Men: All The More Reasons To Have Frequent Sex

A US study. published in Journal of the American Medical Association, suggested that men who have active sex life or masturbate frequently reduced their chances in developing prostate cancer.

This topic indeed has always been controversial among experts. Previous research suggests that increased production of testosterone, a male hormone, can faciltate the growth of prostate cell. However, this new study suggests that frequent ejaculations may decrease the concentration of chemical carcinogens that accumulate in prostatic fluid, and thus may reduce the development of crystalloids that are associated with prostate cancer in men.

This study results found that men who ejaculate 13 times a month or more, were much less likely to develop prostate cancer than men who do it 4-7 times a month. In comparison to men who ejaculate 4-7 times a month, men who ejaculate between 13-20 times a month had 14% lower lifetime risk; and 33% lower lifetime risk for those ejaculate 21 times and more a month.

These findings still need further investigation though. The previous study that concluded increased prostate cancer risk with higher sexual activities was published in the journal Epidemiology in 2002.

--------------
For reference
Journal of the American Medical Association: http://jama.ama-assn.org/

Men: Rediscover Your Mojo By Shedding Few Pounds

Do you happen to be an overweight lad? If you do, you'd better start hitting the gym to lose some pounds. Besides for your health reasons, this will also lead to healthy sex life.

"For men, the penis is the window to the heart", expert says. This is due to the blood vessels in the penis are exactly the same as those in the heart. So if you suffer from erectile dysfunction, this is often a warning diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

A study of more than 19,000 men, conducted in 2005 and published in Journal of the American Medical Association, found that men who suffered from erectile dysfunction were just as likely to have a heart attack or stroke as smokers.

The problem of erectile dysfunction does not only happen to old men, but also to younger men. So men, keep yourself fit and watch out your waistline. And for women, keep track of your man's weight as so to maintain your man's healthy and active sex life well into later years.

------------
For reference
Journal of the American Medical Association: http://jama.ama-assn.org/

'Man Boobs' in Young Boys

If you happen to be a fan of lavender and tea tree oils, you may want to watch out and use it carefully if you have boys at home.

New England of Journal Medicine has published a study that suggests these lavender and tea tree oils can cause young boys to grow 'man boobs'. These oils can act in similar way to hormone oestrogen. They can also block male hormones that control both masculine characteristics.

It is indeed very rare for young boys to develop temporary breast enlargements during puberty. However, it does happen to very few unlucky boys. The term for this condition is called prepubertal gynaecomastia.

The case involved the 4-year-old "who was using absolutely nothing on his skin except a lavender oil preparation that his mother had obtained from a homeopath". Her mom always rub his chest and body using lavender oil every night, because she, as we all know too, that lavender has some healing properties. The boy start to develop 'boobs'. It was only several months after stopped using the lavender oil, his breasts returned to normal size.

However, further study should be conducted to determine the prevalence of prepubertal gynaecomastia in boys using products containing lavender and tea tree oils. Until then, personally, I would rather to have my boys stay clear from these oils, and forbid them from using soaps, shampoos, lotions, hair gels or other stuffs containing lavender and tea tree oils.

----------------

For reference
New england journal of medicine: http://content.nejm.org/

Cause of Cot Death Finally Known

It has been long unknown the cause of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) or cot death.

Thanks to a recent study conducted by Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London, as their study has shown that the SIDS can be caused by bacteria infection, i.e. Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli.

Further study should be conducted on how to prevent the bacteria infection.

Why Herbs Are Not Safe For Pregnant Women

Many Chinese people would take chinese herbs during their pregnancy. My families and my husband families are among those who believe that preggars should consume chinese herbs, to strengthen the uterus and thus the well being of the baby.

Consumption of chinese herbs is prohibited by my obgyn (obstetricians and gynaecologists) in Singapore. According to her, herbs do not have any quality control and thus should be avoided as we are unsure of the quality.

At first, I took some of chinese herbs during my pregnancy, and I fell ill. It was just the regular chicken herbs soup that I always took since I was young. I had stomach cramps. At first I thought it was just a coincidence. Then after the next 2 times I took the chinese herbs soup, I am very certain that the stomach cramp is due to the chinese herbs I consumed. It was in my early trimester of pregnancy. I avoided chinese herbs since then, and ignored what my family and my hubby's family said about the importance of consuming chinese herbs.

And I finally find a more detailed explanation in one of pregnancy books I am reading, on why preggars should avoid taking chinese herbs, or any herbal cures in general. So my preggars friends, or if there is any of you who is trying to conceive, note down this piece of information.

Medicinal herbs are drugs, often very powerful ones. Some are so powerful that they are used in laboratories to produce prescription medicines. Others have been used for generations in some societies to induce abortions, and some have been linked to miscarriage.

Even in a seemingly soothing cup of tea, some herbs are capable of producing such symptoms as diarrhea, vomiting, and heart palpitations. The use of herbal medicines presents an added risk that is not present hen the remedies come from the drugstore.

Herbs are not made under quality-controlled conditions, and may be dangerously strong or imptently weak. They may also contain harmful contaminants, including such allergens as insect parts, pollens, and molds, and even toxic agents such as lead or arsenic.

Considering the above, you should also avoid herbal teas. If you are craving for the taste or smell of herbal teas, just add orange, apple, pineapple, lemon, mint leaves, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves or other spices to your decaffeinated tea.

Cold Roast Potatoes Cause Hiccups

Do not eat roast potatoes when it is already cold, because it would cause inconvenient hiccups to you.

Hiccups are involuntary contractions of the diaphragm and other inspiratory muscles, that is the muscles we use to breathe in. Hiccups can be a sign of irritation in our body.

Hiccups occur when we eat too much at once and do not chew it properly before swallowing it down.

But there are also many other causes of hiccups. One of them is the resistant starch found in starchy foods like potatoes when eaten cold. Resistant starch resists the process of digestion in the small intestine (where starchy food is digested when it is hot), and moves into the bowel and colon where it is fermented by bacteria. This causes more gas, bloating, irritating our diaphragm and thus causes hiccups.

So if you happen to have roast potatoes leftovers in your fridge, do make sure you heat it up before you eat it.

Plants To Clear The Air In Your Office

Looking for something to freshen up the air in your office?

Here is some good news. We may at some relief now, thanks to the research from Plants and Environmental quality Group at the University of Technology in Sydney. Their study has found that plants removed about 70% of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) at concentrations above 100ppb from the office air. Volatile Organic Compounds are emitted from certain types of plastic in chairs, furniture and office appliances. Plant metabolism and soil microorganisms are involved in this clearing the air process.

The plants used in this study are common house plants: Howea forsteriana (Kentia palm); Spathiphyllum wallisii var. Petite (Peace Lily); and Dracaena deremensis var. Janet Craig.

So you might want to start looking for these plants to put in your office, for a safer and clearer air to breathe.