Strange but true

Over the years, we all grow used to headlines that capture the imagination like, "Sticky Buns kill 31 in China" or "Two British ships collide, one dies". Somehow the English language is capable of creating dramatic images in just a few words, converting a simple story of food poisoning into an epic movie where killer buns rampage through a crowded mall until brought down by Chinese kung fu warriors. But, every now and then, the story is both extraordinary and literally true. "College girl avoids loss of all her limbs". Medicine is still a fairly inexact science. We all know the names of the big diseases and that there are treatments for many of them. But whether patients get the right diagnosis in time for the treatment to work. Well, that is a different story. Take meningitis as an example. The bacteria responsible live happily in the throats for weeks and months and nothing happens. Then, without warning, something as yet unknown, can trigger them into activity.

The first signs are what seem to be a cold or flu, sometimes with a headache, then developing with fever, vomiting and a rash. But there is no guarantee that these symptoms will appear or in this order. It is often the case that treatment is too late if the rash appears. This is a sign of meningococcemia, a bacterial infection of the blood stream. In some cases, there can be a loss of blood circulation to the hands and feet. At the beginning, they feel cold and, if treatment is delayed, gangrene can set in and there is no choice but to amputate. It is a little like a horror movie. First, surgeons remove the fingers of the affected hand. If that does not stop the spread of the rot, the hand follows, then the arm below the elbow, continuing until there is no arm left. That just leaves the other arm and two legs to go. Amputations occur in between 10 and 20% of cases.

This brings us to Jamie Schanbaum who is a student at the University of Texas in Austin. Early in February, 2009, she felt ill and quickly realised it was something serious. But, instead of going to hospital, she went to bed hoping to sleep it off. This was a crucial loss of time. When she awoke, the bacteria had spread throughout her body. But she has benefited from a new approach to treatment. Patients are placed in an oxygen chamber and given high doses of viagra. Although this drug is most usually associated with the treatment of erectile dysfunction, it works by dilating arteries in certain key areas through out the body. So it has a general effect in improving blood circulation. Changing the air pressure also improves flow. With these two working together, circulation to the affected areas of the arms and legs can be improved and amputations avoided. Years ago, Jamie would have lost all her limbs. Today, comparatively little needs to be removed. Although this is an extreme example of the effectiveness of viagra, it should remind us that it also represents a dramatic way of restoring circulation to the penis and creating hard erections. Different needs are equally well served by this amazing drug.

It's official. Ignore erectile dysfunction at your peril

We all live in times when you turn on the TV and find the latest scare story headlining. And sometimes it's real. You really can get food poisoning from peanut butter or mama's hamburger. Other times, the media have found some odd bit of research and blown it out of all proportion. This article looks at one new story. Appropriately, it's about erectile dysfunction. And we should take this seriously because...? Because it comes out of the Mayo Clinic, the internationally recognized center of excellence. So, the researchers there know a thing or two.

This latest research re-examined previous studies to establish the relationship between ED and heart disease. There have been a number of studies confirming the link, but none have actually measured the strength of the linkage. It has been left conveniently vague up to now. To give you an indication of the credibility of the latest study, there were 1,400 participants and their health has been monitored since 1996. This gives a significant sample for statistical analysis so the results are that much more persuasive. For those of you who are older, it confirms that ED is a normal part of ageing. It increasingly affects you as the years roll by. However, if the dysfunction does not affect you until you are old, there is little chance you will have any heart disease. Now, starting from the other end, the younger you are when the first symptoms of ED affect you, the more likely it is you will be affected by heart disease. What are the numbers? If you suffer from ED before or during your forties, the chances of you having heart disease are 80%. That's four out of five men will have heart disease. That's a massive number!

Is ED among young men the equivalent of a death sentence? Well, it need not be. Like all symptoms, it is a warning. People who ignore warnings pay the price later on. In this case, however, positive action can be taken to reduce the risks. Those who simply buy viagra to keep sexually active are not doing themselves any favors. There are two essential lifestyle changes. The first is to switch to a healthy diet. ED can be a first sign of high cholesterol levels, so reducing the cholesterol intake is a good first step. Indeed, generally reducing body weight will, in itself, reduce the risk of heart disease. Eliminating smoking and avoiding excessive alcohol is also advisable. The second step is to significantly increase the level of physical exercise. This is not simply more viagra to keep going longer in bed. This is real exercise to improve blood circulation, muscle tone and stamina. This also helps in losing body weight. Put the two together and men will see a path opening up to a longer life. Stay a couch potato and the odds say you will be one of the four out of five.

Those little blue pills may be banned

Many thousands years ago, life was simple. If someone found that a sharpened stick could be used during a hunt to kill animals for food, that's what it was used for. No-one would think that, in the future, a smaller version of that stick would be used as a pen for writing. So it was that the little blue pill started off its life during clinical trials for the treatment of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. When the accident of excitement among the male participants was noted, a new train of thought left the station. Who would have thought that a mere ten years later, the Italian mafia would be feeding this medication to racehorses to cheat on the races. Life has become so much more complicated as time has passed.

So where are we with this magic medication that cures human ills and makes money for the Mob? Well, no matter which sport you now look at, everyone is talking about whether it is cheating to use the Little Blue Pill. And we're not just talking about the Sex Olympics where men naturally shine and win gold medals from their girl friends and wives. It is surprising but serious athletes in all major sports have noticed the pills turning up in locker rooms. It has become a hot topic among sports regulators. Should an "everyday" drug used by many men become a banned substance among sportsmen? The answer comes down to its supposed effect. What advantage do athletes believe they are obtaining by using this drug? We have to go back to 2004 when a team of German researchers tested mountaineers on their endurance at altitude. The results were surprising, showing there was a general improvement in everyone's ability to absorb more oxygen from poor air and transport that oxygen more efficiently to the muscles. Moving on to 2006, a team from Stanford University demonstrated that cyclists working at altitudes in excess of 3,000 metres were on average 15% faster than the placebo group. As one might expect, there was a rapid move by mountaineers, skiers, bobsleigh, luge and other alpine sportsmen to experiment. The cycling profession was soon hard on their heels.

The current situation is that the Cycle Union of France is to ban the use of viagra. The World Anti-Doping Agency has commissioned two research projects. If these results confirm the earlier studies, the likelihood is that viagra will be added to the list of banned substances almost immediately and that the new list will be enforced in time for the Winter Olympics to be held in Vancouver. However, other professional athletes can sleep soundly in their beds. There are no plans to extend the ban to baseball, basketball or football.

Physical problems that might cause impotence

Impotence is the lack of a person's ability to sustain the penis' erection. It is the incapacity to uphold the erection for intimate intercommunication. There might be a tendency in sustaining just brief erections, incapacity to reach an erection, or incapacity in upholding erection for intimate intercommunication.

Impotence is not an illness. It signals of some defect within the body. It is caused by degrees. So before taking drugs like cialis, first learn different factors causing impotence.

Aging. Old men experience erectile dysfunction more frequently, then young men. With age the tissues' pliability in corpora cavernosa decreases and this results in incapacity to sustain an erection. In addition, old men usually develop diseases that promote impotence.

Injuries. Nerves' damage in the pelvis, spinal cord injuries also do affect potency.

Hormonal imbalance. Abnormal levels of testosterone affect potency. Such diseases as kidney failure shatter hormonal balance within the body as well and it might result in problems with erection sustain. Anyhow, there are not that many people facing impotency as a result of hormonal imbalance.

Cancer surgery. At times, the nerve damage caused during surgery can also result in impotence. Damage of blood vessels caused by surgery also causes erectile dysfunction. It is very important to know for sure that the blood vessels and nerves are not damaged during surgeries.

Cardiovascular illnesses. When the nerves controlling the blood flow to the penis are damaged it results in impotence. Arteries' hardening also results in erectile dysfunction. If the pelvic organs and the arteries to the penis are restricted by atherosclerosis, erection required blood is not delivered in full extent. The insufficient blood supplement results in incompetence of erection achievement or incapacity of maintaining an erection for intimate intercourse.

Treatment. At times, temporary dysfunction is caused by using some medicines. Drugs that affect the nerve impulses result in erectile dysfunction. Usually, medications used for treating high blood pressure, tranquilizers, antidepressants, antihistamines negatively affect blood flow to the penis. The obstruction with blood flow to the penis results in problems with potency.

So, there are different factors that might cause erectile dysfunction. The good news is that it's not impossible to regain impotence. In the past, many different people have been successfully cured. Exercises and medicines, such as Cialis, are usually used in impotence's medication. Even an insignificant change in your lifestyle can also help an individual person cure the dysfunction. The definite procedure to use for impotence's treatment depends on its origin. Once the origin has been established, the problem might be solved efficaciously.