ROME, March 7 (UPI) — U.S. and Italian researchers say hydrogen sulfide emitted by hot springs may act as a natural version of Viagra.
The gas, which has a pungent odor often compared to the smell of rotten eggs, has been found to widen blood vessels and appears to be able to combat impotence, the Italian news service ANSA reported.
The research was conducted under the guidance of researchers at Naples University and Nobel prize-winning pharmacologist Louis Ignarro of the University of California at Los Angeles.
The report, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, said the discovery could lead to the development of a new therapeutic target against impotence.
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ROME, March 7 (UPI) — U.S. and Italian researchers say hydrogen sulfide emitted by hot springs may act as a natural version of Viagra.
The gas, which has a pungent odor often compared to the smell of rotten eggs, has been found to widen blood vessels and appears to be able to combat impotence, the Italian news service ANSA reported.
The research was conducted under the guidance of researchers at Naples University and Nobel prize-winning pharmacologist Louis Ignarro of the University of California at Los Angeles.
The report, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, said the discovery could lead to the development of a new therapeutic target against impotence.
Please enter the letters / numbers you see to the right.
By clicking on “Add Comments” you are agreeing to the UPI terms of service and acknowledging the comment you are posting is in compliance with such terms.
Please be tasteful and polite. Editors have the right to remove any comments deemed inappropriate.
WHAT is it about human sexuality that piques our interest so much, yet remains misunderstood and often times, misused? Sex is as old and practised as Adam, yet there are so many issues and inhibitions that beset both the married and the single.
The desire and the need for sex is basic and very much entwined with our humanness. But despite sex being the most intimate, and ideally, a pleasurable shared experience between man and a woman, the emotional, physical and spiritual dynamics that make the two one remain elusive for many.
It is this one single fact that gives rise to sex therapy. Although sexology and sex therapy is common in Australia and the West, it is largely deemed an unusual profession in Malaysia. That does not mean there is no use or need for it.
On the contrary, the fact that drugs like Viagra, Levitra and Cialis are in the market is an indication that sex can be a lucrative business.
According to sex therapist Dr Rosie King, much of today’s problem is the lack of communication, or the way we communicate. A lot of times, it can be non-verbal.
King, 57, has become a brand name in Australia and in the region. She was recently here on the invitation of Pfizer, the maker of Viagra, a drug to treat erectile dysfunction (ED). She gave three lectures and announced the findings of the Asia-Pacific Sexual Health and Overall Wellness survey (May-July 2008).
According to the survey, sexual satisfaction can be given a boost. “Satisfaction is not high; men and women want better sex. So there is a role for people like me,” says King.
King… Sexual health is an important part of overall well-being.
King says sex therapy is common in Australia and the United States. It is only here in Malaysia that she is considered “unusual”.
“Wherever I go, people have a lot of questions, some of them poignant. They want to talk to me and I am glad to be of help because that is why I am in this field. I do not go in search of fame or fortune. I’m glad I never get tired talking, learning and teaching about it.”
Today, she serves as the sexual health physician at the Sydney Centre of Sexual and Relationship Therapy. She also writes and lectures.
King went into sexual therapy after working as a general practitioner for 12 years. It was not long before she had her column Ask Dr Rosie in a woman’s magazine and appeared on live TV and radio on a regular basis and became a much sought after speaker. Over the past eight years, King has been coming to Malaysia to lecture on sexual health. The response from doctors and medical professionals here is generally very good.
“Although Pfizer says it is because of me, I say it is not me. These doctors, especially urologists and other medical professionals, want to know how to treat men and women with sexual problems. They may be trained to deal with problems which are physiological in nature, while I am able to deal with both the physiological and psychological aspects. There are drugs, surgery options and counselling. But there is nothing to pop (take orally) for women’s lack of libido. There is only counselling.”
King says sex has been important to both men and women through the ages, more so to men.
“It does not matter what our cultural differences or beliefs may be; behind closed doors, we are the same, with similar needs.”
King says that in Asia, the main concerns are ED and premature ejaculation for men. For women, it is the lack of sexual desire, arousal, enjoyment and problems with orgasm.
She attributes the woman’s lack of interest to her perception that the man is no longer attentive and supportive. Treatment can be simple; when the man is loving and supportive, her interest returns. Sometimes, however, the issue may be more complex than this.
When a man has ED, he goes through psychiatric distress. He has lost confidence and self-esteem; 54% of those who have ED have symptoms of depression. They tend to avoid intimacy. Women often blame themselves. They think they are too old or too fat. The man withdraws from the relationship. If treated, the psychological and social burden encountered by both men and women is reversed, says King.
“Sex therapy takes time and because it is such an important and intimate matter, it needs to be dealt with very sensitively. It is a luxury medicine because, although it is an important part of life, it is not life-threatening. We are talking about a quality of life here. As a general practitioner, I can see one patient every five to 10 minutes; for ED, a little longer. But the treatment for desire (among women), which is counselling, is very time-consuming.”
In Australia, it is not a hospital-based medicine but a community-based medicine and much of her work is public education. Those in this work are generally private practitioners; many sex therapists in Australia and US are psychologists.
King says that generally the more satisfied one is with their sex life, the more satisfied you will be with the relationship and life in general. Sexual health is an important part of overall well-being, says King.
So, where does that leave those who abstain from sex? Are they not living a full life?
“Although sex is important, I don’t think that it is the be-all and end-all of things. There are many, single and married, who have no interest in sex. I am not saying that they cannot have a happy life.
“In Malaysia, career, financial wellbeing, wisdom, spiritual matters, family life, being a spouse and partner and parenting are viewed as important. They can be happy as long as they don’t have any significant social hang ups or concerns. It is only when you have dissatisfaction that you get a negative impact,” King says.
Twice married, King says she is rather old-fashioned when it comes to marriage. “I believe very strongly in that piece of paper. Many in Australia do not. They have pre-marital sex, although that is not necessarily a bad thing, change partners every couple of years, and our divorce rate is high.
“The fact that they are living together means they are not fully committed to working through the problems that come with a relationship.
“They run into difficulties and they give up. People who have made that commitment choose to find mutual grounds to create a harmonious relationship. Marriage matures a person.
“The sex may be good the first 18 months but those chemicals – and it is a chemical thing – only last three years. The relationship after that becomes mundane. Instead of craving passion, we should celebrate the pleasure of making love with someone who is your lover and best friend.”
King says that despite the huge trade in sex toys, sexy and titillating lingerie and adult movies in the world today, which many therapists advocate using, she would like to take a different position.
“Bliss should not come because of the sexual excitement, but because you love each other. A person who really understands how a relationship develops, the initial passion and excitement will understand that this exhilaration does not last forever. Otherwise, nothing will ever get done.”
King says she did not seek after fame and money when she took this path. She saw the pain and frustration of the people who came to her. She began to read and attend talks on sexuality. On a personal vein, she has been through an unhappy marriage.
“All I wanted was to be happily married and when I met my second husband, I won the husband lottery. My ex-husband has a drinking problem and this caused a lot of pain in our lives. When I was 40, I met Ross, my second husband, and we have been happily married these last 15 years.
“Our paths were not meant to cross. But I’m glad they did. I was then president of the Australian Society of Sexual Educators, Researchers and Therapists. He was distributing books for psychologists and medical professionals. He contacted me because he wanted our mailing list. He asked me out for a movie The Crying Game and I fell in love on that date itself. Ironically, it was a movie about transvestites. I was 40 and he, 48.
“When I got married again, I made sure I did not make the mistakes I made in the first. I learned from my experience. Many don’t.” She has two sons and he, three girls.
“I don’t think it was strange for them to grow up with a mother who is a sex therapist. I tried to give them a balanced education about sex; if they wanted to know anything, they can ask me. At school, all the students went to them for answers.
“Today, Ross travels with me and looks after me. He deals with everything, the travel arrangements, the negotiations and makes sure I get to where I am supposed to be on time. He makes sure I get fed and I have my rest and is also my body guard.”
King says there are three important things in a relationship – appreciation, encouragement and support and goodwill.
“Ross and I work very hard in our relationship. We also enjoy each other a great deal.”
WELCOME to the second semi-final of the Daily Star Sunday’s babe of 2009.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown yesterday warned fat cat financiers there would be no let up in Government plans to sort out Britain’s banks.
MURDER suspect Amanda Knox broke down as she blamed a bar owner for the murder of Brit Meredith Kercher, a court was told.
COKE DEALERS CASH IN WITH FAKE VIAGRA
ABOVE: SEX PILLS: Viagra
CRIME gangs are switching from cocaine and selling fake Viagra on the internet.
Profits from sex pills are 2,000 times greater than for the Class A drug.
The dealers bulk-buy the counterfeit pills from manufacturers in Russia, China, India and Brazil.
And the counterfeiters are hijacking the images of stars such as David Beckham, 33, and Sir Sean Connery, 78, to sell their dodgy products.
Jim Thomson, co-founder of the Euro-pean Alliance for Access to Safe Medicines, said “major league” narcotics dealers were turning to pharmaceuticals because the profit margins are so much greater and the risks far smaller.
He said: “You can buy a kilo of the active ingredient of Viagra on a website for about £33 and you can make a lot of tablets from a kilo. The margin is about 2,000 times more profitable than cocaine.”
He added: “If you bought a kilo of cocaine in Bogota you would be lucky to get out alive. If you were caught you would go to jail for a long time.
“With the pills you’d be very unlucky to get more than three years if you got caught.”
But punters could be putting themselves at risk by taking the fake pills, which have even been found to be manufactured in cement mixers.
Mr Thomson added: “They are illegal in every way. There is no prescription.
“People need to make sure they check what they are buying and where from.”
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Out of Moscow comes a report that mechanic Sergey Tuganov died after downing a bottle of Viagra to, um, steel himself for an orgy with two female, um, comrades.
They had a bet - a $4,000 bet - that he couldn’t last 12 hours. Sergey, who works with tools for a living, won the bet.
And minutes later dropped dead of a heart attack.
Viva Viagra, they sing on the drug’s commercials.
Oh, really?
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Everything about Viagra makes us laugh. We all know what it’s for (and spam has ensured that we never forget!), but the ads are never really about doin’ The Do — they’re always about love and intimacy, which in this jaded world is a lot like taking the sluggish scenic route to the same destination.
So, fingertips at the ready, we watched “Couple” with the full intention of taking the piss out of it. And get this: we couldn’t. Because it moved us.
Yeah, we’re embarrassed too.
Watch while a slow-moving elderly couple, gatekeepers to a seasoned love, make the long trip upstairs. As they advance, they grow flirtier, younger and … well … friskier.*
The tagline, “Like the first time,” puts that last youthful animorph into perspective. We’ll give it cred for sentimentality, but do you remember your first time? For most of us, it didn’t really last that long. From what we hear (and only what we hear), a Viagra hit is more like that one time in college you dropped E and got dirty with the candy raver.
Work by Z Publicidad/Mexico and Catatonia Films for Phizer’s Ogilvy. Word to Z: We could’ve done without the spinning pill at the end. =P
—
*Kinda reminded us of Levi’s “Dangerous Liaisons,” which is also about the inexplicable changes that occur on the long amorous road to Squeaky Mattress Land.
Drugs gangs are switching from selling cocaine to a fake version of the sex pill Viagra attracted by the lure of higher profit margins, it has been claimed.
By John Bingham
Last Updated: 9:40AM GMT 02 Mar 2009
Fake viagra pills often made from a cocktail of prescription medicines can be highly dangerous for users Photo: PA
Making up counterfeit anti-impotence pills can be as much as 2,000 times more profitable than dealing in hard drugs, according to one expert.
With millions of potential buyers available on the internet, the trade is also less risky for gangsters.
But there were warnings that the fake blue pills, often made from a cocktail of prescription medicines, can be highly dangerous for users.
Last months a report in Singapore highlighted that four men died and three were left in comas in just five months after taking counterfeit impotence drugs.
Jim Thomson, founder of the European Alliance for Access to Safe Medicines (EAASM), said that the prospect of high profits was now attracting criminals into the fake Viagra market.
“You can buy a kilo of the active ingredient of Viagra on a website for about £33 and you can make a lot of tablets from a kilo,” he was quoted as telling the Daily Star.
“The margin is about 2,000 times more profitable than cocaine.”
He went on: “If you bought a kilo of cocaine in Bogotá you would be lucky to get out alive, if you were caught you would go to jail for a very long time.
“With the pills you would be very unlucky to get more than three years if you got caught.”
But he said the bogus pills were “illegal in every way” and potentially dangerous.
The success of Gordon Brown’s White House visit depends on the chemistry between the two men, says Tim Shipman in Washington
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Viagra Facts Wonder Pill Works (Used With Caution It Does Well)
Viagra is not a wonder drug, but for many people that cannot achieve an erection it is. For them, it gives them back their sexual potency and ability to participate in sexual activity. It is a safe medication with a 10 year track record, and a medication that for most people starts within about 30 minutes, and can last up to 5 or 6 hours.
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Men of all ages and sizes are benefiting from ED medication. The newest is Generic Viagra, which was not allowed for a long time due to restrictions by the original manufacturer of Viagra. But now that it is on the market, the Generic version is a lot less expensive.
Sildenafil is the chemical name of Viagra, and it is an ED medication that is taken orally. It has been around now for just right at 10 years, and it has given hope back to many men that have not been able to achieve or keep an erection.
Viagra is part of a group of medications that block certain enzymes from working too fast. By doing this, it allows a man to achieve an erection that otherwise would not be able to because their enzymes would prevent their having an erection. But even the newest addition, Generic Viagra has some limited side effects.
The way that Viagra works, it blocks certain enzymes. But these enzymes are close to certain chemicals that people use to discern and determine colors. For this reason Pilots are not supposed to take Viagra within a certain number of hours of flying.
Viagra also is not supposed to be used for people that take nitrates. Drugs such as nitroglycerin and Viagra do not mix well, and should not be combined. But for most people there are no side effects, and it is because of this that Generic Viagra was eventually released. Even though some small side effects do occur sometimes, for the most part both the name brand and Generic style of Viagra are safe for the majority of people.
Young Men Can Use Viagra Effectively (Men In Their 30s Now Using Generic And Brand Viagra)
The companies that sell Viagra and ED medication are tailoring many of the advertisements to younger and younger groups of men. When Viagra first came out it was tailored to a older group of men, age 40 and older.
More and more the medication is being prescribed to men in their 30s, and it is because of a number of reasons. With the advent of Generic Viagra it is not as expensive as it once was, and younger men including men in their 20s and 30s are increasingly reporting a lack of ability to achieve and maintain erections.
Nearly 40 Percent of men in the United States that are in their 40s are reporting that they have some level of Erectile Dysfunction. So it can follow that men in their 30s are also at times needing help and assistance that Viagra and now Generic Viagra gives. Men are using it to help their own Erectile issues, but there are fears that they may also be using it for recreational purposes.
According to a urologist and medical director of the Male Impotence Institute of America, men in their 20 s, 30 s and 40 s often see sexual performance as a high priority.
Dr. Myron Murdock maintains that this is nothing new, but that men are becoming more willing to step up and get help. Often sexual partners of younger men are more demanding than older women might be, said Dr. Murdock.
Dr. Murdock says its fine to use the different medications such as Generic Viagra to increase and optimize sexual performance. And, according to Dr. Murdock, more young men suffer from ED than society is often aware of.
Hardening of certain arteries can sometimes begin in the teen age years, and by the time a man is in his 20 s suddenly he is unable to perform. For those men, using Viagra is the natural choice.
It is Finally Okay To Discuss Erectile Dysfunction (Acceptable To Talk About It Is One Of Many Changes In Society)
With more men taking Viagra including the more inexpensive Generic Viagra the issue of Erectile Dysfunction has become an issue for conversation because it is looked at as a disease.
To discuss the male penis is something that cultures around the world have frowned at. You could remark or discuss religion, politics, sex or other subjects, but talking about Erectile Dysfunction was one of the last Taboo's.
From the introduction of Viagra to different methods of hormone therapy, they all have made it more and more acceptable to discuss the male organ in public But for many cost of the medication many people were not able to access or use it.
Enter Generic Viagra. With Viagra now available in Generic form, many men that suffer from Erectile Dysfunction are able to experience relief from their chronic ED issues. There are TV programs devoted to examining all about Erectile Dysfunction, Viagra in its different forms has taken Male Erectile Dysfunction and brought it into the mainstream.
Most people are slightly uncomfortable talking about the male Penis. Viagra and Generic Viagra has raised awareness and brought society, slightly kicking and screaming, to deal with ED
When Viagra first came out it was thrilling and a little mysterious. Now that it has been out for nearly 10 years, it is being joined by other medications. But in Male ED Viagra is still King. It has allowed conversations, such as discussion of the possible male contraception to enter into the public conversation, and it has aided in making people understand that Male ED is a disease.
Now, the process is close to coming full circle. It has raised the level of awareness for the disease quite a bit in the United States and even cleared the way for some of their competitors to access the marketplace easier.
But it was Viagra that cleared the road, and our society has subtly been changed because of the little blue pill.
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