Posted by Yardie Luke on September 7, 2010 under Health | 
The health benefits of sex extend well beyond the bedroom. Turns out sex is good for you in ways you may never have imagined.
By Kathleen Doheny
WebMD Feature Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
When you’re in the mood, it’s a sure bet that the last thing on your mind is boosting your immune system or maintaining a healthy weight. Yet good sex offers those health benefits and more.
That’s a surprise to many people, says Joy Davidson, PhD, a New York psychologist and sex therapist. “Of course, sex is everywhere in the media,” she says. “But the idea that we are vital, sexual creatures is still looked at in some cases with disgust or in other cases a bit of embarrassment. So to really take a look at how our sexuality adds to our life and enhances our life and our health, both physical and psychological, is eye-opening for many people.”
Sex does a body good in a number of ways, according to Davidson and other experts. The benefits aren’t just anecdotal or hearsay — each of these 10 health benefits of sex is backed by scientific scrutiny.
Among the benefits of healthy loving in a relationship:
Better Sex Starting Today!
1. Sex Relieves Stress
A big health benefit of sex is lower blood pressure and overall stress reduction, according to researchers from Scotland who reported their findings in the journal Biological Psychology. They studied 24 women and 22 men who kept records of their sexual activity. Then the researchers subjected them to stressful situations — such as speaking in public and doing verbal arithmetic — and noted their blood pressure response to stress.
Those who had intercourse had better responses to stress than those who engaged in other sexual behaviors or abstained.
Another study published in the same journal found that frequent intercourse was associated with lower diastolic blood pressure in cohabiting participants. Yet other research found a link between partner hugs and lower blood pressure in women.
2. Sex Boosts Immunity
Good sexual health may mean better physical health. Having sex once or twice a week has been linked with higher levels of an antibody called immunoglobulin A or IgA, which can protect you from getting colds and other infections. Scientists at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., took samples of saliva, which contain IgA, from 112 college students who reported the frequency of sex they had.
Those in the “frequent” group — once or twice a week — had higher levels of IgA than those in the other three groups — who reported being abstinent, having sex less than once a week, or having it very often, three or more times weekly.
3. Sex Burns Calories
Thirty minutes of sex burns 85 calories or more. It may not sound like much, but it adds up: 42 half-hour sessions will burn 3,570 calories, more than enough to lose a pound. Doubling up, you could drop that pound in 21 hour-long sessions.
“Sex is a great mode of exercise,” says Patti Britton, PhD, a Los Angeles sexologist and president of the American Association of Sexuality Educators and Therapists. It takes work, from both a physical and psychological perspective, to do it well, she says.
4. Sex Improves Cardiovascular Health
While some older folks may worry that the efforts expended during sex could cause a stroke, that’s not so, according to researchers from England. In a study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, scientists found frequency of sex was not associated with stroke in the 914 men they followed for 20 years.
And the heart health benefits of sex don’t end there. The researchers also found that having sex twice or more a week reduced the risk of fatal heart attack by half for the men, compared with those who had sex less than once a month.
5. Sex Boosts Self-Esteem
Boosting self-esteem was one of 237 reasons people have sex, collected by University of Texas researchers and published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior.
That finding makes sense to Gina Ogden, PhD, a sex therapist and marriage and family therapist in Cambridge, Mass., although she finds that those who already have self-esteem say they sometimes have sex to feel even better. “One of the reasons people say they have sex is to feel good about themselves,” she tells WebMD. “Great sex begins with self-esteem, and it raises it. If the sex is loving, connected, and what you want, it raises it.”
6. Sex Improves Intimacy
Having sex and orgasms increases levels of the hormone oxytocin, the so-called love hormone, which helps us bond and build trust. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and the University of North Carolina evaluated 59 premenopausal women before and after warm contact with their husbands and partners ending with hugs. They found that the more contact, the higher the oxytocin levels.
“Oxytocin allows us to feel the urge to nurture and to bond,” Britton says.
Higher oxytocin has also been linked with a feeling of generosity. So if you’re feeling suddenly more generous toward your partner than usual, credit the love hormone.
7. Sex Reduces Pain
As the hormone oxytocin surges, endorphins increase, and pain declines. So if your headache, arthritis pain, or PMS symptoms seem to improve after sex, you can thank those higher oxytocin levels.
In a study published in the Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine, 48 volunteers who inhaled oxytocin vapor and then had their fingers pricked lowered their pain threshold by more than half.
8. Sex Reduces Prostate Cancer Risk
Frequent ejaculations, especially in 20-something men, may reduce the risk of prostate cancer later in life, Australian researchers reported in the British Journal of Urology International. When they followed men diagnosed with prostate cancer and those without, they found no association of prostate cancer with the number of sexual partners as the men reached their 30s, 40s, and 50s.
But they found men who had five or more ejaculations weekly while in their 20s reduced their risk of getting prostate cancer later by a third.
Another study, reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that frequent ejaculations, 21 or more a month, were linked to lower prostate cancer risk in older men, as well, compared with less frequent ejaculations of four to seven monthly.
9. Sex Strengthens Pelvic Floor Muscles
For women, doing a few pelvic floor muscle exercises known as Kegels during sex offers a couple of benefits. You will enjoy more pleasure, and you’ll also strengthen the area and help to minimize the risk of incontinence later in life.
To do a basic Kegel exercise, tighten the muscles of your pelvic floor, as if you’re trying to stop the flow of urine. Count to three, then release.
10. Sex Helps You Sleep Better
The oxytocin released during orgasm also promotes sleep, according to research.
And getting enough sleep has been linked with a host of other good things, such as maintaining a healthy weight and blood pressure. Something to think about, especially if you’ve been wondering why your guy can be active one minute and snoring the next.
SOURCE: WebMD
Posted by Yardie Luke on September 5, 2010 under Health |
Some 76 million cases of foodborne illness are reported annually in the USA. About 300,000 of these cases are serious enough to result in hospitalization and sadly about 5000 persons die as a result. The most vulnerable are the elderly, pregnant women, young children and anyone with compromised immune system. However anyone can be affected by a severe or life-threatening case of food poisoning. Survivors of serious cases can have long-lasting health issues like kidney problems.
The recent massive egg recall was the reminder that dangerous pathogens like E. coli and salmonella lurk in our kitchens every day. To reduce the chance of catching serious food related infections here are some suggested practices.
Make it a habit to wash EVERYTHING!
Prepackaged fresh fruit and vegetables should be washed/rinsed before they are packaged and in most cases they are. But it is better to err on the side of caution. Rinse you lettuce, spinach and other vegetables before use.
To take it a step further, avoid the expensive bagging and buy fresh fruit and vegetables. Remove the outer leaves of items like lettuce and rinse thoroughly with clean hands. To make the job easier invest in a salad spinner
. Amazon have a good selection.
Well Done is the way to go
Eliminating harmful bacteria from meats and poultry can be easily done by cooking thoroughly. Visit Foodsafety.gov for a list of temperatures at which various foods should be cooked. It does not hurt to have a reliable meat thermometer
to ensure your meat is properly cooked.
Keep your Cutting Board clean
A surprising source of bacteria is the cutting board. Here is some good advice from the US Department of Agriculture:
The Meat and Poultry Hotline says that consumers may use wood or a nonporous surface for cutting raw meat and poultry. However, consider using one cutting board for fresh produce and bread and a separate one for raw meat, poultry, and seafood. This will prevent bacteria on a cutting board that is used for raw meat, poultry, or seafood from contaminating a food that requires no further cooking.
The same agency also makes the following recommendations:
To keep all cutting boards clean, the Hotline recommends washing them with hot, soapy water after each use; then rinse with clear water and air dry or pat dry with clean paper towels. Nonporous acrylic, plastic, or glass boards and solid wood boards can be washed in a dishwasher (laminated boards may crack and split).
Both wooden and plastic cutting boards can be sanitized with a solution of 1 tablespoon of unscented, liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of water. Flood the surface with the bleach solution and allow it to stand for several minutes. Rinse with clear water and air dry or pat dry with clean paper towels.
All plastic and wooden cutting boards wear out over time. Once cutting boards become excessively worn or develop hard-to-clean grooves, they should be discarded.
Consider Pasteurized eggs
Consider using pasteurized eggs to reduce the possibility of salmonella poisoning. Pasteurized eggs are heated in the shell to kill harmful bacteria and viruses but still taste and look like regular eggs. They are sold in most grocery stores and come with a red “P” stamped on the carton or on the eggs themselves.
For more info on food safely here are some useful links:
Foodborne Illness: What Consumers Need to Know
Food Safety Tips for the Budget-Conscious
Safe Food Handling
Meat Preparation
Thanks for reading – Yardie Luke
Posted by Yardie Luke on June 19, 2010 under Health |
My fellow Jamaicans, Caribbean friends and friends in general, I would like to share some very valuable information with you regarding paying for prescription drugs.
Last summer I spent a few hours at a medical facility in Florida and left there with a $12,000 bill for tests and drugs. Fortunately I had insurance through my employer and end up paying less than $200 out of pocket expense. Sadly many of our friends and families do not have insurance coverage to cover most of their health related expenses.
About 5 years ago while working at an insurance company I was made aware of a program in the United States that helps people with their prescription drug expense. It is called The Partnership for Prescription Assistance and their website is pparx.org.
The Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA) helps qualifying patients without prescription drug coverage get the medicines they need for free or nearly free.
According to their website, “The Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA), a nationwide effort sponsored by America’s pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies, has helped nearly 6 million uninsured and financially-struggling Americans get information about programs that provide prescription medicines for free or nearly free. PPA provides a single point of access to more than 475 patient assistance programs, including nearly 200 offered by pharmaceutical companies.”
Who Is The PPA?
- The PPA is sponsored by America’s pharmaceutical research companies.
- These pharmaceutical research companies are working with doctors, pharmacists, other health care providers, patient advoca¬cy organizations and community groups to educate patients about the PPA
- More than 1,300 leading national, state and local organizations have joined forces with the PPA.
PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH SOMEONE WHO COULD BENEFIT FROM IT.
Peace and Good Health,
Yardie Luke
Posted by Yardie Luke on June 2, 2010 under Health |
Children in the Caribbean and North America will start their summer holidays very soon. One challenge parents face is finding affordable summer programs that will keep the children off the streets.
Last year I was late in getting my child registered for a summer program and I ended up paying a lot more than I would have if I started searching earlier. I asked one of my neighbor where he sent his 3 children and he told me “Boys and Girls Club.”
Boys & Girls Clubs of America first opened its doors in 1860 and the organization is proud to have among its alumni, Bill Cosby, Michael Jordan, President Clinton, Denzel Washington, Neil Diamond, Brad Pitt, Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Martin Sheen.
I have registered my child in the Boys and Girls Club summer program and the cost is the equivalent of about 1 week’s lunch. I was surprised considering that one summer I spent over $400 for enrolling my child in a summer program.
If you live in North America there may be a location near you. In the USA check if a club is near you and if you are in Canada you can check here to find a club near you.
I would like to find out where you will be sending your child/children during the summer. If you live in the Caribbean, England or North America please share with us how your young one(s) will be spending the summer holidays. This information will be very valuable to other parents.
Posted by Yardie Luke on April 29, 2010 under Health |
There was a very interesting article in the Gleaner yesterday that’s worth displaying. Here are excerpts and the link to the article:
The tomato, for example, is a fruit so commonly used in Jamaica that its healing power is taken for granted. (And yes, it’s a fruit, not a vegetable, because it contains the ovary of the plants and its seeds). Lycopene is the nutrient most studied in the tomato.
It is a carotenoid (similar to the pigment found in carrots) which has potent anti-cancer activity. It has been found to reduce prostate cancer risk.
In fact, a landmark study (by Erdman and Canene-Adams) published in the journal Cancer Research found that when tomatoes are combined with broccoli as part of a daily diet, the prostate tumour-fighting effect is more pronounced. The researchers believe that bioactive compounds in each food work on different anti-cancer pathways but have an additive effect. SOURCE
Posted by Yardie Luke on October 28, 2009 under Health |
An extract found in the bright yellow curry spice turmeric can kill off cancer cells, scientists have shown.
The chemical – curcumin – has long been thought to have healing powers and is already being tested as a treatment for arthritis and even dementia.
Now tests by a team at the Cork Cancer Research Centre show it can destroy gullet cancer cells in the lab.
Cancer experts said the findings in the British Journal of Cancer could help doctors find new treatments.
Dr Sharon McKenna and her team found that curcumin started to kill cancer cells within 24 hours.
‘Natural’ remedy
The cells also began to digest themselves, after the curcumin triggered lethal cell death signals.
Dr McKenna said: “Scientists have known for a long time that natural compounds have the potential to treat faulty cells that have become cancerous and we suspected that curcumin might have therapeutic value.”
Dr Lesley Walker, director of cancer information at Cancer Research UK, said: “This is interesting research which opens up the possibility that natural chemicals found in turmeric could be developed into new treatments for oesophageal cancer.
“Rates of oesophageal cancer have gone up by more than a half since the 70s and this is thought to be linked to rising rates of obesity, alcohol intake and reflux disease so finding ways to prevent this disease is important too.”
Each year around 7,800 people are diagnosed with oesophageal cancer in the UK. It is the sixth most common cause of cancer death and accounts for around five percent of all UK cancer deaths. SOURCE
