The HPV vaccine. Is healthcare being stupid and sexist? Share this!

Is the HPV vaccine sexist?

According to the NPR article Boys To Men: Unequal Treatment On HPV Vaccine, even though the HPV vaccine is approved to treat genital warts in males, the laws will not offer free coverage of the pricey vaccine to boys or men, like it is offered to women.

Why?

HPV is a leading cause of cervical cancer in women, which according to the director of breast and gynecologic cancer for the American Cancer Society, Debbie Saslow (as mentioned in the above article), "Gentital warts aren't life threatening."  Well, there are many problems with this statement, it is wrong and a very insensitive statement.  A sad statement to come from a director at the American Cancer society:

• HPV can lead to deadly cancers in men as well (anal cancer, head and neck cancer, too name a few).

•  The virus gets to women somehow, usually by sexual contact, by men.  It common sense that if we can combat the virus from multiple angles, then the disease will be more likely eradicated.

• Boys and men will likely become vaccinated at greater levels if they can get the expensive vaccine administered cheaply or free.

• Healthcare should be equal and just because men are men doesn't mean they automatically deserve to be sick compared to women.

I am all for equality in this world.  Complete equality.

Before healthcare officials make insensitive statements, they really should stop and think!

Share this if you want the same coverage for your sons!

Once a decade flu shot? Maybe someday

While not feasible yet, according to a Nature Medicine commentary, scientists believe that with increasing technology and innovation in regards to the influenza virus, more effective flu shots can be developed that would provide a longer span of protection.  This not only can save billions of dollars but would also likely lead to greater amounts of people willing to take a shot that covers a decade versus a yearly shot.  Influenza kills countless people every year, and it would only be a good thing if we can find a way to eradicate this disease in the not so distant future.

You can read more about this in the December 6th 2010 www.eurekalert.com press release A flu vaccine that lasts. 

Elizabeth Edwards is A Brave Woman. Our Heart is With Her.

Dealing with an awful disease, a douche-bag ex-husband whose actions bordered on evil, and now is told by doctors that any future chemotherapy will not be of any use.  Stopping chemotherapy would be a hard choice for anyone.  Fortunately Miss Edwards will be surrounded by loving family, but let's give our hope and love too. She is a brave strong woman.

The Nutmeg Psychoactive Trip. A Holiday Disaster.

Every time this year, I hear people touting about the safe natural psychoactive high of imbibing large amounts of nutmeg.  Kids get giddy at the thought thay they can start having LSD-like hallucinations and its safe and legal.

Legal?  Yes

Safe? No

Natural should never be intermixed with the word safe.  They are not synonyms.  Tigers are natural and I sure as hell wouldn't want to try to smoke one of those.  So too kids out there I wouldn't suggest trying this out.  It is doubtful that you will see or feel any form of euphoria and will only get extremely sick.  Many of the reported experiences are not very pleasant and end up in the emergency room.

In low doses nutmeg is a tasy spice, but in large doses, it can lead to severe side effects such as nausea, dehydration, tremors, seizures, etc.  According to the scientific article Low cost, high risk: accidental nutmeg intoxication, the active ingredient in nutmeg that might give a slight euphoric feeling is known as myristicin.  However, to ingest enough of this compound to get any real feeling, you will also need to ingest enough nutmeg to get you really sick.  I'm not sure if you will enjoy the trip if you find yourself throwing up violently the enitre night, or spending the night in the emergency room.

Kids and parents know the truth and keep away from these danagerous "natural" substitutes.

You could always do my favorite way of a natural high as a kid, if you feel you need something extra to survive the holiday season, and it is pretty innoccous, although it still could get you a little sick if you overdo it.  Also of course I can't be held repsonisble for any fluke accidents or unforseen health issues if you decide to take such a risk but here it is:

Find a great computer chair, sit on it, close your eyes, and spin around as fast as you can. 

Fun right? :)

Men! Worried About Prostate Cancer? Look at Your Fingers

Men according to many recess myths, finger length can tell you everything from your sexuality to penis size.  Bad jokes among immature adolescent boys besides, science has shown that finger size may actually be a litmus test of sorts for prostate cancer risk.

According to Finger length points to prostate cancer risk, scientists from University of Warwick and the Institute of Cancer Research, found that finger length, which can be an indication of differential hormone levels during fetal male development, can actually be an indicator of prostate cancer risk.

Men who have a longer index finger than ring, showed 33% less likelihood of prostate cancer.

Now of course, this should be taken with a grain of salt.  Having a certain finger length doesn't mean you will or will not get prostate cancer, but rather it is an indicator that early fetal development can effect prostate cancer incidence.

By understanding these early steps in development, in regards to cancer progression, a greater understanding of this disease can be formed.