If smokers didn't have enough reasons to stop smoking before April 1st, the tobacco tax increase implemented on Wednesday might be enough to force them to give it a try. Tax climbed from 39 cents per-pack $1.01. Hitting smokers in the pocket might be what it takes to get them to stop smoking.
Dr. Timothy Gardner, president of the American Heart Association said, "Every time that the tax on tobacco goes up, the use of cigarettes goes down."
In a study soon to appear in the
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, overweight men commonly report an unsatisfying sex life which may be related to low levels of circulating testosterone. Patients with low testosterone levels also respond less favorably to the Erectile Dysfunction medications.
Simple blood tests can assess for a deficiency in this hormone.
Hydrogen sulphide, the gas responsible for the terrible smell of rotten eggs, has been found to play a role in the biochemical response that leads to an erection. The discovery may lead to a new medical therapy for Erectile Dysfunction.
In the
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Italian researchers showed that hydrogen sulphide is released into the erectile tissues prior to erections occurring. Current Erectile Dysfunction drugs, such as Viagra, Cialis and Levitra, target
nitric oxide, another mediator in erections.
In some rare cases, men do not respond to the current Erectile Dysfunction drugs which target the nitric oxide pathway. New medications directed at hydrogen sulphide would hold promise for these patients.
You can buy Chantix, choose non-smoking friends, join support groups, or be incentivized by cash as all of these have been proven to help smokers quit.
While Chantix studies have concluded that
44% of Chantix users quit smoking after 9 to 12 weeks of Chantix treatment, friendships, support groups, and money all play a part in helping smokers quit.
A recent experiment with hundreds of General Electric Company workers concluded that those who were paid up to $750 to quit smoking were still tobacco-free about a year later. This is 3 times the success rate of a comparison group that got no such bonuses.
Last year the
New England Journal of Medicine published a study that found that a spouse who quits smoking makes one 67% less likely to smoke and a friend's quitting decreases one's chance of smoking by 36%.
The New England Journal of Medicine also
published a study that found smokers tend to quit in groups and that real-life social networks add to the pressure to quit and concluded that an environment of mutual encouragement and support helps when you want to quit smoking.
If your cholesterol tests show elevated blood cholesterol levels are you more likely to develop Alzheimer's than those with low cholesterol? According to a recent study if you are a man or woman in your early 40's then this could be the case.
Cholesterol values were obtained for 9,752 men and women who were in their 40's from 1964 through 1973. The study found that 504 had developed Alzheimer's by 2007. The researchers found that people whose cholesterol tests revealed cholesterol values of 249 to 500 milligrams per deciliter were 1.5 times more likely to develop Alzheimer's than those with cholesterol less than 198. Those will cholesterol of 221 to 248 were 1.25 times more likely to develop the disease.
The drug
dapoxetine should be in pharmacies by April, according to a Johnson and Johnson spokesman. Unfortunately for the millions of men suffering from premature ejaculation,
the medication will only be available in Europe. For now.
Dapoxetine belongs to the category of drugs known as SSRI's and can be used on demand (similar to erectile dysfunction medicine) to cause a delay in ejaculation of at least several minutes in most men suffering from premature ejaculation.
Other SSRI's such as Zoloft and Paxil are currently widely used for the problem, but they are not officially approved for this use, and do not work in an "on demand" fashion.
Dapoxetine was denied FDA approval in 2005 for reasons that were not clearly elucidated. Speculation was that the medication had an unfavorable interaction with alcohol or might be associated with some unfavorable mood changes.
Johnson and Johnson is considering reapplying to the FDA, armed with additional research information.
Millions more Americans should be taking cholesterol-lowering statins than physicians previously believed.
The JUPITER study, published in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, showed that prescribing a statin for patients with a normal cholesterol, but an elevated C-reactive protein (CRP), which detects inflammation, could cut in half the risk for heart attack, stroke, and death.
The study might lead to changes in the guidelines for statin therapy. Whether or not the study will lead to the more widespread use of CRP testing is also uncertain.
Do you need to take another look at your cholesterol test? A recent study,
called JUPITER, showed that giving a cholesterol-lowering statin to older people with normal
LDL (less than 130 mg/dl) cut their risk of heart attack and stroke in half. The trial was aimed at determining the importance of lowering
C-reactive protein, or CRP, in men and women.
Does this mean that what has typically been accepted as "normal" LDL results from cholesterol tests is wrong? Current guidelines recommend that doctors prescribe a statin for anyone whose LDL is 100 mg/dl or higher. It will be interesting to see if this leads to a re-evaluation of how cholesterol tests are evaluated.
As if there aren't enough reasons to stop smoking a study was released last year that links smoking and hair loss. A report in the BMJ looked at more than 600 men and women, half of them smokers. Researchers found a significant and consistent link between smoking and early graying. Another group studied the link in a group of 740 men and found a greater rate of hair loss among the smokers, one that grew with increasing smoking.
Chantix has proven to help people quit smoking with a steady step by step approach. In studies, 44% of Chantix quit smoking during weeks 9 to 12 of treatment.
Although still in the early stages of research, a promising development in the prevention of
herpes type II virus transmission appears to be emerging.
The January 22nd edition of Cell Host and Microbe reports that a topically applied cream uses a technique called
RNA interference (RNAi) to prevent the virus from infecting an individual coming in contact with it through sexual contact.
The compound creates in the tissues a state which provides resistance for one week following application. In addition, no adverse reactions were observed.
A recent study showed that men and women in their early 40's with elevated blood cholesterol levels are more likely to develop Alzheimer's than those with low cholesterol. This study was conducted by Alina Solomon of the University of Kuopio in Finland, Rachel Whitmer of the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, and their colleagues. This report is one of the largest to link cholesterol to the degenerative brain disease.
Researchers found that people who had cholesterol values of 249 to 500 milligrams per deciliter were 1.5 times more likely to develop Alzheimer's than those with cholesterol less than 198. Those with cholesterol of 221 to 248 were 1.25 times more likely to develop the disease.
Sometimes we all need reinforcement about common sense things. A new study published in the Journal European Urology looked at the effects of exercise on the development of erectile dysfunction.
Just 30 minutes of mild to moderate exercise was shown to reduce the incidence of ED by 38%. As little as 1000 kilo-calorie expenditure each week reduces the risk.
The study specifically looked at common exercises such as gardening, mowing, and pulling weeds.
Several studies have clearly shown a dramatic benefit to public health as a result of smoking bans.
The most recent, published in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, looked at the effect of a smoking ban implemented in Pueblo, Colo. The results show an impressive 41% decline in hospital admissions for heart attacks, since the ban went into effect. Nearby areas without a ban showed no decrease in such events and the demographics of Pueblo residents did not change in any other way.
Prior to being released as an effective medication to treat ED, sildenafil (Viagra) was being investigated as a medication to treat and prevent heart disease.
Now a study published in a recent Journal of Clinical Investigation suggests that Viagra may have a protective effect on the heart muscle in cases of hypertension. Viagra may decrease dangerous hypertrophy in heart muscle which can ultimately lead to heart failure. The study used an animal model and further research will be needed to see if the same beneficial effect exists in humans.
According to a
recent article in the Journal of Hypertension, a simple urine test may offer a highly sensitive way to screen for diabetes and the risk for developing the disease.
The test offers a simple way to detect albumin in the urine sample. Albumin is one of the main proteins present the blood and, normally, is not filtered by the kidneys. Normally, it is not present in the urine.
However, during the stage of pre-diabetes, abnormal amounts of albumin leak out into the urine and are detected by a simple test.
The presence of albumin the urine indicated a 97% greater risk of developing diabetes even in the absence of other risk factors. Also, elevated levels of albumin in the urine might predispose to arterial damage and insulin resistance during later stages of the disease.
Diabetes is one of the main causes of erectile dysfunction, and earlier detection might allow prevention of the development of ED.
New advances might bring detailed diagnostics studies literally at a patient's fingertip.
According to a recent publication in
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Harvard scientists have developed a paper based chip that can analyze a small amount of blood for a number of diseases. The test material is made of paper and carpet tape.
While the design is intended for future use in developing countries, there are certainly many possible applications including confidential, cost effective testing for lipid disorders, diabetes, cancer screening, and STD testing.
It's becoming increasingly difficult to watch a sporting event on television without being bombarded with ads for both the ED drugs and drugs used for prostate symptoms.
Like it or not, expect to see more of this, now that
Silodosin (Rapaflo) has received FDA approval.
This medication is chemically similar to two other medications, Flomax and Uroxatrol, but may have some advantages as far as side effect issues. Namely, there was no noticeable effect on blood pressure, heart rate, or dizziness episodes when combined with one of the ED medications.
Rapaflo may turn out to be the safest option in men with ED and coexisting BP or cardiac issues, who require a medication for prostate symptoms.
A recent article in the journal European Urology reports that nearly 20% of men who underwent radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer later regretted deciding on that treatment option. Interestingly, the rate of dissatisfaction was highest among those that chose robotic prostatectomy. Perhaps patient expectations were unreasonably high for the newer, innovative technique. Common side effects for radical prostatectomy include ED and urinary incontinence.
Approximately 200,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2009. Many options for treatment exist and men should explore all options. Some patients might even consider a program of active surveillance. There are also options which are less invasive than surgery that should be considered for most patients.
This weekend, it was reported that former Senator and President-Elect Obama's pick for Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tom Daschle, has requested that Americans host Health Care Community Discussions across the Country over the holidays this December to help his Policy Team put together their final recommendations for the Obama Administration. If you are interested in hosting a Health Care Community Discussion in your home or in your neighborhood anytime from December 15th to the 31st, you should sign up at
www.change.gov. You will be provided a special "moderators kit" to conduct your meeting and to provide feedback to Tom Daschle's office.
I signed up! On the application, I said that I would invite to participate in the discussion, both employers and employees and also people with chronic medical problems and people who have few medical problems. I also said that this new administration must consider the Internet as an untapped opportunity to deliver health care to those without easy access and to those who can not afford traditional health care. I said that the Internet allows us to deliver health care effectively, safely, and less expensively. I believe that the Internet remains a largely untapped mechanism for the delivery of health care. Shouldn't I be able to go on line to see my physician and be charged $20 instead of seeing him in his office for $75?
A category of medications called statins has revolutionized therapy for elevated cholesterol.
Prior to the introduction of the first statin, Mevacor, in the mid-80's, therapy for elevated cholesterol involved several different medications with limited effectiveness and generally unpleasant side effects. While the statins can certainly have some side effects as well, they are usually well tolerated, particularly if periodic lab tests are conducted. The benefits of lowering cholesterol in preventing heart disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease are well established.
Recently, even more potential benefits have been associated with the statins. They may offer a protective effect against the development of prostate cancer. In addition, statin therapy has been show to reverse the development of erectile dysfunction in a significant subgroup of men.
Unfortunately, many younger men, seemingly healthy, have never even been evaluated for elevated cholesterol and it's impossible to know if you have it without a lab test. The sooner the diagnosis is made and treatment initiated, the better.
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