Diabetes and erectile dysfunction link

he long term devastating effects that diabetes can have for it’s sufferer are now widely known. The condition can lead to a stroke, heart disease, damage to the retina and possible blindness, kidney failure, and diabetes accelerates atherosclerosis (the formation of fatty plaques inside the arteries which can result in blockages/clots and then a heart attack).

Such problems are the result of usually when diabetes is left uncontrolled and blood sugar levels are not properly maintained, most commonly in adults with type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes occurs when insufficient insulin is produced by the body for it to function properly, or when the body’s cells do not react to insulin. This is called insulin resistance. The disease is far more common than type 1, and around 90% of adults with diabetes, have the type 2 strain of the disease which has roughly 2.8million sufferers in the UK alone.

Dr. Madeleine Castellanos is a certified psychiatrist specializing in the treatment of sexual dysfunction and the improvement of sex life for couples or individuals. She has written a detailed article on her website in which she explains the connection between erectile dysfunction and diabetes. “Good sexual functioning depends on good blood flow and the ability to not only perceive sensations, but to have the organs and tissues respond to these sensations.  When a person’s blood sugar is high, cells cannot function properly and nerve endings become damaged.  This can cause numbness, or worse – uncomfortable tingling.  Having uncontrolled levels of blood sugar also causes damage to the blood vessels in the form of decreased ability to relax and contract when needed as well as increased atherosclerosis decreasing blood flow.”

She further comments “Ways that nerve damage manifests for someone with diabetes could be a decreased sensation in their genitals.  When this happens, it becomes more difficult to become aroused when touched or stroked.  Impaired blood flow commonly causes erectile dysfunction in men and lack of lubrication or difficulty reaching orgasm in women.  To make matters worse, patients with diabetes have a poorer response to medications for erectile dysfunction.” Dr. Castellanos also says in her article that she believes diabetics should keep their blood sugar level between 80 and 125 instead of trying to maintain the level of under 150 or 180 if they have had the disease for a while.

Christmas brings warnings for asthma and allergy sufferers

As the festive period is upon us, an expert allergist at the Gottlieb Memorial Hospital in Maywood, Ill, has issued a warning which could dampen the moods of many. Fresh Christmas trees, plants, air fresheners, perfumes, dust and nuts may trigger asthma attacks and allergic reactions according to Dr. Joseph Leija.
Dr. Leija has warned that there is a good chance of a trigger being created through things such as:  the dust on old boxes of decorations that have been stored away for probably almost a year, fresh Christmas trees, and the popular holiday houseplant the Poinsetta, which has become almost as widely known at Christmas as holly and ivy.

The allergist commented in a Loyola University Health System news release: “The dust from the boxes and on the decorations that have been packed away in dank basements or dusty attics is triggering reactions in my allergy and asthma patients”. He further went on to suggest methods of avoiding such problems. For instance he advised avoiding scented candles and oils, choosing an artificial tree as apposed to a real and fresh one, staying clear of fresh plants and flowers, be careful with the humidifier and keeping humidity to no more than 48 to 50 percent, and finally to store all decorations in plastic bins to help keep them dust-free.

If you are worried about Dr. Leija’s warnings, why not be prepared and help beat the Christmas blues. At Medical Specialists we offer a wide range of medications to help asthma and allergy sufferers, all at great prices. If you are suffering from asthma like symptoms, you should see your doctor immediately for a diagnosis. Your doctor is able to prescribe medication if he feels you have asthma. If you have already been prescribed an inhaler or have lost your inhaler or run out and cannot get a prescription immediately, we are able to supply you an inhaler to help your asthma symptoms. We now offer both blue (relievers) inhalers such as Ventolin and Salbutamol, and brown (preventers) inhalers such as Qvar Beclomethasone, Qvar Easi-Breathe, and Pulvinal Beclomethasone. If you suffer from hay fever or allergies we offer Loratadine tablets and Nasonex spray. Both of the aforementioned are available without the need for a prescription.

Actor Simon Pegg shows off thicker barnet and thinner face

The British actor Simon Pegg has made appearances at several premieres this week, promoting the fourth installment in the Mission Impossible films. The star who has appeared in many notable films such as Run, Fat Boy, Run, and Hot Fuzz, is clearly now a major player in Hollywood, starring alongside Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.

However, it seems the “Hollywood effect” has taken over the highly popular Brit as he is now much slimmer in the face and his once receding and thinning hair appears to have been replaced by a much more fuller head of hair. This follows the comedian Ricky Gervais, who famously posed in a tiny pair of gold shorts prior to him hosting the Golden Globes back in January, showing off the incredible 22lbs he had lost during 2010 from his previous portly frame. Gervais too seemed to shrink simultaneously to his career taking off across the Atlantic.

Pegg’s hair transplant follows X-Factor judge Louis Walsh recently admitting in an interview that he had undergone a similar procedure which set him back roughly £30,000 after jibes from boss Simon Cowell, ‘He came up to me and said: “You know, you’re starting to lose your hair. I said, “I am not! And anyway, you’re going grey!”

‘I could have just left it and got on with things, but with TV today, everything is in high definition, and people notice every little thing’. Even Manchester United striker and footballing superstar Wayne Rooney earlier this year announced the news of his hair transplant after an expensive trip to a Harley Street clinic, tweeting his followers on social networking site Twitter – ‘I was going bald at 25, why not? I’m delighted with the result’.

However if you are you are not feeling flush enough to warrant paying 30k for a hair transplant you could try Propecia instead.

GP’s urged to cut their patient’s limit on erectile dysfunction medication

A committee of NHS managers who are responsible for rationing recommendations for areas that include Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, have asked doctors to limit their patients to just two tablets per month for those who are taking medications such as Viagra, Levitra, and Cialis to treat erectile dysfunction.

The prescribing of such medications on the NHS is already under strict measures, with access to erectile dysfunction medication limited primarily to those who are suffering from conditions such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis, prostate cancer, Parkinson’s disease, polio, spina bifida, and spinal injury. The South Central Priorities Committee, who have made the new strict recommendations, covers PCTs in Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire, Berkshire East, Berkshire West and Buckinghamshire. They suggest in their research that people between the ages of 40 to 60 have sex once a week, which could lead to questions about how up to date or accurate this research actually is and also why there is only a two tablet per month idea put forth.

In addition, there is NHS guidance that states that there “appears to be no clinical reason to restrict the number of tablets” of Viagra prescribed to an individual. Dr Paul Roblin, chief executive of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxon LMCs, said: “It is getting in the way of GPs having a sensible dialogue with patients about their requirements. Local priorities committees don’t understand the only restrictions on GP prescribing come from the national black list and grey list. They sometimes portray recommendations as a rule that has to be obeyed, and that’s not true.”

A spokesperson for NHS Oxfordshire had this to say on the subject: “Any decision made by the PCT cannot prohibit prescribing, but will form a recommendation to GPs. The policy can be adapted locally and NHS Berkshire East is implementing the two-dose policy for new patients only.” Moreover, a NHS Berkshire East spokesperson has commented on the new suggested procedure: “Existing patients are prescribed four tablets a month, but new patients are treated in line with the policy published by the Berkshire Priorities Committee.”