One Reason That You May Be Experiencing Erectile Dysfunction (Hint – you probably would never have thought this was the cause!)

When men experience performance difficulties in the bedroom, many blame themselves but a new study has revealed yet another cause of erectile dysfunction that is likely to make the ladies just a bit angry…apparently it could be partly your fault!

A new study actually shows that when women get too close to their partner’s friends he is more likely to experience erectile dysfunction.

Some may say that this simply sounds like a case of passing the blame, but when your lady hears this and get’s ready to interject, you might want to fill her in on the science behind this claim so there are no hurt feelings.

Wives Can Cause Erectile Dysfunction?

Most of the time women believe it is in their best interest to pal around with her husband’s friends, after all isn’t that what men want? Well once involved in a marriage, if a women is too close to her husband’s friends apparently he is less likely to be able to perform in the bedroom according to this study. Strange correlation? Maybe not..

At first thought, you might think this would be because as a man he feels threatened that his partner is hanging out with other men or perhaps he is worried she will run off and leave him but according to the study, this isn’t the case at all. While many think ED affects only older men, erectile dysfunction in young men is more common than most people originally think and this specific cause tends to affect mainly younger men.

The study lead by sociologists Benjamin Cornwell of Cornell University and Edward Laumann of the University of Chicago was released in the American Journal of Sociology. Essentially the roots of the finding was that for some men erectile dysfunction causes may come down to feelings of threatened “manliness” when men begin to feel they are losing their male confidants. If his wife is so close with his buddies that he loses the ability to speak freely about his relationship and about what is going on in his life this in turn can lead to a lower amount of confidence in himself.

For those women who think back to the early days of courtship, these new findings may seem about counter intuitive.

Remember when it was sort of a big deal that you got along well with his friends? If they didn’t like you, you were as good as gone. Okay, so to clarify, basic friendship doesn’t seem to have this same impact. It’s mainly if a man feels that his girlfriend/wife’s relationship has surpassed his own with his friends – often you will hear this term referred to as “inbetweeness.” If men don’t have this outlet where they can speak freely about what is happening in their lives the damage begins to happen internally and confidence is shaken, making this one more known cause of erectile dysfunction in young men that can be avoided with a little understanding and diligence.

A More In-Depth Look at the Study 

The study of more than 3,000 men ages 57-85 was part of a survey group from  the National Social Life, Health and Aging Project.

An additional factor researchers discovered as part of the survey is that a man’s age has a very large impact on whether he is affected by these feelings. For older, more established men, their priorities are normally turned more toward their families but for younger men, socialization typically ranks much higher on the list of priorities and therefore the younger the man, the more likely he is to be affected by erectile dysfunction. Cornwell says that age is a factor because younger and older men differ in their opinions of what masculinity really is.

If you are having sexual difficulty, it is always best to speak with your physician to be certain there are no physical or health related causes of ED.

Do You Know if Your Joint Pain is Arthritis?

Every age group has their own set of health issues that they should take note of since prevention, screening and early treatment are all parts of maintaining, or returning to, a healthy lifestyle. As we age, there may be more aches and joint pain than we had in our youth so how much is just natural aging? Well if you take the time to learn a bit more about arthritis you will be better able to identify if you are having symptoms of it and then you will be better equipped to begin finding ways to treat it.

The good news is that there are many different types of arthritis treatments to choose from that will give you back additional mobility and help you live with fewer aches and pains. But of course identifying if you are suffering from arthritis is naturally the first step.

Did you know that when someone says they have arthritis they could actually have one of more than 100 types of arthritis? While it takes a proper diagnosis from a doctor to know 100% what type is affecting you specifically, you may be able to spot the signs and symptoms when you know what to look for. Here are 5 signs of arthritis to keep any eye out for.

1. Swelling

The area that is painful may have some stiffness or fluid in it that is making it inflamed. This is the body’s reaction to pain and you may notice that when you get up in the morning you are uncomfortable. This type of stiffness ordinarily begins to subside after about 20 minutes. In order to help reduce the inflammation and lead to more comfort, your doctor may recommend that you change certain parts of your diet in order to help improve these symptoms.

2. Pain in the Joints

If you are simply going through the daily motions and are experiencing pain, it’s likely that you may have arthritis. Pain and swelling are often the very first signs that something is wrong and this is often the earliest indicator that something is amiss.

3. Limitations in Your Normal Movement

Most people also begin noticing that they have pain or discomfort even when they are simply doing their normal activities or if they have a normal fitness routine they may notice it then also. The range of motion you once had will now be a bit more limited often indicating that arthritis has begun setting in.

4. Overall feelings of Muscle Weakness
You may notice that you have feelings of fatigue that you never previously noticed. This is likely all over your body or perhaps even in certain muscle sections. This type of overall, body soreness and tiredness is often indicative of arthritis.

5. Sensitivity 

If you are moving or walking and this simple amount of mobility results in tenderness or sensitivity, it is very likely that you are seeing the beginning signs of arthritis. Some of the most common times you may notice this is when you are participating in your day to day activities. Getting in and out of a chair or walking up or down stairs may suddenly cause muscle or joint tenderness that was previously not there. 

The best way to find out what type of arthritis  you may be experiencing is to talk to your doctor to develop a plan  of action so that you can start feeling better as soon as possible.

The Emergency Contraception Debate – EC Now Available in Vending Machines?

Walk into a room and see what happens when you casually begin a conversation related to college students, sexual activity and emergency contraceptives. Really it won’t matter who is within earshot, you are likely to have tempers flaring and many different opinions being tossed out. So what could make people against emergency contraception even more irritate? Well all it took was one U.S. college deciding to offer the contraceptive pill, commonly know as “EC”,  via vending machine to take the controversy to new heights.

Why Emergency Contraceptives Stir Debate

Both personal and/or religious beliefs are known to cause strong opinions one way or another when it comes to the emergency pill. The problem comes in when we try to define the moment that life starts. For those who are pro-choice, the idea that EC is becoming more readily available is great news and an important step forward when it comes to women’s health care. On the other hand, there are times when a woman may be forced to have sex against her will and when this happens and she has access to EC she has a say in what happens to her body.

No matter your personal position on the matter, Shippensburg University has shown their support for women’s health care and it is getting national attention for their bold move.

Emergency Contraceptives in Pennsylvania School Vending Machine

For students who find themselves panicking after contraceptive failure (or abandonment) , all it will take now is a trip to the health center and $25 cash to receive the emergency contraceptive known as Plan B. Anyone 17 or older can currently go into most pharmacies and purchase it without a prescription. Those who are supporting the new vending machine initiative claim it is really no different than that. In the face of all the controversy, the school did examine the age of students enrolled on campus and found that the youngest is 17 so the idea that underage girls would have access to the medication in the vending machine is false. Furthermore, since the campus health center is closed to the general public, there is no chance any outside youngsters could get in.

The vending machine was brought in as a student association suggestion and it will not only hold  EC  but also condoms and pregnancy tests. For those unfamiliar with Plan B, it is used to help prevent pregnancy within 72 hours of condom or contraceptive failure or uninvited or unprotected sex.

Time will tell if the trend catches on but for emergency contraception advocates, this markets the beginning of greater acceptance.

Are you an advocate? If not, what potential problems do you see associated with emergency contraceptive vending machines?

Scientists Offer New Insight Regarding Male Infertility

Infertility issues affect more than 3 million American couples. Trying to start a family can be a heartbreaking time instead of an exciting one for those who cannot conceive. Feelings of sadness, inadequacy and guilt can often plague both sexes.

It’s very common for people to initially assume that if the pregnancy isn’t occurring it is because of  issues with her own fertility bit it’s also common for men to experience fertility issues of their own. New research has been able to find a genetic link associated with infertility in men that may lead the medical community closer to new developments in fertility treatments. .

Male Infertility May Be Linked to a Genetic Issue 

Scientists are now realizing that there is a genetic mutation that affects roughly 20% of men and can lead to fertility issues. Essentially these men lack a certain protein that helps lead the sperm smoothly to the egg and also it helps prevent the woman’s immune system from attacking what it views as an intruder in the body. When this is missing, conception becomes increasingly difficult.

The Study of Male Infertility 

In order to gather this information, the study looked at nearly 500 Chinese couples looking to start a family. Researchers were able to find that for men who had two copies of the gene which contained the mutation, they had a 30% lower chance of being able to start a family.

Upon further investigation however it’s been found that this issue alone generally isn’t the cause, in fact if the man has other positive traits that would help him be fertile, they can counteract then bad affects and therefore steer away from infertility in men.This was the recent focus of a New York Times article. It went out to explain that if a man has better sperm motility or a higher concentration of sperm he may be able to overcome the initial limiting factors associated with the gene mutation. 

Back the initial study of then 500 couples – in these men with the genetic mutation they were no all unable to conceive a child, however it simply took many of them longer than it would take men without the genetic mutation. Now that this information has been made public and is being researched further in the medical community, changes that we will see new treatments targeting male infertility is likely. One such treatment that is being discussed is the use of vaginal gel that would help allow the sperm to travel freely and essentially take the place of then missing male protein.

New Male Infertility Treatments On The Horizon

In other male infertility news, another potentially helpful treatment is coming to fruition. Researchers in Japan tested a new infertility treatment that was highly effective in treating mice. This exciting new treatment uses stem cells that come from an embryo. Then there are germ cells used that are able to help sperm production increase. While these treatments are still being tested, we are getting closer every day to finding more and more treatments that will help couples start families when they are ready.

New Study Finds that a Combination of Exercise and Caffeine can Reduce Skin Cancer Risk

It’s not every day that we hear caffeine and exercise recommended as potential preventatives for cancer, but the health benefits of both combined have recently been the subject of a study that has proven there is some truth to the belief.

This new research was tested on mice but it is believed that the same skin cancer preventative qualities can easily apply to humans as well. The researchers who conducted the Skin Cancer study were from Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers University located in N.J. These researchers tested their beliefs by exposing 160 mice to UV light at small amounts 5 days a week for 20 weeks total. This amount of exposure is meant to represent the average amount of sun people are exposed to each day therefore making the results as accurate as possible. Once the research was completed, they were able to search for any early skin cancer symptoms and discovered that the mice who had been given small amounts of caffeine and had also been allowed to exercise had over 60% fewer incidents of skin cancer  (see skin cancer pictures) than those who did not have those factors included in their daily lives.

A Skin Cancer Research First

Through the years both variables, exercise and caffeine, have been tested to see their involvement in skin cancer prevention but until this recent study the combined effects had not yet been tested. The results confirmed that together their is even more skin cancer-fighting power.

Research confirms it, but why do these two factors have an impact on skin cancer likelihood?

The best conclusion researchers can come to is this. Essentially both caffeine and exercise are known to help with weight loss and body fat reduction and it’s also known that body gar an actually fight the natural ability of the skin to get rid of old dead skins cells that are damaged by the sun and could lead to health scares further down the line.

Additionally, when it comes to reducing inflammation, caffeine is known to have this affect on the body as well which is also thought to play a role in keeping many ailments at bay. One of the main takeaways we can get from this study is that by reducing body fat, we are giving ourselves the best chance for a healthier, cancer-free future.