Not the Same; A Bit Worse

Listen up, people, to words of wisdom:

"Any intervention that you do to a patient, whether it be surgical or radiation, is never going to make the person (function) better than they are at the present time." ~ Dr. Tracey Krupski, an assistant professor of urology at the University of Virginia

This statement was in reference to a recent study of 152 men that underwent prostate removal surgery (some only partially).  The men were counseled to educate them of the risks, like erectile dysfunction (ED) and urinary incontinence, and surveyed before the surgery.  The survey questions asked about their expectations of urinary, bowel and sexual function a year post-surgery.

About half of men expected that they would have the same function after surgery as before, and 17% of men anticipated better sexual function after the surgery.  Better sexual function...hmmm....

Following up one year later, the researchers found that  just 36% of men's expectations for urinary function matched the true outcomes, and 40% of the expectations for sexual function matched reality.

Daniela Wittmann, the sexual health coordinator in the urology department at the University of Michigan and a researcher on the study, said doctors are unable to tell patients specifically how well they are likely to recover their urinary and sexual functions.

"We can only (inform them) in terms of overall statistics, we can't predict for the individual man" how well he will recover, Wittmann said, "which means that, if in doubt, people tend toward being hopeful and optimistic."

Duh!  Not that knowing the risks to sexual and urinary function should, or would stop men from getting the surgery; but what's important to me is that I'm sure most people feel this way with any medical intervention.  Sure, we can call it hopeful...but we can just as well call it misguided.

Far too many people think the progress of modern medicine is such that we can be made 'good as new'.  Some even believe that we can become bionic--better, stronger, faster...c'mon, geez!

Let me reiterate what the good Dr. Krupski said: You are never going to come out of a surgery or radiation the same or better than you were before.  Duh!  This ain't science fiction, people!  I know, I know...you saw it in a movie...not there yet! 

Listen, you gotta have your prostate removed, so be it.  But elective c-sections, ass-implants, low back surgeries, two, three, four carpal tunnel surgeries, double mastectomies, hysterectomies--what the f....????? You better understand that the minute your tissue is cut--YOU AREN'T THE SAME!

I see it everyday in my Los Angeles chiropractic practice: people coming in following a bad auto accident, and we work hard to get them back to one hundred percent.  How many do we actually get there?  Not many.  Trauma is trauma.  Cut the flesh...it ain't no paper cut.  I had an appendectomy five years ago--I'm not the same; wiser but not 'better'.  That's a fantasy, peeps.

Let me spell it out:  If you've got a choice between letting the innate healing ability of the body do its thing, or removing a body part, think hard.  Looking at enhancing yourself surgically, think hard.  Doctor recommending a 'routine' surgery, think hard.  That's all.  If you still decide to go for it, and they have you take a survey...check the box next to, "not the same; a bit worse."

Vibrators Key to Better Sexual Health

Bzzzzzzz.....listen up, Puritans. Using a vibrator in sexual encounters is linked to better sexual health. Zoinks! You heard me right--pulling Buzzy out of the ol' skivvy drawer can improve your sexual health. Yes, it's fun too--but health, people, health.

So says a study out of Indiana University that polled over 2,000 women, and another that polled over 1,000 men. Men? Vibrators? That's right, the study found that men are buzzin' it up too. Here's what they found:

• Women who used vibrators were more likely to have had gynecologic check up within the past year and were also more likely to have performed a genital self-exam within the past month.
• Women who used vibrators, and particularly recent users, reported more desire, arousal, lubrication, and orgasm, and less pain.
• Most women (71.5%) said they never had any side effects associated with vibrator use and side effects that did occur were generally not severe or long-lasting.

And for men:

• Men who used vibrators, particularly those with recent use, were more likely to report participation in sexual health promoting behaviors, such as testicular self-exam.
• Men who reported recent vibrator use scored themselves higher on sexual desire, erectile function and satisfaction with sex and orgasms, than men who did not report recent vibrator use.

Wow! What a useful study. I'm just waiting for the results of the Ben Wa balls double blind placebo trial. If you have an inquistive mind like I do, then you may be wondering what kind of side effects nearly 600 women had. Hmmm. Vertigo genitalia? Zap n' pap? Battery envy? Makes you wonder, now doesn't it?

Anyway, let's give a big cheer for people who use their vibrators freely and openly; and they aren't afraid to admit it to complete strangers--scientific eggheads, at that. If you are not currently using a vibrator, ladies and gents, then get with it. It's the in thing.

Get Tested!

Good news: More than one million sexual health screens were conducted in Britain in 2007, up 10% from 2006.

Bad news: Diagnosed cases of chlamydia increased by more than 22,000 in the United Kingdom. Youch!

Chlamydia isn't reserved for the UK alone; heck, no--we've got plenty of cases in the United States too. Estimates have American chlamydia cases at 2.3 million with less than half of those actually reported in all 50 states. Yikes!!!

So you know what that means? Well, first let me give you a few facts: Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) that is often silent--that is, many people infected with the bacterium (Chlamydia trachomatis) don't even know it. People that do know generally find out when they develop symptoms: Burning and itching around the penis in men, along with discharge and pissing razor blades. In women, abnormal vaginal discharge or a burning sensation when urinating, while those whose infection spreads to the cervix and fallopian tubes might experience lower abdominal pain, low back pain, nausea, fever, pain during intercourse, or bleeding between menstrual periods.

Worse yet, because chlamydia is silent in so many people--in other words, no symptoms--many cases go undetected, and thus untreated. As a result, infections can progress to serious reproductive and other health problems with both short-term and long-term consequences. In women it can cause pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) (you don't want that) and ultimately, ectopic pregnancy and infertility (definitely don't want that) . Complications in men are rare but can lead to infection of the epididymis, which can cause sterility.

OK, so now what does this all mean? First, one in ten women are infected. So guys, one out of every ten women you hit on are potential carriers* And for women who like women...bad news--you can get chlamydia through oral sex, so infection of the throat is not uncommon. And women who like guys--one in every twelve men is infected, so if you have many options in the dating scene...ahem...practice caution. And guys to guys--well, you've got the triple threat, so see the prevention tips below.

Finally, which group is catching and passing chlamydia the most? Youngsters--people aged 18-24 are the highest risk group. So what to do? Here are the tips:

• Keeping it in your pants is the best all around protection, period. Too prudish for you?
  
• Then having a long-term, monogamous relationship also helps. But if that just isn't in the cards,
• then using condoms, properly, every time you have sex is a must. No glove, no love, baby.
• and then getting tested annually is a great idea, especially if you're female, under twenty-five, and sexually active (particularly if you have multiple sex partners).

If you fear that you might have a sexually transmitted disease, don't hesitate, get tested. If you need further info, check out:

Division of STD Prevention (DSTDP)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
www.cdc.gov/std

*I'm using British numbers here, but for all intents and purposes, we can extrapolate them to qualify the point--U.S. chlamydia numbers are actually 0.1% higher; and since our population is about five times greater than the U.K.'s...well, you do the math.