Health Pecking Order

One thing I have noticed when it comes to taking care of one's health is that the order of quickest to act when there is a problem is:

1. women
2. gay men
3. straight men

Any ideas why?

Straight men usually have to be in severe pain before coming in for chiropractic care or they are dragged in by their wives/girlfriends.  I haven't noticed too much difference between hetero- and homosexual women.

Risky Swinging

Do you swing?  Swinger?  Over 45 and swinging?  Oh...then you'd better swing wisely...'cus I got some not so swinging news for you: Aging swingers are at a heightened risk for STDs.

According to a recent Dutch study, swingers in general, but especially the older set, pick up sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) at a greater rate than heterosexual non-swingers, teens or gay/bisexual men (the latter two considered high risk groups).  The study looked at data collected on nearly 9,000 patient visits at three sexual health/STD clinics in 2007 and 2008.  Approximately 12% of those visits were reported to be by swingers--heterosexual people that engage in wife swapping or that frequent sex clubs for couples.

About 55% of all chlamydia and gonorrhea cases diagnosed in the study were in swingers, compared for instance to 31% in gay men.  One in every ten swingers tested positive for chlamydia, while one in twenty tested positive for gonorrhea.  Bummer.

And as the swingers aged, their incidences of STDs also increased.  10.4% of the male swingers over age 45 had chlamydia and/or gonorrhea, compared to only 2.4% of other male heterosexuals; while 18 % of female swingers over 45 had chlamydia, compared to 4% of other heterosexual women, and less than 3% of prostitutes.

Wait...what?  That's right, prostitutes had lower incidences of STDs than did swingers.  Doh!

OK, ok...too obvious: Hookers use condoms...swingers don't.  Not smart swinging, if you ask me.

Listen, if you're gonna swing, would it hurt to bring a few rubbers?  I know, I know...but maybe others will catch on.  Why, you could be a swinging STD activist.  Yes, I can see it now, the swinger that brings responsible behavior to the orgy.  A little square, yes--but safe, no doubt.  And better to be safe swinging than urine stinging, I always say.  So go ahead, buck convention.  Wear condoms--they work.

Another Sexual Health Warning

Heed the warning, readers: Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are on the rise, and some pretty nasty ones are out there to get you. You already know from an earlier post that syphilis is back with a vengeance, but you can add to that rectal gonorrhea and new HIV infections for the unwise. Rounding out the mix is the antibiotic resistant strain of Staphylococcus aureus, which researchers think is being transmitted among gay men during sex.

A new study appearing in the Annals of Internal Medicine reports that methicillin-resistant Staph aureus (MRSA) is showing up outside of hospitals in San Francisco, Boston, New York and Los Angeles. It states that gay men are 13 times more likely to get infected than heterosexual men. Researchers believe that the infection is being spread through sexual activity, and that illicit drug use and increased risky sexual behavior is fueling the transmission. Because Staph aureus can, and in some people does, colonize around the anus, those having sex which might break the skin are at a greater risk of infection.

I don't have to tell you how dangerous MRSA is. It's resistant to penicillins, a common class of antibiotics, and is therefore difficult to treat, often requiring intravenous antibiotic drug therapy...which ain't cheap. If the infection gets bad enough it can lead to death--approximately 19,000 people were killed by MRSA (mostly in hospitals) in 2005.

So what's the advice? C'mon people: Use protection without exception! Safe sex is still in. It better be, because the alternative just isn't worth it. And not to sound like a Moral Majorist here, but...keep the number of sexual partners to a reasonably modest amount, sheesh. Hey, I'm not knocking a good orgy; heavens no. But the days of wine and roses are over--they ended in the 70s. Free love costs beaucoup bucks now. So be smart. No glove, no love. Simple as that.