Smoking cause over 30% of severe rheumatoid arthritis cases

Smoking cigarettes and cigars is thought to behind more than 30% of all cases of severe rheumatoid arthritis, research suggests. It is also to blame for more than 50% of cases in people who are genetically predisposed to developing the debilitating condition, a Swedish study found.

Around 350,000 people in the UK are affected by rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It is an autoimmune disease which occurs when the body's immune system attacks the lining of the joints, causing them to become red, swollen, inflamed and painful. It is three times more common in women than men.

In the study, more than 1,200 Swedish men and women with RA, and 871 without the condition were questioned about their smoking habits. They were then grouped according to how long they had smoked. Blood samples were also taken to measure levels of anticitrullinated protein/peptide antibody (ACPA), a marker for disease severity, and to assess the participants’ genetic profile for susceptibility to RA.

The findings showed that the heaviest smokers were more than 2.5 times as likely to test positive for ACPA. A heavy smoker was defined as someone who had smoked 20 cigarettes a day for at least 20 years. Among those who had a genetic predisposition to the disease, and who tested positive for ACPA, smoking accounted for more than half the cases (55 per cent). Those who smoked the most had the highest risk. They  also found that the risk of RA fell for people who had quit smoking, the longer they had given up smoking. However, among the heaviest smokers, the risk was still relatively high, even after 20 years of not having smoked.

Based on these figures, the researchers calculated that smoking accounted for 35 per cent of ACPA positive cases, and one in five cases of rheumatoid arthritis, overall.

Although the risk of RA from smoking is not as high as for lung cancer, where smoking accounts for 90 per cent of cases, it is similar to that for coronary artery heart disease, said the researchers. The researchers, from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, said other environmental factors may add to an increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis, including air pollutants and hormonal factors. But they suggest that their findings are sufficient to prompt those with a family history of rheumatoid arthritis to be advised to give up smoking.

The above findings are published in the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

If you or your partner are worried about smoking and the effects it could be having on you or your family there are options available. Firstly a visit to your local GP is in order for advice and guidance on how to stop smoking.

 

There also may be a local NHS Stop Smoking Services, which could give you the extra support you need to quit.

There are also treatments widely available on the market today such as Champix the smoking cessation treatment. If you would like further information on where to buy Champix online please visit www.medical-specialists.co.uk

What is premature ejaculation?

What is premature ejaculation? 

Well the simple answer is when a man ejaculates earlier than he has intended or his partner would like him to, or in some cases even before an orgasm is reached. Premature ejaculation (PE) is also known as rapid ejaculation, rapid climax, premature climax, or early ejaculation.

How common is premature ejaculation?

Premature ejaculation is commonly reported as the most common male sexual problem of all ages. The Global Study on Sexual Attitude and Behaviours (2005) did collect data on the prevalence of PE from many countries around the world but did not collect for India. From studies done in India, mainly using clinic samples, the prevalence of PE ranged from 12% to 78%. A 2006 study on urban slum men reports a prevalence of PE to be16%. Premature ejaculation is more common in younger men, as they are often less sexually experienced or secure with the situation in which they are having sex.

Symptoms and Causes of Premature Ejaculation

Predominant age: All age groups

Predominant sex: Male only

Signs and Symptoms

• Ejaculation occurring before individual wishes
• Ejaculation does not occur following normal erection (including masturbation)

Causes

• Never any ejaculate
  • Congenital structural disorder (Mullerian duct cyst, Wolffian abnormality)
  • Acquired (radical prostatectomy, postinfectious, post-traumatic, T10-12 neuropathy)
• Retrograde ejaculation
  • TURP (25%)
  • Surgery on the neck of the bladder
  • Extensive pelvic surgery
  • Retroperitoneal lymph node dissection for testicular cancer (also can produce failure of emission)
  • Neurologic disorders, eg, multiple sclerosis
  • Drugs, eg, amoxapine, desipramine, imipramine
• Retarded ejaculation
  • Rarely may be due to underlying painful disorder, eg, prostatitis, seminal vesiculitis
  • May be psychogenic as part of erectile dysfunction
  • Sympathectomy, eg, spinal cord injury, diabetes mellitus
  • Some drugs may impair ejaculation, eg, certain MAO inhibitors, SSRIs, alpha-blockers, antipsychotics, tricyclic antidepressants
• Premature ejaculation
• Sexual inexperience
• High level of sexual arousal
• Fear of sexually transmitted disease
• Anxiety
• Guilty feelings about sex
• Interpersonal maladaptation (marital problems, unresponsiveness of mate)
• Lack of privacy

What Treatment Is Available for Premature Ejaculation?

There are many ways of improving your staying power, some are more laborious including Masters and Johnson recommended a start and stop technique to increase the time until ejaculation. This requires a great deal of couple cooperation and communication, and may be difficult for some.


There are also various treatments available on the web, one treatment stands out called Stud 100 The active ingredient, Lidocaine, is a anaesthetic which is used to reduce the sensitivity to touch of ejaculation in cases of over-rapid or premature ejaculation. It delays ejaculation by reducing the sensitivity of the penis, significantly prolonging intercourse and providing greater satisfaction for both partners. Stud 100 can be used with both latex and non-latex condoms: Stud 100 has been tested with leading brand condoms and meets the BSI Test Protocol.

References

1. http://www.sexualhealthindia.com/sexual-health/premature-ejaculation
2. http://www.health.am/sex/premature-ejaculation/
3. http://www.medical-specialists.co.uk/chemist-shop/stud-100.php

Pharmacists caught selling fake Viagra

A group of pharmacists were caught selling fake Viagra pills imported from China, police said Monday. 

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said 15 pharmacists were booked on suspicion of selling the fake pills that could cause consumers to die of a heart attack in the worst case. 

Each pill was purchased for 2,000 won and resold to consumers for 15,000-18,000 won each, police added.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Experts called for a tough crackdown on the circulation of fake Viagra pills. 



Offenders without a prior criminal record face a fine of up to 5 million won or a business suspension for up to 15 days. 

premature ejaculation problems?

Medical Specialists is now supplying Stud 100 premature ejaculation treatment. Stud 100  delays ejaculation by reducing the sensitivity of the penis, significantly prolonging intercourse and providing greater satisfaction for both partners.

Stud 100 is quick acting, safe and effective. More importantly, strictly controlled clinical trials and surveys prove that Stud 100 does work. The active ingredient, Lidocaine, is a anaesthetic which is used to reduce the sensitivity to touch of ejaculation is cases of over-rapid or premature ejaculation.


But What is premature ejaculation and how do you know if you suffer from it? 


Premature ejaculation (PE) is a condition in which a man ejaculates earlier than he or his partner would like him to. Premature ejaculation is also known as rapid ejaculation, rapid climax, premature climax, or early ejaculation.


The Below Quoted from Wikipedia
"Masters and Johnson defines PE as the condition in which a man ejaculates before his sex partner achieves orgasm, in more than fifty percent of their sexual encounters. Other sex researchers have defined premature ejaculation as occurring if the man ejaculates within two minutes of penetration; however, a survey by Alfred Kinsey in the 1950s demonstrated that three quarters of men ejaculate within two minutes of penetration in over half of their sexual encounters.Self reported surveys report up to 75% of men ejaculate within 10 minutes of penetration. Today, most sex therapists understand premature ejaculation as occurring when a lack of ejaculatory control interferes with sexual or emotional well-being in one or both partners."


So if you want to spice up your love life and feel that Stud 100 could be of help to you and your partner Buy Stud 100 online at medical-specialists chemist-shop today.  

Fake Viagra seized in Dagenham

 

A HUGE haul of counterfeit goods containing fake Viagra, Rolex watches and £18,040 in cash has been seized in Dagenham.

Barking and Dagenham Council Trading Standards and HM Revenue & Customs uncovered the horde inside a container on 16 and 17 November. The haul, which has an estimated street value of more than £800,000 also included fake designer hand bags, sunglasses, GHD hair straighteners, jewellery and rolling tobacco.

The container was part of a larger consignment which arrived in the UK the previous week destined for the Christmas shopping market. It is thought the goods were imported from China and were being stored in Dagenham before being distributed around the country.

The investigation is ongoing and no arrests have been made. All the goods and the cash have been registered with the court for confiscation.

Anyone involved in the trade of fake goods could face up to ten years in prison.

Cllr Jeanne Alexander, Cabinet Member for Crime, Justice and Communities, said: “This discovery is a major success in our battle against the counterfeiters. I’m grateful for the assistance we received from HMRC during this operation.

“Counterfeiters undercut legitimate traders who are trying to earn an honest living by selling genuine items. Fake goods might seem good at first sight, but the reality is they are usually poorly made and could even be dangerous. This is especially true for pharmaceutical like the tablets that were seized here.

“Not only could you end up with a dodgy product if you buy a counterfeit item, you could also be helping to fund organised crime. If a bargain seems too good to be true, it probably is.”

Pharmacist avoids jail for illegally advertising prescription-only Viagra

A Pharmacist from Manchester, who advertised Viagra illegally, has luckily avoided an immediate jail sentence.

Mr William Parsons advertised Viagra and other prescription medication used to treat male impotence on his website Potency.co.uk which has now been removed from the web.

Parsons, who also ran a pharmacy in the Peak District, was given a suspended nine-month jail term at London's Southwark Crown Court on Thursday after previously being convicted of three counts of advertising prescription-only medicine.

Passing sentence, Judge Peter Testar said: "This defendant has behaved in a way that he knows was illegal. That's the mischief of what he has done. He sought to defend the indefensible."

The court heard Parsons ran the website and the Hayfield Pharmacy in Derbyshire from 1999 until he sold the combined businesses and premises for just under £500,000 in 2007.

Parsons used blank prescriptions obtained from a doctor in Cyprus to prescribe the drugs himself to customers visiting the website. The site boasted "special offers" on the drugs. Kennedy Talbot, prosecuting, estimated Parsons made more than £1,000 a month from sales.

An inspector from regulatory body the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) visited the pharmacy in 2006 where the blank prescriptions were discovered. The inspector subsequently visited the website where he discovered the illegal offers.

Parsons was warned by the MHRA he would have to change his website in order to comply with the law, but the pharmacist refused.

Judge Testar said: "He carried on with the plainly illegal activity of advertising prescription only drugs. He simply decided he wasn't going to comply with the law. He thought if he carried on he wouldn't be stopped. These are regulations that are there for the protection of the public. The requirement of a prescription is there for a good reason."

The Judge said he had intended to pass an immediate custodial sentence but had decided not to as Parsons was the main provider of care for his sick wife. The nine-month sentence was suspended for two years. Parsons was also ordered to carry out 150 hours unpaid work in the community.

James Nesbitt beats hair loss with FUT hair transplant

James Nesbitt has been showing off his new head of hair lately, after undergoing two hair transplants after prolonged hair loss.

The Northern Irish actor- who has recently signed up to play dwarf Bolfur in the new Hobbit movie - appears in a video testimonial on the website for the Hair Restoration Blackrock (HRBR) clinic revealing how he sought treatment after he began losing his hair several years ago. Many Experts believe that Nesbitt, who has admitted trying various medication such a Propecia to slow hair loss, is the latest celebrity to undergo a Follicular Unit Transplant (FUT) which is the new standard for hair transplants which takes thousands of healthy hair follicles from the back or sides of the head and inserts them in twos and threes into the bald patch, leaving a natural-looking hairline.

James said: "Several years ago, I began losing my hair and like a lot of men it was a major concern to me, in fact it was practically an obsession. But, also I'm an actor so I'm in the public eye a lot and I really felt that my hair loss could affect my career prospects.

"So, after many agonies and a great amount of thought - and believe me it's something I didn't take lightly - I took the decision to visit Hair Restoration Blackrock, Dublin in Ireland.

"So, I had a consultation with the surgeon who told me I was a good candidate for hair transplant surgery.

"Since then I have had two hair transplants and I am very pleased with the results. In fact, I'd go as far as to say they've changed my life."

The Cold Feet star has previously spoken openly about treatments he was using to try and stimulate hair growth and said: "It's ridiculous, but it's horrible going bald. Anyone who says it isn't is lying."