“I Think I Look Better When I’m Tanned” November 18, 2009

Banerjee, Smita, S Campo, and K Greene. “Fact or Wishful Thinking? Biased Expectations in ‘I Think I Look Better When I’m Tanned.'” American Journal of Health Behavior 32.3 (2008): 243-252.

This is a very interesting article which explores reasons behind the desire for a tan. This paper, published in 2008, claims that skin cancer is the fastest growing and most common type of cancer in the United States. It also reports that cases of melanoma have increased by 1000% over the last 50 years. Surveys taken  by teenage girls show that about 40% of girls aged 17-18 regularly use tanning beds, and the researchers wanted to know what is behind people’s desire to be tan. They surveyed college-age men and women and found that both men and women perceive tanned individuals to be healthier, thinner, and more sexually appealing than non-tanned individuals. The researcher went on to suggest that some young women have a desire to be tan because they believe that men perceive tanned individuals to be more physically attractive, and the data supported this idea. In conclusion, the researcher suggests that anti-tanning campaigns need to be gender specific; women need to be educated regarding their own body image, and men need to be educated regarding their perceptions of desirable beauty. I was surprised at how clear-cut the numbers were in this experiment: preference for tan wasn’t slightly higher, it was hands-down highest across the board. The researchers also discussed how desire to be attractive outweighs desire to be healthy because many of the students surveyed admitted that they know tanning beds cause skin cancer, but they use them anyway. Maybe an anti-tanning campaign that is similar to anti-smoking campaigns which aim to shock consumers would help adjust people’s perceptions of physical beauty.

“Family History of Alcoholism Is Associated With Lower 5-HT2A Receptor Binding in the Prefrontal Cortex” November 11, 2009

Underwood, Mark D. “Family History of Alcoholism Associated With Lower 5-HT2A Receptor Binding in the Prefrontal Cortex.” Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 32.4 (2008): 593-599.

 

For a long time, scientists have been studying to find out whether or not alcoholism is a hereditary trait. It has been shown that there are higher instances of alcoholism between monozygotic (identical) twins than dizygotic (fraternal) twins, and adoption studies have shown a higher risk for alcoholism in adoptees that have biological parents with alcoholism regardless of the adoptive parents’ alcohol use. These data strongly suggest that there can be a hereditary or genetic predisposition to alcoholism. In the article that I read, the scientists first studied rats, and found that there is less binding of the 5-HT2A receptor in alcohol-preferring rats. They then hypothesized that they would have similar findings in human subjects, and they studied human brains at autopsy. They found that with a positive family history for alcoholism, there was less binding regardless of whether or not the patient him/herself was alcoholic. They concluded that there is a polymorphism in the 5-HT2A receptor gene which can be associated with alcoholism.

Gonorrhea in the eye November 4, 2009

Mader, Sylvia S. Human Biology. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2004.

Gonorrhea and chlamydia, both bacterial infections, can be passed from a mother’s birth canal to her baby’s eyes during birth. It has been shown that women using a birth control pill can be at a higher risk for contracting gonorrhea because the hormones cause the genital tract to be more susceptible to pathogens. Many patients, both men and women, can be asymptomatic, and many women are not diagnosed with gonorrhea until they present with PID (pelvic inflammatory disease). PID from gonorrhea is most common in women that use an IUD (intrauterine device). PID can scar uterine tubes which can cause infertility, ectopic pregnancy, or chronic pelvic pain. The bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoae can infect different parts of the body: the anus can be infected, oral/gential contact can infect the mouth, throat, or tonsils, and manual transfer from infected genitals to eyes is also possible. A gonorrheal infection of the eye can cause blindness, and pregnant women are tested for gonorrhea and chlamydia during their prenatal care. If positive, they are treated and re-tested until they are negative, and, as prophylaxis, the baby may receive a dose of erythromycin eye drops.

“The end of abtinence-only?” October 28, 2009

Melby, Todd. “The end of abstinence-only?” Contemporary Sexuality 43 (2009): 1-7.

 

After our discussion in class I definitely wanted to learn more about abstinence-only sex ed programs, and I found this article which describes a proposal President Obama has made to Congress to eliminate funding for this type of program in the 2010 budget. Instead, the President suggests spending $178 million on programs that are designed to prevent teen pregnancy. James Wagoner, president of the Advocates for Youth,  argues that while this is a good step, other issues need to be included in sex ed; he feels that teen pregnancy shouldn’t be the main focus, but that programs include topics like preventing STDs, reducing homophobia, improving communication between partners, and preventing sexual abuse and assault. The proposal also includes an increase of $10 million to the already budgeted $300 million used for birth control and family planning services for the poor. While it is an increase, a CEO of a Planned Parenthood affiliate felt that 3% is just a “drop in the bucket.” The author of the article suggests that we call or write our senators and urge their support of this bill.

Raw Milk September 30, 2009

Weisbecker, Andy. “A Legal History of Raw Milk in the United States.” Journal of Environmental Health 69.8 (2007)

“The Cold Truth.” Dairy Industries International 74.1 (2009)

After Monday’s discussion, I thought it would be interesting to find some information regarding the safety of raw milk. Most of the research that I found supported the claim that pasteurization kills harmful bacteria present in raw milk and that consumption of raw milk is very risky. I had a very had time finding any articles that were in support of consumption of raw milk, and no scientific data. Around the beginning of the twentieth century, as cities grew larger, milk began being transported farther and kept at higher temperatures than before, and many people were getting sick. Data shows that around 1938, about 25% of diseases contracted from contaminated foods came from raw milk, and as of 2002, the percentage has gone down to less than 1%. The article from Dairy Industries International states that many bacteria present in raw milk had been previously unidentified, and in looking more closely at these bacteria, scientists have identified a new species (Chryseobacterium oranimense) that grows at cold temperatures and has the potential to  spoil raw milk. Although it seems that raw milk would be more natural than pasteurized milk, the fact is that in the society we live in today, with the present conditions for food demand, storage, and the treatment of farm animals, it is probably much more safe for people to drink pasteurized milk.

“Can the Mediterranean diet prevent prostate cancer?” September 16, 2009

Itsiopoulos, C. et al. “Can the Mediterranean diet prevent prostate cancer?” Molecular Nutrition & Food Research 53.2 (2009): 227-239.

The article I read this week was a very interesting study into the individual foods that make up a traditional Greek diet and their associations with prostate cancer. As prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men and the sixth highest cause of death in men, it is very important to determine risk factors. The researchers focused on a Greek diet that was characterized by a wide variety of plant foods, olive oil as the main source of fat, low intakes of red meat, low to moderate intakes of dairy, moderate to high intakes of fish, and moderate intakes of wine with meals. A diet like this has been shown to contain important bioactive phytochemicals, like carotenoids, flavonoids, and polyphenols, which may decrease risk for prostate cancer.

“My sickness and me” September 2, 2009

Hagstrom, Bertil. “My sickness and me: Men with cardiovascular disease and their perception of their illness and medication.” The Journal of Men’s Health and Gender 2.4 (2005): 429-435.

Studies have shown that compliance with medication for cardiovascular disease can be low, from 30-70%, and the physicians who conducted this study were interested in interviewing men with CVD to see if there were any common themes with regards to feelings about the illness or the medications. Many patients described qualities which tend to separate themselves from their disease, a factor which the researchers believe can contribute to low compliance levels. They suggest techniques for integrating the disease into the patients’ lives and believe that a better attitude towards and understanding of CVD can help raise medication compliance levels.

“Sleep Better Tonight” August 24, 2009

Gorman, Dim. “Sleep Better Tonight.” Men’s Health May 2009: 98-100.

Today, in class, we discussed the importance of sleep and its effect on memory, motor skills, and chronic illness. I thought it was very interesting to read from an article in Men’s Health magazine that a University of Pennsylvania study showed that losing a short amount of sleep over a long period of time can have very negative effects. 48 volunteers were assigned one of four sleep patterns: 8, 6, 4, or 0 hours of sleep per night. After two weeks, the 6-hours-per-night group did as poorly, on average, on alertness and memory exercises as the 0-hours-per-night group did after 24 hours. The most interesting part, I thought, was that although they scored poorly on the exercises, the 6-hour group reported not feeling sleepy.

This article also discusses the negative effects of exercise before sleep. It is easier to fall asleep when our core body temperature can lower, and after exercise, it can take the body 4 to 6 hours to cool down.

Hello world of Men’s Health! August 23, 2009

I’m very excited to start my first blog ever! Hopefully viewers will enjoy reading my thoughts as much as I enjoy sharing them. The topic of men’s health is interesting because, as we discussed in class last week, it seems to not receive as much credit as some specialties that focus on women. During the course of this semester, not only will I be learning new and interesting things, I will be sharing them with anyone who has access to the Web! Amazing! Here’s to an exciting journey into the world of Men’s Health!