Guest guest Posted June 20, 2003 Report Share Posted June 20, 2003 Fri, 20 Jun 2003 12:29:28 -0500 WC Douglass Doing what comes naturally Daily Dose June 20, 2003 ************************************************************** A hard pill to swallow about impotence drugs... Nowadays, there's an awful lot of hype about sexual performance - especially among the over-50 demographic. This is a relatively new phenomenon, though. It used to be that people in this age bracket didn't worry about HOW they were in bed - they were just grateful to BE in bed and having fun with someone they loved... But this begs the question: WHY is sexual performance all of a sudden such a big issue among aging baby-boomers? Of course, it's because of drugs. Specifically, that " little blue pill " that's all the rage. And it's also because of consumer-oriented drug ads on television - also a relatively new trend, since deregulation under the Clinton administration blurred the formerly strict line between the drug industry and the communications business... What's the harm in all this, you ask? Why is popping Viagra and other potency drugs to feel like a teenager again such a bad thing? For one thing, these drugs can cause people enormous (and risky) physical stress as they try to keep up with their libido-in-a-bottle. Now don't get me wrong - I'm not knocking after-50 sex. In fact, few things are more life affirming and invigorating than making love later in life... But let's act our ages while we do it, huh? A drug-induced, swing-from-the-chandelier sex marathon really isn't " conduct becoming, " is it? Secondly, these drugs carry risks of their own, especially if you've got trouble with your ticker. Although the manufacturers are quick to insist that there's no conclusive PROOF that Viagra and other impotence drugs increase your risk of heart attack, stroke, arrhythmia, chest pains, and other heart-related conditions, evidence from the field strongly suggests otherwise. And now, there's even more substantiation of this disturbing correlation... According to a Reuter's online article, a panel that advises the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was recently convened to discuss how a new impotence drug (a Viagra competitor named Levitra made by Bayer/Glaxo) affects a key heart- function indicator called the QT interval - a measurement of the heart's electrical activity. An erratic or prolonged QT can leads to abnormal heartbeat patterns, which can be fatal. If these drugs are perfectly safe, as the makers suggest, why the need for the special advisory panel? In my opinion, any drug that can stimulate blood flow enough to overcome impotence may well pose a significant heart threat. And it's a risk you need not take to get great sex, either. Many natural substances, like yohimbine and especially maca root, can help pep up your love life. Besides, I think Viagra is mostly a placebo - someone should do a study to see how many men are still taking Viagra after a year. There might be some surprises. ************************************************************** (Gettinwell Note: Viagra is not a new drug. It was a heart drug developed in the 1950's. From what I gather it was determined to be dangerous and so it was withdrawn from the market. They brought it back off the shelf, added a new way of fast dispersal, cut the dosage to a smaller amout and shazamm discovered a " new " drug. From what I read there have been quite a few cases of heart attack or stroke associated with this drug.) end of gettingwell comment *************************************************************** Ask me no questions, I'll tell you no lies... Get a load of this: A recent Strathclyde University political science study reported in Great Britain's Observer newspaper concluded - as utterly inconceivable as this must seem to all of us - that... POLITICIANS LIE! Now that you've picked yourself up off the floor after fainting in shock, consider this: The author of this government-funded study concludes that for politicians, telling lies to the public and to political rivals is a perfectly acceptable and necessary aspect of the job... And he suggests that politicians lie because voters and journalists are ASKING TOO MANY QUESTIONS. This is what people are supposed to do in a democracy! Voters can only know if elected officials are doing what they were elected to do - in other words, keeping their promises - if they're probed, tested, and challenged. And it's asking questions that can help protect us from the lies we know are cascading off The Hill - especially those governing our health care options... What's this have to do with your health? Plenty - because if politicians in this country were left unscrutinized by folks like yours truly and others like me in the media (even though we're a miniscule minority), the FDA and drug companies would be left unchecked to define your medical options and health care as they see fit... Glad I'm not a teenager anymore, William Campbell Douglass II, MD ************************************************************** (Gettingwell comment: The good doctor is fooling himself. Politics are the most important factor of all in health. It determines what you eat, breath, drink. What poisons you are subjected to in your environment, etc. It determines what information is available to the public. Which medical " treatments " are " legal " and hold sway. How the system of Justice handles health issues etc. Politics are the control of your daily lives. If the vested interests control the poiticians, they control your lives to their economic benefit and certainly not your health benefit. People would understand this better if they would stop thinking in terms of partisan politics and see it in terms of established monetary political interests vs. the public good interests. Simple question: is it done to benefit some financial special interest group or for the general good of all? That is the real " you vs us " division. End of comment from gettingwell.) Copyright ©1997-2003 by www.realhealthnews.com, L.L.C. The Daily Dose may not be posted on commercial sites without written permission. ************************************************************** Gettingwell- / Vitamins, Herbs, Aminos, etc. To , e-mail to: Gettingwell- Or, go to our group site: Gettingwell SBC DSL - Now only $29.95 per month! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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