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Use
It or Lose it Theory Update
Erectile dysfunction
after surgery to remove theprostate
(radical prostatectomy) has traditionally been attributed to nerve
damage that theoretically should heal over time. But it can take as long
as two years for the nerves to recover enough for a man to have an
erection without the aid of drugs or devices.
The Harvard Medical School bulletin notes that when the penis is flaccid
for long periods of time, it is deprived of a lot of oxygen-rich blood.
Recent research suggests that this low oxygen level causes some muscle
cells in the penis’s erectile tissue to lose their flexibility. The
tissue gradually becomes more like scar tissue, interfering with the
penis’s ability to expand when it’s filled with blood.
Therefore, the traditional advice given to men—to wait for erectile
function to return on its own—may not be adequate. Simply put, erections
seem to work on a use-it-or-lose-it basis. To prevent the secondary
damage that may occur if the penis goes too long without erections,
researchers now think it’s better to restore erectile function soon
after prostate removal. Treatment options include using a vacuum pump
device or taking erectile dysfunction drugs by mouth or by injection
into the penis.
According to Dr. Marc Garnick, editor in chief of Perspectives on
Prostate Disease and a Harvard oncologist, “Although the evidence
supporting this ‘penile rehabilitation’ isn’t perfect, you may want to
ask your doctor about the options. Such early intervention may help
increase the odds that you will regain erectile function.”
ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 29, 2010, from
http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2007/08/070811222739.htm
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Welcome to XLPharmacy Health Blog,
Monthly Newsletter and Health
Videos, a collection of up-to-date Monthly Health Articles, News, and
Health Videos. In each current months issue XLPharmacy Health
Blog / health news provides a wealth of up-to-date medical news and videos we hope
you find helpful and informational. At XLPharmacy we care about you
and your family and we believe that everyone should have fast and
reliable access to affordable high quality medications in order to
maintain a healthy lifestyle. Staying in touch with the latest in
health news is only part of what we do. Be sure to stay
up-to-date by reading and watching XLPharmacy's health blog, news,
and health videos so you don't miss a single issue, video or health news
story in today's ever-changing world of health care. XLPharmacy
Health Blog and Health Articles will discuss everything from
Medicare to Social Security, Weight loss, Cancer to New Cancer
tests, Erectile Dysfunction and Medications like Viagra for Sexual
Health, Herpes, HIV, AIDS, Smoking, Women's Health, Mental Health
and so much more...
HIV Resistance
Testing
Resistance Testing: Finely
Targeting Your Drugs
HIV resistance testing has become the standard of care for
HIV-positive people. It is recommended in all U.S. and international
HIV treatment guidelines for both adults and children. What is the
goal of resistance testing? To determine how much of your HIV has
mutated and whether these mutations affect the activity of one or
more of your HIV medications. Resistance testing is done by studying
a sample of your blood using specialized lab equipment.
You and your doctor can use the results of these tests to select the
HIV medications most likely to be effective against your virus. Keep
in mind that resistance testing may not detect all mutated HIV.
Researchers are also still working to identify all the different HIV
mutations that cause resistance to HIV medications. Nevertheless,
resistance tests are an essential part of HIV treatment.
Using a resistance
test, your doctor can take a closer look
at the HIV in your
body to see whether it's developed mutations
that will make it
resistant to one or more HIV meds.
Who Should Get a Resistance Test
Who Should Get a Resistance Test
In
people who are
infected with drug-resistant HIV,
the majority of the HIV in their bodies will be mutated. One or
more of these mutations will prevent HIV meds from working as
well as they should.
How is it possible to be resistant to HIV medications before
you've even taken them? Unfortunately, it's easier than you
might think. In the United States, an average of 7% to 19% of
newly infected people have mutations that are associated with
drug resistance to at least one drug -- and, in some cases, to a
whole class of medications.
How does
this happen?
The person you got
HIV from may have been on HIV treatment, and his or her virus
became resistant to one or more medications. Transmitted along
with HIV was their resistance to certain drugs. If you were
infected within the last several years, taking a resistance test
before beginning HIV treatment will reveal whether you have HIV
that is resistant to any HIV medications.
However, if you were infected more than a few years ago, or if
you are not sure when you were infected, current resistance
tests may not be able to provide a completely accurate result.
This is because, after a few years, without HIV treatment,
wild-type HIV will reproduce more than the drug-resistant virus
you were originally infected with, and that wild-type HIV will
once again become the most common type of HIV in your body.
Currently available resistance tests are not sensitive enough to
detect mutations when they are present in small numbers in your
body; they are most likely still there, but in low numbers.
So, for example, if you got HIV from a person who had resistance
to Sustiva (this drug is one of the three drugs in Atripla), and
a few years went by before you started taking HIV medications, a
resistance test may not note that you have any mutations to
Sustiva. But if you then start to take Sustiva, the Sustiva-resistant
virus in your body will once again thrive.
While these tests may not detect resistance in people who were
infected several years ago, it's still best to get one as soon
as possible after you're diagnosed. If the test does find
resistance, this information will be extremely helpful when it
comes time to choose your first treatment regimen.
People
Whose Viral Load Rises While on Treatment
If you're currently receiving HIV treatment and your viral load
rises sharply, this could indicate that you're experiencing what
your doctor might call "treatment failure." Although it sounds
worse than it actually is, it could mean that your HIV has grown
resistant to one or more of the medications you're taking.
However, a rising viral load can signify other things as well.
Your body could be reacting to a recent vaccination or an
infection. Or, a new HIV drug you just started taking could be
interacting with other drugs you're taking, making your
treatment less powerful.
Once your doctor rules out all these other possibilities, and
before you stop or change treatment, it's critical to
immediately get a resistance test. This way you can learn which
drug is failing to keep your HIV under control and switch
medications if necessary.
Quick timing is essential because once you stop or change
medications, your drug-resistant HIV may become harder to
detect, since many mutations thrive only when you're taking the
medication they're resistant to. When not taking medications,
wild-type HIV will become the most numerous type of HIV in your
body and mutated HIV will be more difficult to measure.
People
Who Need to Change Medications Due to Side Effects
Let's say you've been on HIV medications and, due to side
effects, you need to change one or more drugs. If your viral
load is above 1,000 copies, you should get a resistance test.
Once again, make sure you get the test before you stop or change
treatment. The test may help you be sure that a new medication
will work at its full power.
If you have a viral load below 1,000 at the time you decide to
switch medications, though, a resistance test might not be
ordered because even though drug resistance mutations may be
present, they are more difficult to reliably find when someone's
viral load drops below 1,000.
Pregnant
Women
To avoid passing HIV to their babies, it's best for pregnant
women with HIV to make sure they have an undetectable viral
load. If you're pregnant and getting HIV treatment but you have
a detectable viral load, resistance testing may help figure out
which drugs aren't working and which will have the best chance
of preventing your baby from getting HIV.
How Can You Avoid
Resistance?
How Can You
Avoid Resistance?
As you can see, resistance is not easy to deal with. The best
approach is to make an effort to avoid it. Fighting the HIV in
your body requires a total commitment to taking your medications
exactly as they are prescribed. If you give it room to grow, HIV
will eventually become resistant to every single HIV medication.
Your job is to make sure HIV never gets that opportunity. What
can you do?
Don't
skip doses.
Missing only a few doses a month could cause resistance to
occur.
Don't
let yourself
run out of
medications.
Fill all the prescriptions your doctor gives you ASAP.
Try to
take your medications at the times recommended by your doctor.
For example, if you're told to take a medication twice a day,
that means you should take your doses about 12 hours apart.
Pay
close attention to food requirements:
If you're asked to take a medication with a meal, make sure you
always do so, or it might not work as well.
Don't
have unprotected sex with other HIV-positive people
-- it could expose you to another strain of HIV that is
resistant to one or more of your medications (this is called "superinfection").
If you are getting medical care from other physicians in
addition to your HIV doctor, and you are prescribed medications
for other reasons, make sure that you tell them which HIV
medications you are taking. Be sure to also tell them about any
other medications, vitamins or natural supplements you are
taking. Even garlic supplements can potentially change the
effectiveness of your HIV medications, so the more your HIV
doctor knows about everything you are taking, the better.
Keep in mind that no HIV medication or combination of
medications is capable of shutting down HIV reproduction
completely. The best medications can do is dramatically slow it
down. Taking your medication exactly as directed keeps a
consistently high level of the medication in your bloodstream
and throughout your body. While these powerful drugs are in your
body, HIV will have a very difficult time reproducing, and
mutations will be much less likely to occur.
Recent Developments in Eradicating the AIDS Virus from CD4 Memory Cells
Recent Developments in the Fight Against AIDS
One of the most persistent myths about the HIV epidemic is that the government (or the other perceived villain-pharmaceutical companies) have discovered a cure but that, for whatever reasons, have not made it available. This reasoning fails to take into account the complexity of vaccine development in general, not to mention the unique challenge of curing HIV. One of the crucial steps to finding a cure involves eradicating all of the virus from the body. Complicating this are stubborn reservoirs of HIV that remain in the body and seem out of reach of antiretroviral medication. These reservoirs consist of old CD4 cells that preserve latent HIV throughout the body, essentially storing, or 'archiving' it for decades. Therefore, even though antiretroviral medication may significantly reduce viral reproduction and clear the host of most HIV virus, they never completely purge HIV from the body. When the medication is interrupted or ceases its effectiveness, because of viral resistance, this reservoir can become reactivated, ensuring more viral replication and eventually, more illness. Therefore, the inability to eradicate HIV from the body has been the main stumbling block towards finding a cure.
However, recent developments by Dr. Robert Siliciano of Johns Hopkins University has brought new hope that HIV eradication may be achievable. Dr. Siliciano believe that there are two reservoirs of old (or latent) HIV, one that consists of what are called CD4 memory cells. These cells are created to combat various infections that we have developed, such as measles. HIV meds are only effective against cells infected with HIV that are active. However, activating all memory cells simultaneously can be dangerous. Therefore, the goal is to activate only those cells that are infected with HIV, so that the HIV meds can, in effect, take them out. Dr. Siliciano and group have found a handful of compounds that they believe may selectively activate HIV infected cells. The trick will be finding compounds that will be safe in humans.
Sound complicated? Well this is just a small glimpse of the work being done all over the world to either create a vaccine for HIV, or to find a cure. However, as this brief snapshot demonstrates, it is a very difficult, frustrating and costly endeavor. Therefore, we should be more appreciative of the efforts of researchers such as Dr. Siliciano and his colleagues or Michael Swanson, a doctoral student at the University of Michigan and his group who have discovered a lectin (naturally occurring chemicals in plants that bind to sugars on the surface of disease-causing microorganisms such as viruses) found in bananas, that might lead to the development of inexpensive microbicides to prevent HIV transmission or even new treatments.
Using
a
$225,000
microscope,
researchers
have
identified
the
key
components
of a
protein
called
TRIM5a
that
destroys
HIV
in
rhesus
monkeys.
The
finding
could
lead
to
new
TRIM5a-based
treatments
that
would
knock
out
HIV
in
humans,
said
senior
researcher
Edward
M.
Campbell,
PhD,
of
Loyola
University
Health
System.
Campbell
and
colleagues
report
their
findings
in
an
article
featured
on
the
cover
of
the
Sept.
15,
2010
issue
of
the
journal
Virology,
now
available
online.
In
2004,
other
researchers
reported
that
TRIM5a
protects
rhesus
monkeys
from
HIV.
The
TRIM5a
protein
first
latches
on
to a
HIV
virus,
then
other
TRIM5a
proteins
gang
up
and
destroy
the
virus.
Humans
also
have
TRIM5a,
but
while
the
human
version
of
TRIM5a
protects
against
some
viruses,
it
does
not
protect
against
HIV.
Researchers
hope
to
turn
TRIM5a
into
an
effective
therapeutic
agent.
But
first
they
need
to
identify
the
components
in
TRIM5a
that
enable
the
protein
to
destroy
viruses.
"Scientists
have
been
trying
to
develop
antiviral
therapies
for
only
about
75
years,"
Campbell
said.
"Evolution
has
been
playing
this
game
for
millions
of
years,
and
it
has
identified
a
point
of
intervention
that
we
still
know
very
little
about."
TRIM5a
consists
of
nearly
500
amino
acid
subunits.
Loyola
researchers
have
identified
six
6
individual
amino
acids,
located
in a
previously
little-studied
region
of
the
TRIM5a
protein,
that
are
critical
in
the
ability
of
the
protein
to
inhibit
viral
infection.
When
these
amino
acids
were
altered
in
human
cells,
TRIM5a
lost
its
ability
to
block
HIV-1
infection.
(The
research
was
done
on
cell
cultures;
no
rhesus
monkeys
were
used
in
the
study.)
By
continuing
to
narrow
their
search,
researchers
hope
to
identify
an
amino
acid,
or
combination
of
amino
acids,
that
enable
TRIM5a
to
destroy
HIV.
Once
these
critical
amino
acids
are
identified,
it
might
be
possible
to
genetically
engineer
TRIM5a
to
make
it
more
effective
in
humans.
Moreover,
a
better
understanding
of
the
underlying
mechanism
of
action
might
enable
the
development
of
drugs
that
mimic
TRIM5a
action,
Campbell
said.
In
their
research,
scientists
used
Loyola's
wide-field
"deconvolution"
microscope
to
observe
how
the
amino
acids
they
identified
altered
the
behavior
of
TRIM5a.
They
attached
fluorescent
proteins
to
TRIM5a
to,
in
effect,
make
it
glow.
In
current
studies,
researchers
are
fluorescently
labeling
individual
HIV
viruses
and
measuring
the
microscopic
interactions
between
HIV
and
TRIM5a.
"The
motto
of
our
lab
is
one
of
Yogi
Berra's
sayings
--
'You
can
see
a
lot
just
by
looking,'"
Campbell
said.
Campbell
is
an
assistant
professor
in
the
Department
of
Microbiology
and
Immunology
at
Loyola
University
Chicago
Stritch
School
of
Medicine.
His
co-authors
are
Jaya
Sastri,
a
Stritch
graduate
student
and
first
author;
Christopher
O'Connor,
a
former
post-doctorate
researcher
at
Stritch;
Cindy
Danielson
and
Michael
McRaven
of
Northwestrn
University
Feinberg
School
of
Medicine
and
Patricio
Perez
and
Felipe
Diaz-Griffero
of
Albert
Einstein
College
of
Medicine.
The
study
was
supported
by a
grant
from
the
National
Institutes
of
Health.
ScienceDaily
(Aug.
25,
2010)
5 Myths About Women
Historically
research
has
focused
on men.
As one
example,
women
are
under-represented
in major
clinical
trials
for
cancers
that
affect
both
sexes, a
new
study
found.
Researchers
say
several
factors
could be
responsible,
from
childcare
issues
to
reluctance
by
researchers
to
expose
women of
childbearing
age to
trial
drugs
and
treatments.
In other
areas
where
research
into
women's
medical
problems
is
lacking,
the
issue is
not just
about
sexism.
Women's
hormone
fluctuations
are,
well,
complicated
and can
confound
basic
findings.
But in
recent
years,
women
have
been
getting
increased
attention.
Still,
much
misinformation
about
the
female
body
circulates
in
mainstream
consciousness.
5
Myth:
A women
can't
get
pregnant
during
her
period.
While a
woman is
unlikely
to
conceive
during
menstruation,
"nothing,
when it
comes to
pregnancy,
is
impossible,"
said
Aaron
Carroll
of
Indiana
University
and
co-author
of
"Don't
Swallow
Your
Gum:
Myths,
Half-truths
and
Outright
Lies
About
Your
Body and
Health"
(St.
Martin's
Griffin,
2009).
Once
inside a
woman,
sperm
can wait
for an
egg for
up to a
week.
Ovulation
can
occur
soon
after,
or even
during,
the
bleeding
phase of
a
woman's
menstrual
cycle,
giving
patient
sperm
the
chance
to get
lucky.
The
timing
method
of birth
control
doesn't
work
well,
Carroll
said,
agreeing
that
couples
who
practice
it are
often
called:
parents.
4
Myth:
Menopause
causes
sex
drive to
nosedive.
The
Change
is not
necessarily
one that
happens
in the
bedroom.
A
comprehensive
survey
of
sexual
habits
in the
United
States,
completed
by
Edward
Laumann
and
colleagues
in 1994,
found
that
roughly
half of
women in
their
fifties
have sex
several
times a
month.
While
hot
flashes
and
other
discomforts
may make
a women
temporarily
not in
the
mood,
there is
not a
direct
link
between
menopause
and
sexual
desire,
Vreeman
said. So
if you
are
entering
the Big
M, there
is no
reason
to say
good-bye
to the
Big O.
3
Myth:
Antibiotics
make
birth
control
pills
unreliable.
"Many
physicians
even
believe
this,"
Carroll
said.
Alone,
birth
control
pills
fail
about
one
percent
of the
time.
And that
failure
rate is
unchanged
when
taken
with the
vast
majority
of
antibiotics,
Carroll
said.
A
possible
exception
is
rifampin,
the
antibiotic
prescribed
for
tuberculosis.
Rifampin
does
lower
pregnancy-protecting
hormone
levels
induced
by birth
control
pills,
but
whether
the
effect
is large
enough
to
increase
pregnancy
risk is
unclear.
Carroll
thinks
rifampin
research
spurred
the
antibiotic/birth
control
rumor.
"Sometimes
people
say
things
and they
just
take
off," he
said.
2
Myth:
Women
and men
need
equal
sleep.
Tossing
and
turning
not only
causes
women
more
psychological
distress,
it also
raises
their
insulin
and
inflammation
levels
-- risk
factors
for
compromised
health,
found a
2008
study of
210
people
led by
Edward
Suarez
at Duke
University.
A study
of more
than
6,000
participants,
led by
researchers
at the
University
of
Warwick
in 2007,
found
that
women
who
slept
five or
less
hours a
night
were
twice as
likely
to
suffer
from
hypertension
than
women
who
slept
for
seven or
more
hours.
Among
men,
there
was no
such
relationship.
Sleeping
Beauty
may be
better
off
waking
up on
her own
watch.
1
Myth:
A doctor
can tell
if a
woman is
a
virgin.
Even
when
using
10-fold
magnification,
doctors
can not
accurately
sort
virgins
from the
sexually-active,
several
studies
have
reported.
It is
not as
simple
as
looking
for a
hole in
the
hymen
because,
well,
there is
always a
hole in
the
hymen.
"Some
people
think
the
hymen
seals
off the
vagina
[until
virginity
is
lost],
but that
is just
not
true,"
said Dr.
Rachel
Vreeman
of
Indiana
University
and
Carroll's
co-author
of
"Don't
Swallow
Your
Gum." In
the rare
cases
when it
is
sealed,
period
blood
builds
in the
uterus
and
causes
severe
medical
problems,
she
said.
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10 Cancer-Fighting Foods: Facts and Fiction
10 Berries
Let's start with something that at least most people agree
tastes good. Just about any food with word "berry" in it is
extremely healthy, with the primary exception being Cap'n
Crunch's Crunch Berries. Most berries contain ellagic acid and
other polyphenol antioxidants that inhibit tumor growth. Don't
get too caught up in one kind of berry and the "best" polyphenol
with a name you can't pronounce. Focus on a variety of seasonal
berries and add them to plain, no-fat yogurt.
9
Chocolate
Chocolate has endured countless studies by scientists determined
to prove this can't possibly be healthy. But it is healthy,
provided the cocoa-to-candy ratio remains high. Reach for a dark
chocolate bar with at least 70-percent cocoa (often spelled
cacao), preferably more. The closer to its bitter bean state,
the better. One again we see those antioxidants and therapeutic
polyphenols at work. In particular there is a class of chemicals
in cocoa called catechins, also found in tea, that seem to offer
protection against heart disease, stroke and cancer, according
to studies of South Americans who consume the cocoa bean
generously.
8 Ginger
and turmeric
Ginger and turmeric are about as close as you can get to
good-tasting medicine. Ginger has
powerful anti-inflammatory properties and can slow cancer
growth. Turmeric, the spice that forms
the base of most curries, is from a root in the ginger family.
The active ingredient is
curcumin, which can kill cancer cells quickly,
albeit in a test tube. Ginger and turmeric enhance the flavor of
most any meal and come with a long list of healthful benefits.
Yes, you can get both ginger and turmeric/curcurmin in a pill
form. But pill supplements are usually dumb American ideas. Add
these to your spice rack, not medicine cabinet.
7 Beans
and lentils
Add the aforementioned ginger or turmeric or both, and you're
in for some good, healthy eating. Beans and lentils contain
numerous phytochemicals, far too cumbersome to read in one
sitting, that have been shown in the laboratory to slow or
prevent damage to the DNA, the basis of cancer. The added
benefit comes with the fiber, associated with lower risk of
digestive cancers such as colon cancer. The tricky part, for
many Americans, is learning how to cook these properly. Make
friends with someone from India who can cook, and you'll be
amazed how you can get through much of your week without beef or
pork.
6 Green
tea
Start drinking up to a half-gallon of green tea a day, cold or
hot, caffeine be damned. (Tea only has a third of the caffeine
found in most coffee.) Green tea has epigallocatechin gallate
(EGCG) and catechins, as tough on cancer cells as they are on
the tongue to pronounce. EGCG retards cancer growth; and stomach
and lung cancer rates in Japan would likely be even higher
considering all the cancer-promoting salty food and tobacco
there.
Note that in the United States it is extremely difficult to get
real green tea. What you are buying is green tea drink (sugar,
water, and someone whispering the words "green tea" over the
bottle) or green tea mix (a blend of teas to ease that natural
bitterness of green tea). The most potent green tea comes from
Japan; and Asian supermarkets carry many varieties, with the
best brands being in boxes with letters you can't read. Note
also that black teas lose healthy catechins in the fermentation
process; and decaffeinated teas lose catechins in the washing
process.
5 Vitamin
D
Vitamin D isn't a food per se; it is a proto-hormone that seems
to interfere with cancer growth. Many studies on humans have
shown vitamin D is instrumental in reducing the risk of colon
and breast cancer and improving the survival rates of lung
cancer. The precise mechanism is not known, but most researchers
in recent years have become increasingly convinced that few of
us get enough vitamin D through sunlight or diet. There are few
vegetarian sources other than eggs and UV-irradiated mushrooms.
Your best bet comes from the waterways: catfish, salmon,
sardines, or mackerel.
4
Folate
Folate, and the related folic acid or vitamin B9, is part of the
vitamin B-complex family, which as a whole has cancer-preventive
properties. The cancer-folate relationship is complex. People
with diets low in folate seem to have higher rates of cancer.
Diets high in folate don't necessarily prevent cancer, but they
don't seem to hurt. The lack of folate might enable cancer to
get the upper hand, allowing mutations to occur unchecked. Leafy
green vegetables, beans, peas and lentils are all generally high
in folate.
3
Cruciferous vegetables
Cruciferous vegetables are those in the mustard or cabbage
family, and the list is exhaustive. Unfortunately, most U.S.
markets only carry a few: cabbage, broccoli, kale and collards.
Step into a good Asian market for an entire aisle of offerings.
These vegetables, in varying degrees, are rich in anti-cancer
properties such as diindolylmethane, sulforaphane and the
element selenium. The punch comes with the crunch: Chewing, more
so than subsequent digestion, releases these chemicals. Thus, it
is important not to overcook these greens. Even tough collards,
if fresh, can be chopped thin and pan-fried in a few minutes, as
opposed to the traditional southern methods of boiling the hell
out of these.
2 Dark
green vegetables
This category of vegetables overlaps the cruciferous family and
includes chard, spinach and beets (by virtue of the leaves, but
the red root is healthy, too). These vegetables contain, among
other goodies, beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin -- each of
which are powerful antioxidants that can block early cancer
development. They are also high in folate. Best yet, Swiss chard
in particular is extremely easy to grow in pots. It's the plant
that keeps giving: You can clip off leaves for months upon
months as new ones keep shooting up. Fresher greens are more
tender and tastier.
1 Wine
Wine -- and, in particular, red wine with its high concentration
of the chemical resveratrol from the
grape skin -- is anti-cancer and pro-heart, at least in
moderation. Alcohol can be toxic and is associated with liver,
breast and stomach cancers. Somewhere there is a balance,
though, with resveratrol contributing in some unknown way to
suppress metabolites associated with cancer growth. More and
more researchers have become comfortable in recent years in
recommending a glass of wine a day to prevent cancer and promote
a healthier circulatory system. If the concept of wine seems too
radical to include on a list of anti-cancer foods, consider
having that wine with an Italian pasta meal with tomato sauce
(high in lycopene, somewhat associated with cancer prevention),
sardines and a dark leafy green salad (high on the anti-cancer
food list).
This top-10 list goes to 11. Try mixing most of the items
mentioned in this anti-cancer food list into a smoothie with
non-fat yogurt or silken tofu. You'll be amazed the amount of
healthy junk you can cram into a smoothie -- flaxseed, wheat
germ, and even bitter vegetables -- and still come up with
something tasty as long as you include berries, kiwis, overripe
bananas or peeled carrots or any combination thereof.
Antidepressants - When
Should I consider them?
Antidepressant
Medications
There are many different types and variations of antidepressant
medications available, but they all work towards the same goal:
treating the problem of depression. A person who is classified as
needing antidepressant medications may exhibit one or more of the
following symptoms: insomnia, restlessness, chronic pain, severe
loss or increase of appetite, an inability to pay attention,
sadness, and thoughts of suicide or death.
Using antidepressant medications may be a difficult decision.
Patients who feel that they may have a problem with depression
should first consult with their local physician to make sure that
antidepressant medications are the best solution for their
individual case. The doctor will assess the present symptoms and
will prescribe an antidepressant medication based on the patient's
individual set of symptoms and medical history. The dosage may be
adjusted in the early stages of treatment until the correct dosage
level has been found. Many patients do not have noticeable results
until after six weeks as the drug is not at full effect until then.
The benefits found while using antidepressant medications may be
tremendous. Sixty percent of patients that try antidepressant
medications are able to experience a general better physical and
mental state. Combined with a regular program of psychotherapy,
depression may be effectively cured.
The most common antidepressant medications are broken down into five
main groups: monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), tricyclic
antidepressants (TCAs), tetracyclic antidepressants (TeCAs) such as
Mirtazapine, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and
serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) such as Effexor.
MAOIs are generally used when other antidepressant medications have
failed to be effective and must be taken cautiously as there are
serious interaction issues with various foods. The most popular MAOI
is Emsam, which is used as a transdermal patch. Although TCAs such
as Amitriptyline are the oldest grouping of antidepressant
medications, they are not used very often in present times due to
better options being available and possible interaction issues. On
the other hand, SSRIs are the most popular current available
antidepressant drugs. This grouping includes the well-known
medications Celexa, Prozac, Zoloft, Escitalopram, Paxil, and Lexapro
and are commonly used because they tend to have less side effects
and are more effective than other groupings of medication.
Although antidepressant medications may be an effective treatment
for many sufferers, caution should be taken as most users experience
at least one of the following side effects: constipation,
light-headed, nausea, sexual dysfunctions, insomnia, sleeping during
the daytime, diarrhea, cottonmouth, headaches, weight gain, or
nervous shakes. If a patient notices that these side effects are
present, his or her local physician may advise that alternate
antidepressant medications be used in the future.
All these medications
can be found at XLPharmacy. Search the medication list at the
top of this page, or click
here for direct access.
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older generation. - C.S., Wilmington, NC
prostate
(radical prostatectomy) has traditionally been attributed to nerve
damage that theoretically should heal over time. But it can take as long
as two years for the nerves to recover enough for a man to have an
erection without the aid of drugs or devices. 
powerful anti-inflammatory properties and can slow cancer
growth. Turmeric, the spice that forms
the base of most curries, is from a root in the ginger family.
The active ingredient is
curcumin, which can kill cancer cells quickly,
albeit in a test tube. Ginger and turmeric enhance the flavor of
most any meal and come with a long list of healthful benefits.
Yes, you can get both ginger and turmeric/curcurmin in a pill
form. But pill supplements are usually dumb American ideas. Add
these to your spice rack, not medicine cabinet. 
in for some good, healthy eating. Beans and lentils contain
numerous phytochemicals, far too cumbersome to read in one
sitting, that have been shown in the laboratory to slow or
prevent damage to the DNA, the basis of cancer. The added
benefit comes with the fiber, associated with lower risk of
digestive cancers such as colon cancer. The tricky part, for
many Americans, is learning how to cook these properly. Make
friends with someone from India who can cook, and you'll be
amazed how you can get through much of your week without beef or
pork. 
vitamin B-complex family, which as a whole has cancer-preventive
properties. The cancer-folate relationship is complex. People
with diets low in folate seem to have higher rates of cancer.
Diets high in folate don't necessarily prevent cancer, but they
don't seem to hurt. The lack of folate might enable cancer to
get the upper hand, allowing mutations to occur unchecked. Leafy
green vegetables, beans, peas and lentils are all generally high
in folate. 
markets only carry a few: cabbage, broccoli, kale and collards.
Step into a good Asian market for an entire aisle of offerings.
These vegetables, in varying degrees, are rich in anti-cancer
properties such as diindolylmethane, sulforaphane and the
element selenium. The punch comes with the crunch: Chewing, more
so than subsequent digestion, releases these chemicals. Thus, it
is important not to overcook these greens. Even tough collards,
if fresh, can be chopped thin and pan-fried in a few minutes, as
opposed to the traditional southern methods of boiling the hell
out of these. 
Recent Developments in Eradicating the AIDS Virus from CD4 Memory Cells
Recent Developments in the Fight Against AIDS
One of the most persistent myths about the HIV epidemic is that the government (or the other perceived villain-pharmaceutical companies) have discovered a cure but that, for whatever reasons, have not made it available. This reasoning fails to take into account the complexity of vaccine development in general, not to mention the unique challenge of curing HIV. One of the crucial steps to finding a cure involves eradicating all of the virus from the body. Complicating this are stubborn reservoirs of HIV that remain in the body and seem out of reach of antiretroviral medication. These reservoirs consist of old CD4 cells that preserve latent HIV throughout the body, essentially storing, or 'archiving' it for decades. Therefore, even though antiretroviral medication may significantly reduce viral reproduction and clear the host of most HIV virus, they never completely purge HIV from the body. When the medication is interrupted or ceases its effectiveness, because of viral resistance, this reservoir can become reactivated, ensuring more viral replication and eventually, more illness. Therefore, the inability to eradicate HIV from the body has been the main stumbling block towards finding a cure.
However, recent developments by Dr. Robert Siliciano of Johns Hopkins University has brought new hope that HIV eradication may be achievable. Dr. Siliciano believe that there are two reservoirs of old (or latent) HIV, one that consists of what are called CD4 memory cells. These cells are created to combat various infections that we have developed, such as measles. HIV meds are only effective against cells infected with HIV that are active. However, activating all memory cells simultaneously can be dangerous. Therefore, the goal is to activate only those cells that are infected with HIV, so that the HIV meds can, in effect, take them out. Dr. Siliciano and group have found a handful of compounds that they believe may selectively activate HIV infected cells. The trick will be finding compounds that will be safe in humans.
Sound complicated? Well this is just a small glimpse of the work being done all over the world to either create a vaccine for HIV, or to find a cure. However, as this brief snapshot demonstrates, it is a very difficult, frustrating and costly endeavor. Therefore, we should be more appreciative of the efforts of researchers such as Dr. Siliciano and his colleagues or Michael Swanson, a doctoral student at the University of Michigan and his group who have discovered a lectin (naturally occurring chemicals in plants that bind to sugars on the surface of disease-causing microorganisms such as viruses) found in bananas, that might lead to the development of inexpensive microbicides to prevent HIV transmission or even new treatments.
Recent Developments in Eradicating the AIDS - Dissecting the TRIM5a Protein
Using a $225,000 microscope, researchers have identified the key components of a protein called TRIM5a that destroys HIV in rhesus monkeys.
The finding could lead to new TRIM5a-based treatments that would knock out HIV in humans, said senior researcher Edward M. Campbell, PhD, of Loyola University Health System.
Campbell and colleagues report their findings in an article featured on the cover of the Sept. 15, 2010 issue of the journal Virology, now available online.
In 2004, other researchers reported that TRIM5a protects rhesus monkeys from HIV. The TRIM5a protein first latches on to a HIV virus, then other TRIM5a proteins gang up and destroy the virus.
Humans also have TRIM5a, but while the human version of TRIM5a protects against some viruses, it does not protect against HIV.
Researchers hope to turn TRIM5a into an effective therapeutic agent. But first they need to identify the components in TRIM5a that enable the protein to destroy viruses. "Scientists have been trying to develop antiviral therapies for only about 75 years," Campbell said. "Evolution has been playing this game for millions of years, and it has identified a point of intervention that we still know very little about."
TRIM5a consists of nearly 500 amino acid subunits. Loyola researchers have identified six 6 individual amino acids, located in a previously little-studied region of the TRIM5a protein, that are critical in the ability of the protein to inhibit viral infection. When these amino acids were altered in human cells, TRIM5a lost its ability to block HIV-1 infection. (The research was done on cell cultures; no rhesus monkeys were used in the study.)
By continuing to narrow their search, researchers hope to identify an amino acid, or combination of amino acids, that enable TRIM5a to destroy HIV. Once these critical amino acids are identified, it might be possible to genetically engineer TRIM5a to make it more effective in humans. Moreover, a better understanding of the underlying mechanism of action might enable the development of drugs that mimic TRIM5a action, Campbell said.
In their research, scientists used Loyola's wide-field "deconvolution" microscope to observe how the amino acids they identified altered the behavior of TRIM5a. They attached fluorescent proteins to TRIM5a to, in effect, make it glow. In current studies, researchers are fluorescently labeling individual HIV viruses and measuring the microscopic interactions between HIV and TRIM5a.
"The motto of our lab is one of Yogi Berra's sayings -- 'You can see a lot just by looking,'" Campbell said.
Campbell is an assistant professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. His co-authors are Jaya Sastri, a Stritch graduate student and first author; Christopher O'Connor, a former post-doctorate researcher at Stritch; Cindy Danielson and Michael McRaven of Northwestrn University Feinberg School of Medicine and Patricio Perez and Felipe Diaz-Griffero of Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
The study was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health.
ScienceDaily (Aug. 25, 2010)
5 Myths About Women
Historically research has focused on men. As one example, women are under-represented in major clinical trials for cancers that affect both sexes, a new study found. Researchers say several factors could be responsible, from childcare issues to reluctance by researchers to expose women of childbearing age to trial drugs and treatments.
In other areas where research into women's medical problems is lacking, the issue is not just about sexism. Women's hormone fluctuations are, well, complicated and can confound basic findings. But in recent years, women have been getting increased attention.
Still, much misinformation about the female body circulates in mainstream consciousness.
5
Myth: A women can't get pregnant during her period.
While a woman is unlikely to conceive during menstruation, "nothing, when it comes to pregnancy, is impossible," said Aaron Carroll of Indiana University and co-author of "Don't Swallow Your Gum: Myths, Half-truths and Outright Lies About Your Body and Health" (St. Martin's Griffin, 2009).
Once inside a woman, sperm can wait for an egg for up to a week. Ovulation can occur soon after, or even during, the bleeding phase of a woman's menstrual cycle, giving patient sperm the chance to get lucky. The timing method of birth control doesn't work well, Carroll said, agreeing that couples who practice it are often called: parents.
4
Myth: Menopause causes sex drive to nosedive.
The Change is not necessarily one that happens in the bedroom. A comprehensive survey of sexual habits in the United States, completed by Edward Laumann and colleagues in 1994, found that roughly half of women in their fifties have sex several times a month.
While hot flashes and other discomforts may make a women temporarily not in the mood, there is not a direct link between menopause and sexual desire, Vreeman said. So if you are entering the Big M, there is no reason to say good-bye to the Big O.
3
Myth: Antibiotics make birth control pills unreliable.
"Many physicians even believe this," Carroll said. Alone, birth control pills fail about one percent of the time. And that failure rate is unchanged when taken with the vast majority of antibiotics, Carroll said.
A possible exception is rifampin, the antibiotic prescribed for tuberculosis. Rifampin does lower pregnancy-protecting hormone levels induced by birth control pills, but whether the effect is large enough to increase pregnancy risk is unclear. Carroll thinks rifampin research spurred the antibiotic/birth control rumor. "Sometimes people say things and they just take off," he said.
2
Myth: Women and men need equal sleep.
Tossing and turning not only causes women more psychological distress, it also raises their insulin and inflammation levels -- risk factors for compromised health, found a 2008 study of 210 people led by Edward Suarez at Duke University.
A study of more than 6,000 participants, led by researchers at the University of Warwick in 2007, found that women who slept five or less hours a night were twice as likely to suffer from hypertension than women who slept for seven or more hours. Among men, there was no such relationship. Sleeping Beauty may be better off waking up on her own watch.
1
Myth: A doctor can tell if a woman is a virgin.
Even when using 10-fold magnification, doctors can not accurately sort virgins from the sexually-active, several studies have reported. It is not as simple as looking for a hole in the hymen because, well, there is always a hole in the hymen.
"Some people think the hymen seals off the vagina [until virginity is lost], but that is just not true," said Dr. Rachel Vreeman of Indiana University and Carroll's co-author of "Don't Swallow Your Gum." In the rare cases when it is sealed, period blood builds in the uterus and causes severe medical problems, she said.
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