Archive for ‘Articles’

Ambien is being overprescribed

By admin, 11 April, 2010, No Comment

Once a drug is on the market, we are all supposed to be interested in something else. We should just assume the drug has solved whatever the problem was. There’s no need to follow up by measuring how well the drug is actually performing. Except that’s the kind of thinking that delayed the recall of the Cox-2 Inhibitors when there should have been better safety monitoring to show this class of drugs caused heart problems. Worse, this type of resistance to research runs through most different industries as the delayed recall of Toyotas aptly demonstrates. Which brings us to 2010 Sleep in America, a poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation. This is a regular snapshot of sleeping habits across America. It’s good this research is done, but it’s on the margin with only a thousand or so participants. There should be more participants if the scaling up of the numbers across the general population is to be reliable. As it is, we should not generalize too much from the results. For some reason not properly explained, the study assumes we should all aim for about eight-and-a-half hours of sleep every night. The current crop of respondents reports sleeping between six and seven hours a night. To keep the accuracy of this report in perspective, there’s good medical evidence that lack of sleep undermines the body’s immune system making us more prone to illness, encourages obesity, increases blood pressure, and raises the risk of heart disease. What is less clear is the point at which these adverse health consequences kick in. It could be between six and seven hours a night, but there is no evidence to support this proposition. About a quarter of the respondents admit to missing work or appointments because they felt too tired. The same percentage admitted they were too tired to have regular sex. When asked to explain why sleep was more difficult, many referred to increased financial worries during the recession. Personal stress levels were higher with relationship problems. In racial terms, Asians have the longest sleep patterns and blacks sleep less than whites and Hispanics. Overall, the report makes interesting reading but, until more people are included in the poll, it is difficult to generalize to the population at large. That said, some of the conclusions are intuitively correct. If about 25% of people are finding their lives adversely affected by insomnia, it helps explain why ambien is such a popular drug. As the sleeping pill with the best reputation for safety and effectiveness, it seems to be the drug of choice to get enough sleep. But it does remain something of a mystery why people make it difficult for themselves. About three-quarters of the respondents watched TV immediately before attempting sleep and then expressed surprise they did not immediately fall asleep. The reality is that, unless you resort to ambien, it’s better to relax the mind, say, by listening to gentle music. Moving the TV out of the bedroom and avoiding exciting late-night programs is basic common sense. Going to sleep at the same time every night is a good habit. Living your life around the TV schedule is a bad habit.

Ambien is a world class sleeping pill

By admin, 7 April, 2010, No Comment

As a nation, it seems we pop more pills than all the other developed countries. The people who count things release the number of prescriptions written each year, and painkillers and sleeping pills are always racing ahead of the field for that Number 1 spot. It’s strange we should find sleep a problem – that’s not just falling asleep, it’s also staying asleep long enough to feel the benefit the next morning. Why should something that comes so naturally as young children become so difficult for some as they grow older? The answers are long and complicated, varying with changes in lifestyles and habits to the places where we live becoming more noisy. One thing is clear. Sleeping pills are now an integral part of our culture. You will see references to them wherever you look, whether as ads on TV or the media, or as throw-away lines. For example, when Lacey was kicked out of American Idol, her performance of “Ruby Tuesday” was promoted as a “safer alternative to sleeping pills”. And that’s before we get to the high-powered celebrities like Tiger Woods. Here’s a man who has proved to be a walking-encyclopedia on addiction. No longer the tame, clean-living golfing hero, he’s the sex addict with multiple mistresses in every town on the professional tour. Perhaps we should not have been surprised. Top male sporting stars have always had to walk the gauntlet of women offering their services. The PR surrounding Woods seemed to suggest he rose above the temptations. As it is, he’s had to book into sex therapy to try to rescue his marriage. More to the taste of the gossip-mongers was the news that many of his sessions with these mistresses were enhanced by the use of drugs. Contrary to expectations, it seems Woods found sex more exciting when he was fighting the effects of sleeping pills. Many ordinary people reach the climax, ejaculate and then fall asleep. Woods was racing to get to the climax before he fell asleep. That really would make for crazy sex. In any event, he’s now in rehab for addiction to sleeping pills and painkillers. With all this therapy and no practice, it’s surprising he’s announced he’s going to start playing again. Going cold turkey on the golf course in front of the TV cameras will make for exciting viewing. All this should be a kind of warning to us all. In a sensible society, we would not be discussing whether you really do get crazy sex when you take ambien and then get into action. It’s faintly perverse to believe a drug designed to send you to sleep enhances your experiences if you fight it to stay awake. It’s far better to discuss why our society has become addicted to sleeping pills. What does it say about our lifestyles and the levels of stress we have to endure, if the majority of people who live and work in this country have to rely on medication to get to sleep? The statistics collected on the national economy show increasingly poor levels of productivity. Looking around the workplaces every morning gives you one of the reasons why. People come into work looking and acting like the living dead. Even when ambien is introduced into the equation, there’s only some improvement. The sleep induced by pills is not natural sleep. It does not refresh in the same way as natural sleep. As a short-term measure, ambien is great. If insomnia persists, you should get a different type of help to overcome the problem.

Slow and steady wins the race

By admin, 22 March, 2010, No Comment

Expectations are sometimes very amusing things. You have them and then find yourself surprised when they prove wrong. It’s like assuming every classic diner will serve apple pie only to find some that don’t. So, browsing through the news, I was surprised to come across a news item about the latest words of wisdom to be published by the American College of Physicians. For those of you who don’t follow medical affairs, the ACP was founded in 1915 and has 120,000 internists in its organization. This makes it the largest specialty organization in the medical field. You expect this kind of body to be on top of things. With advances in medical technology stunning us every week, you look to the ACP for leadership, promoting excellence and professionalism among its members by issuing guidelines and advice based on the latest evidence. So here is their latest offering. It’s finally official. The best treatment for erectile dysfunction is a PDE5 inhibitor pill.

So, all you doctors living out there in the boondocks, you must stop recommending those scary pump devices. You know those vacuum tubes that encourage a hard erection when you pump out the air. More effective but painful were those injections. Patients always liked the words of encouragement that being injected in the penis was no worse than being slapped by an elastic band on the rebound. And no more of those suppositories. Yes, keeping regular is good for you and, with the right chemicals inside and a lot of belief, there were times when these worked. Then there were all those creams, gels and patches. They were stuffed full of good things like male hormones. And all those other pills offering enhancement… Well, you can put all those things away in a drawer, turn the key and forget about them. The ACP has spoken in its voice of thunder. Apart from psychotherapy which can be useful if the cause of the ED is mainly psychological, the best therapy is a PDE5 inhibitor. According to the evidence, about 88% of all men using viagra find their erectile dysfunction is cured on the first use. The well-advertized testosterone gels and creams were no better than the placebos.

The ACP did talk wisely about dosages, indicating that slightly higher dosages yielded the best results. Their advice was also balanced. Yes, there were occasional side effects. Indeed, the committee members called for more research to determine which of the PDE5 inhibitors caused the most problems. But, as it stands, most men preferred a hard erection and were prepared to tolerate the odd runny or blocked-up nose. Why, you might ask, has the ACP decided to talk now. The answer is quite revealing. The US has an ageing population and more men are reaching an age when they may expect problems of ED. In 2025, the ACP estimates there will be more than 300 million men seeking help. This makes the ED market worth billions so they decided to endorse viagra now. Significantly, only one of the authors of this report disclosed funding from the ED manufacturers so that makes this report timely, balanced and reliable.

Change your life – forget about ED

By admin, 21 January, 2010, No Comment

Also known as “impotence”, ED is a man’s inability to achieve an erection in order to perform sexual intercourse.

The term “erectile dysfunction” refers specifically to the erection whereas “impotence” is also used quite often to refer to other problems associated with sexual intercourse and reproduction such as a lack of sexual desire or problems with ejaculation.

The Penis and Erections

An erection is achieved when muscles, blood vessels, nerves and hormones all work together. When the brain senses sexual stimulation or arousal, it sends nerve signals to the penis. Arousal can be caused in various ways such as through touching, visual or auditory stimulation, or a fantasy or dream. These nerve signals cause muscle relaxation in the penis and as a result, blood is allowed to flow and collect in the spongy tissue. This causes the penis to inflate as it grows larger and firmer. Blood is prevented from flowing out by veins which close themselves off.

Causes of Erectile Dysfunction

Erectile dysfunction has various causes most commonly physical causes in older men such as disease, injury or a side-effect of drugs. Any injury to the nerves or blood flow in the penis could potentially cause ED.
Most men will never experience erectile dysfunction. It is not inevitable as a man grows older. However, 5% of 40 year-old men do suffer with ED, as do between 15% and 25% of 65 year-olds.

Treatment

Nowadays there are many ways to treat erectile dysfunction. More sufferers seek treatment as awareness grows that the condition is treatable at any age. Successful, improved treatment of ED allows many men to return to normal sexual activity.

Examples of how to treat erectile dysfunction include counseling (the cause can be psychological), medications, devices such as a vacuum or implanted device and where the condition is caused by damage to veins or arteries, surgery is another option. Research into treating erectile dysfunction is extensive and ever-increasing. As always, patients should consult their clinician about the latest and most suitable treatments.

Statistics

The term “erectile dysfunction” is used to covers a range of severity from a complete inability to achieve an erection, to an inconsistent ability, or the inability to sustain an erection for a long enough period to perform sexually. Due to this broad range, it is difficult to measure and estimate the level and severity of incidence.
Between 15 and 30 million American men are estimated to suffer from erectile dysfunction. This figure varies according to how the condition is defined. The National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) claims that in 1985, for every 1000 men in the US, 7.7 visits to physicians were due to erectile dysfunction. In 1999, this rate had tripled to 22.3 visits.

This increase is more likely due to more men being comfortable discussing their problem. As more treatments have become available, the subject of erectile dysfunction is no longer as taboo as it once was.
The biggest recent advance in treatment for erectile dysfunction was the highly-publicized March 1998 introduction to the market of the oral drug popularly known as Viagra (Sildenafil citrate). NAMCS estimate that Viagra was mentioned in 2.6 million visits to physicians in the United States in 1999, one third of which occurred when conditions other than ED were diagnosed. Nowadays, Sildenafil citrate is readily available. Online Viagra is particularly popular as it can avoid embarrassment purchasing the drug this way. Millions of email inboxes worldwide are filled with advertisements for online Viagra every day.

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