Archive for February, 2009

Men More Affected by Recession than Women?

This comes as no surprise, since the cliche that men’s egos are tied to their livelihood – aka their career, more so than most other things – yes, even penis size I’m afraid.  The current economic spiral we find ourselves in seems to be inescapable.  Every time I open up my regular news websites to take a gander at what the day’s news will be, which I’ve grown accustomed to doing every single day since the advent of the internet and the availability of the news immediately, it seems like I’m faced with yet more bad news about the financial shape of our country.

For anyone to think that this does not strike at their very psyche and emotional well being, I’ve got another thing coming for you – it does, and it particularly has affected men not only in the work place, but also in the sack, especially men who work in industries that have been brutalized by the current conditions, which includes basically any financial or banking job, anything in the auto industry, and most definitely any sales job, since people are so scared that they aren’t parting with their precious spending cash the way they used to, instead they are holding on for dear life in case they should get canned from their job.

Recent unemployment numbers have shown that men have gotten the brunt of the layoffs, with a higher percentage of men getting canned, laid off, or downsized out of their jobs, heck, even repriced in their salaries, more so than women have, opening the door for women to become the bulk of the work force for the first time ever.   Good thing for women, not so good for us guys, especially since we really tie our egos and our happiness to the fulfillment we get from being in a certain profession.

Women who have partners who are in the financial industry are more frequently discussing how their partners are nervous wrecks now that all this turmoil has hit the fan, and many times this dampens their libido, as well as their sexual performance in the bedroom.  They say that the damage it has done in terms of wrecking relationships and putting serious strains on them is unimagineable.  I mean, you think people used to fight about money before, this recession may increase that two fold, or perhaps if we are lucky enough, it will see a new resolve and “let’s stick together” through these tough times attitude not seen since the Depression.

I’m sure you can think of one of your buddies, or maybe an aquaintence that you’ve heard through the grapevine has been adversely affected by this economic problem, I know I’ve already heard of several, including family members who’ve been laid off or even had their salaries reduced in an effort for companies to reduce costs almost immediately and mitigate their own financial losses by cutting their work force.  It’s sad that many of these people have been in these jobs for a good amount of time, I’m sure thinking they would probably retire from them, and now are finding that they are out in the job market again, scrounging for something comparable.

Palin’s Daughter Admits Abstinence is Not Realistic for Teens

While of course abstinence is the ideal way to go about not getting pregnant and not getting any STD’s for teenagers, it is of course also not the most realistic or practical way to preach these safety issues to avoid teen pregnancy and also the spread of dangerous sexually transmitted diseases among the young population, who are at risk of essentially losing their childhood and also missing out on a lot of opportunities of growth to get into adulthood with a leg up for things like college and other opportunities that having a child can definitely make much more complicated.

Bristol Palin, Sarah Palin’s daughter, has expressed recently in an interview that she understands why abstinence is preached, but does not think it is very realistic.  I happen to agree with her, I remember being a teen and the raging hormones and sexual curiousity that went along with it.  Do you know how hard it is for kids to not even experiment with kissing, heavy petting, and other sexually charged activities?  I know that there are some who practice abstinence and keep their virginity due to moral or religious beliefs, and I applaud that, but for the majority of teens in America, this type of stringent belief system and self discipline simply is not very realistic.

Bristol Palin’s teen pregnancy was a point of contention in the Alaska governor (her mom’s) race for the vice president along with John McCain, and was given a little bit of attention because Sarah Palin is a known conservative who opposes abortion, but Bristol says that it is not true her mother made her carry through with the pregnancy, that it was her own decision and no one elses. I have to applaud her.  She seems courageous, even though it’s definitely not the ideal situation, and it also sounds like the father of the baby is very involved in the parenting.

We also have to remember that way back when, pregnancy and birthing at this young age was considered normal, it’s just that the age for having babies that’s socially acceptable has fallen back due to things like longer life spans and women’s liberation and so forth.  Hopefully her and the baby’s father can raise it together with minimal scrutiny from the media, and with the love and support that every baby deserves in this life, and it sounds like that’s exactly what’s happening right now.

Does Pot Use Raise Testicular Cancer Risk?

Uh-oh, if you were a doobie smoker back in the day, or you happen to still be blazing a trail even in older age, then you may be unknowingly and unnecessarily raising your risk for a particularly agressive form of testicular cancer, research is seeming to allude to.  The research is admittedly not conclusive or complete yet, but scientists are trying to pull together different groups of men and see what the common factors are in those that develop testicular cancer, and have seemed to find a significant correlation between those who smoked pot at least once a week in their youth and also may still be frequent pot users, and those that developed testicular cancer.

Marijuana does have some agents in it that may increase the risk of cancer, especially lung cancer, because when it is lit up and smoked, and especially because marijuana is usually smoked without filters and other things that may filter out the harmful and most carcinogenic aspects of the drug, become very harmful to the body’s tissues and therefore may be cancer causing as well.

So, if you used to light up a lot when you were younger, you may want to be more aware of being screened for testicular cancer and checking your testicles more often than you would have if you had not known about the possible risk increasing agents in this common and often smoked drug.   Testicular cancer is kind of a hard one to study, and even researchers admit they are sometimes baffled as to what the causes of it are exactly, especially since it many times strikes men who are in their twenties and thirties.

But smoking marijuana has other health repercussions as well and should be avoided anyways.  It has been shown to decrease sperm quality, and of course there is just the fact that you are smoking a carcinogenic substance into your lungs which can actually be much more harsh than a cigarette because it lacks any filtering, and there is the fact that smoking this drug does kill brain cells, which to me is reason enough to leave well enough alone.

I’m all for a little experimentation when you’re younger, if you’re a controlled person that does not have an addictive personality, but there is definitely a time to kiss any kind of drug or vice good bye, especially as you get older and your body responds more negatively to anything harmful.

Gender Health Habit Differences

Both men and women want to be healthy and maintain optimum health well into their golden years.  There are gender differences, however, in how men and women approach and prioritize their health habits.

One of the biggest health issues to tackle is the matter of staying physically fit.  Women tend to be more likely than men to do a mix of cardio, strength and flexibility exercises within their fitness routine.  Men tend to be more muscular but workout in less fitness categories.  Both men and women would benefit by putting more variety in their workouts regularly.

On the matter of eating habits, women tend to do better as they generally include more fruits and vegetables within their diet.  Men tend to opt for the high protein with more of the meat and potatoes approach to their eating habits.  Along with the high amount of meat comes the high amount of saturated fats in the diet.

The diets of men could be adjusted to include low fat protein sources such as fish or poultry and also more whole grains and fruits and vegetables to remedy their eating patterns.  Another health issue to compare genders on is stress management.  On this topic, men and women fare about equally as well in their coping mechanisms.

Women tend to talk about their stress issues.  Men tend more to act on their source of stress rather than talk or will talk about it after they have already taken action.   Ideally, a combination of these approaches is the best solution to stress issues for either men or women.

The health issues pertaining to the heart are generally taken more seriously by men.  Men are more likely to keep a close watch on heart related health matters such as their blood pressure and cholesterol levels and take medication accordingly.  Women are less likely to tend to their heart health and get the medication they need.

An important matter concerning all of our health is getting a good night’s sleep regularly.  According to the National Sleep Foundation’s poll, only 34% of women compared to 49% of men reported sleeping well most of the time.  A solution to this dilemna, particularly for women, is to relax and unwind in the hour before bedtime.

Dental health effects more than just our teeth.  Poor dental health can even lead to heart disease.  In this category, women did better than the men and have better oral hygiene habits.  The solution here is for both genders is to simply brush your teeth at least twice daily and floss at least once daily.

Shot Tricks Men Into Stopping Sperm Production

Finally, a men’s contraceptive product that may really work and be pretty easy to administer may be just on the horizon here in the US if the tests in Sydney Australia are any indication of future use and approval here in the US.  The problem is, can we get out of the mindset that it is the female’s responsibility to use birth control and make it easiest for us to have sexual intercourse without the risk of a resultant pregnancy?

It seems to be the status quo that women take the initiative to use birth control methods here in the US, especially when use of a condom is not desired or couples are monogomous with one another.  I’m not taking sides here, it’s just that because of the way the medical system is set up, the most convenient and fail-safe forms of birth control that most people are comfortable with using, that also happen to not interfere with the intimacy and spontaneity of the moment, happen to be birth control methods that are tailored for a woman’s use.
Many women report that being on the pill creates issues for them.  From moodiness to bloating to an array of other potential hormonal problems, women many times say they don’t like being on the pill.  On the contrast side of that though, there are some women who have found that being on the birth control pill actually helps them with hormonally related issues such as acne, mood swings and other similar problems.  Could this new shot that is supposed to trick a man’s body into stopping the production of sperm in order to act as a birth control device have the same contraindications as the birth control pill does for women?

Well, of course there is always the risk of unwanted side effects occurring in any form of birth control.  Heck, even condoms cause some to break out in hives and rashes or get itchy all over, so it seems that no one form of birth control is the perfect answer for everybody.  The new shot that would work to trick the man’s body into halting or greatly reducing sperm production, in order to make the likelihood of impregnation much less, is supposed to be effective when it is administered twice a month.

It works much the same as the female birth control does, in that it essentially tricks the body into thinking that things are happening that actually are not.  This shot actually sends chemical signals to the man’s brain, making his brain think that enough sperm has been produced by his testes, essentially tripping the “off” switch before it should be.

Sperm is released in semen, and typically millions of sperm go out in a man’s ejaculate fluid, which impregnates the ovum in a woman’s body, however, when the sperm count is greatly reduced, it can have a dramatic impact on the likelihood of impregnation, which is what they are going for here, less sperm equals less pregnancy worries.

Women with Prominent Chins Likelier to Stray?

Hmm, I guess if your female mate happens to have a somewhat Jay Leno-like chin, she may be more prone to straying from the relationship.  Of course, I exaggerate when I compare women with bigger chins to Jay Leno, but you catch my drift, he’s a guy with lots of chin to spare, that’s for sure!  Why would such an oddity be related to the likelihood that a female will cheat on her partner though?

Well, apparently larger chins on women are associated with higher levels of the male hormone testosterone.  Testosterone is the hormone that is associated with higher levels of sexual agression and sexual desire, hence the reason that men are depicted as swine in the Trojan condom ads, because of our sexual tendencies to more agressively campaign for sex and want it more often I guess.

Bigger chins are actually a male trait, which is why women with larger chins are not frequently looked at by men as being sexually attractive, which may work in a guy’s favor if the women he chooses have bigger chins and may be more prone to straying from the relationship.  This is so interesting, because when these random, somewhat obscure studies come out, I always wonder whether they were conclusions that were come to that are related to another study, or whether they somehow came up with this idea to create a study based on bigger chins.

Apparently they surveyed women with larger and smaller chins, and the women with larger chins consistently answered higher on the sexual agression scale as well as the scale that measures their sexual tendencies as far as frequency of sexual desire.  I do think it’s interesting how nature programmed men to be more likely attracted to women with smaller chins, perhaps it’s one of nature’s best forms of self-preservation.  Whatever the reason, it’s never endingly fascinating to explore the ways in which humans interact with eachother, from pheromones and body language, to hidden signals we give, unintended messages sometimes, and the intricate network of how men relate to women and vice versa.

How Common Are Heart Attacks During Sex?

It’s the joke that everyone loves to crack, and it’s the subject of many a movie and sitcom episodes.  As a matter of fact, there are a few shows that I can think of that used it as subject matter right off the bat – The Golden Girls and NYPD Blue.  Men croaking during sex by having a heart attack because their heart just can’t take it.  I guess if you look at it, it’s probably one of the better ways to go by a somewhat freak accident.  I’d take it any day over a shark attack or dying in a fire, wouldn’t you?

However, no matter how much tv shows or movies may want us to believe that dying from a heart attack, or having a heart attack and living, during sexual activity because it’s just too much strain on the ol’ ticker is common, it really isn’t according to statistics that have been gathered to investigate how many heart attacks are actually due to having sex.  So low that the numer of sexually related heart attacks hovers somewhere near 1%.  That means your odds of having a heart attack during sex are pretty darn low in other words.  Good news!

The physical activity is a strain though, and many of us men tend to not breathe correctly during sex. News flash – if you can master your breathing during sex, not only can you more successfully avoid the chances of a myocardial infarction, but you can also have better, more complete orgasms.  A lot of men don’t know this, but a lot of the reasons behind sexual dysfunction or bad orgasms is the fact that they are not using their breath to their advantage.  Breathing is necessary to keep oxygen flowing, and to keep the blood flowing not only to the penis, but also to the other necessary organs – including the heart.

So, if you want to get better at sex and also want to be a healthier guy all around, make sure you breathe correctly.  Some of the ways you can master your breath is to take yoga classes and other slow moving meditative or stretching types of exercises, since they are directed at slowing the breath down and controlling it better.  The better you control your breath, the better you can be able to direct that breath to where it’s needed – many different places at once when you’re having sex!

Yoga for Premature Ejaculation?

Guest written by a woman….for a woman’s unique perception and views on sexual intimacy.

I practice yoga and I happen to love it.  I try to do it about 2-3 times a week right now, which I am trying to get a little higher with intermittent different practices as well as other aerobic activity, which is all part of a program to get my weight back on track after way too much holiday food indulgence.  I’m sure many of you can relate.  I’m not by any means an advanced yogic practitioner, but I’m not a total beginner either.

I would say I’m moderately flexible and my breathing techniques, which is a large part of successful yoga practice, are pretty good at this point and I’m ready to try to move to more difficult levels.  Let me tell you, some people may think that the hard part about yoga is the poses and holding them for x amount of minutes, but the hardest part for me was to be “in the moment” and focused on my body and my breathing at all times.

Because I tend to have my mind go in twenty directions at one time, one of the reasons I wanted to start yoga was to still my mind and be able to concentrate and focus on something that was immediately before me as a tast, instead of thinking ahead to what I had to do and accomplish in the hours, days, and life ahead of me.  This is really hard for a lot of people, to create this still mind so to speak, and it was certainly the hardest part for me.

However, if a man can do yoga and do it well, making sure he breathes properly and also making sure that he focuses on his body and draws his mind inward, he can gain tremendous benefits in his sexual prowess, and many times even dramatically improve cases of premature ejaculation, which is one of the most common sexual dysfunction problems of men, followed by impotence.

Premature ejaculation is particularly frustrating and embarrassing for men, and doing yoga has proven nearly as effective as pharmaceutical treatments with Prozac, an antidepressant, so this is good news, especially considering that one is great for you all around and the other is a potentially lifelong drug that people have to be on!

Economy Got You Stressed? Try Masturbation!

Masturbation is one of the best stress relievers that I can think, besides real sex with a partner.  It’s been proven the sexual activity in itself is an excellent stress reliever, and is even recommended for couples just to ease the anxieties of every day life, and make their relationships better and more relaxed.  I can tell you from personal experience that before sex I can be wound as tight as a spring and afterwards I’m as gentle and relaxed as a cat grooming itself on a lazy sunny afternoon.

But what if your sexual partner isn’t around, or you happen to be flying solo without a sexual partner that’s safe?  There’s always masturbation. There’s a reason that one of the funniest movie scenes in cinematic history inclues Ben Stiller masturbating in the bathroom to get his nerves calmed before going out on a big date with the object of his affection, Cameron Diaz.  It seems like a stereotype that male (and female for that matter) masturbation would be a good destress and relaxation technique, but in fact, studies have shown that it helps to lower stress causing hormones in the body and calm the mind.

See, we humans are very cleverly designed creatures.  We require the desire to continue and further our species through mating, and because of that, our makers have chosen to evolve us into animals that make love and have sexual relations for pleasure.  The only other animal that has been known to have sex for pleasure other than humans are dolphins, which are some of the most intelligent animals that we know of, and also happen to be the mammals of the sea – very interesting factoid for you today.

Sexual intercourse and sexual activity supplies us with an outlet for excess agression, passion and in some cases, even creativity for some of us.  This is how we have evolved, and it’s how we are meant to further our survival here on earth, so it only makes sense that the means by which we spawn are that which give us feelings that are pleasurable.  So, next time you feel tons of stress from this ridiculous economic situation we are in right now, consider having a roll in the hay with your partner, or go ahead and get the lube out and have a meeting with Mr. Hand.  Ha!

Proof That Stress Ages Males : President’s Accelerated Aging

Is it just me, or does Barack Obama already look a bit more weathered already, after serving just a little over a week in the whitehouse as our official commander in chief?  I commented the other day to a friend that his face already looked a little more worn than usual.  Of course, I’m sure these first few critical weeks are going to be hard on the poor guy, what with the country being in such a state of crisis that everyone’s nervous and on edge, think about what it would be like for you to have this enormous responsibility on your shoulders – I’m sure that you’d feel a lot older after only a few weeks too.

The advanced and accelerated aging rate of presidents in office, as evidenced in before and after photos of four to eight years, when a little bit of aging should occur, but a lot does in these commander in chiefs per the pictures that are worth a thousand words, but presidents are thought to age almost double the rate in the same amount of years as us normal people, because of the immense stress and pressure they have been under for all those years.

Stress is probably one of the biggest detriments to both male and female health, and it’s one that doesn’t receive as much press and attention as things like smoking and diet because it is more of an intangible thing that we can’t really quantify or describe.  Heck, I don’t even know if the amount of stress I feel and the way I handle it is sufficient to say that I have manageable amounts of stress that shouldn’t impact my health in any way.

Stress is very subjective as well. It’s very intrinsic, meaning that we create our own stress, because we create our own perceptions.  The way we determine and perceive things, and the way we allow ourselves to react to situations, people, news, circumstances and any other number of external stimuli, is the what our stress levels are the direct result of.

This is why things like relaxation techniques such as exercise, yoga, sex, meditation and other situations and activities that we personally find relaxing are so important.  They help us to effectively manage stress in our lives, and therefore, the rate at which we age and our surrounding health.  It’s also the way that we can create success and good relationships in our lives, by chaning our perceptions of stressful situations.  I’ve been reading Deepak Chopra, can you tell