Young men who pleasure themselves are at increased risk of prostate cancer in later life, but masturbating in middle-age appears to protect against tumours, reports The Sun.
The link was discovered by researchers at Nottingham University who quizzed more than 800 men on their sex lives. Half had been diagnosed with cancer and half were free of the disease, as reported in The Sun.
They were asked how often they had sex, indulged in solo sex and the number of partners they had throughout their twenties, thirties, forties and fifties.
Researchers found that 40 per cent of men with prostate cancer reported the highest levels of sexual activity.
Just over a third said they indulged in solo sex between two and seven times a week in their twenties, compared with just under a quarter of the control group. The same pattern continued in the thirties.
But in middle-age the trend reverses, with men who masturbate the most having a lowest incidence of tumours, says The Sun.
It is known that prostate cancer is linked to levels of the male hormone testosterone which also regulates a man's sex drive.
Dr Polyxeni Dimitropoulou, who is now at Cambridge University headed the study. He explains: "A man's sex drive is also regulated by his hormone levels, so this study examined the theory that having a high sex drive affects the risk of prostate cancer."
He says: "We found a significant association between prostate cancer and sexual activity in a man's twenties and between masturbation and prostate cancer in the twenties and thirties."
Dr Dimitropoulou adds: "A possible explanation for the protective effect that men in their fifties appear to receive from masturbation is that the release of accumulated toxins during sexual activity reduces the risk of developing cancer in the prostate area."
Every year 34,000 men in the UK are diagnosed with prostate cancer - but it is largely a disease of old age, with most cases occurring in men over 70.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Solo sex linked to cancer
Dread talking to your kids about sex?
Labels: KIDS, sex
Parents often wait too long to discuss sex with children, with the result that a significant number of kids become sexually active before the chat, says a new US study.
Researchers at Harvard University questioned 141 teenagers in the ages of 13 to 17 and their parents to come up with their findings. It was found that 40 percent of boys and 46 percent of girls had already become sexually active before their parents could talk to them about sex. Two-thirds of the boys reported they had not spoken to parents about condom use before having intercourse.
"I think parents today want to talk to kids but they don''t know where to begin," the New York Daily News quoted Dr. Mark Schuster, co-author of the study and chief of pediatrics at Children’s Hospital in Boston, told ABC News.
He added: "They're afraid they'll make mistakes or don't know the facts, afraid to admit that their kids are growing up. They avoid the topic altogether."
Alan Hilfer, director of psychology at Maimonides Medical Center in New York, told US News and World Report: "It''s a hard subject for many parents to broach, but the level of sexual activity in many kids has moved up in terms of initiation. It''s younger…talking about it is very helpful in terms of disease prevention, unwanted pregnancy and even issues around relationships."
Megan Beckett, co-author and a social scientist from the Rand Corp, has called upon parents to kick off the "talk", "earlier than (they) think."
Thursday, December 10, 2009
High-flow oxygen can ease headaches
Fifteen minutes of treatment with high flow oxygen significantly eased cluster headaches, according to a new study.
Cluster headache attacks, characterised by bouts of excruciating pain usually near the eye or temple, typically last for 15 minutes to three hours if untreated and have a frequency of up to eight attacks a day on alternate days.
High flow oxygen is given at a rate of six to seven litres per minute for 10 to 20 minutes at the start of a cluster headache.
Attacks usually occur in bouts, or clusters, lasting for weeks or months, separated by remissions lasting months or years, according to the study.
The current treatment for acute attacks of cluster headache is injection with the drug sumatriptan, but frequent dosing is not recommended because of adverse effects.
Another treatment option is the inhalation of high-dose, high-flow oxygen, but its use may be limited because of the lack of a good quality controlled trial.
Anna S. Cohen, of the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, and colleagues conducted a randomised, placebo-controlled trial of high-flow oxygen for the treatment of acute attacks of cluster headache.
The study included 109 adults (aged 18-70 years). Patients treated four cluster headache episodes alternately with high-flow oxygen (inhaled oxygen at 100 percent, or 12 litres per minute, delivered by face mask, for 15 minutes at the start of an attack) or placebo (high-flow air).
Patients were recruited and followed up between 2002 and 2007. The final analysis included 57 patients with episodic cluster headache and 19 with chronic cluster headache.
The researchers found that 78 percent of the patients who received oxygen reported being pain-free or to have adequate relief within 15 minutes of treatment, compared to 20 percent of patients who received air.
For other outcomes, such as being pain-free at 30 minutes or a reduction in pain up to 60 minutes, treatment with oxygen was superior to air. There were no serious adverse events related to the treatments, says a National Hospital release.
"To our knowledge, this is the first adequately powered trial of high-flow oxygen compared with placebo, and it confirms clinical experience and current guidelines that inhaled oxygen can be used as an acute attack therapy for episodic and chronic cluster headache," the authors write.
Exhibition reveals ancient Greeks’ sex life
Labels: sex, sex life
The ancient Greeks are till date the unbeaten heroes when it comes to love and lust – and now an exhibition featuring eye-popping art in Athens has exposed the practice of sex in the classical times.
"The Greeks were anything but prudes," said Nicholaos Stampolidis, director of the Museum of Cycladic Art, where the show will run for six months. "Theirs was a society of great tolerance and lack of guilt."
Stampolidis was able to narrate the story of love in antiquity after amassing around 272 objets d`art, including masterpieces from more than 50 international museums which date from the 6th century BC to the 4th century AD.
"The concept of Eros – love – was very broad in ancient times," the archaeologist said. "Sexual desire was, of course, a component but it was also a unifying force that encompassed the desire for anyone or indeed anything."
"It wasn`t an easy task," The Guardian quoted the professor, as saying.
He went on: "It`s easy to write about love in either poetry or prose. It`s much more difficult to represent it visually
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Casual sex ‘doesn’t cause damage
Casual sex does not cause emotional or psychological damage in young people, says a new study.
Researchers at the University of Minnesota found that young adults engaging in casual sexual encounters do not appear to be at increased risk for harmful psychological outcomes as compared to sexually active young adults in more committed relationships.
While this study focused on the psychological impact, researchers warned that the physical risks of casual sex should not be overlooked.
Study author Marla E Eisenberg and colleagues used data from Project Eating Among Teens (EAT), an ongoing study that assessed a diverse sample of 1,311 sexually active young adults.
From 2003-2004, 574 males and 737 females in Minnesota with a mean age of 20.5 were surveyed regarding sexual behaviours and emotional well-being.
Of the sexually active respondents, 55 percent reported that their last sexual partner was an exclusive dating partner followed by 25 percent whose most recent partner was a fiancée, spouse, or life partner.
Much lower percentages reported that their last sexual partner was a close but not exclusive partner (12 percent) or a casual acquaintance (8 percent). Over twice as many males as females reported that their last partner was casual.
Although there has been speculation in public discourse that sexual encounters outside a committed romantic relationship may be emotionally damaging for young people, this study found no differences in the psychological well being of young adults who had a casual sexual partner verses a more committed partner.
"While the findings from this study show that young adults engaging in casual sexual encounters do not appear to be at increased risk for harmful psychological outcomes compared to those in more committed relationships, this should not minimize the legitimate threats to physical well-being associated with casual sexual relationships, and the need for such messages in sexuality education programs and other interventions with young adults," Eisenberg said.
Scottish girls most likely to dress sexily
Labels: Scottish girls, sexy dress
Scottish girls are more likely to wear sexy clothes than other UK women, a new study reveals.
To reach the conclusion, experts asked more than 1,600 UK women.
In the poll by fashion website Brag ItUp.com, they were asked how they chose what to wear in the morning, reports The Sun.
In Scotland, 53 per cent admit it`s what they think men find attractive. Just 42 per cent dress for themselves and five per cent want to wow other women.
Scottish Sun columnist Martel Maxwell said: "I dress to feel good. It`s great if guys do a double take."
The study found only 12 per cent of English girls dress up for men.
Women more happier with life than men
Labels: life style, Relations, WOMEN
Women get more pleasure out of life than men - but only by 15 minutes a day, says a new study.
Social Policy Research Centre fellow Dr Roger Patulny, from the University of New South Wales: "If you add up all the times together - the good times and the bad times - men have about 10 minutes less time that they enjoy than women in a day and six minutes more time that they dislike."
"Women tend to enjoy the things that they do with their time more than men do," Patulny said.
In the study, the expert found that the biggest negative for women was housework: 90 minutes of it every day, reports The Daily Telegraph.
As for males, they did about 50 minutes of unenjoyable chores.
They also endured more "bad" time in paid work and commuting, the research added.
"Women seem happier," Patulny said. "They are happier if you ask them how satisfied they are with life but they also have more happy time."
He believes that the difference may be that males tend to be more socially disconnected because they spend less time with families and friends and are more likely to see themselves as lonely.
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Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Here's why men cheat
The allegations of extramarital affairs are often associated with men who are perceived to be promiscuous. However, a Wake Forest University researcher debunks the stereotype with his new finding.
According to Andrew Irwin-Smiler, majority of boys and men prioritize and value emotional connection to their partner. "As a culture, we have a perception that men just want sex and that all men are promiscuous,” said Smiler. But the research shows that while men do have more partners than women, most men only have one partner at a time as majority of boys and men seek emotional connection with their partner.
Smiler’s research also shows that the popular media fuels the perception that men are promiscuous with television characters such a Fonzie in Happy Days, Hawkeye Pierce in Mash, Sam Malone in Cheers, Joey Tribbiani in Friends and Charlie Harper in 2 ½ Men.
The high-profile scandals involving public figures only add to the common misperceptions of men’s sexual behaviour. “The question is whether the media reflects reality or creates reality?” Smiler said.
Monday, December 7, 2009
What lies behind unsatisfying sex?
An Asia Pacific sexual health survey in 13 countries including India has uncovered staggering levels of sexual dissatisfaction among 60 percent of Weak erections cheat two thirds of men, women of satisfying sex.
The Asia Pacific Sexual Health and Overall Wellness (AP SHOW) survey found that men with "suboptimal erections" are less satisfied with sex and other aspects of the sexual experience.
The survey also found that men and women who are "completely" or "very satisfied" with sex are more than three times more likely to feel good about their relationships and life overall compared to those who are only "somewhat" or "not at all satisfied" with sex.
Fifty four percent of men with optimal erectile function say that it is "very true" that they feel good about their relationships compared to 47 percent with suboptimal erections.
Among women, this difference is significantly more pronounced - 65 percent of women whose partners have optimal erection function say that it is "very true" that they feel good about their relationships, compared to only 32 percent of women whose partners have suboptimal erections.
The data was based on survey of 3,957 sexually active men and women (2,016 males and 1,941 females). The respondents were aged between 25-74 years and had had sexual intercourse at least once in the past 12 months.
The 13 countries surveyed were India, Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and New Zealand.
Rosie King, sexual health physician, Sydney Centre for Sexual and Relationship Therapy, said: "A person`s willingness to talk about sexual health and performance is heavily influenced by diverse cultural beliefs and practices - most patients and even doctors are uncomfortable initiating such discussions. Therefore, a great many people remain untreated."
Suboptimal erections are a common problem, affecting more than 50 percent of men aged 40 to 70 years. Erection problems and suboptimal erections are not a normal part of ageing. An older male has just as much right to normal sexual functioning as younger men.
Suboptimal erections can be due to an underlying illness or medication, and is not always due to psychological factors alone. Suboptimal erections often have a mixed genesis, both organic and psychological. Concomitant physical disease is an important cause of suboptimal erections, said a Sydney Centre release.
Effective and convenient treatments are available and international medical consensus has affirmed that in suitable patients with suboptimal erections or ED, oral medications should be the first-line treatment.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Here’s why men cheat on women!
The allegations of extramarital affairs are often associated with men who are perceived to be promiscuous. However, a Wake Forest University researcher debunks the stereotype with his new finding.
According to Andrew Irwin-Smiler, majority of boys and men prioritize and value emotional connection to their partner.
“As a culture, we have a perception that men just want sex and that all men are promiscuous,” said Smiler.
But the research shows that while men do have more partners than women, most men only have one partner at a time as majority of boys and men seek emotional connection with their partner.
Smiler’s research also shows that the popular media fuels the perception that men are promiscuous with television characters such a Fonzie in Happy Days, Hawkeye Pierce in Mash, Sam Malone in Cheers, Joey Tribbiani in Friends and Charlie Harper in 2 ½ Men.
The high-profile scandals involving public figures only add to the common misperceptions of men’s sexual behaviour.
“The question is whether the media reflects reality or creates reality?” Smiler said.