Health related information and news from around the world.

So far there have not been any studies to show that statin drags reduce death rates from heart disease in women. The University of British Columbia Therapeutics Initiative has stated that statins offer no benefit to women for the prevention of heart disease. Yet more and more women are being put on these drags, and women are more likely than men to experience their negative side effects. In the vast majority of controlled, randomized clinical trials done on statins, there has been no improvement in survival rates in women.

According to Dr James M. Wright, PhD, of the University of British Columbia, “combined results of all trials do not support the use of statins by women without heart disease”. High blood cholesterol has never proven to be a risk factor for heart disease in women. At every age, women usually have higher blood cholesterol levels than men of the same age, yet women are around 15 years older than men when they have their first heart attack. The General Accounting Office of the US Government has recognized the lack of thorough clinical trials by stating “the trials generally have not evaluated the efficacy of cholesterol-lowering treatment for several important population groups, such as women, elderly men and women, and minority men and women. Thus, they provide little or no evidence of benefits or possible risks for these groups “.

As well as not reducing the risk of heart disease, statins can increase the risk of cancer. Three clinical trials have shown women who take statin drags to have higher rates of breast cancer. In one trial, people with heart disease took 40mg of Pravachol (pravastatin) or a placebo daily. The study found that 12 out of 286 women taking Pravachol developed breast cancer, and only one out of 290 taking the placebo did. This result is claimed to be “not statistically significant”, so you don’t hear about it. Only the positive results are published because much of the research is funded by the company that makes the drug. Medical research is extremely expensive to carry out, therefore the drug companies have to make sure they recoup their money.

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However, contraceptive decisions involve all the facets of a person’s life, not only as individuals in their personal relationships, but also within the wider context of their culture, religion and society. In current western society where sex is presented as a spontaneous, hot-blooded activity, thinking consciously about using contraception may be seen as cold, dampening the fires of passion. Sexually explicit scenes on the television, for example, rarely if ever mention the possibility of pregnancy or the use of contraception. The fact that many contraceptive consultations are straightforward can deceive the unwary doctor into thinking that they will all be simple. Where the consultation is not straightforward, it may be all too easy for the busy doctor to get caught up in the patient’s internal conflicts. If this happens he may become irritated and impatient, reacting to the patient’s behaviour, which on the surface appears unreasonable and inexplicable, rather than trying to understand what is behind it. The temptation will then be to suggest a change of contraceptive pill or a change of method, in the hope (usually forlorn) that the problem will be solved. In these situations the woman will either not return, or may return later with an unintended and possibly unwanted pregnancy.

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Reaching the end of your cancer treatment can bring tremendous relief – but also new and different uncertainties. For the duration of your treatment you have the framework in your life of hospital visits, check-ups and progress consultations. While this can be far from pleasant, it can provide a kind of reassurance, a sense that you are being constantly looked after and that your cancer is being attacked. The check-ups will continue, of course, but some men do find it difficult to adjust back to a life in which the focus of treatment is no longer present. This may be mixed with a huge sense of relief that you have arrived at the end of this stage and that you have coped with this experience.

If you were able to continue a relatively ‘normal’ life during your treatment, then you may feel less impact when it is completed. If you had to stop working or give up your normal routines, and found that your life was largely dominated by your cancer, then you will be facing a further period of transition. Going back to work or looking for a new job or picking up the threads of your life before cancer may feel like a huge task. You may in any case be limited by the advice of your medical team to take life gently for a while.

Some men find that living with cancer has given them a new or different outlook on life. Perhaps your sense of priorities has changed, or issues which previously seemed very important have become less so. Perhaps there have been subtle changes in relationships which cause you to value friends and loved ones more consciously. This does not imply that you have changed for the better as an individual – or changed at all.

You might see the end of your treatment as an opportunity to explore new directions in your life or to change the emphasis. Perhaps you feel that your career has a different significance now and that you want to spend more time pursuing other activities. This does not mean that you will always feel this way, but rather that your cancer has prompted you to reassess certain aspects of your life. If you do feel strongly that your priorities have changed dramatically and that you intend to make significant changes to your life then take the time to think these through, discuss them with your family and friends, and work out how you plan to use your time and energies.

It is not uncommon to experience doubts and fears about how well you will cope. Will you manage to fulfil your role as husband/ partner/father/son/friend as you did before your cancer? Will people regard you differently now? There will obviously be continuing concern for your well-being, and you may feel frustrated that people still dwell on your cancer for some time.

You may also experience fears about the recurrence of your cancer. This is an issue which will not go away, and while doctors would dearly like to give you watertight guarantees for the future, this is just not possible. You may feel that you simply want to put the whole experience behind you, forget about it and get back to ‘real’ life again. You would not be human if you did not have fears and doubts, though. You are allowed to be worried and anxious, but it is important not to bottle up your fears unnecessarily. Talk to those close to you – they are almost certainly sharing exactly the same anxieties, and will welcome the chance to say so and to let you know that they are willing you on to a full recovery. If you find that you are becoming over-anxious or depressed about the future, then do not hesitate to contact your GP or ask at your hospital about counselling. Specialist cancer counsellors often provide continuing support – after all, the end of your treatment does not mean that your experience of cancer simply comes to an abrupt end. If you need to talk further, then allow yourself to do so.

Gary was surprised by feelings of guilt after radiotherapy treatment for his brain tumour proved more successful than was originally anticipated. He felt guilty that the treatment had worked for him, but that others around him were less fortunate, and began thinking, ‘How is it that I have survived when others are dying?’ He had undergone regular counselling throughout his treatment, and found it useful to discuss his feelings with his counsellor.

You may experience an unexpected sense of frustration, as Neil found:

I began to feel intensely frustrated soon after the final chemotherapy session of my initial treatment. It was late in the year, and I decided to give myself to the end of that year to recuperate and decide ‘what to do next’. I had previously been running my own business, practising as a chartered accountant, but sold the practice soon after my diagnosis. The first few days of the following January were not easy because there was no obvious new path to take, yet I was feeling strong and well and wanted to start working on something positive and constructive immediately. I knew, of course, that it can take time for new projects to emerge – which, in fact, they quickly did – and in the intervening period, I felt as if I was treading water when I wanted to be swimming the Channel. All I can say is try to hang on and be patient (I wasn’t, particularly!) – it is frustrating.

Life does go on after cancer. It may have caused big changes in your life or it may have had less impact. There is no right way to view your experience – some men choose to try to find some constructive element on which they can draw in the future and others want to try to forget about it as soon as possible. Returning to ‘normal’ may be a long process, and ‘normal’ may mean something different to you now.

Any journey through cancer treatment is hard, and inevitably it will leave its mark. But it is possible to make a positive difference by resolving to manage with determination and, together with family and friends, to confront and take what control you can of such an unwelcome situation. Above all, be aware of your achievement in coping with your cancer and congratulate yourself on reaching each milestone in your treatment.

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Although knowing the cause helps, you can still expect some bumps on the road to sexual recovery; after all, you still have needs of your own.

For example, Annie and Phil had been married for about 15 years when he started to have erection problems. Annie was sure that Phil’s diminished response was linked to a blood pressure medicine he was taking, but knowing that fact didn’t solve the problem or satisfy her sexual needs. Annie recalls: “It was very frustrating for me. I was getting sick, I was plagued with headaches. I didn’t blame myself, because we always had a good relationship, but I felt depressed, like someone had taken something away from me. I’ve heard of people getting divorced because of sexual problems, but we didn’t desert each other.” Annie, a woman of 46, didn’t let her depression immobilize her. Instead, she took an active role. She had him try the stamp test. She also looked in the telephone book for the number of a local support group, and encouraged her husband to contact them. Her efforts eventually paid off, and Annie and Phil are happy with the results. Other couples don’t find a solution so easily.

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Sometimes men with mild artery problems respond well to the penile injections, so the doctor suggested the method was worth another shot. On a subsequent visit, Sidney received a second shot, and his erection was noticeably improved. He was extremely pleased by this turn of events, and eager to continue the shots.

On his third visit, Sidney happily reported that for the first time in many years, he had been getting erections at home. Apparently, because of factors doctors don’t yet understand, Sidney was one of those fortunate men in whom the shots spur the erectile system into action. And when he got his third injection, the results were quite satisfying: In just a few minutes, he obtained an almost normal state of physical arousal.

As time goes on, Sidney may find that he needs to have an occasional shot to keep his system functioning. But as of the third visit, he considered himself cured. He decided that he didn’t need a penile implant.

Still, most men who get good results with the shots will need to keep using them. For these patients, self-injection at home is obviously preferable to having to visit the doctor to get an erection.

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There are a lot of over-the-counter substances advertised as cures for impotence—miracle drugs which will supposedly turn a normal man into a super stud. The ad copy is often accompanied by photographs of happy, smug-looking men and exhausted, satiated women. Most of these so-called miracle drugs are nothing more than vitamin pills, which you can getfrom your local drugstore for a great deal less money. There is no medical evidence that adding vitamins to an already healthy diet will do anything to improve potency in a healthy man. (That goes for vitamin E and zinc, too.] If you think that you are deficient in some vitamin or mineral, you should see your doctor before self-prescribing. In very large quantities, vitamins can actually harm you.

There is no scientific medical evidence that ginseng, sometimes advocated for men with erection problems, will cure or improve potency difficulties, And Spanish fly, made from a type of beetle, can effectively irritate your urinary system and your penis, but it won’t help an erection problem. In large enough doses, it can cause serious harm or even kill you. Our advice is to stay away from all of these substances, and stick to the safe self-help program we recommend in this chapter.

We hope that self-help works for you, but if it doesn’t, your next step is to find a qualified professional who can diagnose the cause of the difficulty, and successfully treat it.

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If you’re like many men, your initial response to an erection problem will be to leave your wife or lover alone—physically and emotionally. You’ll feel you have enough trouble dealing with the problem yourself without confronting her with it. But your partner is greatly affected by your problem.

In fact, if you are married or seriously involved, the woman in your life can be extremely important—sometimes even essential—to helping you regain your potency and enjoy your sex life. Understanding and honest communication between partners can be the key to sexual success.

Isolation, neglect and misunderstanding will often only exacerbate the problem. Relationships are sometimes wrecked more by the couple’s reaction to the potency problem than by the problem itself.

Jeff knows how important communication is. From the first time he had sex as a teenager, Jeff had a problem maintaining his erection. He could become easily aroused, but couldn’t stay erect during intercourse. Doctors were never able to help him, and the problem caused him untold distress. When he was in his mid-20′s, Jeff met the woman of his dreams, Ellen, and fell

head over heels in love. Despite his erection troubles, he decided to get married. In fact, his doctor encouraged him to get hitched, thinking that the change in his lifestyle would cure the problem.

It didn’t. Although Ellen had known about his lack of potency before they got married, and was understanding, she too had harbored hope that marriage would take care of the problem. Obviously she was disappointed, though she didn’t make an issue of it.

They lived with the problem for many years, and it extracted a considerable toll. “We would try to make love,” Ellen remembers. “And it wouldn’t work. Jeff would become depressed within 24 hours. He felt inadequate, that he wasn’t a man. It tore me up to hear him say such terrible things about himself.”

The lack of intercourse was a serious problem for both of them, but they still reacted to each other with love and commitment. “It was very frustrating, but we had to get on with our lives. Impotence would not break up our marriage,” Ellen says with certainty.

Their determination and good relationship paid off in the end. Although no one was able to determine the exact cause of Jeff’s problem, he was treated with a penile implant. Now two years after the surgery, Ellen and Jeff happily make love.

Jeff and Ellen’s story may be more the exception than the rule. Let’s face it, in this age of “sexual liberation,” most of us still find talking about sex extremely difficult—especially if we’re talking to the person who’s nearest and dearest to us. Often, we’re afraid of how our lover will respond. For people who have trouble expressing their feelings, sex talk may be completely off limits. But even people who are more emotionally open may find sex the one area they prefer to keep under the covers.

Such noncommunicative behavior can set in motion a chain of misery and pain. It can also make people a little crazy. For an illustration of just how crazy, let’s look at another sensitive topic that has many parallels to potency: money.

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It’s not surprising that the remarks I hear range from fearful to ecstatic. A profound change in one’s sexual habits is no small matter, and cannot be dealt with in the time it takes to swallow a little pill.

Time, in a variety of ways, is an important issue where ED and its implications—as well as treatment—are concerned. Unfortunately, in today’s society, we’re used to quick fixes. In fact, we have come to anticipate that the lime it lakes lo accomplish something will continually he shortened.

Think about it. We expect our computers to find and disseminate information at a nanosecond pace. We demand the most rapid service, whether on the phone, in a restaurant, or from our family physician. We seek immediate gratification in all areas of our intensely stepped-up lives. And if we aren’t getting what we want, when we want it, we become impatient, irritated, or bored.

The payoff for all that speeding up is more freedom—or so it seems. But ironically, the very liberty we seek is immediately thwarted because we don’t have the time to explore it. And, unfortunately, the speed age sorely compromises the area that demands the most time: our intimate sexual relationships. Brevity of communication, heightened expectations, and shorter encounters are the hallmarks of the speed age. They are also antithetical to a healthy, intimate partnership.

While it’s true that ED medication helps to overcome a physiological problem, it’s the couple who must resolve their relationship issues. And that takes dedication, effort—and time.

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There are probably many ‘sexualities’, and this is why labelling is a fairly useless exercise. This has been discovered in HIV/AIDS education which was initially targeted at ‘high risk groups’, namely gay and bisexual men and intravenous drug users. The problem with this approach is that a man who has sex with other men may not identify himself as either gay or bisexual and would refuse to believe or simply not understand that he was at risk. We live in a society that loves to label people, but some people don’t find the label suits them. It’s like the old joke about the man who says, ‘I’m not gay but the bloke I had sex with last night is.’ What makes more sense is to talk about specific sexual activities. I mean, some people are surprised to find that there are some gay men who hate anal intercourse. There are certainly some people who are surprised that there are heterosexual couples who like it. That’s why labels like ‘homosexual’ or ‘heterosexual’ are fairly impractical when it comes to preventing sexually transmitted diseases.

Times are starting to change. HIV/AIDS is finally being seen as a problem for the whole community. In Australia and

Canada the military has reviewed their rules banning gay men and lesbians from the armed forces.

Recently there was a much-publicized defamation suit in Britain involving the performer Jason Donovan. He successfully sued a British magazine for publishing a story that implied that he was gay. Now, regardless of the finer legal details, it just goes to show that being labelled ‘gay’ is considered to be a long way short of a compliment.

Maybe one day we will have a society mature enough that ‘gay’,’ bisexual’ or any other label will not be considered an insult. Maybe the labels won’t even exist, as people focus less on sexual acts and fantasies as the key to personality, and more on whatever relationships add value to our lives.

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In a lifetime there are many landmarks that force you to confront your attitudes to sex. One of the most powerful catalysts is discovering an attraction to a person of the same sex. It’s a situation that invokes powerful emotions because it makes -you question yourself, and impacts on your relationships to family and to society. The implications of a same-sex attraction can be far-reaching.

Many of you will go through life and never have the slightest physical attraction to your own gender, not even in your dreams or fantasies, but it’s very likely that sooner or later someone close to you will … a brother, a sister, a child, a parent, a cousin, a close friend … and you may well find yourself in a dilemma between your love or friendship for that person and what you thought were your attitudes to homosexuality.

We have become used to hearing about sexism, racism and more recently agism. They are terms that help us to recognize and understand some of the attitudes we have grown up with; attitudes that are more than just benign intolerance. They have caused fear, anguish, despair and even death. They have the power to isolate and destroy. These words describe prejudice. A glance at my Collins dictionary tells me that ‘prejudice’ means ‘An opinion formed beforehand, esp. an unfavourable one based on inadequate facts …’, and it strikes me that this definition could well apply to conventional attitudes to homosexuality and bisexuality. Could it be that society’s traditional ‘unfavorable opinion’ is the result of ‘inadequate facts’? As we learn more about the diversity of other cultures or the thoughts and feelings of the other gender, we gain the understanding we need to overcome the prejudices of racism and sexism. So what about sexual orientation?

It’s twenty years since the American Psychiatric Association struck homosexuality from its list of psychiatric disorders, yet despite this official declaration many people in the general community continue to see a same-sex orientation as some sort of disease or abnormality.

It reminds me of the way we used to treat lefthandedness when everyone was ‘supposed’ to be righthanded. I know of one man who was so strongly lefthanded that he could barely even hold a pencil in his right. As a child, his parents finally got the teachers to stop punishing him for writing with his left hand when he became such a nervous wreck that he started pulling his hair out by the roots and refusing to go to school at all. At least we have stopped trying to turn lefthanders into righthanders and are willing to accept that there is room in the world for both. Nowadays, some people are even happily ambidextrous.

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