Premature Ejaculation

Premature ejaculation is the most common sexual dysfunction. There is disagreement on what exactly qualifies as premature ejaculation - some doctors or sex experts say that it's coming after a few minutes, others say it's coming before your partner. 30% of men live with premature ejaculation, according to a survey conducted by the National Health and Social Life Survey (NHSLS). Unlike erectile dysfunction, which in most cases is physiological, premature ejaculation is more from lack of practice in controlling their orgasm. But like erectile dysfunction, the biggest harm premature ejaculation causes is to a man's confidence.

There are a few techniques that have been proven useful, and are helpful whether the problem is chronic or only from time to time, such as with a new partner.

One form men have employed to halt getting off prematurely is to masturbate before sex. Young guys can get off several times a day, no problem, but for older men who've never learned ways to halt their orgasms before now, there just aren't the same reserves.

The most common of all methods in fighting premature ejaculation is to think about something different. I'm sure you've heard the line "Just think about baseball." I'm sure you've even tried it at one time or another. And it may have worked, even. This method should be used in times of emergency, when all else has failed, but we want you to enjoy sex more, not less.

Thicker condoms are probably the easiest fix of all. The thicker the condom the less sensitivity, making it harder for you to get off and thus making sex last longer. Have you seen the ads for thinner condoms, claiming they increase sensitivity? While it is effective in a sense, it's also similar to thinking about baseball - the method's success is built around you enjoying sex less. This also doesn't fix the problem, it simply masks it. Why not try a technique that really works without dulling your enjoyment?

It's going to take a little work before you're at the top of your game, but it will be worth it. The start and stop method and breathing exercises are both crucial. First practice the start and stop before masturbation. Masturbate as normal, but this time as you feel yourself coming, stop. When you've calmed down a bit, as in you're no longer close to orgasm but are still hard, continue. Do the same thing again. See how long you can do this for. With practice, how long you can hold yourself orgasm will increase. Practice with a partner is crucial. While you're having sexual intercourse, stop when you feel yourself starting to come. While inside them, have you and your partner keep still. Kissing and caressing can still continue. Start moving again once you feel yourself calm enough but still hard.

Breathing is so vital to holding off getting off. Breathing through your mouth increases heart rate and signals to your body that you're ready. By breathing through your nose in steady breaths, you're in control. Like with the start and stop method, practice is vital. If this is a little too hard, try breathing in through your mouth and out through your nose.

For those who want to go the extra mile in extending sex, and thus enjoying it for longer, there is meditation. Meditation has been used for hundreds of years in sexual practice. I'm sure you've heard of Sting, the lead singer of the Police, claiming he has sex with his wife for hours. This is due to tantric sex, a part of Tantra which is a tradition of Hinduism and other belief systems rooted in Asia. Extremely difficult and intense to learn, it is only one example in which meditation will help your sex life.

ProSolution Gel™ can be incorporated with any of the above exercises, or in times of rare overexcitement. Not only does it hold off orgasm, but it increases blood flow to the penis creating a firmer, fuller erection, as well as increasing sensation. Sensation and erection that you are now in control of, finally.

The most important thing to keep in mind is practice, no matter the method you decide to use. While it doesn't seem like breathing exercises during masturbation are going to please your partner, it can bring you better sex than you've had in the past. Believe us, your girlfriend will thank you.

Another tool that is used in radiation therapy is a machine called Cyberknife. Cyberknife is a newer technology that allows a robot to treat a patient with a high dose of radiation to the cancer area. This is what the Cyberknife looks like:

It also has a small accelerator structure inside the top of the machine. It is placed on a robotic arm that can move very quickly in any direction. This robot is the same kind of robot that is used for welding in the Auto industry.

It help us to treat cancer patients in a couple of really cool ways. Since the radiation can be "pulsed" or turned on and off very quickly, it allows us to create very small pencil like beams of radiation and then concentrate them in a particular area over the tumor. Since the machine can move all around the patient. we can create several hundred different beams and then focus them all at one point inside of the patient, directly at the tumor site. This allows us to increase the dose to the cancer, and really decrease exposure to normal tissues. This helps with better chances for a cure, and less side effects. Here is a picture of how many different beams converge on a tumor near the spine:

In order for the machine to know where the tumor is located inside of the patient, fiducial markers have to be placed inside of the patient as well. Typically these fiducials are about the size of a grain of rice, placed either under the skin or directly into a tissue or organ. They are either made from Gold or n opaque substance that can be seen on a film. Once they are placed inside of the patient, a CT is obtained and then there locations are placed into a computer. Once the physicians locates the fiducials, the tumor, and any critical structures it is then sent to the Cyberknife. By using this information, it then uses 6 cameras to detect where the location of the fiducials, and then can distribute radiation from various angles in order to deliver the correct amount of dose to the cancer. It is kind of like a GPS system for cancer.

Cyberknife is wonderful for tumors that are located inside of the brain. Historically patients would have to have a large halo placed on their heads, drilled in place into their skull, and then that frame was attached to a couch during treatment. This would physically lock the patient in place and they would not be able to move at all during treatment. This frame was also very heavy. With Cyberknife there is no need for a frame system. Since fiducials can be placed just under the skin in the skull, it can allow the machine to track where the patient and the tumor are at any time and point in space. This is better for the patient, and it also means that they do not have to wear this large halo anymore.

Another cool feature of Cyberknife is that if you placed fiducial markers inside of a lung cancer, you can then track the motion of a lung cancer. When we breath are chest move. If you can imagine a cancer inside the lung, every time you breath, it moves. Cyberknife allows us to track that moving and reduce the area that we would typically have to treat with radiation. Since lungs are very sensitive to radiation, damage can occur very easily to the normal tissues. This is just another advantage that we have for treating lung cancer. It allows us to see that motion, account for it, target the lung cancer precisely, and then limit the exposure to the normal tissues.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to email me: CANCERGEEK@GMAIL.COM

-CancerGeek

Due to technical difficulties, today's blog is still being worked on. Later on this evening I will update the Vault page with new pictures. Very cool. They have made some major progress on the forming of the walls. This will begin the cool portion. I am excited to show everyone.
Todays topic on the main page will be Cyberknife. Trying to get the video to work. So I will post it on later this evening.

Also I am in the process of trying to create a Q and A sections as well. A forum type. So in the meantime, email me directly, or leave a comment.

Again my email is: CANCERGEEK@GMAIL.COM

 -CancerGeek

When it comes to radiation therapy there are a lot of different ways in which one can receiver their treatments. It can be from an external source that is made by a machine or it can be an internal source that is emitted from a natural substance.

There is a new machine on the market that was developed at the University of Wisconsin in the Comprehensive Cancer Center by a team of medical physicists (this the a part of my expertise) lead by Roc Mackee. The new machine is called tomotherapy.

Tomotherapy is a machine that looks like a normal CT Scanner. (This is what it looks like)

 

The unique thing about it is that is has a small linear accelerator inside of it that rotates around the donut of the machine. A linear accelerator is the structure that creates the high energy radiation that allows us to treat cancer patients.

The cool thing about this is that patients are used to what a CT Scanner looks like. There is less stress when going in for a radiation treatment now because the machine looks the same as a typical CT Scanner that takes pictures.

Here's what really makes it cool and great for patients. Traditionally radaition was administered to a patient in one specific area, for a period of time, and the machine stayed in place. With tomotherapy, the patient is now moving into the machine and the radiation beam is always on, as well as spinning in a continuous circle. (Here is a video of the machine in motion.) This is good for patients since it allows the radiation beam to be very very small like a piece of lead in a pencil. As it travels in a circle, and the patient moves under the beam, it allows the radaition to be "painted" directly around the cancer itself while limiting the amount of exposure to normal tissues.

This means simply that we can increase the radiation to cancer tissues, and decrease the amount of radiation to normal tissues. This leads to better outcomes and cures for patients and less side effects like fatigue, nausea, and skin irritation.

The other unique thing about tomotherapy is that you can also take a CT Scan of the patient every single day prior to treatment. In doing so, it allows the doctors to see exactly where you cancer is from day to day, and then deliver the exact dose of radiation to that cancer site. Traditionally, doctors had to use boney landmarks and their knowledge of where organs should be located in the body to make sure that they were in the right area. Since you can now take a CT image prior to treatment, the doctors can see precisely where the tumor is on each and every day, and ensure that they are treating you exactly where you need to be treated.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to comment or email me directly:cancergeek@gmail.com

-CancerGeek

I have been working in the cancer field for almost ten years now. I have heard a lot of myths or rumors, and this is yet another one. There is nothing scientifically shown nor is there any data driven studies done that have proved aluminum or anything in deodorants to cause cancer, let alone breast cancer.

We all have to remember that in order for a product to be placed on the market, it must first undergo rigorous testing and then FDA approval. That being said, there is no mechanism in any of the ingredients in deodorants that can cause cellular damage.

In order for cancer to form, there has to be a mechanism that causes a cellular change, or a mutation. It has to turn off the cells control center for dividing. There is nothing, including aluminum phosphates in deodorant that can lead to this change in a cells structure.

There is also some more speculation in a article that was published in relation to an ingredient in anti-perspirants called paraben. (Article) What researchers did was take tissue samples from several women that had breast cancer and analyzed them. In those tissues they found trace amounts of this substance called paraben. That being said, there has been no study that has linked the use of anti-perspirants with causing cancer.

Also in this article they talk about the likely hood of having a small cut or abrasion under the arm from shaving. This is the mechanism in which they are guessing that aluminum or paraben gets introduced into the body and our system. It was sited in the article that this is how the chemicals get into the lymphatic system. Since the lymphatics are connected to the breasts through the axilla, then this is how breast cancer can be initiated.

I want to explain one piece of information that they forget to tell you about, and that is the lymphatic system itself. The lymphatics are a system that is close to the blood or circulatory system in our bodies. It is used to carry gases, water, and chemicals to nourish our cells in the blood system. It is also used to transport waste products out of our cells as well. You can think of the lymphatics as a strainer for our blood.

Now we have all heard of a breast cancer patient having a lymph node removed in order to prevent the spread of cancer. Typically this is done when the cancer is larger in size, is a bit more aggressive, and is located close to a lymph node or has already moved to another area in the body. The lymphatics can transport a cluster of cancer cells to other areas and cause spread.

However, the lymphatic system flows in one direction and not back and forth. Same as our circulatory system. There is NO, and I repeat, NO possible way for something to be introduced into under our arm and then travel to our breast, get lodged in breast tissue, cause a cell damage, and then lead to breast cancer. Our bodies and the lymphatic system just does not work or flow in this direction. Remember a breast cancer starts in the breast and then travels to another area through the lymphatics. It does NOT start in the lymphatics and then travel back to the breast and cause breast cancer.

I hope this sheds some light on this myth for everyone. Its basically people trying to play on our fears of cancer and trying to sell or hype some other kind of product that they may have a financial interest in. In the event that you develop a rash under your arm, you may be allergic to one of the ingredients, but it still will not cause or lead to cancer.

Remeber, there are a lot of myths out there that play on our fears. I am here to offer HOPE.

-CancerGeek

Dr. Snuffy Myers will be the principal speaker at the “Prostate Cancer Symposium” held on Monday September 24th at the Suburban Hospital at 8600 Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda, Maryland. Registration is required. Reception is at 6:30 PM followed by the presentation at 7PM The Symposium is free as are the snacks that are served during the reception. You can get additional [...]

Another topic that comes up quite often in the realm of cancer care is radiation. A little over half, or almost 60% of all cancer patients will receive radiation therapy as part of their initial course of treatment.

A lot of people here the word radiation and cringe. Most people think of radiation in terms of the A-Bomb, Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We have always been taught to limit our exposure to radiation because it can be harmful to us. I am here to explain to you what exactly Radiation Therapy is and why it is so helpful in the fight of cancer.

Radiation therapy (or radiotherapy) is the medical use of ionizing radiation as part of cancer treatment to control malignant cells (not to be confused with radiology, the use of radiation in medical imaging and diagnosis). Radiation therapy may be used for curative or adjuvant cancer treatment. It is used as palliative treatment (where cure is not possible and the aim is for local disease control or symptomatic relief) or as therapeutic treatment (where the therapy has survival benefit but is not curative).

Radiation therapy is commonly used for the treatment of malignant tumors (cancer), and may be used as the primary therapy. It is also common to combine radiotherapy with surgery, chemotherapy, hormone therapy or some mixture of the three. Most common cancer types can be treated with radiotherapy in some way. The precise treatment intent (curative, adjuvant, neoadjuvant, therapeutic, or palliative) will depend on the tumour type, location, and stage, as well as the general health of the patient.

Radiation therapy is a localized treatment. Unlike chemotherapy, which is administered in the blood stream and distributed to the entire body, radiation therapy is precisely delviered to a particular area of the body. With current advances in technology and computers, we can be as precise as one-half of one millimeter in delivering our radiation to a patient.

Benefits of radiation therapy include the preservation of normal function and better cosmetic results. As an example, cancer of the larynx is very curable. It can be treated with surgery or radiation therapy. Surgery may require the removal of the vocal chords, leaving a patient without a voice. Radiation however, may casue some discomfort in a temporary scratchy voice or sore throat, but that will go away after a few short weeks and a patient will still have there voice. One more example would be in prostate cancer, with surgery a patient may have impotence or severe problems with erectile function. With radiation therapy the nerves are spared, and there is little to no effect on erectile function.

There are two main branches of Radiation Therapy: External Beam Radiation Therapy (or distance therapy) and  Brachytherapy (or short distance). External beam is administered through a machine in which a high energy radiation beam is produced through an electrical current. When the machine is one, the radiation is present, and when it is off, there is no radiation. Brachytherapy on the other hand is a radioactive material that is always emitting radiation.

The goal of radiation therapy is to eradicate the cancer cells while not destroying the normal tissues in the treatment field. This is a bit easier said then done. Radiation interactions with matter are nonspecific. It is a random process that does not distinguish between malignant and normal tissues. This being said, this is how radiation works at a cellular level to rid patients of cancer.

Radiation therapy works by damaging the DNA (or "rules") of cells. The damage is caused by a radiation beam directly or indirectly ionizing (or exciting) the atoms which make up the DNA. Indirect ionization happens as a result of the excitation of water, forming free radicals (or "breaks" in the rules), which then damage the DNA. In the most common forms of radiation therapy, most of the radiation effect is through free radicals. Because cells have mechanisms for repairing DNA damage, breaking the DNA on both strands proves to be the most significant technique in modifying cell characteristics. Because cancer cells have their rules for repopulation turned off, they reproduce more, and have a reduced ability to repair sub-lethal damage compared to most healthy normal cells. The DNA damage is inherited through cell division, accumulating damage to the other cancer cells, causing them to die or reproduce more slowly. Since normal tissues have mechanisms to fix these sub-lethal breaks, they fix themselves with in six hours, divide, and repopulate. This is what allows us to kill cancer cells, provide cures with radiation, and decrease the amount of side effects.

I will save the description of the different forms of radiation and treatment devices for Radiation Therapy for another blog.

If you have any questions regarding this blog, or want to know more about radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or anything else, please leave me a comment or email me directly at: cancergeek@gmail.com

-CancerGeek

One of the best ways to detect cancer at home is by following the American Cancer Societies guidelines for self breast exams. If you are unsure of how to complete one on yourself, they do have information that you can call and have them send to you. You can also request it from their website: www.cancer.org

Begining in a woman's 20's, they should begin doing breast self exams. Women should become aware of how their breasts look and feel, and should report any changes that they notice to their health care professional. I have been noticing on a lot of boards and such that women are questioning how one should do a breast self exam. I decided to go through all of the various methods, and try to make it as easy as possible, and list it here.

This is how to proform such an exam:
1. Lie down and place your right arm behind your head.The exam is done while lying down, and not standing up. This is because when lying down the breast tissue spreads evenly over the chest wall and it is as thin as possible, making it much easier to feel all the breast tissue.

2. Use the finger pads of the three middle fingers on your left hand to feel for lumps in the right breast. Use overlapping dime-sized circular motions of the finger pads to feel the breast tissue.

3. Use 3 different levels of pressure to feel all the breast tissue. Light pressure is needed to feel the tissue closest to the skin; medium pressure to feel a little deeper; and firm pressure to feel the tissue closest to the chest and ribs. A firm ridge in the lower curve of each breast is normal. If you’re not sure how hard to press, talk with your doctor or nurse. Use each pressure level to feel the breast tissue before moving on to the next spot.

4. Move around the breast in an up and down pattern starting at an imaginary line drawn straight down your side from the underarm and moving across the breast to the middle of the chest bone.(sternum or breastbone). Be sure to check the entire breast area going down until you feel only ribs and up to the neck or collar bone (clavicle).

5. There is some evidence to suggest that the up and down pattern (sometimes called the vertical pattern) is the most effective pattern for covering the entire breast without missing any breast tissue.

6. Repeat the exam on your left breast, using the finger pads of the right hand.

7. While standing in front of a mirror with your hands pressing firmly down on your hips, look at your breasts for any changes of size, shape, contour, dimpling, or redness or scaliness of the nipple or breast skin. (The pressing down on the hips position contracts the chest wall muscles and enhances any breast changes.)

8. Examine each underarm while sitting up or standing and with your arm only slightly raised so you can easily feel in this area. Raising your arm straight up tightens the tissue in this area and makes it difficult to examine.

Also, if you notice any dimpling, discharge, or inversion of the tissue, areola, or nipple please contact your health care professional at once and have them give you a thorough examination.  If you notice any lump or suspicious area, please notify your health care professional at once to schedule you for an examination.

One thing to remember, is that even though you do this, it does not replace the importance of screening mammograms and seeing your physician on a regular basis. By the time you can feel a lump or change in your breast, the growth is most likely about 1.0cm in dimension. Of course there is no one that knows your body better then yourself, so if you think you feel something, make sure you contact your health care provider at once to follow up with.

-CancerGeek

Erectile Dysfunction - Premature ejaculation

Erectile Dysfunction - Premature ejaculation

It can be very hard to tell what erectile dysfunction is because it covers a broad range of disorders. The most widely used definition is that erectile dysfunction (ED) is the inability of a man to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient for his sexual needs or the needs of his partner. Most men experience this at some point in their lives, usually by the age of 40, and are not psychologically affected by it.

Some men, however, experience chronic, complete erectile dysfunction (impotence), and others, partial or brief erections. Frequent erectile dysfunction can cause emotional and relationship problems, and often leads to diminished self-esteem. Erectile dysfunction has many causes, most of which are treatable, and is not an inevitable.

According to the National Institutes of Health in 2002, an estimated 15 million to 30 million men in the United States experience chronic erectile dysfunction. According to the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS), approximately 22 out of every 1000 men in the United States sought medical attention for ED in 1999.

Incidence of the disorder increases with age. Chronic ED affects about 5% of men in their 40s and 15–25% of men by the age of 65. Transient erectile dysfunction and inadequate erection affect as many as 50% of men between the ages of 40 and 70. Diseases (e.g., diabetes, kidney disease, alcoholism, and atherosclerosis) account for as many as 70% of chronic erectile dysfunction cases and psychological factors (e.g., stress, anxiety, and depression) may account for 10–20% of cases. Between 35 and 50% of men with diabetes experience ED.

Premature ejaculation is often talked about when we discuss about erectile dysfunction. Premature ejaculation is a condition in which the entire process of arousal, erection, ejaculation, and climax occur very rapidly, often in just a few minutes or even seconds, leaving the partner unsatisfied. Premature ejaculation may accompany an erection problem such as impotence but is generally treated differently.

Although this information focuses primarily on male ED, remember that the partner plays an integral role. If successful and effective management is to occur, any discussion of the potential treatment should include both partners. Sexual health is important for all of us so in case you were wondering if the best solution for you would be to try out all the free non-prescription erectile dysfunction medication available on the Internet or TV infomercials, then the answer is “No”.

There is not enough talk about non-prescription drugs scams and scammers. People all over the world lose hundreds of million of dollars a year just because a persuasive sales copy and a professional looking web site or brochure convince them to “try, absolutely risk free, money back guaranteed a year after purchase, the most amazing product that can make your penis longer, harder, fuller and will have your partner begging you for more!” Blah, blah, blah!

For your sake, don’t give out your credit card number to anyone if you don’t intend to make a purchase. Keep in mind that these marketers don’t just sell you one bottle. They will keep taking money from your account and will send you a lot of stuff you’ve never ordered or agreed with.

If you do need to spend some money, then why don’t you try to find support groups on the internet or maybe try therapy with your partner? No need to thank me right now for saving you a couple of thousands of dollars! Enjoy!

To learn more about erectile dysfunction and its cures and causes, visit PENIS HEALTH.COM

Labels: Best Penis Enhancement Methods, Erectile Dysfunction, natural male enhancement products, Penis pumps, Premature ejaculation, SizeGenetics™

I was thinking long and hard over the last couple of days, trying to decide what my first real topic should discuss. I was thinking about blogging about Her2Nu, BRCA1 or BRCA2, perhaps genetic counseling, but then it dawned on me, why not start with the most basic thing? Why not start with actually talking about cancer and what it is.

Most of us know someone that has cancer, or perhaps have even had a loved one diagnosed with cancer. We know it can be located in the breast, the prostate, the lung, the colon, the brain, and etc. We hear about it almost on a daily basis in the news, on TV, in a paper, or a magazine article that we read. We all have heard about cancer, but do we all really understand what it is?

Cancer is defined simply as an abnormal growth of cells.

Now all cells divide on a daily basis. Normal cells have "rules" inside of them to limit the number of times the cells split into new cells. This splitting is typically done over a 6 hour period of time. So on any one day, most normal cells in our bodies will divide up to 4 times. Our skin loses cells constantly. We all have eye lashes that fall off daily. So in order for our body to keep up with all of this normal loss of skin, hair, and other such things, it reproduces them by allowing our normal cells to divide and repopulate what we have lost.

Cancer is different. What happens most often times is that there is a "change" or a mutation at a cellular level that creates a problem in the "rules" of how a cell divides. Typically the rule for the number of times a cell can divide is turned off or sped up. This means that a "changed cell" now may divide up to every hour, or 24 times in one day. This is abnormal behavior of cells. Each time that cell divides, it creates new cells that have that mutation, or "change" in the rules of their division.

A scenario would be as such: A single cell has a change or a mutation in it. If that change allows its rule for division to turn off, and allows the cell to divide more quickly, it repopulates itself with more and more of those abnormal cells, thus creating a cancer or a tumor. As more of these cells become abnormal, they seek out more blood supply to continue nourishing the newly formed cells. This allows the cycle to continue. As the cancer seeks more blood, it begins to deprive blood supply to normal tissues. This allows more of the cancer cells to invade normal areas of tissue, such as the breast or prostate, and creates what can be finally detected by normal screening and detection.

Some cancers are very aggressive and grow rapidly with in months. Others such as prostate cancer can take years and years to reach a point in which it becomes detectable. This all relates back to the importance of yearly physicals, exams, screening and detection. The more regular we are about making sure we go to see the doctor once a year for our yearly check ups, the better it is for us if we ever do develop cancer.

Most cancers, if detected early enough, are treatable and curable.

-CancerGeek