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Also known as androgenetic alopecia, male pattern hair loss is one of the most common causes of male baldness. It is caused by the action of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), the male hormone on genetically vulnerable hair follicles in the scalp. These sensitive hair follicles are largely present in the crown, front and top of the head and produce an easily identifiable and characteristic pattern. The mechanism used by DHT to accomplish hair loss has not yet been completely understood, but it is believed to be caused by the process of miniaturization in hair follicles. In the scalps of genetically prone men, DHT causes the width of hair shafts to decrease progressively until the scalp hair looks like vellus hair or disappears altogether.

Pattern of hair loss
The onset of male pattern hair loss can begin at the end of puberty and is usually genetically determined. Many men start losing their hair during their 20s or early 30s. Hair loss usually begins with a receding hairline and gradually progresses to thinning hair at the top of the head. Eventually both balding areas converge to form a U shape around the sides and back of the head. The remaining hair, if any, becomes thinner and finer in texture and the rate of growth slows down. Mild or moderate hair los due to hormonal causes affects about 50% of men by age 50. This hormonal condition is thought to be hereditary in nature.

Male pattern baldness treatment
There is no known cure for male pattern hair loss, but there are a number of products and therapies that can treat or camouflage it to a certain extent. You can opt for surgical methods such as hair transplants, scalp reduction or flap surgery to restore the lost hair. Or you can ask your doctor to recommend prescription medications, which can be very effective too. Hair pieces or volumizing shampoos can be used if nothing else works.

Second hand smoking is also known as passive smoking. It’s the kind of smoking, wherein you don’t smoke but breathe in other peoples smoke. This could be cigarette smoke or even environmental tobacco smoke. If you think that second hand smoking is not detrimental to your health, you are dead wrong. And ‘dead’ is the right word here, as second hand smoking poses serious health risks to your body also.

Second hand smoking can harm you

Causes cancer
Second hand smoke is a cancer causing agent. It’s estimated that there are over 4000 compounds that are a part of tobacco smoke and around 60 of them are carcinogens. Cancer, as a result of smoking or passive smoking, is one of the leading causes of death across the world.

Smoking harms the newborn
Mothers are asked not to smoke as the foetus or the new born infant is affected by her smoking. This is the kind of passive smoking that leads to birth defects in the baby. The infant passively takes in the cigarette smoke from the mother, leading to serous health risks.

Other health problems
You are not just at risk for cancer because of second hand smoke. Your body becomes susceptible to heart disease, lung infections like pneumonia and bronchitis. There are increased cases of children who suffer from asthma as a result of passive smoking.

Avoiding second hand smoke
Because of its harmful effects it becomes very important that you avoid passive smoking. But, is it really possible for you to avoid passive smoking? Let’s just say that it’s difficult. The best thing you can do is to avoid smokers and not frequent places that are frequented by smokers. And whenever possible make a non-smoker out of a smoker.

Second hand smoke has first rate harmful effects. You will do well to stay away from it as far as possible.

When a person has decided to quit smoking, he/she will try anything under the sun to achieve this goal with minimal effort and side effects. Champix tablets are quite a popular smoking cessation medication that can be bought on a prescription only. An electronic cigarette, on the other hand, works as a nicotine replacement therapy that provides your body with the essential nicotine but without the other harmful additives of cigarette smoke.

Electronic cigarettes are being touted as a safer alternative to conventional tobacco products, such as cigarettes; in addition, they are being marketed as a tool to help you break free from smoking addiction. But mind you, e-cigarettes do contain tobacco and give you an instant nicotine hit that is 10 times faster than gum or patches. On the other hand Champix is completely free from nicotine. It works as a nicotinic receptor partial agonist; this theoretically means that it both stimulates and blocks nicotine receptors to reduce withdrawal symptoms as well as cigarette cravings.

While proponents of electronic cigarettes say that smoking tobacco subjects the users to up to 4,000 different toxins that are released through combustion, electronic cigarettes deliver only nicotine. In fact, a recent U.S. Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) test for carcinogens in e-cigarettes has validated the fact that two of the most popular brands of electronic cigarettes contain toxic chemicals – diethylene glycol, nitrosamines as well as other carcinogens – which indicate the probability of long term harm. Where as, Champix contains none of these harmful materials; in fact you are evaluated by a medical doctor before you are given the liberty to use Champix.

There are many other concerns raised by health experts which include:

• Electronic cigarettes could cause nicotine poisoning; Champix is free from nicotine.
• Marketing practices, such as adding chocolate or mint flavourings to the vapour, seem to target teens and children; Champix is strictly a prescription drug and is not recommended for use by children.
• People who do not smoke tobacco may become nicotine-dependent after using these ‘safer’ cigarettes; where as Champix is only prescribed to people who are looking to quit smoking successfully.
• E-cigarettes are a largely unregulated product and therefore do not carry product health warnings; where as Champix is FDA regulated and comes marked with all the essential precautionary guidelines.
• No studies exist to validate the claim that e-cigarette works for smoking cessation; while Champix was approved for use after sizable clinical trials were conducted.
• While e-cigarette is additive, Champix takes you away from nicotine addiction.

Therefore, for the best chances of achieving smoking cessation successfully, you need to combine medication with counselling or support group participation.

Source: The Best Smoking Cessation Method - Electronic Cigarettes vs. Champix

Perfect health is a prerequisite to enjoying life to the fullest. Therefore, man’s helplessness to perform sexually is considered a sign of poor health. Unable to achieve sexual gratification, a man loses his self-esteem. Erectile dysfunction (ED) becomes a primary cause of discord in life.

Stress or an unhealthy lifestyle can result in ED. However with Cialis Tadalafil, result of a modern medical breakthrough, your ED disorder can be treated satisfactorily. Choosing Cialis to treat your erection problems turns out to be simpler, easier method. Cialis is a popularly rising drug brand that is widely used as a weekend-pill. Cialis has given extra boost to the treatment of erectile dysfunction.

Cialis is also available as daily use medicine in smaller doses 2.5mg 5mg whereas regular cialis comes in dosages of 10mg 20mg and remains active up to 36 hours. One important point to make a note of is that Cialis helps with erection problems but cannot treat orgasm disorders.

Are you looking to buy Cialis online? Internet pharmacies are becoming a rage due to both convenience and cost. Apart from the prescription drugs, online pharmacies also cater for other allied health products and pharmacy consultations. Major benefit of internet buying is that, you are saved the embarrassment of interacting directly with your doctor or the pharmacist. Internet buying has in fact established a very convenient and simple way to procure the desired medications at our doorstep.

Reductil Sibutramine is one of the most popular and frequently prescribed drug for weight loss. Reductil Sibutramine was first approved for sale in EU in 1999. But as Reductil reported to increase the chances of heart attacks or strokes in patients, Eurpean Medicines Agency have asked doctors in Europe to stop prescribing Reductil anti obesity drug. This decision was taken to avoid any furher health complications if the drug is continued.

Detailed News:http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/jan/22/reductil-banned-in-europe

There are certain phases in a woman’s life that make her prone to weight gain. For instance, women tend to gain weight during adolescence, pregnancy and post menopausal period. While it may be easier for women to lose weight during early years, it is extremely tough to shed extra pounds off the body during later period of life. And, even if a woman tries to maintain her weight, she’ll find that her fat is distributed in a different pattern as it is now more concentrated on the waistline.

It has been observed that a large number of women gain weight post marriage. This could be because of changed eating habits with a shift towards eating rich food or a more carefree and comfortable life post marriage. Some people also assume that weight gain is a sign of good health and happiness and therefore make no efforts towards reducing weight.

Pregnant women are highly prone to weight gain. This is because most women harbour a misconception that they should eat for 2 when they are pregnant and relax more to preserve their energy for the time of labour. However, experts believe that women should become more sensible towards eating during pregnancy and go for mild exercises, this facilitates a comfortable delivery and prevent excess weight gain. Women who take contraceptives, steroid hormones, diabetes drugs, some antidepressants, and blood pressure drugs can also lead to weight gain. The use of these drugs as well as obesity in women is on a rise.

Most women tend to gain weight during menopause – the natural phase in a woman’s life. Studies show that on average, women may experience a gain of approximately 10-15 pounds in the years surrounding menopause. There are several factors responsible for this occurrence such as hormonal changes, a decrease in thyroid function and subsequently metabolism. Because of a lower metabolism, fewer calories are required to maintain your current weight however, by habit women tend to eat the same amount hence they gain weight. Besides, women tend to be more inactive as they age and weight gain becomes the norm for the most.

Many men suffer from erection problems at various points in their lives. Some of these erection problems are temporary while others affect the person on a permanent basis. Erection problems are characterized by an inability to get an erection or, losing it during sexual intercourse.

Erection problems are not uncommon. Many adult men experience difficulties in their erectile ability. If it is a temporary condition, then no treatment will be necessary, but if it is of a recurrent nature, then there are chances that it’s fast going to change into a permanent problem. In such cases, you need to start looking for a treatment option for your symptoms. Erection problems cannot be cured, but the use of pills, various devices, and therapies has seen to decrease the problem over the course of time.

Common erection problems
The most common erection problem affecting men is erectile dysfunction (ED). Due to various reasons, that are both physical and psychological in nature, men are unable to get a firm erection or maintain their erections for the time sufficient for a successful sexual intercourse. There is no cure for such a condition but there definitely is an effective treatment option for the condition. Men with ED, a condition also known as impotence, are able to lead fulfilling sex lives with the intake of specific ED prescription medication. Some men confuse premature ejaculation with erection problems. But ejaculatory problems are markedly different from erection problems. Also, erection problems are in no way connected to the sex drive of a man.

Erection problems – Causes
Some of the common physical causes that lead to erectile difficulties include injury to the penis or spinal cord, high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, disorder of the central nervous system, and depression. The intake of various medications such as beta-blockers, medication for the treatment of peptic ulcers, antidepressants amongst various others has also been seen to cause erection problems. Excessive alcohol use, smoking and obesity are the three lifestyle causes related to ED. Psychological causes such as stress, anger, depression, fear of sexual non-performance can also lead to erection problems.

Source: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/erection-problems-causes-and-solutions.html

Priligy dapoxetine is first approved drug for premature ejaculation. Priligy dapoxetine is first kind of its drug till now which has been designed for premature ejaculation treatment. It is approved in the European countries including Finland, Sweden, Germany, Austria, and Portugal.

How does the priligy works
Priligy is clinical proven treatment for premature ejaculation. It contains the active ingredient dapoxetine hydrochloride which belongs to the class of medicines called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) with a short half-life of 1 or 2 hours. The SSRI are basically anti depressants that are prescribed to patients suffering from depression and anxiety problems. Research has shown that an imbalance in the brain chemical serotonin leads to early ejaculation in men. It takes 2 week for getting effective result. Priligy dapoxetine is has short half-life of merely 1 or 2 hours. Therefore the risks associated with long term use of SSRI medicines are eliminated. One has to take the priligy tablets before 1 to 3 hours of their hopefully expected sexual activity. Priligy increases the duration of sex and helps to have control over the ejaculation by which you can have satisfied sex and make your partner happy and you as well. Priligy comes in 30mg and 60mg dosage tablets which can be taken with or without food. Just don’t have alcohol when you take the tablets.

The FDA approved erectile dysfunction (ED) treatment drugs such as: Viagra, Levitra and Cialis belong to the same class of medicines called PDE5 inhibitors; hence, these drugs essentially have the same mechanism of action. In addition, their contraindications and side effects are also quite similar.

Though all the 3 ED drugs – Viagra, Levitra and Cialis – are proven to be safe as well as effective in numerous clinical trials, you need to adhere to their safety warnings and precautions. These are serious prescription medicines and their use can prove dangerous if you take it against the advice of your doctor.

Precautions you need to keep in mind while using ED drugs

• ED drugs should not be used by men with normal sexual function
• Children below 18 years of age and women should not use ED drugs
• You should not use ED drugs if you have any known allergy to any component of the ED drug you intent to use
• Always use ED drugs after consulting a doctor and in the dosage recommended by your doctor

Contraindications associated with ED drugs

• ED drugs should not be used by men who suffer from certain medical conditions or who are using certain medicines. Discussed below are some of the contraindications associated with ED drugs.
• ED drugs should never be used by men taking any form of nitrate medications often advised for chest pain
• Men using alpha-blocker medicines should use ED drugs with caution
• ED drugs should not be used by men in whom sexual activity is inadvisable because of their underlying cardiovascular status
• ED drugs should not be used by men suffering from severe hepatic impairment (decreased liver function) or severe impairment in renal function
• Men with low blood pressure or those who have had a stroke or heart attack recently should not use ED drugs

Swine flu has normal flu like symptoms. People suffering from swine flu, usually, experience fever, headache, runny nose, sore throat, cough, and body ache. It’s not necessary that all the swine flu symptoms need to be experienced together. A person might experience fever and any two of the other symptoms and still be diagnosed with swine flu. The virus incubation period is between 2-5 days but in some cases could stretch up to seven days.

The Diagnosis
The fact that the symptoms of swine flu resemble those of ‘ordinary flu’ means that its diagnosis assumes paramount importance. A swab test is conducted by a physician to diagnose swine flu. This swab test involves a nasopharyngeal swab. The process includes the use of Q-tip shorts that are placed towards a person’s throat through the nose. These swabs are then sent to special lab for testing purposes. To transport these swabs a special viral collection container is used.

In countries badly affected by cases of swine flu a ‘probable’ diagnosis is made, which is based on the typical symptoms revealed. This is because it becomes impractical to conduct a swab test on such a large number of suspected cases.

What advice can be given to pregnant women?
Pregnant women are more susceptible to infections, hence are quite vulnerable to swine flu also. There is absolutely no need to panic, as even if they do contract swine flu, the symptoms are liable to be mild. But, there might also be cases wherein pregnant women might develop complications as a result of swine flu. Precautions that can be taken by pregnant women in order to reduce risk of infection include strictly following swine flu related general hygiene advice. Moreover, crowded places must be avoided for personal safety.

If you are pregnant and think that you are showing swine flu like symptoms, you must contact your doctor immediately in order to start the treatment process, without wasting any time. Typically, anti-viral medications will be prescribed in such cases.