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There’s a Good Reason to Stop Freaking Out About Your Penis Size

There’s a Good Reason to Stop Freaking Out About Your Penis Size

2017-08-29

Over 4,000 men revealed how they really feel about their junk

Not exactly happy with the whole package once your boxers come off? You’re not alone: A sizable number of guys aren’t satisfied with some physical aspect of their junk—and that can influence how often they get busy under the sheets, a new study in the Archives of Sexual Behavior suggests.

In the study, researchers asked more than 4,100 men to report how they felt about certain physical aspects of their genitals. Then, they asked them questions about their sexual behavior to see if how they felt about their appearance influenced their sex lives.

Guys were most satisfied with the shape of the head of their penis and with their circumcision status. They felt pretty neutral about the scent of their genitals and their genital veins.

As for the issues plaguing the most guys? Twenty-seven percent said they were dissatisfied with the length of their flaccid penis, 19 percent were unhappy with the length of their erect penis, and 15 percent were displeased with the girth of their erect penis. (Find out how your penis size compares to average.)

The researchers discovered that while most men were reasonably satisfied with their genitals overall, 14 percent indicated they weren’t pleased with their junk, meaning they averaged a 3 or below on the 7-point scale that gauged satisfaction.

And it seems like that unhappiness carried over into the bedroom. Men who were dissatisfied with their genitals were less likely to report being sexually active than those who were fine with their junk.

They had less sex, too. For instance, 50 percent of men who were satisfied with their genitals reported experiencing weekly sexual activity, compared to 39 percent of men unhappy with what was below the belt. What’s more, the dissatisfied guys were also significantly less likely to be on the receiving end of oral sex.

It’s possible that lower satisfaction with your junk can cause anxiety in the bedroom, which may translate to poorer sexual function—making you more likely to shy away from sex, the researchers say.

When looking specifically at the drop in oral sex, the researchers believe that guys who are unhappy with their genitals may feel uncomfortable engaging in the act, which has been rated as more intimate than regular intercourse. (This intimate massage oil can help draw you closer together, too.)

Bottom line: Stop picking apart your package. Plus, chances are, whatever you’re packing below the belt, chances are, you’re much more critical of it than she is. In fact, a UCLA study found that 84 percent of women were satisfied with their partner’s penis size. To make the most of what you’ve got, try the best sex positions for every penis size.

Youth Are Helping To Change The Birth Story Around The World

Youth Are Helping To Change The Birth Story Around The World

2017-08-22

We are inundated with birth stories in our day-to-day lives. Glance at the magazine rack while in line at the grocery store and you’ll see at least one headline announcing a new celebrity baby. Or scroll your social media feed — just last month the story of Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s twins “broke the internet.”

In Bangladesh, the early and forced marriage of girls is very common especially in poverty-prone rural areas. The marriage rate of young girls in Bangladesh is eleven times higher than boys. Many young girls are made to give up their education in order to marry and raise families, when they reach puberty. But early and forced marriage puts a girl’s health and wellbeing at serious risk. It can lead to girls experiencing violence, sexual abuse, premature pregnancies, and death in childbirth.
Tohura married a 21 year old man when she was 11. They both say they were in love though and Tohura has always been treated well by her husband.

Then there are the birth stories we hear far less about.One woman dies every two minutes from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth.About 16 million girls aged 15 to 19 give birth every year — most in low- and middle-income countries.Complications from pregnancy and childbirth are the second leading cause of death for girls aged 15 to 19 across the world.

And 2.7 million newborn babies die every year.

The birth stories above are grim but they are not predestined — they can change when communities become catalysts for transformative change.In a small school in Honduras, a group of boys are gathered in a circle. A facilitator is leading the group in a trust-building exercise, creating a safe and open space where the boys can reflect on gender stereotypes and ideas of masculinity. One young man explains how he feels pressure to act aggressively. Another reflects on his younger sister being afraid to walk to school alone.

When we think about changing these stories the first thing that comes to mind is probably not a group of young men participating in trust-building exercises and discussing masculinity. Unfortunately, unequal gender relations and values are often at the root of poor health outcomes for women and girls.

In areas where Plan International and its partners work on maternal, newborn, child, and sexual and reproductive health projects, men make most of the decisions.

In Nigeria, when asked about family planning, one woman said, “the woman first has to ask for permission from the husband [to seek family planning services], if he allows her, she will go ahead and if he doesn’t allow her she cannot.”

Because of their age, adolescent girls bear the brunt of these injustices. They are financially dependent on their partners and families and have less decision-making power. They also face a higher risk of complications with pregnancy and childbirth.

regnant adolescents are often the most isolated. They are distanced from their peers and often barred from school. If they are pregnant and unmarried they can face enormous stigma, ostracized by their families and communities and unable to access health services. An adolescent girl in Senegal told us, “as soon as the doctor knows you’re not married he can have prejudices against you and change his behaviour and not receive you in the same fashion as married women.”

It is not simply a matter of distributing contraceptives, improving health services, or changing laws — though these are critical steps. Real change requires sustained work to tackle the root causes of gender discrimination and inequality in every sphere — from private relationships to public systems. Shifting entrenched and structural norms is not easy, but it is the only way to uproot the inequalities that prevent girls and women from realizing their rights.

Plan International Canada works to ignite and support these conversations in communities in GhanaHaiti, Bangladesh, Senegal, Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi and Nigeria, helping to change the birth story for adolescent girls and women in these communities.

Youth-led conversations, like the one in the classroom in Honduras are critical to ensuring sexual and reproductive health rights for girls. In a similar session in Tanzania, a young man shared: “I think for us who have changed, we should just continue to educate other men through our actions in such a way that our friends who have not yet changed will learn from our actions.”

his can take many forms, from simple conversations like the ones in the classrooms in Honduras and Tanzania to community theatre where youth address gender stereotypes through drama, to empowerment clubs where girls increase their ability to assert their rights and challenge norms.

You can be part of this real change. Join the movement of Canadians who pledge to stand with Canada to change the birth story — because they believe that every adolescent girl, woman and child has the right to be healthy and to live a life free of discriminationand help change the birth story today.

Saadya Hamdani is a Senior Gender Equality Advisor for Plan International Canada.

It’s not your age, it’s the age of the person you feel that matters when it comes to sex

It’s not your age, it’s the age of the person you feel that matters when it comes to sex

f you want to maintain an active sex life as you get older, try feeling young – if you can.That’s the advice from the leading institute of research into sexual behaviour The Kinsey Institute.

It’s research shows that frequency of sexual relations drops off quite dramatically as people age.While there are, of course always exceptions, it seems the pattern is fairly constant.The findings, published in the The Journal of Sex Research, show that people under the age of 30 typically have sex twice a week – about 112 times a year.Those in the 30 to 39 category are likely to get intimate less frequently – about 1.6 times per week, or 86 times a year.

Then those who are aged between 40 and 49 have sex only 69 times per year, about half the amount of those in the 18 to 29 category.Scientists carrying out the research carried out two interviews – ten years apart – with 1,170 individuals in America.They found the reasons people tend to have less sex as they get older weren’t just down to physical factors – but often emotional ones.

In his Kinsey Institute blog, Dr Justin Lehmiller said: “Those who feel older and have more negative attitudes toward aging are likely to perceive the sharpest declines in the quality of their sex lives.“At the same time, the younger people feel, the more likely they are to maintain high sexual satisfaction as they get older – or at least they’ll experience a much less noticeable change.“More generally, this study provides further support for the idea that your brain really is your biggest sex organ.“No matter where you are in the lifespan — from your teenage to your twilight years — the way you feel about yourself can fundamentally shape your experience of sex.

“The basic storyline that has emerged from these studies is that, as we get older, our odds of developing chronic health conditions increases and this, in turn, negatively impacts the frequency and quality of sexual activity.”Physical issues such as heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes were all cited as causes of impotence among men as they got older.However the experts say that discussing health-related sexual difficulties in the context of a relationship or seeking medical help could make the biggest difference in improving sexual health.

 

Is the ‘family planning’ aisle in drug stores homophobic?

Is the ‘family planning’ aisle in drug stores homophobic?

2017-08-17

A gay anthropologist in Britain has started a one man mission to get the “family planning” aisle renamed in drug stores. In a world gone mad, Jamie Lawson is standing up for those who can’t procreate and he’s taking his case to corporate headquarters.

Lawson, a gay man, stopped by a local Sainsbury supermarket last June and wanted to pick up some condoms and lube along with his groceries. But when he found the items under a “family planning” banner, he took his complaint to Twitter.

“I am a gay man; the sex I have is non-reproductive by definition,” Lawson told Mic, saying the phrasing made him “self-conscious in a way that heterosexual people [aren’t].”

Months later, Lawson has contacted and compared several chains’ choice of words for the sexual health section. Our friends over at Queerty have a good rundown of the back and forth between the activist and various outlets, but what about American drugstores?

Mic took a look at three popular American chains and found the results were similar if not worse. CVS has a “family planning” section that includes condoms, lube, toys and spermicides. Pregnancy tests were in a separate “feminine care” section with tampons. Duane Reed fared the best with “family planning” and “sexual wellness” sections sitting side by side. Rite Aid also had both “family planning” and “feminine care” sections, but they were closer together.

A brand manager explained to Mic that in the public’s mind the terms “sexual health” and “family planning” are often one and the same, but “sexual health” makes some people uncomfortable. They want to “get in and get out” quickly. They put the sections in the back of the store to make people more comfortable since it’s more private.

But does that make a drugstore shelf designated for “family planning” homophobic?

“There are quite a few of us for whom sex has nothing to do with reproduction at all,” Lawson wrote in a blog post. “I’m a man who has sex with men, for example. No man that I’ve ever had sex with has been capable of becoming pregnant (which is not to say none are), so ‘family planning’ has been pretty low on my list of priorities when I’m thinking about orgasms. LGBTQI+ people of various types and combinations tend, on the whole, to have sex for pleasure, rather than reproduction and, furthermore, when queer people do decide to reproduce, we probably don’t go shopping for condoms.

“In fact, if you really start to look at it, if you follow that idea all the way down this particular rabbit hole, then it starts to look as if the fact that LGBTQI+ people have sex for pleasure is what it is about us that society (people en masse) really objects to.”

 

More Men Are Taking Antidepressants Than Ever Before

More Men Are Taking Antidepressants Than Ever Before

Nearly 1 in 10 men report taking the pills in the last month, a new report finds

 

Do you pop a pill to beat the blues? If so, you’re not alone: More men are taking antidepressants than ever before, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

After combing through the numbers from 2011 to 2014—the most recent data available—the CDC found nearly 1 in 10 men reported taking antidepressant medication in the past month. That’s a 69 percent increase from 1999 to 2002, when only 5 percent of men reported taking antidepressants.

What’s more, 21 percent of men reported taking antidepressants for 10 years or more. While women were twice as likely to report taking antidepressants as men, there was no significant difference in how long both genders used the medication.

It’s worthy to note that nearly half of all antidepressant prescriptions are given out to treat conditions other than depression each year, according to one 2016 JAMA study. Physicians reported prescribing the pills for anxiety, pain, insomnia, and panic disorders, too.

But the scary part is, when looking at antidepressants as a depression treatment in men, it’s possible these numbers might not paint the whole picture. That’s because men deal with depression differently than women, and may not even be coming forward about their symptoms.

“Male depression sometimes manifests through the ‘male code’ that says you cannot show weakness, sadness, or vulnerability,” Fred Rabinowitz, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at California’s University of Redlands, told Men’s Health in December.

And depression in guys tends not to be as easily identifiable, either—so it’s possible that men might not identify what they’re feeling as depression. Symptoms of depression in men can show up as things like anger, impulsivity, and substance use, rather than just simply sadness or the blues. In fact, when researchers from the University of Michigan surveyed more than 5,600 men and women using symptoms of depression more common in men as the basis for diagnosis, 6 percent of men met the criteria compared to 22 percent of women. But when they used the traditional symptoms of depression, more women fit the criteria than men.

Another reason guys may put off depression treatment? Some guys don’t like dealing with the side effects of antidepressants, says Rabinowitz. They includes weight gain, insomnia, and yes, even sexual problems like erectile dysfunction and delayed ejaculation.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors—a common class of antidepressants that includes Prozac, Zoloft, and Lexapro—may manipulate the neurotransmitters in your brain, which can delay your orgasm, according to urologist Tobias Köhler, M.D. But don’t use fear of those sexual side effects as a reason to put off seeking care: Other types of antidepressants don’t seem to cause the same problems. (Here are four more common medications that can kill your sex life.)

Suicide is the seventh leading cause of death in men—and untreated depression can act as a possible trigger. So if you think your sadness or other mood symptoms may be something more serious, see your doctor. He or she will be able to determine if something else might be causing your symptoms, like a medication with unpleasant side effects.

Plus, he or she may be able to refer you to psychiatrist if they think your symptoms point to depression. Research suggests that a combination of therapy and medication is the best treatment. However, every guy is different—a lot of men need to be encouraged to seek therapy by a family member or friend before they even consider it.

Additional reporting by Melissa Romero

http://www.menshealth.com/health/antidepressant-use-on-the-rise-in-men

Does Sex Get Better When You’re Pregnant? You May Be Surprised

Does Sex Get Better When You’re Pregnant? You May Be Surprised

I remember my first pregnancy well. Thanks to being gifted with a morning sickness that just wouldn’t quit, and a really fun type of neuropathy that made patches of my skin painful to touch, I was miserable. My second pregnancy, though? I was a changed woman, and my arousal was off the charts. I took advantage of it, especially with all that increased sensitivity, but does sex get better when you’re pregnant? Turns out, the answer is not universal.

According to Our Bodies, Ourselves, sexual desire during pregnancy runs the gamut between non-existent and a rabbit during mating season. The reasons are fairly complex for this spectrum of sexual need. First, not everyone is going to respond to the effects of hormones in the same way. For some women, myself included, pregnancy isn’t always this miraculous thing that happens, rather it’s something to endure.

Some women, however, enjoy the rush of blood flow, and the increased lubrication, and extra sensitive nipples, according to the University of California, San Francisco. These are just symptoms of pregnancy, but they can attribute to some of the best sex of your life when you’re pregnant. Does sex get better when you’re expecting? It definitely can.

The changes that happen in your body with pregnancy are such that they can swing the pendulum in either direction. Not only that, many men find pregnant women very attractive. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health suggested that this is an evolutionary imperative that assures the continuation of the species. It is a biological mechanism put in place so that men continue to play fast and loose with their reproduction.

However, if your pregnancy makes you feel crummy, and your sex drive isn’t as great as it was before you got pregnant, that’s OK, too.

My pregnancies were night and day. While the first trimester is never something I do well, when I got into my second trimester with my second pregnancy, I felt renewed. I felt strong and sexy, and most of all, ready for sex. My husband was into it, too. I mean, who wouldn’t be into their wife diving into their pants just as soon as their toddler fell asleep?

It was honestly some of the most intimate and pleasurable sex of my life — something I couldn’t have dreamed of during my first pregnancy. If you’re concerned about your level of arousal, or lack thereof, there is no shame in talking to your provider and your partner about what is going on. Pregnancy is a strange time in your life, and you’ll need all the support you can get — even if that support is holding up your hips so your belly doesn’t pull you down into the mattress.

10 contraceptive myths you should stop listening to;

10 contraceptive myths you should stop listening to;

2017-08-03

Falsehoods can get in the way of sound contraception advice

Contraception: we all use it. It’s an important part of our sexual and reproductive health – and yet it’s still one of the most misunderstood areas of our common healthcare. I’ve met several sensible adults who believe myths about how to avoid unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. It’s time to set the record straight and separate the truth from the speculation…

1. The withdrawal method means you can’t get pregnant

This has to be one of the most common and widespread contraception myths. It’s easy to see why – in school we’re taught that the moment of ejaculation is the moment the sperm is released. That’s followed by a convenient story about the sperm meeting the egg and the magic of new life occurring. It’s a good story, but real life is a lot more messy and complicated than that. In reality, men often release small amounts of ejaculate (the fluid which contains sperm) before they climax. Withdrawing before climax will certainly reduce your chances of pregnancy, but it won’t eliminate them.

. The birth control pill makes you gain weight

There is lots of speculation out there about the way the pill impacts your metabolism and hunger levels. Like many myths, there is an element of truth here, but it’s still very misleading. Weight gain only happens if you eat too much for your needs. Hormones occasionally alter your appetite, which may mean you choose to eat more, but the pill doesn’t directly cause weight gain.

3. Being on the pill for a long time makes it harder to get pregnant

This idea has persisted for years. It is utterly false. It is in fact very likely to get pregnant as soon as you stop the pill. If it wasn’t true there wouldn’t be so many unexpected pregnancies from forgetting to start again after your seven-day break.

4. You have to take the pill at the same time every day

This is true for the older forms of the progesterone only mini-pill, but not the most common birth control pills that will be prescribed by your GP today. Although this is a myth, it’s actually quite a useful one – taking the pill at a regular time will help you remember and reduce the chances of missing a day, but the good news is, if you take the pill first thing in the morning, a couple of hours lie-in won’t stop it from working.

5. It’s a good idea to take a break in your birth control

Some people worry that taking the pill for too long could impact their reproductive health, so they take breaks whenever they can. The reality is that a pause in your use of the pill won’t really make much difference.

These days the hormones within birth control pills are at very low levels, so you can continue to take them for many years without problems. Taking a break in your birth control pills is only advisable if you are trying to get pregnant. A very common unexpected pregnancy story we hear is the one where you go off the pill because you’ve broken up; forgetting all of our propensity for making up unexpectedly with an ex.

6. You can’t get pregnant if you have sex during your period

It’s unlikely, but it’s far from impossible. Sperm can live inside the body for up to seven days and most women have fairly irregular cycles, so it’s hard to know exactly when the egg will be released. If you ovulate soon after your period, you could become pregnant. It’s very hard to predict the ‘safe’ times during your cycle.

8. Two condoms make sex safer

Condoms are 98% effective, but doubling up doesn’t double your odds. In actual fact, the two condoms will rub together and are actually more likely to split than a single condom.

9. The pill or IUD is all the protection I need

These are both fantastic methods of contraception, but they do nothing to protect you from sexually transmitted infection. If you’re on the pill and you’re seeing a range of partners, you should still use a condom. If you have one, regular partner, consider going for STI tests to make sure you are both negative. After that, it’s up to you.

10. I’m breastfeeding so I can’t get pregnant

New mothers often believe this common myth. It is true that breastfeeding tends to delay ovulation, making it less likely that you will conceive – but, unless you really want to risk adding to the family much sooner than you expect, don’t rely on it.

Deciding when to start a family is one of the most important decisions we will ever make, but frustratingly, when it comes to contraception, there seem to be a lot of myths in circulation. If you have concerns or need some concrete advice, don’t be afraid to consult your doctor. They can help you to separate the truths from the falsehoods.

Dr. Seth Rankin is founder of London Doctors Clinic

Trans Health-Sexual Health for Transmen

Trans Health-Sexual Health for Transmen

Sexual health is part of being human. Like anyone else, as a transgender man you want to feel positive about your body. You want to have sex that is safe, feels good, and is rewarding.

Each transman is unique.

• You may or may not have had surgery.

• You may or may not take hormones.

• What you like to do when you have sex is unique to you

Take care of your body. It’s important to being a healthy man.

What about my chest health?

Even if you’ve had your chest redone, you may still be at risk of cancer. Talk with your provider about getting chest health screenings and mammograms. Tell your provider about any family history of breast cancer.

What about STDs?

Like anyone else who has sex, transmen are at risk of getting a sexually transmitted disease (STD). People get STDs from having oral, anal, and vaginal sex. But you can protect yourself:

• Use a condom or a dental dam every time you have sex.

• Get tested for STDs and HIV. Ask your provider how often to get tested.

• If you have an STD, get treated right away.

What if I take hormones?

Taking testosterone (T) will often cause your periods to stop in 1 to 6 months. You may get cramps during or after orgasm. If you have this pain often, talk to your provider. T can also thin the walls of the vagina. You could to use a low dose estrogen cream inside the vagina to keep it from thinning too much. This will help the vagina from bleeding if you have vaginal sex , which lowers the chances of getting an STD, especially HIV.

What about the health of the cervix?

Transmen are at risk for cancer of the cervix, uterus and ovaries if they still have these parts. The cervix is the opening part of the uterus that connects to the vagina. Cancer of the cervix is caused by certain types of a virus called HPV. It can be passed by skin to skin contact during sex. Ask your provider about getting the HPV vaccine to help protect you from HPV. Transmen with a cervix may also need a Pap test. The Pap test looks at cells from the cervix to see if there are any signs of cancer. Talk to your provider about when and how often you should get a Pap test done. Do I still need a pelvic exam? If you haven’t had surgery, yes. Your provider will check your organs with a pelvic exam. Your provider will check the uterus and ovaries for anything unusual. You may also need further tests. Tell your provider what would make you feel most comfortable during the exam.

Can I still get pregnant?

Some transmen have had surgery to remove the uterus and ovaries. These transmen cannot get pregnant. But, if you still have a uterus and ovaries, you can still get pregnant even if you take testosterone (T). If you don’t want to get pregnant, be sure to use condoms or another birth control method. There are a few birth control methods that do not have hormones. Talk to your provider about which methods are right for you. What if I want to get pregnant? If you still have a uterus and ovaries and want to get pregnant, you will need to stop taking T. High levels of T in your body during pregnancy can cause birth defects in the baby. Talk to your provider before you try to get pregnant.

7 Beets Benefits For Your Health, From Losing Weight To Better Sex

7 Beets Benefits For Your Health, From Losing Weight To Better Sex

2017-07-25

Beets are one of those foods you love, hate, or forget they even existed. The nutrient-dense superfood is getting a second look as more research reveals the beet’s health-boosting effects on the mind and body. Adding more beets to your diet can help boost longevity, from aiding weight loss to preventing chronic diseases, like cancer.

Beets have a rich nutritional profile that provides a plethora of health benefits. Also known as blood turnips, beets are an excellent source of fiber, vitamin C, magnesium, and folate. The underrated vegetable is an acquired taste, but the nutritional powerhouse can add years to your lifespan if consumed on a regular basis.

Below are 7 benefits of beets that boost your physical and mental health.

Boosts Weight Loss

Beets help you detox and lose weight because they contain no fat and are a good source of dietary fiber — half soluble and half insoluble. These two types help fight fat by maintaining proper bowel function and lowering cholesterol levels for weight loss. Similarly, beets are rich in magnesium, a mineral that supports optimal nerve and muscle functioning, which could be beneficial for losing weight.

A 2011 study found high levels of magnesium led to higher levels of testosterone — a hormone that promotes fat tissue loss and increases in muscle. Since muscle burns more calories than fat, maintaining or building muscle can help with shedding the pounds. Moreover, beets contain phytonutrients known as betalains — betanin and vulgaxanthin — which are effective in reducing inflammation and supplying the body with antioxidants. Betalains also support detoxification, which may contribute to weight loss.

Boosts Strength

Beet juice can be valuable if you’re looking to boost endurance during your workout. Previous research has found those who drank beet juice before working out were able to exercise for up to 16 percent longer. Researchers believe the nitrate content in beets, which turns into nitric oxide, reduces the oxygen cost of low-intensity exercise while enhancing the stamina for high-intensity exercise.

In other words, nitrate-rich food can increase exercise endurance.

Improves Digestion

Beetroots have been linked to improving poor digestion by exciting the nerves in the intestines and enhancing the body’s ability to digest food. A cup of beetroot contains 3.4 grams of fiber, which makes beets a good source of fiber. Fiber makes you regular because it bypasses digestion and travels down to the colon, where it feeds friendly gut bacteria or it adds bulk to stool.

Improves Sexual Health

The superfood has been labeled as “nature’s Viagra” due to its nitrate content. Similar to Viagra, beet intake increases nitric oxide formation, which dilates blood vessels and boosts circulation to the penis. This leads to better erections for men during sexual intercourse, and helps them last longer in bed.

Lowers Blood Pressure

Beetroot juice can effectively lower blood pressure in men. In a study published in Nutrition, men and women who drank 17.6 ounces of beet juice, which consisted of about three-fourths beet juice and one-fourth apple juice, had a lower systolic blood pressure six hours later. However, when researchers limited their analysis to men, they found a significant reduction of about 4.7 points among those who drank beetroot juice versus the placebo.

Researchers believe it’s beets’ high nitrate content that produces these heart-healthy effects. The body converts nitrates from sources like beets into nitric oxide in the body. The nitric oxide then relaxes blood vessels and increases oxygen and blood flow, therefore, lowering blood pressure.

Prevents Cancer

The phytonutrients in beets, like betalains, have been found to be cancer-preventive. Animal studies have shown beets inhibit carcinogen formation and increase the production of immune cells and body enzymes that help stop cancer from developing. Specifically, a 2013 study found beetroot extract reduced multi-organ tumor formation in several animal models when added in drinking water.

The science is still murky with humans; a study published in the Australian International Clinical Nutrition Review claimed a 50-year-old man recovered from lung tumor, which clinically corresponded to lung cancer, after consuming beetroot. After six weeks, the tumor disappeared, and four months later, the man gained back over 20 pounds of weight. Researchers are still hesitant on making bold claims about the vegetable.

Boosts Brain Health

Beets are considered brain food that can slow the effects of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Drinking beet juice increases blood flow to the brain of the elderly, which may fight the progression of dementia, according to a 2010 study. A high-nitrate diet led to an increase in blood flow to the white matter of the frontal lobes — the areas of the brain linked to degeneration from dementia and other cognitive disorders.

Folic acid in beetroot can help protect against Alzheimer’s by preventing damage to the hippocampus, which the brain devoted to memory and learning. In an animal study, mice with Alzheimer’s-like plaques in their brains were fed a diet that included a normal amount of folic acid. Those fed the folic acid diet had more brain cells in the hippocampus compared to their folic acid-deficient counterparts.

Researchers suspect that high levels of homocysteine in the brain may damage the DNA of nerve cells in the brain. Folic acid is believed to work by helping protect the brain by allowing nerve cells to repair this DNA damage.

It’s important to talk with your doctor before substituting drugs with beets to treat these various health conditions.

The link between STIs and infertility

The link between STIs and infertility

 

MOST sexually transmitted infections (STIs) can be treated with medication. But sometimes when left untreated, they can have serious reproductive health consequences, among them being infertility.

“Infertility is the inability of a couple to conceive after a year and a half of trying to get pregnant, and can be a source of major distress. It is one of the most common reasons for women to visit their gynaecologists,” says Dr Keisha Buchanan, obstetrician-gynaecologist at ICON Medical Centre.

She says the condition which affects both sexes can be caused by any number of things, but an increasing number of cases have been linked to STIs. These can spread to the womb and to the Fallopian tubes in women, and in men, up along the urethra (through which urine emerges) and the epididymis (the passage where spermatozoa travel from the testicles to the penis).

“The infections cause inflammation and scarring in the pelvic organs in women, such as in the Fallopian tubes and the lining of the womb — a condition called Pelvic Inflammatory Disease. This blocks the passage of the egg so that it cannot meet and be fertilised by the sperm. In men, inflammation of the epididymis and urethra causes scarring and blocks the passage of sperm. This causes the sperm count to fall off,” Dr Buchanan explained.

She said among the list of STIs that may cause infertility are chlamydia, which is the most common, gonorrhea, trichomoniasis, mycoplasma and ureaplasma. Others such as HIV, hepatitis B and C and herpes, however, carry their own set of risks but do not cause infertility.

She said that people should always investigate their sexual health, especially if they suspect that they could be carrying an infection. She acknowledges, however, that this can sometimes be hard to detect since most of these STIs are subtle and tend to be asymptomatic. This means that whichever party has the infection may not notice any problems, and so may be unaware that they need to get treatment.

“Symptoms in women may present with a watery, milky or yellow vaginal discharge, a blood-stained vaginal discharge, pain in the lower abdomen, pain during sex, fever, symptoms similar to a urinary tract infection — such as burning while urinating and passing the urine too often; while in men you may also see a watery, milky or yellow blood-stained discharge from the penis, pain in the testicles, groin pain, passing the urine too often, or burning during the passage of urine,” Dr Buchanan shared.

In cases where oral sex is practised, soreness in the throat or a discharge in the throat may be present.

Fortunately, however, Dr Buchanan said that these potentially dangerous infections may be easily treated once they are discovered early.

“These infections can be treated with antibiotics; however, the longer the infection is present and is untreated, the greater the chances of damage to the reproductive organs, and thus the likelihood of infertility problems. When some patients do get tested and discover that they have chlamydia, the infection could have already been present for several months,” she said.

Dr Buchanan advised that it is always best to use a condom, to have one sexual partner, or to abstain in an effort to protect yourself against these infections. In the event that you have unprotected sex or sex with multiple partners, Dr Buchanan recommends that you get tested for STIs. She warns against relying on the onset of symptoms alone, because this may be misleading.

“It is important to note that most people who get these infections and are treated will fully recover and will not become infertile. Along with STIs, there are other causes of infertility, such as hormonal imbalances in men and women — fibroids and womb polyps in women, and in men, factors that decrease sperm production such as an excessive exposure of the testicles to heat, cigarette and marijuana smoking.”