Monthly Archives: May 2016

General

Smoking During Pregnancy Increases The Risk Of Baby Developing Schizophrenia

Expectant mothers who smoke during pregnancy increase the risk of their baby developing schizophrenia in later life, a study has revealed.

stop smoking
This image was taken from bbc.co.uk.

Data on 1,000 schizophrenia patients were examined for the study. Scientists matched their birth and health records with those of non-affected ‘control’ individuals.

Smoking habits were assessed by looking at the levels of nicotine marker, cotinine, in their blood.

The results showed that a fifth of mums of schizophrenia patients smoked heavily during pregnancy, compared to 14.7% of mothers of controls.

Smoking during pregnancy can harm your unborn baby as it can reduce oxygen supply to the foetus, which causes their heart to beat harder. This increases the risk of premature birth, low birth weight and stillbirth.

Senior researcher Professor Alan Brown, from the University of Columbia, New York, said: ‘To our knowledge, this is the first biomarker-based study to show a relationship between foetal nicotine exposure and schizophrenia.

These findings underscore the value of ongoing public health education on the potentially debilitating, and largely preventable, consequences that smoking may have on children over time.

Further studies could shed light on exactly how nicotine affects a foetus’ brain.

Finally, it is of interest to examine maternal cotinine in relation to bipolar disorder, autism, and other psychiatric disorders.’

To read more CLICK HERE.

Treatment to help stop smoking will be available soon from UKMeds4U.Com.

 

Erectile dysfunction, General

Man Fractures His Penis During Sex

A 32 year old man was rushed to hospital after his penis turned black and swollen after engaging in ‘vigorous’ sexual intercourse.

The man from New Delhi heard a ‘snapping’  sound during sexual intercourse which then resulted in him suffering from severe pain and caused his penis to bend.

After an examination he was diagnosed with penile fracture.

Doctors carried out ultrasounds which revealed that he had torn the wall of the right corpora cavernosa.

Corpora cavernosa are two chambers which run the length of the penis and are filled with erectile tissue.

Blood flows into the tissue which causes the penis to harden.

Penile fracture occurs when an erect penis undergoes blunt trauma during sexual intercourse or masturbation.

Penile fracture can cause other problems in the future including erectile dysfunction.

This is because scar tissue will form as the penis heals which will prevent blood flow to the tissue.

Erectile dysfunction is a condition where the penis does not harden and expand when a man is sexually excited.

To read more CLICK HERE

If you suffer from erectile dysfuntion, go to www.ukmeds4u.com for a free private e-consultation.

General

A High BMI Doesn’t Mean Unhealthy.

Experts have asked for a change in the way body mass index (BMI) is calculated, after it has been found that people classed as overweight actually live the longest.bmi

A study which covered 30 years found that people with a BMI of 27, which is considered as being overweight, have the lowest risk of dying from any condition.

The findings raised further questions about the BMI system as it cannot recognise muscle from fat.

As muscle is much heavier than fat, a well-built muscular athlete may be  categorised as obese when infact they are very healthy.

Body mass index is used to measure if you are at a healthy weight for your height.

For adults:

  • a BMI of under 18.5 means you are considered underweight
  • a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 means you are considered healthy weight
  • a BMI of 25 to 29.9 means you are considered overweight
  • a BMI of 30 to 39.9 means you are considered obese
  • a BMI of 40 or above means you are considered severely obese

The average BMI for a British woman is 26.9 and for a man is 27. Therefore the average adult in Britian is considered as overweight.

Researchers from Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark led a study which showed that the healthiest measurement had increased by 3.3 BMI points since the 1970s.

To read more about the study CLICK HERE.

If you are overweight, tried dieting and excerise
but still haven’t had success in losing weight– please go to www.ukmeds4u.com for a free private online consultation for other weightloss options.

General

Would Financial Incentives Encourage You To Stop Smoking?

stop smoking
This image was taken from bbc.co.uk.

Hospitals in France are offering money to expectant mothers if they are willing to give up smoking while being pregnant, which will hopefully lead to a smoke free life as a mother.

The new study, carried out by Paris’s public hospital system in association with the National Cancer Institute, will test whether financial incentives will encourage them to stay away from tobacco throughout pregnancy.

The mothers-to-be that show dedication to give up their addiction will be rewarded in €20 vouchers and if they do not start smoking again they can receive up to €300 in total.

Women who are over 18 years old, are less than 4 months pregnant, smoke more then five manufactured cigarettes or three rolled cigarettes each day can participate in the study.

The participants are subject to frequent testing to make sure they are not using e-cigarettes or other tobacco products as these are prohibited.

French health minister Marisol Touraine said France was “the European country where pregnant women smoke the most”.

This statement came after figures revealed that in 2015 one in five French women did not give up smoking during pregnancy.

Smoking during pregnancy can harm your unborn baby as it can reduce oxygen supply to the foetus, which causes their heart to beat harder. This increases the risk of premature birth, low birth weight and stillbirth.

To read more CLICK HERE.

Stop smoking treatment will be available soon from UKMeds4U.Com

 

General

The Health Benefits Of Cherry Juice

We have some good news for the five million people in England who suffer from hypertension (high blood pressure) – cherry juice could help lower high blood pressure. cherry

Researchers have found that drinking cherry juice is just as good as taking blood pressure medication.

A study found that people who drank 60ml of cherry concentrate, diluted with water, saw their blood pressure drop by 7% in 3 hours.

If high blood pressure is left untreated it can increase the risk of heart failure, kidney disease, stroke, heart attack and dementia.

But drinking 60ml of cherry concentrate can reduce  the risk of a stroke by 38% and heart disease by 23%.

The scientists think that cherry juice has a strong impact on blood pressure because it is rich in phenolic acids.

Study leader Karen Keane, whose work was funded by the Cherry Marketing Institute in the US, said: ‘The majority of cardiovascular disease is caused by risk factors that can be controlled, treated or modified.

These include high blood pressure, cholesterol, obesity, tobacco use, lack of physical activity and diabetes.

Raised blood pressure is the leading cause of deaths from cardiovascular disease, yet relatively small reductions in blood pressure can have a large impact on mortality rates.

The magnitude of the blood pressure lowering effects we observed was comparable to those achieved by a single anti-hypertensive drug and highlights the potential importance that Montmorency cherries could have in the effective management of high blood pressure.’

Co-author Professor Glyn Howatson added: ‘This is the first study to investigate the acute effects of Montmorency tart cherry consumption on blood pressure, arterial stiffness and microvascular vasodilation in males with early hypertension.

This exciting set of data complements a growing body of research to show that eating the right sorts of foods can provide potential health benefits.

We believe these benefits might be linked to the combined actions of some of the plant compounds within the Montmorency concentrate and the positive impact they exert on vascular function.’

This is good news for those who suffer from the side effects of blood pressure medication. Some blood presure medicine can cause erectile dysfunction and depression.

If you have any concerns regarding high blood pressure, please see your GP.

If you are currently taking medicine for high blood pressure, you should not stop taking this for cherry juice.

To read more CLICK HERE.

If you think you suffer from erectile dysfunction, please go to www.ukmeds4u.com for your free online private consultation.

Sexual health

Porn Can Encourage Men To Have Safe Sex

Porn can play an important role in promoting safe anal sex, according to research.safe sex

Men are more likely to use condoms if they see the contraception being used in sexually explicit pornography, experts reveal.

Researchers carried out a survery including 265 men who have had sex with men and have watched explicit pornography in the last three months.

The men were atleast 18 years old and lived within 50 miles of New York City, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Washington D.C.

Majority of the men (92%) had watched sexually explicit media containing unsafe anal sex and nearly half of them said that this lead to them having riskier sex.

The findings suggest that porn can encourage men to engage in unsafe anal sex.

Dr Eric Schrimshaw, an associate professor of Sociomedical Sciences at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, said:  ‘Actually one type of pornography was associated with higher rates of condom use – men who viewed more pornography containing condom use engaged in fewer condomless anal sex encounters.

Even those who took part in compulsive pornography viewing were not more likely to engage in condomless anal sex.

In contrast, men who watched pornography where there were unprotected anal sex encounters were less likely to use condoms themselves.’

Condoms can help to protect against sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV.

Condoms are the only contraception to protect againist STIs and pregnancy.

To read more CLICK HERE.

For more information on sexual health, go to www.ukmeds4u.com