Health and Shopping Blog

There is a silent rule that you should never write what is impolitely called “knocking copy”. This way we call articles that contrast good and bad products. We don’t do that here. We are always absolutely fair and never do more than state facts, not opinions. So here is something you can check out for yourself. Most men seem to do best with an average dose of 50mg. Levitra, on the other hand, comes in 2.5mg, 5mg, 10mg and 20mg. Most men seem to do best with 10mg tablets but many get perfect results with the lower dosages. Why should anyone care? Well, you’re taking five times less of the same active ingredients to achieve the same results. Do many people have side effects? Not that many with either drug but, if you were looking for a reason to prefer Levitra, safety would be top of the list for most. As a general rule in the world of medication, the smaller the dose, the lower the risk you will experience any side effects.

Shopping online is a good thing because it’s convenient and most of the time you have your privacy is protected. Whether people should be allowed to buy drugs over the internet is more controversial. So the New York National clinic has just published some research from Utah. One bought Cialis online, the other went to see their local health providers. The results of the research make interesting reading.

The headline is that buying Cialis online was “safer”. Obviously, both groups got the drug in its full strength version. There were no problems in delivery. The key advantage to buying online lay in “patient education”. People buying online received targeted email messages about the product and how to use it safely. Combined with the more general introductory material available online, patients were better informed than those who went to see a physician. Amazingly less than half the patients who had a face-to-face discussion with their physician were given any instructions on how to use the medication safely. It’s alarming that physicians should prove so bad at communicating with their patients. Some allowances can be made because those in general practice are under great pressure to see patients quickly. But, not to give proper directions on safety. . .

Well, everyone should make the choice. Buying Cialis, Levitra or any drug for that matter online is better. This will reduce the number of patients asking for prescriptions and give physicians more time to do a better job.

I am sometimes amused by the science of futurology. This is, as the name suggests, the willingness of experts to predict what will happen in the future by applying probabilities and other scientific methods. Basically, it is extrapolation from the current state of affairs and, as such, much beloved of those who engage in the “art” of marketing. Indeed, the most recent data on the number of prescriptions for ambien continues a trend of upward demand. To understand the market, we need to factor in two other factors:

• people are growing more aware of the treatments for “insomnia” which will drive further market growth for sleeping medications, and the pharmaceutical companies are investing in research and development to produce new products for the sleep disorders market.

This second point requires clarification. Never one to skimp, the medical profession has identified some eighty different sleep disorders. Such exuberance is extraordinary to describe a condition in which people cannot get to sleep or sleep for very long. But, of course, that is only insomnia. When we get started on the other disorders, we include narcolepsy (involuntary sleep), sleep apnoea (brief periods when you stop breathing while asleep), bruxism (grinding your teeth while asleep), night terrors, and so on. On the basis of current medical research, it is estimated that some 200m people around the world may be affected by sleep disorders. If that is the case, pharmaceutical companies working in the sleep field have only just begun to scratch the surface of the total market. As the public become more aware of the range of these disorders and of the existing and pending treatments, demand should continue to grow. For the insomnia market, the focus remains on the existing medications with the fewest side effects, i.e. the benzodiazepines and nonbenzodiazepine hypnotics such as ambien. But even that market is likely to continue growing because:

• US government is relaxing their advertising rules to allow the direct marketing of prescription medications to the general public;
• more pharmacies are coming online and they are likely to boost the market because no prescription is required;
• new technologies will allow new products to emerge.

As it stands, ambien is the brand to beat for insomnia. Which new medications will emerge to treat the other sleep disorders is difficult to predict.

Many people think that watching records of candidates can help them to make the right choice. Not everyone votes according to their conscience when up on the Hill. But, hey, when news is in short supply, you go for the jugular with what you’ve managed to dig up from the past. Seems that McCain has been voting against laws to force medical insurance companies to make some scary thing. The argument is one of gender discrimination. The same insurers pay for Cialis when men ask for their pills. But why women don’t even try to treat? “Ah ha,” you say, “these are two different things. Men need the pills to get back to work. Women are working just as God intended without the pills, thank you very much.” Well, since Cialis and Levitra work so well, this is adding to the world’s chronic overpopulation at a time when global warming is reducing food and oil supplies. Millions of children die every year from malnutrition, thousands of women die from back-street abortions gone wrong. Cialis is not a treatment for a life-threatening condition. Birth control pills reduce the loss of menstrual blood so less anemia and reduce the pain of menstrual cramps and eliminate acne. But there are no health benefits in the eyes of the insurance companies. Go figure.

One of the world’s leading scientists specialising in sports drugs, Dr Robin Parisotto, has gone on the record. It’s official. There are now new uses for existing drugs (and some new drugs) that will fly under the radar of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s tests. Perhaps some of the better informed athletes have been using these techniques at the Olympics at Beijing. If so, we’ll never know. Researchers at the Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum - the cancer research center in Germany - have shown that tattooing is sixteen times more effective than injections in delivering a drug into the body. So, you get the same effect with one-sixteenth of the dose and that makes the dose so much harder to detect. But the most interesting ideas are the use of Cialis pills and nitrous oxide gas. Yes, friends, inhaling laughing gas makes you go faster, jump higher, and so on. The point is that both operate as vascular dilators - they open up your blood vessels. Blood flows increase and bring more oxygen to those working muscles faster. The advantage of Cialis is that it stays in the body for longer - it’s not called the “weekend” pill for nothing. So the next time you see a runner coming down the street towards you covered in tattoos, popping pills and breathing from a gas canister, this is your next Olympian in training.

Can you imagine anyone thinking spots are hot? Jeez. There you are in the morning, looking in the bathroom mirror in despair. That acne is just crowding out all your good features and leaving a red, spotty mess. You’re lining up to take the Accutane - signing up for the iPledge is a real pain but it will all be worth it when the acne’s gone. And then you catch sight of the headline in a newspaper as you’re on your way to school - “Hot Spots in Indonesia”. Foreigners are really weird. Indonesia is just so way out there. Actually, you probably don’t know where Indonesia is, but, hey, it’s weird that anyone should talk about spots like that. So you stop and then smile. It’s not quite what you thought. No-one knows why we’re spying on Indonesia but it all fits because your deep-seated spots burn fiercely and nothing else has been able to make them go away. That’s why you’ve signed the iPledge and your parents are going to buy Accutane online. With a little luck, it will all be gone in six months time.

Ambien-like drugs are excellent for short-term relief if you find it difficult to get to sleep, but neither ambien, neither any other medication should not be used over a longer period of time than necessary. You should take some of the responsibility for getting your sleep pattern back under control. Insomnia is often caused by anxiety, stress and depression. So, as a first step, look for ways in which to relieve those causes. Then, more generally, look at the following:

• You’ll sleep much better in a dark and quiet room.
• Always go to bed at the same time.
• Never catch a nap in the afternoon - save all your tiredness to the night.
• It is easier to sleep when it is cool even though this may mean using more bedding. If you live in a hot climate, use a fan. If it is cool, turn down the central heating.
• Don’t drink coffee or other drinks with caffeine in them. It can take up to eight hours for the stimulant to clear your system.
• Don’t drink a lot of liquid close to your normal time for bed. If your bladder wakes you up, you may find it difficult to get back to sleep. Alcohol can also lead to disturbed sleep and a hangover the following morning.
• Don’t eat within three hours of your normal sleep time.
• Don’t exercise your body and play computer games before you’ll go to sleep.

Re-establishing the habit of sleep is the best long-term remedy. If that fails, ambien will give you some relief.

Any man who is experiencing problems of sexual performance is likely to feel very depressed. This underlines the basic truth that, when there are sexual problems in a relationship, both parties are affected. If you do not deal with these problems, they fester and may ultimately destroy your relationship.

The best way is to talk

You now need to bring your partner “up to speed”. You always depend on your relationship with your partner. Whatever you do should appear non-threatening. He already has considerable worry and anxiety about his inability to perform consistently (or at all). If you come over as confrontational, he will retreat even further into his shell. So you need to think about him as a person.

• Does his reaction changes in different situations?
• What coping strategies can you advice?
• What can you offer to do to help him overcome the problem?

There is no matter what method you prefer, the main statement is that all is in your hands.
There is one further reason for opening the discussion. Impotence may be a symptom of more serious medical problems. If he only focuses on what he perceives to be his current sexual inadequacy, he may completely fail to take early steps to address the more serious underlying cause.

Support your partner

Talking about the risks of not seeing a doctor may separate the emotional overtones from the physical issues. You must confirm even the worst things in the world. Ignoring the problem will only lead to you feeling guilty because you failed to take action and resentment from him that his problems were undiagnosed. Supporting each other openly and honestly is always the best foundation for a relationship.

Talking positively

That means talking positively about the different options that may have to be explored. Rather than focusing on all the things that may be wrong, concentrate on taking early action to restore good health, which if everything else is all right, may just be the simple decision to buy Cialis. By giving him encouragement, you stand a better chance of being able to work together to solve the problems as they come along. If all you do is to hold up a mirror to his negative feelings, you will both lose out.

This is an emotional minefield for both of you so approach it with care and a commitment to be patient even if his first response if very defensive and dismissive. By whatever means it takes, you need to manoeuvre him towards your family doctor and access to diagnostic services and treatment. This may be the usual case that can be treated with Cialis. You will both be reassured and can begin to restore your mutual confidence in sexual activity. If there are more serious problems of blood circulation or nerve damage, work can begin to address the problems. If the cause is more psychological than physical, counselling may be a useful first step for both of you to take.

There is one simple explanation for those extra pounds of weight. Too much food! The way the body works is very simple. If you get just enough calories for basic things like breathing, you have to burn fat to get the energy to walk around. Eat more calories than you need given your basal activity level, and your body puts on fat. Your body is actually protecting you against the next famine when you will have nothing to eat and need your fat to survive until the next sandwich comes along.

Now turn to many of the forum sites where people discuss their experience with zoloft. The general spirit of these posts is, “I weighed 120lb until I took zoloft. Now I am…”

A simple test rules out thyroid problems, one of the more common physical explanations for sudden weight gains and this leaves us with lack of exercise combined with overeating. . . and a side effect of zoloft. It is a natural association to make. You start taking a medication and immediately you put on five pounds with no obvious change in your diet or level of physical activity. So, let us start off by accepting that some people react to medications by putting on weight. Why? The medication may increase or decrease the basal metabolic rate. If this happens, your weight may fluctuate even though you do not change your caloric intake. In some people, the medication can cause hormonal changes and increase appetite. Increased levels of serotonin are also associated with hunger pangs which encourage you to eat more.

Now we are into the business of balancing the advantages and disadvantages of the particular medication. Let us say that zoloft has made a dramatic improvement in your emotional life. For the first time in months (or years), you do not feel (so) sad. If you have put on a few extra pounds, is that a price worth paying? Or will you get depressed again because your body has become less attractive? As a gentle warning, if your regular doctor asks you whether you want to try a different medication, zoloft causes less weight gain than the tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs).

Back to denying the link. After all, the SSRIs were first promoted as anti-obesity medications. Like all decisions on whether to start a medication, you are dealing with unknowables. There is no doubt that some people eat more when they are depressed. Unless you have been keeping a food diary which counts calories, it will difficult to know how your eating habits have changed as the depression increased in intensity. You may already be putting on weight when you start taking the zoloft. Now let us reverse the psychological reaction. When people start feeling less depressed, they eat less and this reduces their weight. In other words, when the depression is cured, you may return to your healthy eating habits. Separating out the effect of the medication from the reality of the number of calories you eat is very difficult. It is easy to confuse coincidence with side effect.

So how should you react if you start zoloft and gain weight? Whatever else you may do, do not stop taking it. First, start counting calories properly. Start exercising. These are most likely to stabilise your weight. Only if you do change your diet and exercise to no effect, should you talk with your doctor. If self-help has failed, see what the professional recommends.