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Sex and Self-Esteem

Sexual Health

Sex and Self-Esteem

2011-05-10

Losing your virginity can summon up all sorts of emotions. It can also be an exercise in self-esteem or self-doubt, depending on whether you’re a man or a woman, according to researchers from Penn State University who analyzed the debut sexual encounters of college-age males and females.

It’s probably not too surprising that young men report a boost in how they view themselves after first having sex, while young women end up slightly less pleased, according to the study, which was published in April’s Journal of Adolescence.

Researchers started with a group of 434 freshmen, ages 17 to 19, and continued to track them for four years. Four times over that period, students were asked to complete a questionnaire assessing their satisfaction with their appearance. Within that time span, 100 students lost their virginity; those were the students on whom the researchers focused.

Judging from the questionnaire results, that first sexual experience had different emotional ramifications for men versus women: researchers found that women’s happiness with how they looked decreased a bit after having sex for the first time, while men’s satisfaction rose.

“For women, it’s not an overwhelmingly positive experience,” says lead author Sara Vasilenko, a graduate student in human development and family studies at Penn State. “It may be because of sexual double standards, which suggest society might view sex more positively for men and more negatively for women. Premarital sex isn’t necessarily seen as acceptable for women.”

On the other hand, men’s self-image may soar in part due to cultural messages about masculinity. “Men who have sex may feel more attractive because they’re living up to these expectations of what is considered manly,” says Vasilenko.

Sex-ed programs could be tailored to address the link between sex and women’s diminished opinions of their attractiveness. “Promoting better body image could help them feel better about themselves when they do become sexually active,” says Vasilenko.

In general, research revealed that women became more content with their appearance over the course of their time in college, while men grew more dissatisfied. But the flip-flop after an initial sexual encounter is more than merely interesting. It could have negative consequences for the men: in a larger sample that included people who had sex prior to college, researchers found that positive body image can lead to risky sexual behavior for male college students.

“Because the results are so positive, it has the potential to reinforce risky behavior like no condoms and multiple partners,” says Vasilenko.

Got Insomnia? What Not to Do at 3 A.M.

Uncategorized

Got Insomnia? What Not to Do at 3 A.M.

Are you frustrated with your sleep—or lack thereof? You’re not alone.

Most people experience insomnia at some point in their lives, and 10% have chronic problems with insomnia.

If you’re staring at the ceiling hour after hour, night after night, it’s hard to know what to do or how to fix it.

Here are some mistakes you could be making, and what you should be doing instead.

Don’t look at the clock

Do this instead: Turn the clock around to face the wall, or hide it in a drawer or under the bed. Constantly checking the time will only arouse you and reinforce the idea that you’ll “never” get back to sleep.

Don’t stay in bed more than 15 minutes

Do this instead: Leave your bedroom and do something quiet, such as reading a book or watching boring television in a comfortable chair. It’s important to remind your brain that your bed is for sleeping, not for lying awake and worrying.

Don’t sit in bright light

Do this instead: If you do need to get up, turn on only a dim reading light, or go sit in the glow of your television or computer monitor. Keep bright overhead lights switched off, because light disrupts the production of melatonin—a hormone that regulates sleep—in your brain.

Don’t do anything too stimulating

Do this instead: Find something that occupies your time but gives your brain a break, such as knitting or a boring book or TV show. Reading whodunits or balancing your checkbook, on the other hand, may keep your mind working and alert.

Powerful Women as Likely to Cheat as Men, Study Finds

featured, Sexual Health

Powerful Women as Likely to Cheat as Men, Study Finds

Women in powerful positions are just as likely as men to cheat on their spouses, according to new research.

It’s widely believed that men are more likely than women to cheat on their spouses, but power appears to be a more important factor than gender, according to the study published April 28 in the journal Psychological Science.

“There has been a lot of research in the past that indicates that gender is the strongest predictor of infidelity, but none of these studies have been done on powerful women,” Joris Lammers, of Tilburg University in the Netherlands, said in a journal news release.

He and his team analyzed responses from 1,561 people who took part in an anonymous online survey. They were asked about their amount of power at work, confidence levels, and perception of risks associated with infidelity.

The survey revealed two significant findings, according to the researchers. First, there is a strong link between power and confidence, and the amount of confidence a person has is the strongest connection between power and cheating. Second, the gender of powerful people made no difference in past infidelity or their desire to be unfaithful.

The popular notion that men are more likely than women to cheat is simply due to the fact that men occupy more positions of power than women, according to Lammers.

“As more and more women are in greater positions of power and are considered equal to men, then familiar assumptions about their behavior may also change. This may lead to increased negative behaviors among women that in the past have been more common among men,” he said.

A bad Mix-Why Alcohol And Energy Drinks Are Dangerous

Psycological Health

A bad Mix-Why Alcohol And Energy Drinks Are Dangerous

2011-04-19

Mixing alcohol with other substances is never really a good idea, and pairing it with energy drinks may be especially hazardous.

That might seem obvious, but the results of a new study published in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research provide some interesting insights into why. Cecile Marczinski, a psychologist at Northern Kentucky University, found that combining energy drinks such as Red Bull with vodka or other liquors effectively removes any built-in checks your body has for overindulging.

When you drink alcohol by itself, it initially induces a feeling of happiness — a comfortable buzz. But when you overindulge, your body knows it, and it starts to shut down; you start feeling tired, sleepy and more sedated than stimulated. “That’s your cue to go home to bed,” says Marczinski.

But in her drinking study, for which she (easily) recruited participants, she found that people downing the combination of alcohol and energy drinks lost this natural control. Marczinski had volunteers show up at her lab and drink either plain alcoholic drinks; mixed beverages containing alcohol and energy drinks; energy drinks alone; or a non-alcoholic beverage.

When the drinkers were asked to rate how stimulated and energetic they felt — whether they were alert or awake — those consuming the combination energy-alcohol drinks reported twice as much stimulation as those drinking alcohol alone. They tended to report less sedation and fewer symptoms like tiredness or sleepiness. “The disconnect between what you feel and how you act is what is the problem here,” she says, noting that these participants continued to feel stimulated and never came down off their alcohol buzz. “Stimulation may not be a good thing when you’re drinking because you may drink longer, decide to stay at a party where you’re drinking longer, and drink far more than you originally intended.”

Interestingly, Marczinski says, by combining these results with other work she has done on energy drinks, she found that it’s not energy drinks’ primary ingredient, caffeine, that’s problematic. Rather, it’s the mix of other awakening ingredients in the beverages that may be contributing to the enhanced alcohol high. When she compared the stimulation ratings between those who drank beverages made only from caffeine powder and those who drank alcoholic energy drinks, she found that the combination resulted in far greater alertness than the caffeine alone. “I always thought that it was a marketing thing when they mention the other things they put in like taurine, glucose and ginseng,” she says. “But I think they do facilitate that stimulation; it’s not just the caffeine.”

Marczinski was able to assess changes in behavior only 45 minutes after the participants enjoyed their drinks, so she didn’t record any increase in impaired judgment or behavior, but, she says, that may be because the subjects weren’t monitored long enough.

Even so, the increased stimulation and impulsivity makes the combination of alcohol and energy drinks a dangerous one, especially for underage drinkers who may think they are capable of drinking more than their limit, or even driving after a party. “Even with just alcohol alone, young, underage drinkers are bad at deciding how safe a driver they are, but I think this would make that situation far worse,” Marczinski says. And it’s just another reminder not to drink and drive — no matter what combination of spirits you’re consuming.

Gay Friendly Communities Are Good for Straight Teens Too….

Sexual Health

Gay Friendly Communities Are Good for Straight Teens Too….

A spate of suicides involving gay teens last fall reignited concern among youth activists and health experts over the disproportionately high rate of suicide among gay American teens. Now, a survey of high-school students in Oregon highlights a key risk factor for suicide — living in a socially and politically conservative area — not only among lesbian, gay and bisexual teens, but in heterosexual kids too.

The survey of nearly 32,000 11th-graders found that suicide attempts by lesbian, gay and bisexual teens were 20% more likely in conservative communities that were unsupportive of gays — areas with fewer same-sex couples, fewer registered Democrats, and schools that lacked gay-straight alliances or policies against bullying gay students — compared with communities that scored high on the researchers’ “social index.” That difference in risk persisted, even after researchers accounted for other suicide risk factors such as depression and bullying.

What’s more, the rate of suicide attempts among straight teens in conservative communities was also higher — by 9% — than in areas that were more politically and socially liberal. The finding suggests that widespread acceptance and support contribute to the well-being of all community members, not just those who identify with minority groups.

“The results of this study are pretty compelling,” said the study’s lead investigator, Mark L. Hatzenbuehler of Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, in a statement. “When communities support their gay young people, and schools adopt anti-bullying and anti-discrimination policies that specifically protect lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth, the risk of attempted suicide by all young people drops, especially for LGB youth.”

Still, according to the 2006-08 survey, gay teens were much more likely to have attempted suicide in the last year than their straight peers: among gay teens, the attempted suicide rate was a whopping 21.5% overall — five times higher than among straight teens.

Religious women use contraception regularly……

Reproductive Health

Religious women use contraception regularly……

2011-04-14

Most sexually active women use contraception, regardless of their religious beliefs, says a report from the Guttmacher Institute, an organization working to advance reproductive and sexual health  in the U.S. and worldwide.

“Regardless of religious affiliation, the majority of women use highly effective contraception methods, so any efforts to restrict access to these methods is going to impact these populations,” said Rachel K. Jones, the lead author.

The report was based on a U.S. government survey that represented the nation. The data came from 2006-2008 interviews of over 7,000 women aged 15-44.

It found that 69% of sexually active women from any denomination were using highly effective birth control methods including sterilization, the pill or other hormonal method, or an intrauterine device (IUD). In addition, almost all have reported contraceptive use at some point, a figure that is similar among Catholic women.

Another key finding was that 68% of Catholics use one of the highly effective methods, but only 2% rely on natural family planning. That number is comparable to 73% of Mainline Protestants and 74% of Evangelicals.

“A lot of times, religion is either not associated with contraception at all, or, in the case of the Catholic church, being against contraception.” Jones added. “In the real world, women who have religious beliefs and who attend church also use contraception.”

In addition, male or female sterilization was most common in the Evangelical church; more than four in 10 women of this denomination use the method.

And marital status did not change things.

“Across religious denominations, married women are using highly effective contraceptive methods,” she said.

Said Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, “These findings show yet again that birth control is a common practice — and a common need — for women of different faiths and backgrounds.

“As Congress considers yet another effort to bar Planned Parenthood from providing family planning services through federal health programs, it should listen to the message these findings convey.”

Tai Chi Eases Depression in Elderly

Psycological Health

Tai Chi Eases Depression in Elderly

2011-03-21

The ancient Chinese practice of tai chi appears to relieve symptoms of depression in older people, a new study shows.

The findings, published this month in The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, are the latest to suggest that the slow movement, breathing and meditation of tai chi results in meaningful benefits to patients with chronic health problems. Other recent studies have shown that practicing tai chi may provide benefits for patients with arthritis and fibromyalgia. But the newest research is important because depression is notoriously difficult to treat in older people, many of whom are already coping with other health problems and are less likely to respond to drug treatment.

Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, studied 112 older adults in whom major depression had been diagnosed, including many who had been struggling with the illness for years. Their average age was about 70. Everyone was first treated with Lexapro, and 73 exhibited a partial improvement but still scored high on depression scales. The rest of the patients dropped out of the study, including just one patient who had a full remission after drug treatment.

The remaining depressed patients were randomly assigned to either a 10-week course of tai chi or a health education class, which included 10 minutes of simple stretching exercises. Both courses were given for two hours once a week.

After 10 weeks of tai chi, 94 percent of depressed older adults showed marked improvement on depression scales, compared with 77 percent in the health education group. And 65 percent of the people in the tai chi group experienced remission, compared with 51 percent in the education group.

The tai chi group also showed marked improvement in measures of physical function, cognitive tests and blood tests measuring levels of inflammation.

“Altogether the effects were pretty dramatic,’’ said Dr. Helen Lavretsky, lead author and professor of psychiatry at U.C.L.A. “If a psychiatrist were to add exercise like tai chi, which is very nondemanding and easy to access, that would be a very beneficial thing instead of adding another drug.”

Dr. Lavretsky said one reason both study groups showed improvement was that all the patients probably benefited from spending time with other people, whether it was in the practice of tai chi or the group education class. “I’m sure the social aspect contributed to the improvement in both groups,’’ she said. “In the control group we see improvement, and that was purely because of the social interaction and bonding that occurred.”

But the marked improvement in the tai chi group suggests an additional benefit from tai chi. Research has shown tai chi can improve physical function and quality of life, relieve stress and anxiety and lead to improved sleep quality, the study authors noted.

The study used a form of tai chi called T’ai Chi Chih that uses 20 simple exercises that are nonstrenuous and easy enough to be performed by older adults.

Dr. Lavretsky said the findings are exciting because depression is so difficult to treat in older people, two-thirds of whom don’t respond to initial drug therapy. Often when a patient doesn’t respond to the first drug, an additional drug is given, but that’s not always practical for patients who are already taking 10 or 15 drugs for other health problems. A study this month found that more than 60 percent of patients over 65 experience moderate or major side effects the first time they are prescribed an antidepressant.

“This is very easily translatable into community care,’’ she said. “As their health improves, they may be able to reduce the other drugs they are taking for pain or other problems.”

What the Yuck: How do I stop snoring?

featured, Uncategorized, ,

What the Yuck: How do I stop snoring?

Too embarrassed to ask your doctor about sex, body quirks, or the latest celeb health fad? In a regular feature and a new book, “What the Yuck?!,” Health magazine medical editor Dr. Roshini Raj tackles your most personal and provocative questions. Send ’em to Dr. Raj at whattheyuck@health.com.

Q: I’m afraid I’m a loud snorer. Is there anything I can do to prevent this from happening when I spend the night with my new man?

You mean aside from lying awake all night? First, don’t drink alcohol. It can make snoring worse by relaxing your throat’s muscles. When you breathe in and out, those relaxed muscles vibrate, and you snore.

Also, congested nasal passages contribute to snoring, so you might want to bring along a box of nasal strips and pop one on before climbing in bed (just say you have allergies). They may not be pretty, but they open up your nasal passages from the outside in, letting air flow more easily.

If these moves don’t help you get your snoring under control, you may have obstructive sleep apnea – a serious respiratory condition – and should make an appointment to discuss this problem with your doctor.

But, to be honest, you shouldn’t be embarrassed about this or any other bodily function. If this is going to be a long-term relationship, sooner or later he’s going to hear you snore. And if he dumps you because of that, what a jerk!

First period tied to girl's weight…..

Reproductive Health

First period tied to girl's weight…..

2011-03-18

Overweight or obese girls get their first period months earlier than their normal-weight peers, according to a Danish study.

It’s nothing new that girls are getting younger and younger when they have their first period, but experts worry that the current obesity epidemic could be fueling that trend.

Early-onset menstruation is linked to later health problems such as breast cancer, said Sarah Keim, a researcher at The Ohio State University College of Medicine in Columbus, who wasn’t involved in the new study.

Girls who get their period early in life are also more likely to have sex sooner than their peers, Keim added, which increases the risk of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

About 17 percent of American kids and teens are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For the study, researchers used information on body mass index (BMI) — a measure of weight in relation to height — and age at first period from about 3,200 Danish girls born between 1984 and 1987.

The girls started their period just after they had turned 13, on average, which is about half a year later than in the U.S. Keim said part of the reason for this difference may be that African-Americans tend to start their periods before white girls.

On average, a girl got her period about 25 days earlier for every point her BMI increased. For a female of about average height and weight, a one-point change in BMI is equivalent to about six pounds.

Overweight and obese girls, for example, got their period three to five months before normal-weight girls, said Anshu Shrestha, a graduate student at UCLA School of Public Health, who worked on the study.

There has been past research showing a link between BMI and when girls start menstruating. However, since this study was done more recently, it shows that the link is holding up in today’s generation, Keim said.

The researchers also found that a girl’s mother’s weight was related to when her daughter started menstruating, but less so than earlier work had hinted.

For every point her mother’s BMI when pregnant went up, the girl’s period came about a week earlier, according to the new study, which was published in the journal Fertility and Sterility.

Keim said the Danish findings reinforce the importance of keeping a healthy weight.

“It’s important for your entire life, starting from very early on,” she told Reuters Health. “And it can even affect your children’s health.”

SOURCE: bit.ly/hcyCJQ Fertility and Sterility, online March 10, 2011.

Hormones may be better than soy for hot flashes

Sexual Health

Hormones may be better than soy for hot flashes

2011-03-17

Hormone replacement therapy may work slightly better than soy at reducing menopausal hot flashes, a new study says.

Women who took such hormones had fewer hot flashes, on average, than women who took soy – and both had fewer than those who took a placebo, or “dummy pill.”

“The bottom line for someone who is very disturbed by hot flashes, the best treatment is hormones, and the next tier would be soy,” said Dr. Gloria Bachmann, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey.

However, a 2002 landmark study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that such treatments can increase the risk of breast cancer, heart disease and stroke. That means that if women do take hormones, Bachmann told Reuters Health, it should be the lowest dose and for the shortest possible period of time.

And not every woman needs treatment, notes Bachmann, who was not involved in the study. Women with severe or frequent hot flashes or whose hot flashes keep them up at night, should consider treatment, she said.

Women typically suffer between 30 and 150 hot flashes a month, said Dr. Rafael Bolanos-Diaz, professor of health economics at San Marcos University in Lima, Peru, who co-authored the study.

Women who took hormones had an average of 24 fewer hot flashes per month, while those who took soy had 12 per month fewer. The study did not look at whether eating soy in food has the same effect on hot flashes as supplements, Bolanos-Diaz said.

The researchers looked at 19 studies on how a treatment, either hormones or soy, compared to a placebo. They compared the average number of hot flashes in 760 women who had treatment with 770 who did not.

The study was published in Menopause: The Journal of the North American Menopause Society.

Soy hasn’t been studied as much as hormone replacement to treat hot flashes, and doctors don’t know exactly how it works. It’s thought to have similar effects to estrogen on the brain, bones, and blood vessels, Bolanos-Diaz told Reuters Health by email.

Soy supplements also have side effects: Nausea, bloating, and constipation, according to the NIH. A month’s supply costs about $12, while a month of hormone tablets runs between $40 and $60.

“For some women, hormone therapy is the best option, for some soy is best, and for some, it’s just watchful waiting until the hot flashes subside,” Bachmann said.

SOURCE: bit.ly/hBua85 Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society