What Women Like & Men Should Know
One sure way to increase your own pleasure during sex is of course to help increase your partner's. Men obviously need penis stimulation to reach orgasm. But the same is true of women although it may come as news to some men. Research has indicated that as many as 70% of women require direct clitoral stimulation to reach orgasm. Whatever pleasure men get from penis stimulation, they should become alive to the fact that the clitoris can create a rewarding firestorm for most (note- not all) women.
It is the kind of firestorm a man might be delighted to plunge into. But then both partners depend a great deal on his ability to make the most of the mutual passions. This is perhaps the point to introduce the old joke:
Mr. Smith goes to a doctor complaining about his inability to keep going during sex. The doctor gives him some medicine as a cure.
A couple of weeks later the doc. bumps into his patient in the street.
Doc: Hello Mr. Smith. Glad to see you're looking well. Has the medicine worked then?
Mr. Smith: Yes doctor, fine.
Doctor: I'm very glad. But I like to keep up my research. How did you do last night?
Mr. Smith: It was a lot better. Five! (He holds up five fingers, smiling).
Doctor: (Amazed). Five! Wow, very good. Five times!
Mr. Smith: No, no doc. Five seconds.
The best thing about mankind has been its ability to laugh at itself. But really there the joke ends. Inability to keep going for more than a few moments or even minutes
can be a source of depression and illness for a man. And it's also a guarantee that his partner is likely to be less than delighted.
What makes it perhaps more frustrating is that it is not about erectile dysfunction (which we also advise upon ?see our link 'Enjoyment Without Worry'). The erection has been fine. Everything should be going O.K..- except it's over almost before it's begun.
Our supplements will help. But men who feel that this is a problem can also practice some techniques which could be of value.
One approach is as follows. Withdraw totally just before (making sure it's in sufficient time before) a climax is felt approaching. Your partner may wonder what's happening. But stay hovered, and when you feel it's safe, thrust in again. This move should more than make up in surprise pleasure what your partner might have lost by the first withdrawal. You then repeat the move. Only enter once each time, before withdrawing and waiting, while you can still hold back from ejaculating (practice makes perfect here as elsewhere!). Your partner will get the message, and it's likely she'll be enjoying the surprise moves. Keep the procedure going for as long as you can. And when you find you simply have to go at it, the climax for both you and your partner is likely to be on a higher plane.
Here's another well-tried and usually reliable method for prolonging the moment to ejaculation. You have to choose the right moment before you ejaculate ?ot too late ? and then quickly squeeze the base of the penis between your finger and thumb. Apply firm pressure, making sure you are gripping the urethra, which runs under the penis. This keeps the blood trapped which is sustaining the erection, and also restrains ejaculation.
For female stimulation, and prolonging activity, a penis ring with a clitoris brushing attachment is a men's "toy" which serves both purposes. The ring, which secures around the base of the penis, serves to confine the blood in the penis, and so contain premature ejaculation and prolong the moment to climax. The clitoris attachment strokes the clitoris during sexual movement. So it can be one of the simplest and most effective "toy" devices for heightened sexual pleasure. Read more about toys HERE.
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Sex and Your Heart
If you have any kind of heart condition how much worrying should you do before sex? Obviously, if you have a condition warranting regular medical checks then your doc is the best source to relate your sex-life habits to your heart condition. And you should never be shy to ask. But there does exist some encouraging independent guidance.
Research which measured heart rate and blood pressure during sex arrived at the conclusion that the exercise was equivalent to mounting a flight of stairs -or going for a twenty minutes walk. So if those activities don't create any chest or heart problems for you -you should be O.K.
But research has also uncovered much more positive connections between sex and a healthy heart.
Researchers from the University of Bristol interviewed 2,400 men from the town, asking them how often they had sex. They were then tracked 10 years later to see how many had suffered serious strokes and heart attacks. The results were disclosed to a World Stroke Congress in Melbourne.
The Congress was told that men having three or four orgasms a week could halve the risk of having a major heart attack or stroke. The researchers also found that this sexual activity did not have to be heavy. Previous research indicated that exercise had to bring about a significant rise in heart rate over a significant amount of time, leaving a person out of breath, to be of use in sustaining a healthy heart.
But Professor Shah Ebrahim who led the research told the Congress: "In the past we thought it had to be activity at least three times a week and lasting 20 minutes or longer, causing sweatiness and being out of breath.
He went on: "We're now moving to a situation where we would say that even mild to moderate levels of physical activity are likely to have some cardiovascular protective effect."
There was also a reassuring message from the Congress for men who have suffered a heart attack.
Alison Shaw, a cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said that, on average, sexual activity could resume even a few weeks after an attack. It would be O.K., she said, 'if a man was capable of walking a few hundred yards or climbing a flight of steps without getting out of breath or suffering chest pain.'
She said: "The risk of suffering a heart attack during sex is very small."
In general doctors recommend taking it easy during the recovery period, abstaining for perhaps the first 30 days. Then enjoy some low-key but enjoyable romancing, such as caresses, gently progressing to your normal sexual activities.
Common sense, and awareness of your body pays dividends for most medical conditions. In the case of heart and sex, allow a month and then sex can be doing you good. But if you experience chest pain, extreme shortness of breath, or irregular heartbeat during sexual activity, stop. Talk to your partner, talk to your doctor.
But it's nice to know that in essence, so long as you remain aware, sex can provide the same kind of benefits for the heart as a twenty or thirty minutes walk. Of course, you may not like walking. All you have to do then is to discuss with your partner an agreeable alternative.........
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Prolonging Climax
It isn't the same as premature ejaculation. But only lasting a few minutes can be equally unsettling for a man -and probably his partner! Our supplements will help. But men who feel that this is a problem should also practice some techniques which could help.
One approach is as follows. Withdraw totally just before (making sure it's in sufficient time before) a climax is felt approaching. Your partner may wonder what's happening. But stay hovered, and when you feel it's safe, thrust in again. This move should more than make up in surprise pleasure what your partner might have lost by the first withdrawal. You then repeat the move. Only thrust in once each time, before withdrawing and waiting, while you can still hold back from ejaculating (practice makes perfect here as elsewhere!). Your partner will get the message, and we believe enjoy. Keep the procedure going for as long as you can. And when you then find you simply have to go at it, the climax for both you and your partner is likely to be on a higher plane.
Here's another well-tried and usually reliable method for prolonging the moment to ejaculation. You have to choose the right moment before you ejaculate -not too late - and then quickly squeeze the base of the penis between your finger and thumb. Apply firm pressure, making sure you are gripping the urethra, which runs under the penis. This keeps the blood trapped which is sustaining the erection, and also restrains ejaculation.
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No Need To Be A Shrinking Violet
Just about all we men at one time or other will have experienced the dreaded shrinking which indicates that there is to be no climax for either party on this occasion. Erection failure can happen before sex begins. Or erection is O.K. but as we're about to have sex, that wilful penis imitates a shrinking violet. Or love-making is going fine -but we experience -with some desperation- hang on, hang on! but no, it's going limp. At this point in time the whole of a man's world can go limp.
Drugs can help but some do not want the side effects. Natural supplements can help. But it's also the right thing to do to help ourselves overcome what may be fundamentally not a physical, but a psychological problem.
The root of the problem could well be worry. Our concern is that we're not going to satisfy our partners. What will they think of us? So we think badly of ourselves. The more we think, the worse the problem becomes. If it tends to be happening regularly rather than a one off, there is a technique worth trying to overcome it. It's based on the philosophy - never mind the orgasm, enjoy the sex.
If you'd like to try here's how. You'll need the co-operation of course of your partner. The technique was developed by sexual researchers Masters and Johnson in the 60's and the fact the technique is still in vogue with therapists suggests it works.
You both agree to forget about orgasm. But concentrate instead on the feelings of enjoying sex with each other. It could start even -that's what M and J recommended- with your clothes on, just enjoying touching each other. You both concentrate on your own arousal. With no expectations of climax - you should find you're achieving greater enjoyment.
The next level is to think and behave in the same way but without clothes. At these times, if the self-treatment is working, arousal is very likely. But the recommendation is that -for once -you should try to avoid climaxing at all costs!
In his evolutionary way, you'll start re-learning and experiencing once again the deep enjoyment of sex. Enjoyment will become the habit, not worrying about the orgasm.
As a result of not caring about it, out of the complex and mysterious ways in which Man has been created, you'll arrive at a much fulfilled -orgasm!
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It's Nice-AND YET it's good for you!
We all know the old saying - 'it's either illegal, immoral or it's not good for you'! Well, here's a change. Research is increasingly finding things we enjoy which are also good for men's health - and women's of course.
Let's start with chocolate. It IS good for you, if you have heart problems. Mind you - remember it won't be good if you eat too much of it.
These were some of the findings presented to a special chocolate symposium at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2002.
According to Carl L. Keen, PhD, professor and chair, department of nutrition, University of California at Davis it is the flavonol constituent of chocolate which has attracted the attention of heart researchers. And it appears that the cacao bean is "among the most potent sources of flavonol."
A Bordeaux professor has for some time proclaimed the wonders of Bodeaux's famous vintages- because they too are rich in flavonols. Same goes for grape juice -which is hardly surprising because there's no wine without grapes.
Generally dark chocolates are more likely to be higher in flavonols and European consumers have the edge for once over the USA because their chocolates usually have higher flavonol content than American-made chocolates.
But it's also said that all good things come in small packages. That's true not least of chocolate -and wine. Both are easy to consume in quantities - but then the health advantages are lost - and indeed problems start. Keep consumption small. Then you can enjoy something while it's doing you good!
The other great food constituent which is good for your heart -and also your prostate- is Lycopene. And here the big advantage is the more you stuff down, the better. The major source of lycopene is cooked tomatoes. In recent years intensive research has conclusively demonstrated the high value of lycopene in aiding the heart, and the prostate -and indeed the body in general.
Natural substances within fruits, vegetables, grains and beans called phytochemicals seem to fight cancer at all stages of its development. Lycopene is only one such substance, but for the heart and prostate it is one of the most important. Lycopene also falls under the heading of a member of the carotenoid family. These are antioxidants in our cells, helping to reduce the damage caused by wear and tear. Lycopene works particularly well for the prostate. It has roughly twice the power of Beta-Carotene and 10 times the strength of Vitamin E, when it comes to protecting and healing bodies from the damage of free radicals. Free radicals are now considered to be one of the main causes of disease and ageing. In a process known as oxidation, they accelerate the break-down of a cell's structure, damaging the DNA, and weakening the immune system.
The first clear evidence of lycopene's value in prostate cancer prevention was presented to the American Institute for Cancer Research in 1999. David Heber, M.D., Ph.D. He showed that lycopene levels in prostate cancer patients was dramatically increased by supplementing the diet with processed tomato products. "Processed tomato products should be considered an important part of a plant-based diet," said Dr. Huber. In a world sometimes made gloomy with talk of the inevitability of cancer in older people his conclusion was almost startling: "We know now that cancer is the result of gene-nutrient interaction. It's important that people realise they are not ticking time-bombs," he said. "Cancer is preventable."
The value of lycopene has been confirmed more recently in 20002 in research by Dr. Edward Giovannucci of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School? They found that, of the 50,000 healthy males studied, those who ate at least 10 servings of tomatoes or tomato-based foods per week were 33% less likely to develop prostate cancer than those who never ate them. Even those who only ate tomato-based products once a week had a 23% less chance of developing prostate cancer. The significance of these figures needs no emphasis.
Cooked rather than fresh tomatoes are the best source of lycopene. So go for it! Tomato sauce, which is cooked, is one of the best products. But if you like tomato soup, fish in tomato sauce, tomato sauce topped pizzas, -eat up, they're good for you! And lycopene is just one of the ingredients in our powerful blended supplement for prostate treatment 'Prostate Plus', which you can find here.
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Food for Health AND Libido
We're always being reminded we should have lots of helpings of fruit and veg. each day to keep our health in good nick with a proper supply of vitamins and minerals. Many don't bother, under the pressures and pace of modern life. They'll pop in to the supermarket -or open the well-stocked fridge- and help themselves to a pre-processed meal. And that's it for the day's food.
But how about if a change in habits could improve their sex lives?
Saturated fat take-aways and processed foods have been linked to loss of libido. So, quite simply, cutting back on these foods could go towards restoring sexual drive.
Scientists have also been researching the constituents in foods which act against depression, and have a positive impact on libido. High on the list come bananas (loads of potassium -also good for hearts), cherries, cucumbers, asparagus, celery and plums. And chocolate has become a surprising runner in the "good for you" stakes. It has new-found value in small quantities for heart sufferers. But it also contains phenylalanine, an amino acid that reinforces the body's endorphins and natural antidepressants and pumps up libido.
Other foods reputed to be worth eating before bedding time may depend more on folklore than on research. But there are two constituents of some of these foods which may help explain the belief that they improve men's libido.
Zinc and vitamin B6 are important in making the male hormone, testosterone. Oysters - perhaps the best known food of choice for lovers - is high in zinc. This hormone helps men develop an erection and to ejaculate. Indeed, infertility and loss of sex drive may be the result of a zinc deficiency.
B6 can be found in good proportion in avocados and asparagus -two other reputed libido-raising foods.
Other good food sources of zinc include brown rice, cheese - and turkey (so adding to the Xmas festivities).
So the mixed libido menu could well be something like this:
Starters: Oysters (zinc) or asparagus (B6) or avocado (B6)
Main dish: Turkey (zinc) or chicken (B6), with new potatoes
(B6) or with Brown rice (zinc) and lentils (zinc).
Sweet: Strawberries or bananas (both B6).
And why not finish off (or have before the Sweet, as the French insist) a really good cheese (zinc)?
So get eating -but don't be a couch potato. Exercise regularly and you are likely to feel more sexually alive. Exercise gets the heart pumping the blood around which is good for reviving the hormones, and increasing blood flow to the genitals.
Meanwhile -Bon appetit!
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Jogging Is Good for Seniors Too
Jogging has been out of favour for some time in the medical fraternity. But evidence is now bringing it back as a foremost health aid for all - including senior citizens.
A study of almost 5,000 men at the Bispebjerg Hospital in Copenhagen (published in the British Medical Journal) showed that regular runners lived significantly longer than non-joggers and those who jogged only occasionally.
Then, up came Professor Jim Fries, an expert in healthy ageing, and his colleagues at Stanford's school of medicine. They followed 538 runners and 423 couch potatoes for no less than 17 years. They found that only 5 per cent of the joggers experienced osteoarthritic pain during that time, compared with 20 per cent of the sedentary group. "Traditionally arthritis was thought to be a disease of wear and tear," Fries said. "But we now know that running without an existing injury or illness helps you to stay fit for longer, and means that you are four times more likely to avoid disability."
Next up in the witness box is Dr. Kisou Kubota of Nihon Fukushi University in Handa, Japan. His findings were presented in San Diego at a meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. They showed that individuals consistently scored higher on intellectual tests after embarking on a running program.
"These improvements, however, went down when the joggers stopped their training, which suggests that ongoing exercise is required to maintain the benefit," he concluded.
Dr Kabata's joggers had to run for 30 minutes, two to three times a week for at least 12 weeks. Each of the runners also took a series of complex computer-based tests, to compare memory skills before and after the three-month jogging program. After 12 weeks of jogging, scores on all of the tests "significantly increased" in the runners, as did their reaction times in completing the tests. how exercise might strengthen mental sharpness is unclear, but previous research suggests that maintaining a healthy flow of blood and oxygen protects the brain. The Japanese researchers note that oxygen intake rose along with joggers' test scores.
Kubota said the research may someday help doctors "find a way to use exercise and running to help aged people and those with Alzheimer's disease" improve their cognitive function.
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How to venture where Man has seldom been before?
Even satisfied women have sometimes been known to complain how much better it might have been if their partners knew how to reach their elusive "G" spot - at which point, so we are told, the Earth really does move. Of course getting the Earth to move for her is a route to getting it spinning for you too.
So we sat up and paid attention when we read a book review at Amazon.com stating baldly: "....with surefire secrets to finding the elusive "G-Spot..." The book reviewed was Secrets of Sensual Lovemaking by Tom Leonardi who is a sex columnist for P.O.V. magazine. The full review is: 'Sizzling with sensuality and expertise, this definitive guide shows you how to give the women in your life the best loving she's ever had. With surefire secrets to finding the elusive "G-Spot," and information on how to make monogamy and safe sex sexy, this one-of-a-kind book will make you wonder how you ever lived - and loved - without it! '
It seems like it's true. Because one breathless woman wrote to Amazon: 'I had never been to the places this technique has taken me nor smiled and laughed in afterglow as I have since rolling thru this multi-orgasmic experience.'
What further convinced us to recommend it to All Men was that when Amazon recommended a new sex book, a male reader wrote in that it was simply the same old stuff again. But he went on that he'd been amazed to find a book which wasn't the same old stuff all over again'.
It was the self-same book by Tom Leonardi . The reader-reviewer wrote : 'This book gave me a simple technique to bring a woman to what Tom and many of the women he interviews call the Ultimate Female Orgasm. I tried this with my girlfriend and we were both amazed. She had never gotten so wild an orgasmic before ever! It was completely different and much more intense. If you really want to please a woman in bed you gotta check this book out'
Taken with some AllMensNeeds' supplements it seems as if this book could guarantee a trip to your own seventh heaven!
Get this book - Sensual Book
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Harvard Medical School Guide to Men's Health
Harvey B. Simon £15.15
Men generally won't go rushing to doctors. Nor will they generally chatter about their latest aches and pains with their friends. The ten leading causes of death in America are substantially more common in men than women. Yet Man won't get as much guidance from the media as pampered Woman will. But if men wished there was just one nice guy who could, when needed, whisper a word or two of advice in their ear about their health, there is an answer.
The guy is called Harvey Simon He's the author of the Harvard Medical School Guide to Men's Health. He's unlikely to fail you. And despite the weight of authority behind his work, he's easy reading. (The sentence above about the ten leading causes of death in America come from the book.) Harvey is a regular health writer for the Medical School.
If these pages can't answer your questions, it's doubtful that any can. From the world's largest and probably best-known medical school it is a totally comprehensive guide. 'Comprehensive' can hardly be too strong a word. More than twenty-five years ago, researchers at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health. started tracking the behaviour and health of more than 96,000 American men. This massive study over decades is the fount of the advice to men filling the book's pages. If there's any Frequently Asked Question by any man it's here, with the answer.
The study has led to results already published world-wide. The value of a daily low-dose aspirin. Which supplements help most. The reduction in heart disease enjoyed by men who eat dietary fiber.
The author adopts a two-pronged approach to help men with their health. The first examines the symptoms and treatments of the main health maladies of men: disorders of the genital area such as testicular cancer, sexuality such as erectile dysfunction, reproduction, benign prostate disorders, prostate cancer, and kidney and bladder disorders. The book examines other problems such as depression.
The second is to offer a lifestyle pathway for men willing to make a little effort to stay out of the doc's clutches, living a longer, healthier life. It examines the benefits of vitamins, herbal medications and drugs. And it guides men over five main stepping stones for sustained health- exercise, aspirin and other supplements, moderate alcohol, and behavior modification and stress control.
You may have noticed the good news -alcohol is in there! So the lifestyle change is not always difficult. Light to moderate drinking appears to reduce a man's risk of angina, heart attack, sudden cardiac death, and ischemic stroke.
Any other questions? Should you have a P.S.A. blood test to check out your prostate's condition? Worry no more. You'll either know what to do or be able to forget it! On this and anything else you want to know, after two decades of mass clinical research this is an adviser you can rely on, always at your side.
You can buy it here.
DVDs - It's O.K. to Look!
We hope no man will feel apprehensive or guilty about getting visual guidance on the techniques of improving his sexual enjoyment. It's worth going into a little history.
Younger men have grown up in what is pretty much a culture of sex. It's been on their TV, joked about by stand-up comics, and writtten about in their magazines and newspapers since they can remember.
Older men have had to put up with a more difficult upbringing regarding matters sexual. The history of sex education has only come out of the shadows of condemnation in relatively recent times.
Dr Marie Stopes was one of the UK pioneers in sex education in the 20s and 30s of the last century. Her pioneering advice to couples was to enjoy sex without feelings of guilt; and to avoid the fear of having babies, through contraception. She was always under attack She was hardly a pornographer. She had gained a double first in science, going on to a doctorate, and dedicating her life to her social cause. She wrote the first sex manual, "Married Love". She was driven to this work by the humiliating knowledge that her marriage had failed disastrously because of sexual frustration.. The book was labeled "immoral" and "obscene" by the Church, the medical establishment and the press, with its claims that women should enjoy sex as much as men.
What she recognised so courageously was the key role of sexual enjoyment in a harmonious relationship. The theme was repeated by pioneers in the USA such as the Medical Research Bureau in New York City, whose Dr. Leena Levine wrote of the need to explain to young people that sexual happiness and sexual harmony were key to marriage in the home. For 'young', we now know to read 'people of any age'.
This idea is still resisted in some religious quarters. But no longer by mainstream medical profession and the media.
The
last barrier to fall has been in videos and now DVDs. Videos
depicting sexual activity have been associated with porn. When
the UK censor (still got 'em antediluvian censors alongside
the Internet!) passed the first explicit sex education films
- not many years ago - some apoplectic policemen straight out
of the Inspector Clouseau mould still went barging around arresting
everybody in sight connected with the productions. Books were
one thing. You can read it, but mustn't see it, oh dear no.
Now those last guilt barriers have fallen. These serious video/DVD producers, including medics, would for sure have been hailed by Marie Stopes as fellow pioneers bringing happiness into a relationship which might otherwise falter. And indeed they no more than follow in the footsteps of the renowned and knowledgeable instructors who have decorated Hindu temples and the walls of Pompeii!
Titles today are numerous. They show massage techniques, all kinds of 'better' sex, advanced techniques, all the different positions and so on to an inevitable "Encyclopedia".
We feel that a useful library for Men could begin with one of the dedicated men's titles, 'Sex - A Lifelong Pleasure - Male Orgasm' together with (for older men) the first volume of 'Couples Guide to Great Sex Over 40', rounding off with one for you and your partner 'Lovers' Guide 5, The Secrets Of Sensational Sex', about which one delirious reviewer wrote: "This has got to be my personal favourite. This edition in the series concentrates on how to really make climax the best you've ever had. Me and my partner tried some of the techniques .. and since doing so we have had some of the most memorable sex ever!"'
To enjoy these DVDs and skyrocket your graph of personal relationships (among other things) so long as you're in Europe, Middle East & Japan click HERE.
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Sex Toys
In our introduction to sex education DVDs we point out that lingering echoes of long ago may leave some with a nagging guilt complex about doing right for sexual problems. In fact any person should have as much feelings of guilt as they would for caring for their teeth.
The value of sex toys as therapy for sexual problems has
long been established. Quite apart from therapy, they can
enable a more varied, and therefore more contented sex life.
Contentment, absence of stress in sexual performance, is a
formula for good health for men - and their partners
share the benefits.
The whole guilt thing reared its head in Alabama a couple
of years back. The penalty for selling a sex toy in Alabama,
where neither Viagra nor masturbation are against the law,
was fixed at a maximum $10,000 fine and up to a year of hard
labour. Well, it's a little better than in those countries
where they stone women to death for adultery.
The American
Civil Liberties Union (http://www.aclu.org/ ) challenged
the ban's constitutionality.
A District court ruled in their favour, saying, among other
reasons, that people would be "denied therapy, for, among
other things, sexual dysfunction." That ruling was overturned
in the merry-go-round of a higher court.
Pepper Schwartz, a University of Washington sociologist had
no doubts about the issue. "The only thing immoral or
obscene about purchasing a vibrator," he said, "
is that someone might arrest you for it." He added, "
Sex therapists tell women to use vibrators, books tell women
how to use them, and couples use them because many women are
not orgasmic during intercourse." To that wisdom of modern
thinking on sexual health was finally added the wisdom of
the American Constitution. At the end of last year a Federal
judge ruled that "..a right to sexual privacy.."
was "..inherent among our constitutional protections.."
So even in Alabama, you can improve your quality of life by
going to the site we've researched as excellent for
range and price of these products. It is also rare in that
you can select the currency in which you wish to see prices
and pay. The product range couldn't be wider and everything
is clearly labelled to help you quickly find what you want.
There are over two dozen products for men to ponder over.
That's without counting the more than two dozen rings
which we mention elsewhere as one of the simplest and most
effective devices for a longer lasting performance. This is
the place to go, and you can get there by clicking HERE.
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Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)
The prostate is a small gland that surrounds the neck of the bladder and urethra in men. It creates semen. The prostate gland may enlarge over the years because of hormonal changes and some nutritional deficiencies. It can then create pressure on the urethra.
A frequent need to urinate, difficulty in completely voiding (in other words, many minutes to finish a pee), incomplete emptying of the bladder, waiting a while before the flow of urine begins, and disturbed sleep because of the need to urinate are some prime symptoms of BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia), with negative impact on a man's lifestyle. Anyone suffering from any of the described symptoms should see a doctor for a proper diagnosis.
Enlargement is a symptom which can develop with age. Half of all 50-year-old men have BPH, 30 million in America alone. It is not cancerous although your urologist will make checks to ensure that it is not prostate cancer which is the second biggest man killer after heart failure (and causes 50% more deaths than are caused by breast cancer). Your doctor can do this quite simply in the first place with a simple finger examination of the rectum, checking for lumps and hardness of the prostate. He will also give a PSA, prostate-specific antigen, blood test. This can be an indicator of possible cancer but a high PSA is not always a certain indicator.
Drugs to treat BPH can cause side effects, as we note below. Drugs are used either to reduce the prostate, or to improve urine flow.
Alpha blockers relax the urethral muscle to improve urinary flow. Most well-known brands are Hytrin, Minipress, Cardura. Flomax (containing tamsulosin hydrochloride) is the one alpha-blocker specifically designed for the job.
The most widely used drug to shrink the prostate is finasteride, a 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor, and the best known brand is Proscar. As finasteride blocks a sex hormone it can also have the side-effect of a loss of sex drive.
Some physicians, particularly in Europe, recommend herbal products which can reduce the prostate without side effects. Of these, clinical studies have been mainly focussed on saw palmetto, which can reduce the level of symptoms of BPH as well as the size of the prostate. One research found that 10.7% of finasteride patients discontinued treatment because of side effects, including loss of libido, compared to only 1.8% of those taking saw palmetto.
There is no room for doubt that supplements can help the condition. A review of studies, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, concluded that saw palmetto extract was as effective as finasteride (Proscar?) . The clinical effectiveness of saw palmetto has been shown in trials lasting six months to three years. Saw palmetto - like other natural remedies - can be even more effective if blended with other natural ingredients which have also been clinically proven to help the prostate.
If a doctor decides surgery is necessary, until now TURP (transurethral resection of the prostate ) has been the "gold standard" treatment. It provides instant relief of BPH and improved urination. The surgeon removes the obstructing tissue a piece at a time. However it presents a risk of retrograde ejaculation in the majority of cases. There is also the possiblity of impotence, or incontinence. Because of these side effects "watchful waiting" with regular medical check-ups have been the keywords for a bph condition.
A more recent innovation has been the use of laser technology instead of the original TURP system of cutting the prostate piece by piece, to remove obstructing tissue. One was Holmium Laser Prostatectomy. The most promising may be the Laserscope system. The Laserscope vaporizes tissue: see http://www.laserscope.com/contactus/index.html and also visit the sci.med.prostate.bph newsgroup where there is always a lively discussion on the merits of this procedure - most valuably by men who have undergone the treatment.
Read our advice about controlling BPH by natural means. You'll find it here.
Control your prostate naturally - through lifestyle and supplements
If, like millions of other men advancing in years you are finding difficulty taking a pee, frequent urination at night, etc., you should read our summary of the prostate condition, BPH - begin prostate hyperplasia or benign prostate hypertrophy - including drugs and treatment your doctor may recommend. Go here. If you've already read it, you could benefit greatly by reading on!
A visit to a doc is essential if you have any doubts, but there are many ways in which you can take action yourself to improve your prostate's condition-and with it your quality of life. Here are some of the most important:
Eating and Drinking
- Animal fat. Diets high in animal fat are associated with an increased risk for prostate cancer. So controlling this intake gives the satisfaction of seeing your bodyweight reduce alongside the chances of getting prostate cancer.
- Water. Drink seven or eight glasses a day. Nature abhors a dry prostate. But stop drinking in early evening or late afternoon for night-time comfort.
- Green tea - several cups a day - can help to ward off prostate cancer. Recent research shows that a compound in green tea inhibits an enzyme required for cancer cell growth and can kill cultured cancer cells with no ill effect on healthy cells.
- Ordinary tea, coffee. Lay off diuretics - ordinary tea - coffee. Moderate alcohol.
- Cranberry juice can reduce the risk of infection caused by retained urine. Several glass of cranberry juice a day can reduce the risk of urinary tract infections.
- Cooked tomatoes (lycopene) foods or sauces. Eat them. They contain high amounts of lycopene It has roughly twice the power of beta-carotene and 10 times the strength of vitamin E. A Harvard Medical school study of 48,000 male physicians over many years showed that those who consumed tomato products at least twice weekly had a 21 to 34 percent decreased risk of developing prostate cancer and those who consumed ten servings weekly had a 45 percent lower risk. Cooked tomatoes have more lycopene. Lycopene consumption has also been shown to reduce inflammation induced by BPH (benign prostate hyperplasia). the most common prostate condition.
- Supplement lycopene - alternative to cooked tomatoes. it is recommended that 6 to 12 mg per day of lycopene be taken.
- Peanuts, raisins, peanut butter. A study has shown that men with high boron intake were 65 percent less likely to develop prostate cancer than men with a lower intake. Many fruits as well as raisins and peanuts have high boron content.
- Oatmeal, beans and vegetables. They contain soluble fibres. The more you take in (25 to 30 grams a day recommended) the lower your levels of PSA (prostate specific antigen). Men with BPH should have regular PSA blood tests - a high score is a cancer indicator (although it is not regarded as a fool-proof indicator).
- Selenium. Take it via tuna, sunflower seeds and brazil nuts - or a 200mg. daily supplement. At one stage it was called the "miracle" anti-prostate cancer mineral.
- Multi-vitamin supplement daily. Recommended by the American Medical Association. Take a good one-including vitamin E. Research has also identified an intake of 50mg. of E daily with reduced prostate cancer risk.
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Prostate treatment - saw palmetto beats pharmaceuticals
Eating plant-based foods has been recognized for years as important for good health. But modern research has pinpointed those chemicals in plants - "phytochemcials" or "phytomedicines" - which are the source of their protective and disease-preventing compounds.
Saw palmetto - among other phytomedicines to treat men's enlarged prostate, or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) - is one of the big success stories of this modern research. (You can learn about BPH here.)
Other "phytomedicines" - effective in prostate treatment have been discovered, and the blending of these with saw palmetto can magnify their benefits.
Saw palmetto is a dwarf palm. Its medicinal properties are found in the oily compounds in its berries. They inhibit the actions of testosterone on the prostate which cause prostate enlargement and the consequent interference with urinary flow. Improvements can take from six to eight weeks to three to four months. Further improvements may be seen throughout the first twelve months.
A 1998 study by Harvard researchers found that saw palmetto extract was effective in the treatment of BPH. (Wilt T.J., Ishani A., Stark, et.al. Saw Palmetto Extracts for treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia. JAMA, 380:160-169, 1998.) Another study conducted in Germany found that taking 160mg of Saw Palmetto twice-daily reduced night time urination in 73% of the men tested. (Bach D., Ebeling L. Long-term drug treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia - results of a prospective 3-year multicultural study using Sabal extract IDS 89. Phytomedicine, 3:105-11, 1996.)
During the German trial involving 309 men, the use of saw palmetto resulted in a significant increase in urinary flow rate (6.1 ml per second). There was also a 50% decrease in residual urine volume. Finasteride (in the USA, the pharmaceutical drug Proscar? ) showed a 30% decrease in symptom scores over three years, but urine flow improved only slightly, and residual urine volume was almost unchanged.
(Residual volume is important. If too much urine remains in the bladder it becomes infected. It may not be able to be cleared unless the bladder is completely emptied. Bacteria may spread to cause serious illness. If urine back ups into the kidneys it can lead to kidney failure, which can be fatal.)
The study also showed that 10.7% of finasteride patients discontinued treatment because of side effects, compared to only 1.8% of those taking saw palmetto. And more than 80% of the men involved in the saw palmetto study reported it had made a 'good' to 'very good' difference in their quality of life.
The approved dosage of saw palmetto is 160mg to be taken twice a day. Saw palmetto is approved by the German government as a treatment for BPH, as are pumpkin seeds (Cucurbita pepo L., Cucurbitaceae). In France, it is used along with pygeum africanum.
The main active ingredient in both saw palmetto and pygeum africanum is beta-sitosterol. The effectiveness of 30mg of beta-sitosterol taken twice daily in improving bph symptoms was reported in 1995 in the UK medical journal, The Lancet. In addition beta-sitosterol-alone and in combination with other plant sterols (a sterol is a naturally occurring substance found in plants) - has been found to reduce blood levels of cholesterol.
To read about the startling benefits for prostate sufferers of the tomato-based natural chemical lycopene, go here.
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Rekindle the fires of romance
Before trying out a thousand and one positions for a thousand and one nights of love, it is probably a good idea to start off at the beginning. And in the beginning was romance. That feeling that you were with someone warm and special.
When a fire is started it flares and burns brightly. But whether it's in a steamship, the boiler of a steam train, or in your own hearth, a good fire always needs stoking. So it is with the fires of love. Left alone they will die down. It's one of the sadder facts of life. Yet like everything else, it need not be accepted as inevitable. Rekindling the romance that is at the heart of the best sexual relationships is possible.
We've found a book that demonstrates how. The book supplies the imagination-all it requires from you is a little pleasurable effort. Sounds like a good deal.
By way of confirmation, we can't do better than repeat the experiences of four different readers.
*My 19 year marriage become a real drag. Someone gave us this book for our anniversary with the suggestion that we each try one suggestion each month and it has made our relationship far more blissful than it ever has.
*This book not only gives you fabulous romantic ideas, it is full of nuggets of wisdom and insight that even the most respected relationship books don't have.
*I've read several books on how to be more loving/romantic over the years and this one certainly has to be the best. It's easy to read, the ideas are fun and best of all I can afford them. Loved the ideas using the ceiling fan and the toilet paper.
*I wasn't expecting much from this book when I received it as a gift but the ideas and tips were quite clever and interesting. My wife and I are acting like newlyweds again. Strongly recommended for men and women.
The Romantic's Guide: Hundreds of Creative Tips for a Lifetime of Love
Michael Webb ¡ê7.27
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