Everything You Need to Know about Penis Piercings

2015-07-28

Some guys are thrill seekers. They also like women who walk on the wild side. Others like to shock and titillate. Then there are those who just think such a piercing looks cool. Whatever the reasoning, you are considering getting your penis pierced. This is a very simple, straightforward procedure. Still, if not done right it can lead to serious complications such as infection. You can even contract a life-threatening disease. It’s important that you take the time to look into the procedure and safeguard yourself. Here is everything you need to know about penis piercings. First, find a reputable establishment to perform the procedure. Make sure they are licensed and certified. Do they have a clean environment? Is the equipment sterilized? Never try to perform such a piercing yourself. Always seek a professional. How much will it cost? Depending upon where you live, about $50 plus the cost of the jewelry.

The procedure entails using a needle to make a hole in the penis and placing a ring or bar through it. Piercings may occur through the head, foreskin, the scrotum and parts of the shaft. Under no circumstances should a piercing pass directly through the shaft, however. This can cause serious injury. If you decide to remove it later on, say you don’t want it anymore, the hole often stays open. If it does close, a scar will likely occur. Once pierced, leave the jewelry in until it has fully healed. Follow the aftercare instructions faithfully. Keep the wound clean. Be sure to periodically check for any signs of allergy or infection. Select hypoallergenic jewelry as to avoid the chances of allergy. If you are going to have sex, use a sturdy condom. Select one with lots of room so the piercing won’t tear it, making the condom ineffective. Common aftereffects include a small amount of bleeding, soreness, redness, and the chance of infection including a urinary tract infection.Diabetics have a higher chance of it getting infected. If not performed with a sterile needle, one can contract HIV or hepatitis B or C.  Safeguard yourself and you should be able to enjoy your piercing without complication.

Condom Detects STIs by Changing Color

Those who are worried about contracting a sexually transmitted infection (STI) may soon have a new, discreet option at their disposal. But it wasn’t developed by scientists. Instead, this STI-detecting condom was the brainchild of three U.K. teens. Called the S.T. Eye, this condom changes color when it comes into contact with detectable, sexually transmitted diseases. Two 14 year-olds Daanyaal Ali and Chirag Shah, along with 13 year-old Muaz Nawaz created the design. Don’t expect to see an S.T. Eye in your local pharmacy in the coming weeks. The condom is still in the development stages. But the science is there and a condom company has contacted the trio about their idea. It works by embedding antibodies that react to common STIs into the condom itself. When the antibodies come into contact with certain antigens–viruses or bacteria, they react changing the condom’s color.

The boys say their idea originated with an HIV test called Elisa, which also utilizes antibodies to create a color change. The transformation in hue can take place on both sides of the condom. What color it becomes indicates the type of STI detected.There is yellow for herpes, blue for syphilis, green for chlamydia and purple for genital warts.  Instead of the embarrassment of going to a clinic or the fear of not knowing, a person can know right away in the privacy of their own bedroom. Muaz said he and his team got the idea when they came across a Reddit post about things that should be invented. A color changing condom was one item on the list. But changing color to indicate the presence of an STI was the students’ own twist. At first, they were worried that no one would take them seriously. But with the guidance of a science teacher, they were able to form the scientific basis which could easily produce a prototype. The students entered their design into a contest, and won. They are now the recipients of a TeenTech award, in addition to making headlines worldwide. For winning the contest, their school will be awarded £1,000  and the team will be brought to Buckingham Palace to meet the Duke of York this coming October.

New features on Apple’s ‘Health’ app allow users to track sexual activity

2015-07-08

 By Jacob Bogage • Washington Post

Cue Siri to play Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get it On.”

New features on Apple’s pre-installed “Health” app will allow users to track their sexual activity, namely whether or not they used protection and the time of day they had sex.

The new Health app, which already tracks other health information like fitness and nutrition data, will be available on iOS 9, which is set to come out later this year, and will also include the ability to track other reproductive health metrics like menstruation and ovulation cycles.

And all that is great, some users say — Apple notoriously ignored women’s health issues as it developed previous versions of Health — but also not so great, others say, since tracking how often people do the deed is perhaps a little too personal.

“Really think it through. Why do I need a computer to figure out this part of my life?” said Teresa Schoch, associate director of Berkeley Research Group.

You don’t, Schoch thinks, especially if the data you enter ends up on some kind of cloud or external server.

You can choose to store your data solely on your device without backing it up to the cloud. But Apple also let’s you choose to share your data with your doctor or anonymously with researchers.

Apple is also set to release “HealthKit,” which will pool data entered into various health and fitness apps. For example, if you use an app that tracks blood pressure and another that tracks caloric intake, those apps could share the information they gather with HealthKit to provide a comprehensive overview of your health data.

And that, in a Utopian world where all data is safe all the time and nothing bad ever happens on the Web, sounds like a fantastic way to track your health.

“It just might be the beginning of a health revolution,” Apple’s Website reads.

Or it could be a great way to put personal information at risk and provide hackers nuanced and specific information.

“Data about reproductive health is very sensitive, but there are situations where maybe you want someone to know that,” said Harlan Yu, principal at Upturn, a technology consulting firm. “You might want your doctor or researchers to know that. But in other situations you might not want drug companies or insurance companies to have that information.”

Think about this: Harvard professor Latanya Sweeney found in a 2000 study that 87 percent of Americans were uniquely identifiable based on their gender, birth date and zip code. Sweeney found all that information using Census data that at the time was 10 years old.

So now, imagine what nuanced health information could say, even if it’s collected in bulk or anonymously and even if it’s not obtained nefariously, Schoch says.

“They can pinpoint you if they wanted to,” she said.

That doesn’t mean health data collection is inherently dangerous, though. Collection of reproductive health data feels more creepy, but it can still be innocuous.

“The way I look at this stuff is I look at harm,” said University of Washington law professor Ryan Calo, who specializes in Internet privacy. “Could this information be used in a way that could disadvantage you?”

That’s a question to answer before using an app to track your bedroom behavior.

Surprising Facts about the Penis

2015-06-30

Most guys are pretty cognizant of what’s going on below their belt buckle. But there are lots of things men don’t know about their equipment, things that will astound you. For one thing, though it is sensitive as anyone who has been kicked between the legs can attest, the penis is also strong. But this very rarely gets highlighted. Just take the example of one strange niche in Kung Foo that involves lifting more weight with one’s flaccid member than a man can normally bench press. Grandmaster Tu Jin-Sheng of Los Angeles is one such practitioner who gained notoriety by hauling a tractor trailer and even an 8,000 pound World War II fighter plane with his penis. Practitioners believe that doing so strengthens the organ, improves sexual functioning and can ward off serious illnesses like diabetes and heart disease. Surprisingly, such practices have not yet become commonplace. Okay, maybe not too surprising. After all, according to two different studies, one out of Cornell University and another out of Michigan State, men’s genitals are just as sensitive as women’s. For men the most sensitive areas are generally the tip and the area just behind the head or glands called the frenulum.

At a certain age men start to focus on erections.But did you know that they have grades? First is larger but not rigid, next hard but not enough for intercourse, then there is firm enough for penetration but not rock solid. Finally there is fully engorged. In the 1990s scientists developed this scale for when they were working on the ED pill Viagra. Today the scale is known as the International Index of Erectile Function. You may be aware of the erections you have during the daytime. But what about when you are asleep? Urologists say healthy men typically have three to five erections over the course of one night. This occurs at the REM level of sleep.One rare disease causes painful erections while sleeping the kind that can wake a man out of a sound sleep. But only 30 cases have been recorded thus far.

Pleasing a Woman with a Micropenis

Lots of men fear being too small to please a woman. Yet, a recent British study found the vast majority of men are average in length and girth. A scant few fall below. But a micropenis is the rarest of all. Keep in mind you can’t tell what size you are erect when you are flaccid. But an erect micropenis is considered to be two inches in length or smaller. Only 0.6 to 1% of men have this condition according to Dr. Leo Doumanian. He’s a reconstructive surgeon at the University of Southern California’s Institute of Urology. To put those numbers in perspective of the 151.4 million men in the U.S., 1.5 million have a micropenis. Unfortunately, TV and other media poke fun at those who are less than endowed. Those men with this particular condition are maligned and their worth and masculinity often brought into question. But for any man with a micropenis, Dr. Doumanian says it isn’t their size that affects their sexual relationships but their feelings of inadequacy.

Those who believe they may lack a certain length or girth or even have a micropenis can still please a woman, be confident and experience the rich, fulfilling sex life they desire.First, one must become comfortable with one’s self. Come to terms with your size. Even celebrate it. If you are confident in the bedroom, pay lots of attention to your partner, focus on her wants, needs and desires and give her lots of extended foreplay, chances are she will consider you an exceptional lover. Realize that the vast majority of women don’t reach orgasm through vaginal intercourse. Work on your oral and digital skills to bring your lover to the realm of pure bliss. Next, consider what positions will give you an advantage during intercourse. Pick positions with deeper penetration.Place a pillow under her buttocks instead of regular missionary for instance. Throughout the process make her laugh, make her feel comfortable, go slow, seduce her and give her the time of her life. You’ll be her best lover no matter your size.

Don’t Rush to Put on a Condom

2015-06-04

Lots of times, when things are getting hot and heavy we scramble to get the condom and put it on. We are caught up in the heat of the moment. But rushing like that also increases the chances of something going wrong. According to one study it also increases the risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). That’s due to the condom being put on wrong causing a rip, tear or even slippage. 60% of women reported one of these problems due to a rush to get the condom on. Those couples who moved too quickly were also less likely to use a condom the entire time. Dr. Lydia Shrier was the lead researcher in this study. She hails from both Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Shrier told Reuters that couples should take their time and not rush through the process. If you don’t use a condom the right way, you open yourself up to the possibility of pregnancy or contracting an STI she said, and infections are on the rise.

This study examined the data of 512 men and women in five cities who had visited health clinics known for treating STIs. Ages of participants ranged from 15 to 65. These participants recorded their sexual habits in a diary for 180 days. In total, this led to 8,856 recorded instances of heterosexual intercourse. Each one included the use of a condom. 5% of the time participants encountered a slip, rip or tear. But this occurred only 2-3% of the time when partners didn’t rush. Furthermore 14% of those who weren’t rushed used a condom the entire time. 23% of those in a hurry did so. Certainly, no one is saying that the intensity or velocity of hot sex should be tempered. But when the time comes to put on the condom, it pays to take a little pause. Why not make it part of foreplay? There are all kinds of erotic ways one can put it on. You can even have it placed on by your partner. Gaze into each other’s eyes, show yourself off or ask your partner to. You can even engage in a little pillow talk, letting them know what you are going to do as soon as you get the condom on. So you can slow down to put on a condom and let the mood continue at the same time. This way you are both protected as well as turned on.

Can a Lack of Sex Cause Erectile Dysfunction?

Several studies show that men who have more sex are less likely to experience erectile dysfunction. On the negative side, those who have less sex have a higher risk. So can a lack of sex lead to ED? If so, can men limit their risk by engaging in sex and masturbating regularly? One 2008 study out of Europe showed that a lack of sex could lead to impotence. But this is the one and only such study. No other researchers thus far have confirmed these results. The European study published in the American Journal of Medicine, followed 989 male participants. They were in their fifth, sixth and seventh decade of life. Here researchers concluded that sexual activity was akin to exercise in maintaining male potency. Whether or not masturbation helps preserve functioning was not included in this study, only sexual intercourse. Many urologists say that such activities probably help. Intercourse was found to preserve the blood vessels and nerves associated with an erection.

Though a lack of sex is associated with ED, it hasn’t been proven to cause it. Irwin Goldstein, MD is the director of sexual medicine at Alvarado Hospital in San Diego. He told WebMD, “Having sex is good, masturbating is good, but the concept that men have to go out and have sex to preserve erectile function is bogus.” According to the spokesman of the American Urological Association, a lack of sex is generally a consequence of ED rather than the cause. Researchers in the European study admit that those who had good erections and frequent sex may have just had good genes. Having erections seems to be the key factor in being able to have them again in the future. A good sex life and masturbating are fine health-wise. But a lower body weight, exercise, getting good sleep, taking care of any emotional issues such as stress and depression, and controlling diabetes and blood pressure are also important aspects of preserving sexual health.