April 2010

We need to start with a brief reminder of the underlying mechanics of an erection. When your brain recognises a situation as sexually stimulating, it sends a message to the arteries leading into the penis. Although blood is routinely circulated through the penis – it prevents gangrene and the flesh rotting – the volume is low. When the message from the brain is received by the arteries, they dilate and the volume of blood entering the penis increases dramatically. It slowly begins to fill a sponge-like area of tissue. As this swells, it presses against the veins taking the blood out. This traps blood inside the penis and the erection grows and hardens. When the stimulation disappears, the arteries into the penis contract. The flow of blood is reduced and the erection fades away. Ignoring the problems of psychology, this places the key performance requirement on the ability of the arteries to dilate and contract upon demand.

There are smooth muscles built into the walls of arteries all round the body and, depending on the energy requirements and environmental conditions like temperature, they all expand and contract as needed. Unfortunately, the blood carries a number of different elements through the body including cholesterol and triglycerides. These cause the walls of the arteries to harden. Plaques form which prevent dilation and contraction. This becomes the disease called artherosclerosis. It first affects the smallest arteries and, if not treated, spreads through the whole system of blood vessels until the heart can no longer cope. Strokes and heart attacks follow.

When we apply this to erectile dysfunction, the lessons are clear. The arteries leading into the penis are among the smallest in the body and so the ones most likely to be affected by artherosclerosis. If the early onset of this disease is preventing you from enjoying an erection, this suggests the rest of your blood vessels will be affected over time. The best estimates are that you have about four years from the first appearance of erectile dysfunction to take effective preventative action to prevent heart disease. Because the medical science is clear, any man reporting erectile dysfunction to his physician will be treated as a heart patient until tests prove the risks are low. Put another way, erectile dysfunction is a warning sign giving you the chance to avoid the pain of a stroke or heart attack and extend your life. Ignore this warning at your peril.

You could just surf the internet, find a recommended online pharmacy and buy generic cialis. This drug is clearly the best of the treatments because it gives the longest response times. If you take the as-needed version, it gives thirty-six hours of responsiveness. The once-daily version gives you responsive power as and when the opportunity presents itself. This would restore your erections and give you several years of satisfaction and pleasure. But during these years, the artherosclerosis will be developing. If you have not at least made lifestyle changes to your diet, your health is seriously at risk, and no amount of cialis is going to prevent the arrival of serious diseases. Take the wise course of action. Have the full range of tests. If they prove negative, you are reassured and your health insurance company is happy. If you are at risk, the preventive treatments will extend your and keep your insurance company’s bills small. Everyone’s a winner!

We all have to deal with pain every now and then. Some of us are lucky enough to experience it quite rarely while others have to suffer it most of their time. No wonder that there are so many ways to relief pain these days, because people always want to make their life better and pain is not the part of the perfect picture. Of course, pain is necessary for being aware of the possible hazards in the environment. But what if it’s just too much? Here are some of the most popular methods of pain relief offered by mainstream healthcare industry.

Injections

This is definitely the most direct and effective way of relieving pain. Injections deliver painkiller medications directly to the bloodstream through muscle tissue or directly into the vein. This allows the desired effect to be achieved in a much shorter period of time than with other methods. Injections are usually employed in severe cases of acute pain or as anesthetics for preventing the actual pain (during surgery).

Topical medications

Topical medications come in the form of cremes or gels and are applied on top of the affected area. This type of pain relief is most effective for injuries and muscle pain resulted from wear and tear. Topical medications are usually based around the same active elements as injections and oral medications, delivering them through the means of a gel or crème matter that is absorbed through the skin and dispersed throughout the entire pain-affected region.

Oral medications

Oral medications are definitely the most popular and widespread type of pain relief. Drugs like Tramadol are available in the form of pills that deliver the needed effect after being digested in the stomach. There are different types of oral medications each addressing a certain type of pain. Some drugs can have side-effects (narcotics) while other drugs may be used in different circumstances (Tramadol). However, before you buy Tramadol or any other oral drug you should consult with your doctor about the safety of any given drug in your situation.

Physical therapy

Physical therapy is often applied in cases of joint and muscle pain resulted from dysfunctions in bones, muscles and their activity. In physical therapy certain pressure is applied to modify the affected region in order to make the muscles and other tissues work properly. That’s why at initial stages of physical therapy the pain can get stronger and more uncomfortable but over some time the desired pain relief is achieved.

Electrical stimulation

Electrical stimulation uses low-voltage currents for stimulating nerve groups in the affected areas and has proven to be very effective in cases of chronic and neuropathic pain. People who have used it tell that the sensations are quite similar to that of a gentle massage in the area and the effect of pain relief usually lasts for several hours after the procedure.

Surgery

Surgery is the last resort when it comes to pain relief and is typically used when all other methods were ineffective. Surgery is usually employed when pain is caused by a complex underlying health condition (cancer, organ disease, internal hematology, etc.)

There’s always quite a big slice of the population that’s down. For them, the world revolves through shades of grey into black and back again, and there’s nothing worse than meeting happy people to make them feel really bad. Somehow all the bitterness and resentment comes to the surface. It’s a Scrooge, “Bah, humbug!” day everyday, including Christmas, if the crowd around them is bouncing around being all joyful. Perhaps it’s a fear the happiness might somehow be infectious. They want to drive all these jolly people away unless, in a moment of weakness, they find a little joy creeps up and bites them on whichever part of the anatomy might be exposed. But, for whatever reason, unhappy people resist happiness with a real enthusiasm. Sadly, the increasing body of medical evidence is that this is shortening their lives.

Let’s start with the European Heart Journal which, this month, is carrying an article suggesting that people who find peace and joy, if not excitement, in their lives are less likely to suffer from heart disease. This is not to say everyone should walk around in a state of pure contentment all the time. Everyone is entitled to periods when they feel angry, anxious or depressed. It’s a balance between dark and light. It seems the people who feel positive about themselves for longer, live longer. While those who lapse into longer lasting anxiety and depressive states are more likely to suffer heart attacks. This builds on an increasing body of research findings that happy people have stronger immune systems, lower blood pressure and are less likely to contract diabetes. Just as important, people with a positive outlook are more likely to enjoy good sleep, only drink moderate amounts of alcohol and are better able to quit smoking. But, as with all science, there is a need for more research. The immediate article comes out of a ten-year study involving 1,740 participants. This is on the borderline of statistical significance. There should more more studies involving larger numbers of people to tease out all the complex strands that contribute to longer or shorter life expectancy.

For those of you interested in this issue, you will find it useful to look at http://www.springerlink.com/content/0474658172222350/fulltext.pdf. The most interesting studies involve groups of nuns who live 7 to 10 years longer than average. They live “stress-free” quite unlike the modern secular majority whose lives are blighted by worry and anxiety. As it stands, the medical profession prefers to deal with simple remedies. To keep health insurance costs to a minimum, physicians write out a prescription for xanax while signalling for the next patient to enter. Dealing with abstract notions of happiness is not in the program for time-crunched doctors.

This is unfortunate because, although there is no evidence that happiness cures serious illness, it can always make the experience of illness more bearable. This does not deny that if you buy anti-anxiety drugs (e.g. if you buy xanax) online, you will not find anxiety levels reduce. But there is a difference between an absence of anxiety and a positive attitude to life. The evidence is mounting that happiness improves longevity. So, if you want to avoid an early death, start looking for a little joy. You never know. It may just creep up on you and bite you when you are least expecting it. That bite could add years to your life.