Did you know that men who are very sexually active in their 20s and 30s run a higher risk of prostate cancer, suggests a new study.
The study of more than 800 men, led by the famous University, also found that frequent sexual activity in a man's forties appears to have little effect and if done in fifties it could in fact offer protection from the disease.
However, the study attributed most of the differences to masturbation rather than sexual intercourse.
The researchers looked at the sexual practices of more than 431 men who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer before the age of 60, together with 409 controls.
All the men were quizzed on all aspects of their sex life from their twenties onwards, including how old they were when they became sexually active, how often they masturbated and had intercourse, how many sexual partners they have had and whether they have had any sexually transmitted diseases.
We were keen to look at the links between sexual activity and younger men as a lot of prostate cancer studies focus on older men as the disease is more prevalent in men over 50.
"Hormones appear to play a key role in prostate cancer and it is very common to treat men with therapy to reduce the hormones thought to stimulate the cancer cells. A man's sex drive is also regulated by his hormone levels, so this study examined the theory that having a high sex drive affects the risk of prostate cancer.
"What makes our study stand out from previous research is that we focused on a younger age group than normal and included both intercourse and masturbation at various stages in the participants' lives.
"Overall we found a significant association between prostate cancer and sexual activity in a man's twenties and between masturbation and prostate cancer in the twenties and thirties. However there was no significant association between sexual activity and prostate cancer in a man's forties.
"A possible explanation for the protective effect that men in their fifties appear to receive from overall sexual activity, and particularly masturbation, is that the release of accumulated toxins during sexual activity reduces the risk of developing cancer in the prostate area.
This theory has, however, not been firmly established and further research is necessary." (ANI)
Therefore, we have to control our self not to experience this kind of deadly disease.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Six Myths about STRESS
Stress is a part of our lives and there’s no getting around it. But as much as we all live with it, many of us misunderstand some of the basics about stress and its role in our lives. Why does this matter? Stress has been indicted in many research studies in exacerbating very real physical illnesses — everything from heart disease to Alzheimer’s disease. Reducing stress can not only help you feel better, but also live a longer, disease-free life.
Let’s look at some of the common myths surrounding stress.
Myth 1: Stress is the same for everybody.
Stress is not the same for everybody, nor does everyone experience stress in the same way. Stress is different for each and every one of us. What is stressful for one person may or may not be stressful for another; each of us responds to stress in an entirely different way.
For instance, some people may get stressed out paying the monthly bills every month, while for others such a task isn’t stressful at all. Some get stressed out by high pressure at work, while others may thrive on it.
Myth 2: Stress is always bad for you.
According to this view, zero stress makes us happy and healthy. But this is wrong — stress is to the human condition what tension is to the violin string: too little and the music is dull and raspy; too much and the music is shrill or the string snaps.
Stress in and of itself is not bad (especially in small amounts). So while stress can be the kiss of death or the spice of life, the key is to understand how best to manage it. Managing stress makes us productive and happy, while mismanaging it may hurt us and cause us to fail or become even more stressed.
Myth 3: Stress is everywhere, so you can’t do anything about it.
So is the possibility of getting into an automobile accident everytime we get into our cars, but we don’t allow that to stop us from driving.
You can plan your life so that stress does not overwhelm you. Effective planning involves setting priorities and working on simple problems first, solving them, and then going on to more complex difficulties.
When stress is mismanaged, it’s difficult to prioritize. All your problems seem to be equal and stress seems to be everywhere.
Myth 4: The most popular techniques for reducing stress are the best ones.
No universally effective stress reduction techniques exist (although many magazine articles and pop psychology articles claim to know them!).
We are all different — our lives are different, our situations are different, and our reactions are different. A comprehensive stress management program tailored to the individual works best. But self-help books that can teach you many of the successful stress management techniques can also be of great help, as long as you stick to the program and practice the techniques daily.
Myth 5: No symptoms, no stress.
An absence of symptoms does not mean the absence of stress. In fact, camouflaging symptoms with medication may deprive you of the signals you need for reducing the strain on your physiological and psychological systems.
Many of us experience symptoms of stress in a very physical way, even though stress is a psychological effect. Feeling anxious, shortness of breath, or simply feeling run down all the time can all be physical signs of stress. Feeling overwhelmed, disorganized and having difficulty concentrating are common mental signs of stress.
Myth 6: Only major symptoms of stress require attention.
This myth assumes that the “minor” symptoms, such as headaches or stomach acid, may be safely ignored. Minor symptoms of stress are the early warnings that your life is getting out of hand and that you need to do a better job of managing stress.
If you wait until you start feeling the “major” symptoms of stress (such as a heart attack), it may be too late. Those early warning signs are best listened to earlier rather than later. A change in lifestyle (such as exercising more) to deal with those early warning signs will be far less costly (in time and economics) than dealing with the effects of not listening to them.
This article is based upon a similar article, courtesy of the American Psychological Association.
Let’s look at some of the common myths surrounding stress.
Myth 1: Stress is the same for everybody.
Stress is not the same for everybody, nor does everyone experience stress in the same way. Stress is different for each and every one of us. What is stressful for one person may or may not be stressful for another; each of us responds to stress in an entirely different way.
For instance, some people may get stressed out paying the monthly bills every month, while for others such a task isn’t stressful at all. Some get stressed out by high pressure at work, while others may thrive on it.
Myth 2: Stress is always bad for you.
According to this view, zero stress makes us happy and healthy. But this is wrong — stress is to the human condition what tension is to the violin string: too little and the music is dull and raspy; too much and the music is shrill or the string snaps.
Stress in and of itself is not bad (especially in small amounts). So while stress can be the kiss of death or the spice of life, the key is to understand how best to manage it. Managing stress makes us productive and happy, while mismanaging it may hurt us and cause us to fail or become even more stressed.
Myth 3: Stress is everywhere, so you can’t do anything about it.
So is the possibility of getting into an automobile accident everytime we get into our cars, but we don’t allow that to stop us from driving.
You can plan your life so that stress does not overwhelm you. Effective planning involves setting priorities and working on simple problems first, solving them, and then going on to more complex difficulties.
When stress is mismanaged, it’s difficult to prioritize. All your problems seem to be equal and stress seems to be everywhere.
Myth 4: The most popular techniques for reducing stress are the best ones.
No universally effective stress reduction techniques exist (although many magazine articles and pop psychology articles claim to know them!).
We are all different — our lives are different, our situations are different, and our reactions are different. A comprehensive stress management program tailored to the individual works best. But self-help books that can teach you many of the successful stress management techniques can also be of great help, as long as you stick to the program and practice the techniques daily.
Myth 5: No symptoms, no stress.
An absence of symptoms does not mean the absence of stress. In fact, camouflaging symptoms with medication may deprive you of the signals you need for reducing the strain on your physiological and psychological systems.
Many of us experience symptoms of stress in a very physical way, even though stress is a psychological effect. Feeling anxious, shortness of breath, or simply feeling run down all the time can all be physical signs of stress. Feeling overwhelmed, disorganized and having difficulty concentrating are common mental signs of stress.
Myth 6: Only major symptoms of stress require attention.
This myth assumes that the “minor” symptoms, such as headaches or stomach acid, may be safely ignored. Minor symptoms of stress are the early warnings that your life is getting out of hand and that you need to do a better job of managing stress.
If you wait until you start feeling the “major” symptoms of stress (such as a heart attack), it may be too late. Those early warning signs are best listened to earlier rather than later. A change in lifestyle (such as exercising more) to deal with those early warning signs will be far less costly (in time and economics) than dealing with the effects of not listening to them.
This article is based upon a similar article, courtesy of the American Psychological Association.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
30 Minutes A Day Keeps Fat Away
In the time that it takes to watch a re-run of Friends, you could have burned a significant amount of calories.
There's no need to go to the gym simply try any of the following activities when you have a spare half hour.
An individual who weighs 150 pounds will burn 272 calories in 30 minutes.
Thirty minutes of gardening burns 136 calories while jogging burns 238 calories.
So what are you waiting for? Let us try this simple but terrible tips on how to keep fit in just a few minutes.
There's no need to go to the gym simply try any of the following activities when you have a spare half hour.
An individual who weighs 150 pounds will burn 272 calories in 30 minutes.
Thirty minutes of gardening burns 136 calories while jogging burns 238 calories.
So what are you waiting for? Let us try this simple but terrible tips on how to keep fit in just a few minutes.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Is Snoring dangerous?
Snoring is often a symptom of this serious condition.
Sleep apnea is a life-threatening condition that affects approximately 308 million adults in the around the world, and is most common among overweight men. In sleep apnea, the airway becomes blocked or breathing muscles stop moving. Breathing stops or becomes shallower hundreds of times each night. People with sleep apnea are often less aware of their fatigue and sleepiness than are people with other types of sleep disturbances.
Sleep experts say that doctors should be more vigilant in diagnosing apnea because it contributes not only to daytime sleepiness, but also to traffic accidents, cognitive difficulties, and heart problems.
Until recently, sleep apnea was considered uncommon, and it often remained undiagnosed. Physicians rarely checked for it except in the stereotypical patient — an overweight, middle-aged man who snored. But in 1993, researchers learned that apnea is more common in both men and women than previously thought. They looked for sleep apnea in 602 state employees, ages 30–60, as part of a larger sleep study, and were surprised to find that 9% of women and 24% of men had at least five episodes of reduced breathing, or hypopnea, per hour. About 4% of men and 2% of women were estimated to have the full syndrome of sleep apnea, which includes abnormal breathing events and daytime sleepiness.
So if you are experiencing this, do not hesitate to visit your health provider so you could easily get treated to prevent any unwanted things to happen in your life.
Sleep apnea is a life-threatening condition that affects approximately 308 million adults in the around the world, and is most common among overweight men. In sleep apnea, the airway becomes blocked or breathing muscles stop moving. Breathing stops or becomes shallower hundreds of times each night. People with sleep apnea are often less aware of their fatigue and sleepiness than are people with other types of sleep disturbances.
Sleep experts say that doctors should be more vigilant in diagnosing apnea because it contributes not only to daytime sleepiness, but also to traffic accidents, cognitive difficulties, and heart problems.
Until recently, sleep apnea was considered uncommon, and it often remained undiagnosed. Physicians rarely checked for it except in the stereotypical patient — an overweight, middle-aged man who snored. But in 1993, researchers learned that apnea is more common in both men and women than previously thought. They looked for sleep apnea in 602 state employees, ages 30–60, as part of a larger sleep study, and were surprised to find that 9% of women and 24% of men had at least five episodes of reduced breathing, or hypopnea, per hour. About 4% of men and 2% of women were estimated to have the full syndrome of sleep apnea, which includes abnormal breathing events and daytime sleepiness.
So if you are experiencing this, do not hesitate to visit your health provider so you could easily get treated to prevent any unwanted things to happen in your life.
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