the trade and it turns out that Viagra is one of them.

Male porn performers are usually paid times less than female performers because the entire industry is focused on actresses. Rarely does a male actor get an exclusive contract with a good salary. Usually the paycheck is quite average, especially for the effort you have to give. All in all, no matter how good and pleasant sex may be when it turns into a 9 to 5 job with several sex acts every day, it turns into a real challenge that not many men can actually accept. It’s no longer a matter of when you want to do it, it’s a matter of doing it right all the time. And no wonder that under such pressure many men often face problems with erections. You can’t be 100% hard all the time on snap when the director asks you to. The female actress isn’t always your type, there are dozens of people on the set watching you and you could get more sleep yesterday. So when the camera starts rolling there’s a high risk of erection fading away. (more…)

Male sexual health is a rather delicate topic if looked at from different perspectives. Men don’t like discussing their sexual health especially if there are some problems present. Male sexuality is the basis of male psyche in general so when there are some issues present it can lead to psychological complications as well. And even the nature of such unpleasant condition as erectile dysfunction can be characterized as delicate, because it involves a sophisticated balance of different body systems. That’s why ED is often classified as a lifestyle condition, which can be prevented and even eliminated through serious changes of the way you live your life. So what can be done to reduce the risk of impotence through the lifestyle way?

Overall health

Overall health is a rather loos term yet it describes the nature of ED development very well. Erectile dysfunction isn’t a condition on its own but rather a symptom to more complicated health issues, as it never takes place in a perfectly healthy organism. Some of the most common factors contributing to the development of ED include high cholesterol, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, lack of physical activity, certain types of cancer, use of specific medications, substance abuse and many others. So if you want to avoid ED you should keep your health as best as possible. (more…)

If you have ever been to pharmacies or bought drugs online you’ve probably ran across the type of drugs called generics. These drugs are usually much more affordable than their branded variations and are stated to provide the same effects. There are people who only use generic drugs because they are much cheaper, yet there are also people who revert only to branded variations as being of a higher quality and much safer. Virtually any medication brand in the world has several generic variations produced by different pharmaceutical factories all over the globe. And erectile dysfunction medications aren’t any different. So let’s take a closer look at the conflict between generic and brand drugs and try to understand what’s really better.

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