Mens Health Blog. Medical Blog

AIDS may not yet be completely manageable, but it’s completely preventable. And there’s still plenty of incentive to prevent it.

For example, even while incidence in the United States is decreasing, worldwide rates of AIDS infection are soaring. While the rates for homosexual men are dropping, they’re still high. And while the rates for heterosexual men are still low, they’re rising. Any way you look at it, there’s a problem out there.

Solve it by doing the right things. Let’s assume that you, a health-minded individual, are not in the habit of shooting illegal drugs into your veins with used needles. There’s pan of your AIDS risk taken care of. Virtually all the rest is from unprotected sexual relations. Protect your sex and you won’t get AIDS, says Dr. Kassler.

Unprotected sex is dangerous because HIV can be transmitted through semen and vaginal secretions as well as blood. But if neither of you has HIV, then there’s nothing to transmit. “If you’re in a mutually monogamous relationship with somebody who is uninfected, that’s safe sex,” Dr. Kassler says. “You can do whatever you want.”

That’s simple enough, but it begs a question: How do you know? The sad fact is that you don’t—unless you’ve both been recently tested or have been monogamous together long enough for any infections from previous relationships to declare themselves. Anybody can have HIV, and you can’t tell just by looking at a person.

So protecting yourself against HIV and AIDS comes down to what you do and whom you do it with. “Limiting the number of people you have sex with helps,” Dr. Kassler says. “However, choosing your partners wisely comes first.”

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Coeliac Disease

This digestive disorder, which is not just a female disorder, is an intolerance to gluten which is found in grains such as wheat, rye, barley and oats. Before diagnosis the intolerance causes malabsorption and can therefore leave you deficient in vital nutrients. Many deficiencies have been noted in sufferers of coeliac disease, including folic acid, vitamins A, D, E, Ê and the  vitamins, zinc (essential for fertility) and selenium. It is known that women with coeliac disease can be sub-fertile and this is yet another indication that having the correct levels of vitamins and minerals can play an important role in increasing fertility.

Natural Treatment

If you have been diagnosed with coeliac disease you first need to remove gluten from your diet. You will probably have been given dietary advice with the diagnosis which means that you will have to eliminate wheat, rye, barley and oats and substitute other foods like rice cakes, gluten-free bread and also pasta made without gluten such as corn and millet pastas. Then you need a nutritional assessment (see Useful Addresses) to ascertain which supplements are required to correct any deficiencies. Remember that any food supplements (e.g. multivitamin and mineral for pregnancy) must be gluten-free.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

There is a difference between having polycystic ovaries and having polycystic ovary syndrome. When ovaries are seen on an ultrasound scan, they can look polycystic, which means that a number of partially developed follicles can be seen. Of course, follicles have to be present for eggs to develop adequately, and so that ovulation can occur. However, with polycystic ovaries, the ovaries are larger than normal and the undeveloped follicles resemble a bunch of grapes. This is very common and does not necessarily present a problem. It is only when the polycystic ovaries lead to a hormonal imbalance that a woman is said to have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) where she will probably not be ovulating and can be overweight and have excess body hair, skin problems and mood swings. The hormone imbalance is produced by having high levels of LH (luteinising hormone) and a higher than normal level of free testosterone, particularly in overweight sufferers.

Just before ovulation in a normal menstrual cycle, LH levels rise dramatically. This is called the LH surge and causes an egg to be released from a follicle. If LH is high during the whole of the follicular phase (the phase before ovulation), then the LH surge does not take place and an egg is not released. High levels of LH have been implicated in both infertility and miscarriage.161 Doctors have not yet found out why high levels of LH may cause infertility or miscarriage, but research is continuing.

In summary, a woman with PCOS can have:

• high levels of LH

• high estrogen

• higher than normal male hormones (androgens)

• Low progesterone

Diagnosis

This is usually made by ultrasound or a laparoscopy, where a narrow tube with a telescopic lens is inserted into the abdomen via a small incision below the navel. These investigations are conducted together with hormone blood tests.

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•     As we saw above, the prevention of loneliness begins in the cradle by encouraging babies to be part of everything going on in the home. In this way a baby learns that life is full of interesting inputs and that boredom is unnecessary.

•     Older children should be brought up to understand that they can’t always have parents or other adults around to play with them-sometimes they must be able to entertain themselves for short periods. In this way children are brought up with reasonable expectations of the reality of adult life in which there will be periods of being alone which have to be coped with.

Make a virtue of loneliness. Many people say that once they have come to terms with loneliness they can also enjoy it-if only for the freedom it gives them. The secret of managing loneliness in adulthood is to cultivate the right attitude of mind to it. There are positive benefits to being alone and there are ways of reducing the amount of time you have to be alone if you don’t want to be.

•    Take the opportunity to get to know yourself better. If necessary get professional help from a doctor or counselor. By understanding yourself better you will be in a position to do something about your loneliness.

•    Many lonely people are shy or have poorly-developed social skills. There are good books about these subjects and social-skills training groups are now widely available. At one extreme end of the spectrum are those who say that they prefer their pets to human beings. Such individuals probably need professional help. Pets are undoubtedly a boon to the lonely but to want to be with them to the exclusion of humans, as some seem to, is not normal and could point to underlying personality or psychological problems-which could benefit from treatment.

•     One US expert on loneliness finds that talking to oneself is helpful. Saying things aloud is a form of tension release, he claims. Other experts find that a diary is a good form of self-communication. In it you should record not only what happened that day but your daydreams and fantasies.

•    Once you have insights into what you are like and what you want from life you can start to look outwards for things to do that will combat your loneliness. For many doing something for someone else works best. Helping an elderly or handicapped person or running something in the community such as a toddler group, or doing voluntary work at the local hospital, can work wonders for the unhappy, lonely person. If you want company yet find it difficult to meet people you get on with, try an evening class. At least all the people there will have one thing in common with you-the subject matter of the class.

•    Be grateful for what you’ve got-think of those who have far less and then try to relax and enjoy what you have.

•    If you are lonely within a marriage or other close relationship and are unhappy about it seek professional help.

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