Firstmed Blog

Why do we have to get naked? Skin cancer, is one reason. That’s right, it’s important to regularly look your body over for detection. Skin cancer is the most prevalent form of cancer in the U.S., with approximately one million new cases each year. It can cause serious problems.

Basal cell and squamous cell cancers are the most common, but melanoma is the most deadly. Melanoma is responsible for over seven thousand deaths a year and the incidence is increasing rapidly. Melanoma is now the number one cancer in younger women and second only to breast cancer in women over the age of 30. White and fair skin people are at the greatest risk. However, skin cancer is deadlier among African-Americans, Hispanics and Asians, even though their risk is less.

Most skin cancer is preventable. But it requires staying out of the sun as much as possible. If you’re going to be exposed, be certain to cover up.

Use a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15 and reapply it throughout the day - especially after swimming or sweating. Be sure to get new sunscreen each year, because last year’s is no longer effective. And, definitely avoid tanning booths, since they’ve been shown to increase your risk. And also, wear a hat that shades your face and both the front and back of your neck, plus a long sleeve shirt and full length pants to cover arms and legs.

A diet rich in carotenoid fruits and vegetables plus a high quality carotenoid supplement can also help protect against skin cancer. Carotenoids are the phytonutrient factors in certain plants that help protect them from sun damage. Luckily, it can do the same for you.

But, you still need to get naked. Take your clothes off and look yourself over for changes in skin. It’s an important habit for protecting yourself from skin cancer. And, always be sure to check out those hard to see places like your back, buttocks, bottom of feet and top of your head. Maybe a friend can help!

I recently came across an article by The Stress Management Society, offering advice to men who suffer from erectile dysfunction.

They warned that, if you focus on the fact that it is not working, you’re visualizing that and ultimately your body will give you whatever it is you visualize subconsciously.

We at Firstmed agree. Though 80% of ED cases are related to physical issues, the importance of the psychology of impotence can never be underestimated. Men who suffer from erectile dysfunction either as a result of stress or of a physical condition, such as Diabetes, should try not to work themselves up about the condition as this could potentially make the situation worse.

People with sexual dysfunctions should try to relax rather than focusing on the problem, taking time to connect with their partner. Regardless of the cause of impotence, there frequently tends to be an impotence-anxiety-impotence cycle that is hard to escape from. It is a vicious circle because men get more stressed about the fact they’ve got erectile dysfunction and the more they focus on how terrible that is, the more stressed they inevitably get.

Doing exercise, managing time better and getting enough rest can help a person to relax and to escape from stress related impotence.

If you agree and have any advice for those newly seeking treatment for ED please let us know.

200 years ago Parkinson’s disease was first discovered, but little progress has been made since then about the cause. Now, in the largest study of its kind, researchers from the Mayo Clinic have discovered that genetics may play a small but significant role in determining one’s risk for the disease.

The study found that genes play as much as a 3 percent role in one’s overall risk for developing Parkinson’s disease. With this new information, further research on the role of these genes may lead to better treatments or even a cure.

This is an important step forward, said a lead study investigator, because the contribution of common genetic risk factors to the development of Parkinson’s has long been suspected.
The researchers collected genetic information from almost 2,700 patients with Parkinson’s disease and compared it with that of healthy men and women of the same age. They found that in many of the Parkinson’s patients, there was one segment of DNA that was a bit longer than in the healthy patients. This section of DNA supports the expression of another gene, alpha-synuclein. So, in Parkinson’s patients this gene is over expressed, or turned on more than in a person without Parkinson’s disease.

While it is not yet known how this genetic defect leads to Parkinson’s, the researchers were able to determine that people with the extra-long DNA segment have a 1.5 greater risk for Parkinson’s disease than someone who doesn’t.

Parkinson’s disease affects around 1 million people in the United States and causes the decay of brain cells. This can cause symptoms of uncontrollable shaking, stiffness, imbalance and uncoordinated movements. There are a few treatments to reduce these symptoms, but, in general, their impact is short-lived.

With this new information, however, researchers can turn their attention to the alpha-synuclein gene.

Findings support the development of therapies that reduce alpha-synuclein gene expression. Such therapies have the potential to prevent or delay the beginning of Parkinson’s disease or to stop or slow its progression.

The Tour de France created quite a stir in London this weekend as thousands of fans gathered in Trafalgar Square to cheer on their cycling heroes. 189 riders were presented to the crowd, estimated to have been around 25,000, ahead of the Grand Depart this weekend.

It will be the first time the Tour has started in England, but the third time it has passed through the country in its 104-year history.

What does this have to do with ED you might wonder? Well bicycle enthusiasts might be interested to know that new studies suggest that a dose of ED treatments, such as Viagra will help more cyclists to climb that summit with more success

The relationship between impotence and cycling has long been a dubious one. There is plenty of anecdotal and clinical evidence to suggest that cycling causes numbness and discomfort in the genital region, but whether or not that equates to long-term impotence is unknown. But now the connection has taken on a new twist.

Following reports that Viagra may improve breathing in low oxygen situations, it seems that cyclists may opt to take erectile dysfunction treatments regardless of whether or not they suffer from ED in order to improve their performance.

Studies suggest that ED treatments may improve breathing in low oxygen situations. This may have a significant effect on cycling in high altitude. Erectile Dysfunction medications work by dilating blood vessels, and this effect might be the reason for the improvements in cyclist’s performance in high altitude settings. By the same method that the drug improves circulation to the penis it can also pump blood through the lungs more efficiently.

Considering the world of professional cycling has been dogged by dope scandals, whether or not this will add a new dimension to drug testing is as yet unknown. Especially considering that Viagra is probably easier to get than steroids or other drugs that improve endurance. Is drug use still rife in professional cycling or has testing reduced it being a rarity rather than the norm.

As we come into the summer months, barbeque and beer season is upon us. It’s easy to forget the damage that overeating and alcohol does to our bodies when we are eating and drinking in the sun. Somehow it seems more natural, in tune with the great outdoors and therefore, healthier. However, don’t be fooled, excessive quantities of meat and alcohol have a knock on effect throughout our bodies, including a man’s ability to maintain an erection and also his levels of fertility.

What a man eats and drinks can have a radical effect on his performance in the bedroom. Unhealthy eating patterns have led to a rise in diabetic suffers in the country and one of the major offshoots of diabetes is impotence. In fact it is estimated that 80% of diabetics suffer from erectile dysfunction.

Diabetes isn’t the only health condition associated with poor dietary habits that can be a precursor to ED. High Blood Pressure and Cholesterol also commonly exist in men with ED. People with high blood pressure and heart disease are more likely than average to develop hardening of the arteries. In this case the arteries tend to develop thicker walls and become narrower inside, thus reducing the flow of blood through them. If this develops in the arteries going to the penis then it will be more difficult for the penis to fill with blood and so impotence may result.

On top of this, many of the medicines used to treat high blood pressure, such as beta-blockers, thiaide diuretics and clonidine, can also cause impotence. Some, but not all, statins and fibrates, used to treat high cholesterol levels, may also have a minor effect.

It is also important to bear in mind that most impotence treatments are unsuitable for men with conditions in which sexual activity is inadvisable, such as severe heart conditions. So the next time you are lazing in the garden, beer and burger in hand, remember that it’s not just a beer belly you’re risking.

As everyone is aware the planet is heating up. Global warming is being discussed everywhere I turn these days but we not longer need experts or scientists to tell us that change is afoot. We can see it and feel it for ourselves. Daffodils blooming in November and sweltering summer days that stretch into September. But what affect if any does this have on the average person’s sex life?

The rising temperatures have prompted us to pay more attention to what we throw out, to how often we get on a plane, to what kind of fuel we put in our cars, but should we also paying attention to the effect the heat has on our sexual performance.

Traditionally, hotter weather is considered something of an aphrodisiac in the same way as spicy food, oysters or chocolate. This may have something to do with raised body temperatures and indeed the practise of the midday siesta in hotter climates. It shouldn’t come as a surprise then that Mexicans came in tops in the global survey of sexual satisfaction.

There is a darker side to this story. People should be aware that Doctors have warned that having sex in steamy summer temperatures could be fatal. High temperatures may boost the desire for sex but also increases the risk of heart attacks.

So the next time that a heat-wave alert is issued, those of you who get the urge should wait until the evening hours, when the air gets cooler or alternatively have a cold shower and pray for the next downpour.

Love at first sight is “another issue”, but LOVE, with capital awake with time.

British Scientifics have determined that real love between couples emerges at the twelfth month of relationship as a result of passion, intimacy and commitment balance. According to this fact, the first sight love doesn’t exist.

According to the report submitted by the experts team of the Bath University in England, studied love relationships among six months and the team concluded that mature and lasting love is barely impossible to awake from a casual encounter or from a relationship of less than a year.

Their study is based on the explanation that love is a reaction of brain produced by certain chemical stimulus which is responsible for passion, but its effects last a maximum of two years, and then the brain return to a normal condition. This study proves first sight love doesn’t exist and contradict the reality of lot of couples.

There are different kinds of love, like romantic and first sight, which in most cases don’t last over ten years, therefore it would be wrong to expect the romantic love a couple proclaim last forever. This feeling (love) has many levels and transformations.

When some people don’t feel romanticism anymore they think love is over and decide to divorce or look for another partner. This feeling is multiple and complex. Love can change or even end, but without any reason or deadline. The lack of communication and attention of both could be a reason to diminishing or even disappearing of love.

A person knows that what he/she feels is real love when he/she undergoes a full feeling. He/she is comfortable and happy with the other person in every aspect of his/her life. Also has the capacity to recognize when love is over.

Sometimes we forget perfect person doesn’t exist and we must not spend our life looking for that soul mate. In a relationship, one is complement of another.

Order the same guy to buy something and to send you a reminder on Saturday night.

The best hidden secret of the “no time” is that they have a personal advisory who buys the presents for them.

After years of marriage living the same jewel, from the same jewelry, even repeating the same present, or giving the same tie hundred of time, the “no time” depend of their personal advisories.

The best stores and jewelries have noticed that the clients who used to buy in a rush, five minutes before closing and that bought whatever they saw because the next day would be their wife’s birthday and the secretary reminded them that; don’t go anymore. Now they send experts who strive to find something new and capable of surprise women.

The reason is that before the secretaries did it and it was easy for wives to know that other woman have bought it, “thanks for the present, tell your secretary she has very good taste but the next time she could be more generous”.

At first were presents but now are trips. These advisories give ideas and advices to make real trips, stay in hotels, resorts, spas, towns and cottages.

Another option, different to the above, is the ‘personal shopper’. When you want to go to a premiere or go shopping to renew your wardrobe, the “no time” will contact their ‘personal shopper’. Their mission is to buy clothes and complements for the client.

The mission of this kind of advisory is to help the adequate wardrobe for every event. Is not the same a premiere than a dinner. Clients trust in their professional criteria. The first thing is to know the size, likes, etc. They also order the ornaments which match better with a certain cloth and deliver it.

We all know how annoying can be snoring for the snorer and the partner. The effects and seriousness of snoring are becoming more apparent with snoring being linked to conditions like high blood pressure and coronary disease. The different types of snoring range from a simple gust to a full roar. Snoring, I believe, is a signal that the body’s systems are out of balance. But correcting the balance may not take a huge change, take the example of Andy.

Andy was in his late 30s and had snored for several years. He wasn’t quite sure when it started but lately the snoring had being a more regular event. He probably still wouldn’t be aware of it, except for his wife who was going crazy. Andy had always being active. If you asked someone he/she wouldn’t describe Andy as overweight but Andy freely admits he has gained a pound a year over the past 10 years and plans to start loosing some of it sometime soon.

Every year Andy and his family, his wife and two sons go camping. They always go to the same camping ground and always get the same site, or there about, near the water and away from the highway.

After a couple of days after arriving Andy’s wife Karen noticed that Andy wasn’t snoring as he normally did. On last holidays even the boys would mention how annoying dad’s snoring was. They too had noticed a more quiet night. Andy was pleased as he too had noticed that he awoke more refreshed in the morning and his mouth didn’t feel dry. He didn’t know what change he had made that brought this unexpected and pleasant result, but he suspected it had to do with his nightly routine, as this was the only thing that had changed.

Over the next two weeks Andy experimented with his routine and finally came to the conclusion that if he brushed his teeth several hours before going to bed. That simple change has made a big difference to Andy and Karen. Andy deduced that when he brushed his teeth just before retiring, the toothpaste was making him a little dehydrated. It was enough to dry out the nasal passages and cause him to breathe through his mouth making the snoring noise. By brushing earlier he didn’t suffer the same dehydration and was able to breathe through his nose the whole night through. Now Andy also realized that toothpaste alone shouldn’t be able to have such a major effect.

The chance of eliminating your snoring by changing when you brush your teeth is probably less than one in a thousand. Andy’s problem probably is your problem. The key is to find the system that is out of balance and work to set it right. You never know, you may only need the smallest of change. Is it worth the effort? You decide.

What makes male supremacy so seductive, so pervasive, such an apparently permanent component of all our precious lives, is the fact that erection can be conditioned to it.
I’ve always spent a lot of my time thinking about sex and creaking floorboards, showers, mangoes and condoms. Lately I’ve also been thinking about my sexuality and how my desires have been constructed. Growing up as a man in this culture I repeatedly received the message that dominating women was sexy. I learnt from the women in the movies, or those in the magazines, their legs spread for me in porn. I learnt to objectify women’s bodies and to find that sexy. The message of sexy domination is devastating for the lives of women, and it also affects the sex lives of men. It became difficult for me to simply enjoy sex without imagining my partner and me as a photographic (pornographic) image.

Within the pleasures and pains of our sexualities lie social and political meanings. Lesbian feminists have explored such meanings for many years.

Last year during discussions about sex in our men’s group, I was astonished to hear of the guilt still associated with masturbation. Astonished because for someone like myself, who has taken great pleasure playing with his penis, who has explored every method of male sexuality and invented many more of his own, to hear of other men’s guilt came as a huge surprise.
In this culture men have been taught that to be attracted to men’s bodies is an absolute sin, punishable by death, imprisonment, bashing or all three. We are taught to be repulsed by men’s bodies and to be attracted only to the other, namely women. Thus we are encouraged to be repulsed by our own bodies. This is heterosexism, and it makes sense to me that this may be, at least in part, the source of the taboo of masturbation. If this is the case then masturbation may be the key place on which to work in order to dismantle heterosexism and sexism.

When I hear of how other men masturbate furtively, quickly, harshly, with too little compassion or tenderness towards their bodies, in an end-rush to orgasm with guilt as the repercussion it smells to me of homophobia: of fear of loving our own likeness.

Turn to the mirror, lips slightly parted and kiss your image. Feel the strength of your arms, the smoothness of skin. Hold yourself, see yourself, slow down, a minimum time limit. Feel your scalp, nose, tongue and lips. Imagine kissing yourself, sucking yourself, fucking yourself perhaps. Imagine loving yourself, tenderly, compassionately, wonderfully, hopefully, suddenly, you’ll realize that you are.

I write this because at a time of crisis in my life such an act made all the difference. Cherishing myself led to hours of astonishing pleasure and at the same time enabled me to take the first steps towards loving others again. Surprisingly, it also challenged my very sexual identity.