Trust is one of these funny things. When you got it, you got it. When you ain’t got it, you’re in a lot of trouble. So take a drug like aspirin. This is a neat medication with all kinds of different uses. It’s a painkiller (well, for minor aches), it reduces inflammation and helps to bring down a fever. Most importantly, for people at risk of a stroke or heart attack, it thins the blood and reduces clotting. This is all major mojo yet everyone in the world is trusted with it. You can walk into more or less any pharmacy or grocery store, and pick some off the shelf. No-one asks you for a prescription. It’s sold “over-the-counter” (OTC for short) by anyone who happens to be in the store. What did we all do to justify this trust? Well, that’s hard to say. People who overdose on aspirin can die. Children are particularly at risk. Even though not at lethal levels, it can also cause serious stomach problems. So it’s not like this is a completely safe drug to leave lying around the house. Yet even though millions of men have been taking the little blue pill since it came on the market some ten years ago, and its safety record is second to none (there have been more than 120 clinical trials), it’s only available on prescription. For those men without the initiative to buy this great cure for erectile dysfunction online, that means a visit with their local healthcare provider to collect a prescription and then one of those slightly embarrassing trips down to your neighborhood pharmacy where all the counter staff nudge each other and smile as you come in for your repeat dose. So, it’s been interesting to watch Pfizer’s application in Europe to sell this (possibly safer than aspirin) drug over the counter. The plan was to make the 50mg dose of viagra available without prescription in pharmacies. But the the European Medicines Agency (EMA) was concerned that if men could walk in off the streets and buy this drug, they might be putting themselves at risk. Yes, unless all men are forced to go see a doctor, there might be a fatal delay in the diagnosis of the underlying causes of their erectile dysfunction. It could be diabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease. A medical exam before the prescription makes sure they stay well enough to enjoy the sex. It’s reassuring to know the EMA has everyone’s interests at heart. The second reason which has to do with younger men getting their hands on this drug for recreational purposes, is equally unconvincing. So until common sense prevails on all sides, men will just have to buy their viagra online (where it’s cheaper than on Main Street anyway). If they have other symptoms, most men can be trusted to go have a check-up (sooner or later).
Filed under: Uncategorized Date 7 December, 2008
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Being old in the tooth, I rarely pay any attention to the musings of the latest young pop stars. Although their music is no doubt enjoyable to young consumers, what they have to say is usually brainless. After all, they have only been around for twenty years or so and, in that time, they have seen little but piles of money rolling in through the door. What can these upstarts tell an old guy like me? Well, it seems there’s this publishing industry which exists to tell the stories of these latest celebrities. Their every move is photographed. Their every word is recorded. They are the style leaders and gurus for their generation. And, every now and again, the words from one of these role models leaks through into the conventional media. Taken by surprise, I find myself agreeing with Natasha Bedingfield. To be honest, I had to google her. Yes, I am that disconnected from the real world. It seems she has produced two albums, the last one featuring the encouraging, “I Wanna Have Your Babies”. Anyway, this young lady of 26 summers has just found Mr. Right and demonstrates she has a wry sense of humor. It seems her fiancé is hotter than David Beckham! I’m sure Victoria is relieved to hear that although quite how she knows how hot the older David can be is anyone’s guess. But it was the headline that caught my eye. “Romance is female viagra.” So there you have it. Whereas we poor men have to keep popping the little blue pills, all women need to get in the mood is a bunch of flowers and a box of chocolates. Well, that’s young love for you. In the interview, she’s proud of the fact that they write each other little love letters. It seems they still talk to each other. He’s charming and funny. I think I did that once. Well, I can do charming and, if in the mood, funny. But both at the same time is a real challenge. But her intended seems able to sweet talk entertainingly. Ah, the things you can do when you’re young and in love. Except there’s a lesson there for us older men as well. It’s too easy to get wrapped up in the selfish point of view. I’m having troubles so all I need to do is order some viagra online and then I’ll be alright. Where’s the mention of my partner in all this. Relationships have two partners. It’s no good one getting in the mood with artificial aids if the other is experiencing one of her headaches. Natasha is right that both should be working towards the same end. We men should therefore take the time to remember the days of romance. It starts with talking to your partner, sharing the problems and asking for help. When she turns out to be on your side, you need to say thank you with a present. Yes, it’s only a token and she should know you still love her, but it never hurts to produce evidence every now and again. Then when the romance is doing its viagra act for her, you can take one of the little blue pills and enjoy the results.
Filed under: Uncategorized Date 7 December, 2008
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As a child, I fell sick a lot – just the luck of the draw, I guess. According to my mother, I should have been entered into the Guinness Book of Records for catching the most diseases in the shortest time. I can remember most of the really serious ones, but the one infection I still fear is otitis media. For those of you not clued into the more exotic disorders, this is a middle ear infection, the bit of the ear with all those exciting little bones that transmit the sounds from the outside world into the inner bit where we make sense of all the noise (not not, as the case may be). This is a really nice, warm place that breeds the best possible class of bacteria and lays down a welcoming mat for viruses as well. Under normal circumstances, it drains through the eustachian tube down into the throat. But, if anything goes wrong, the ear fills up with fluid and then you’re in real trouble. Read a book and it will tell you that younger people get ear infections more easily because their tubes do not drain as efficiently into the throat as those of an adult. Whatever the reason, I got this twice. The first time, I was hit by a snowball and melted water (plus whatever) ran into my ear. The second time was just a month or so later. I assume the first infection never really went away. The combination of hallucinations caused by the high fever and acute pain is seared on to my memory. This was worse than any other sickness where I might have died because, this time, I wanted to die to make it all go away. The final cure was all down to zithromax, one of the all-time best antibiotics in my book. Everyone knows all the ‘cillins. They remain the traditional treatments of first resort. For this condition, I now swear by the drug no-one has ever heard of. Apart from the “max” ending which suggests power, you start off the name of a drug with “z” and folks look at you like you’re pretty dumb. But I know better. Zithromax saved me from the demons that walk in the night and terrify any boy with a fever off the scale who thinks he’s going to die. For the record, the modern approach to the treatment of otitis media calls for a slight delay before administering any antibiotic. If the cause of the infection is a virus, it will clear up on its own without treatment. So physicians wait to see what happens for between one and three days. Having lived through this sickness twice, all I can say is that, if the fever starts to rise, don’t delay more than a day. The experience scars you for life. In fact, in the worst cases, there can be serious complications. For me, zithromax will always be the answer sooner rather than later.
Filed under: Uncategorized Date 7 December, 2008
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For some, flying is a routine. No matter how much security we have to go through to get on the plane, it’s still quicker than all the other land-based systems of transport. For others, it’s an adventure. We have saved our dollars and now we get our reward – a flight to the holiday destination we have been dreaming about for months. Except that, the further we fly, the worse the effects on our bodies. Some flights are nicked-named, the “red-eye” flights because of their timing. When they land, the people leaving the plane look and act like the cast out of Night of the Living Dead and shamble through the rest of the day like zombies. When the flights take us across different time zones, the effects can be just as devastating. One of the reasons for this is sleep (or the lack of it). Our bodies have natural circadian rhythms. We have a body clock that automatically tells us when to eat, to sleep and so on. If something disrupts that daily cycle, all the body’s processes are disrupted. A theory has recently taken hold that the body clock can be reset by using ambien. The idea is a simple one. If you are going to fly forward or back twelve hours, you will be expected to function at full alertness at a time your body clock tells you it’s night. Without intervention, your body’s temperature will drop slightly, your metabolism will slow and you will feel tired. But let’s say you take ambien on the plane. Now you sleep out of synch with your old time frame, but in the right frame for your destination. This is thought to be taking the first step to resetting the clock. In fact, there have been many confirmed stories in the media of sportsmen and women using ambien to get themselves to sleep so they match the local time zones. Some physicians can be persuaded to prescribe ambien for this purpose or you can just buy the ambienonline as you need it for your travel. However, although everyone agrees that it’s the most effective drug to combat insomnia generally, its use for this purpose is more controversial. Forcing the body to sleep is not the same as getting good quality sleep when your body is expecting it. Merely making you perform the activity of sleeping at the local time, is not resetting the clock that regulates your metabolism. Most informed physicians prefer people to live through the change and adjust naturally.
Filed under: Uncategorized Date 7 December, 2008
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One of the more popular genres in bookstores is the one marked “horror” (sometimes overlapping with “dark fantasy”). This is where the author takes an everyday type of situation and then twists it round to show us the frightening side. It’s the old roller coaster ride. Some people just can’t get enough of the thrill seeking. The pumping of the heart and adrenaline flooding through the body is such a high for them. Well, today’s posting here is one of the scary variety. So let’s start off by blaming someone. It always feels better if you can point to someone else for spoiling the party spirit first. In this case, it’s a Brit doctor – they are more into death and destruction over there what with their socialist health service. Anyway, he wrote a letter to the British Medical Journal – not a shy fellow, you will understand. He wanted his voice to be heard in the profession. He warns that the symptom of erectile dysfunction is often an indication the patient may have heart problems in two to three years time. Let’s just run the scenario past you. Most men are deeply ashamed by suffering erectile dysfunction. They prefer not to discuss it with anyone unless they have no choice. Some do make it to their physicians, but most doctors still treat the problem as a lifestyle issue rather than as a possible symptom of a more serious disease. The good physicians therefore just write out the prescription with the least fuss. It saves everyone embarrassment. The remaining men come on to a site like this and buy cialis online. Their research shows them that cialis is the best drug for producing long-lasting sexual performance. It can be bought online without a prescription. This solves their problem. Except there’s no physical check-up, no lab tests or other examination to see whether this is an early warning of heart problems. What’s the connection between erectile dysfunction and heart disease? Well, the reason for the failure to get or maintain an erection is a failure in the small artery leading into the penis. If there’s a problem with one small artery, the same problem may be replicated around the body. The more blood vessels are compromised, the more likely it is that you will have a heart attack. Although using cialis dilates blood vessels and improves blood circulation in the short term, the effect over two to three years diminishes. So if there is any history of heart disease in your family or you have high blood pressure, simply taking cialis can increase the risk you will have a heart attack. It’s always better to have a full physical examination if you have erectile dysfunction. One final thought – the sting in the tail required of all good horror stories. If a heart problem is diagnosed early, your chances of a long life just improved except that many of the drugs required to keep you alive make the erectile dysfunction worse.
Filed under: Uncategorized Date 7 December, 2008
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