BEST SKY

More boys than girls are born every year in the U.S. But any lead in health men start with vanishes with the first dirty diaper.

From infancy to old age, women are simply healthier than men. Out of the 15 leading causes of death, U.S. men lead women in all of them except Alzheimer’s disease, which many men don’t live long enough to develop. Although the gender gap is closing, men still die five years earlier than their wives, on average.

While the reasons are partly biological, men’s approach to their health plays a role too, experts tell WebMD.

“Men put their health last,” says Demetrius Porche, DNS, RN, editor in chief of the American Journal of Men’s Health. “Most men’s thinking is, if they can live up to their roles in society, then they’re healthy.”

Men go the doctor less than women, and are more likely to have a serious condition when they do go, research shows. “As long as they’re working and feeling productive, most men aren’t considering the risks to their health,” says Porche.

But even if you’re feeling healthy, a little planning can help you stay that way. The top threats to men’s health aren’t secrets: they’re known, common, and often preventable. WebMD consulted the experts to bring you this list of the top health threats to men, and how to avoid them.

Cardiovascular Disease: The Leading Men’s Health Threat

They call it atherosclerosis, meaning “hardening of the arteries.” But it could as easily be from the Latin for “a man’s worst enemy.”

“Heart disease and stroke are the first and second leading causes of death worldwide, in both men and women,” says Darwin Labarthe, MD, MPH, PhD, director of the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention at the CDC. “It’s a huge global public health problem, and in the U.S. we have some of the highest rates.”

In cardiovascular disease, cholesterol plaques gradually block the arteries in the heart and brain. If a plaque becomes unstable, a blood clot forms, blocking the artery and causing a heart attack or stroke.

One in five men and women will die from cardiovascular disease, according to Labarthe. For unclear reasons, though, men’s arteries develop atherosclerosis earlier than women’s. “Men’s average age for death from cardiovascular disease is under 65,” he says; women catch up about six years later.

Even in adolescence, girls’ arteries look healthier than boys’. Experts believe women’s naturally higher levels of good cholesterol (HDL) are partly responsible. Men have to work harder to reduce their risk for heart disease and stroke:

• Get your cholesterol checked, beginning at age 25 and every five years.
• Control your blood pressure and cholesterol, if they’re high.
• If you smoke, stop.
• Increase your physical activity level to 30 minutes per day, most days of the week.
• Eat more fruits and vegetables and less saturated or trans fats.

“There’s a saying that ‘children should know their grandparents,’” says Labarthe. “This is fatal or disabling condition that causes lost family time and working time. But a large number of these events are preventable.”

Lung Cancer: Still a Health Threat to Men

Lung cancer is a terrible disease: ugly, aggressive, and almost always metastatic. Lung cancer spreads early, usually before it grows large enough to cause symptoms or even show up on an X-ray. By the time it’s found, lung cancer is often advanced and difficult to cure. Less than half of men are alive a year later.

So … are you still smoking?

Tobacco smoke causes 90% of all lung cancers. Thanks to falling smoking rates in the U.S., fewer men than ever are dying of lung cancer. But lung cancer is still the leading cancer killer in men: more than enough to fill the Superdome every year.

No effective screening test for lung cancer is available, although a major study is going on to learn if CT scans of the chests of high-risk people can catch cancer early enough to improve survival.

Quitting smoking at any age reduces the risk for lung cancer. Few preventive measures are as effective — or as challenging — as stopping smoking. But new tools are available that work to help men quit. Your doctor can tell you more.

Prostate Cancer: A Leading Cancer for Men

This is one health problem men can lay full claim to — after all, women don’t have prostates. A walnut-sized gland behind the penis that secretes fluids important for ejaculation, the prostate is prone to problems as men age.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men other than skin cancer. Close to 200,000 men will develop prostate cancer this year in the U.S.

But while one in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime, only one in 35 will die from it. “Many prostate cancers are slow-growing and unlikely to spread, while others are aggressive,” says Djenaba Joseph, MD, medical officer for cancer prevention at the CDC. “The problem is, we don’t have effective tests for identifying which cancers are more dangerous.”

Screening for prostate cancer requires a digital rectal exam (the infamous gloved finger) and a blood test for prostate specific antigen (PSA).

But in fact, “Screening has never definitively been shown to reduce the chances of dying from prostate cancer,” according to Joseph. That’s because screening finds many cancers that would never be fatal, even if undetected. Testing then leads to aggressive treatment of relatively harmless cancers, which causes problems like impotence and incontinence.

Should you get screened for prostate cancer? Some experts say yes, but “the best solution is to see your doctor regularly and talk about your overall risk,” says Joseph. “All men should understand the risks and benefits of each approach, whichever you choose.”

Depression and Suicide: Men Are at Risk

Depression isn’t just a bad mood, a rough patch, or the blues. It’s an emotional disturbance that affects your whole body and overall health.

Depression and Suicide: Men Are at Risk continued…

In effect, depression proves the mind-body connection. Brain chemicals and stress hormones are out of balance. Sleep, appetite, and energy level are disturbed. Research even suggests men with depression are more likely to develop heart disease.

Experts previously thought depression affected far more women than men. But that may just be men’s tendency to hide depressed feelings, or express them in ways different than women’s.

“Instead of showing sadness or crying, men get angry or aggressive,” says Porche. “They feel it’s not OK for them to say, ‘I’m depressed,’ so they cope in other ways, like drinking too much.” Men are also less likely to seek help for depression.

The results can be tragic. Women attempt suicide more often, but men are more successful at completing it. Suicide is the eighth leading cause of death among all men; for young men it’s higher.

Most men and women respond well to depression treatment with medications, therapy, or both. If you think you might be depressed, reach out to your doctor or someone close to you, and seek help.

Diabetes: The Silent Health Threat for Men

Diabetes usually begins silently, without symptoms. Over years, blood sugar levels creep higher, eventually spilling into the urine. The resulting frequent urination and thirst are what finally bring many men to the doctor.

The high sugar of diabetes is anything but sweet. Excess glucose acts like a slow poison on blood vessels and nerves everywhere in the body. Heart attacks, strokes, blindness, kidney failure, and amputations are the fallout for thousands of men.

Boys born in 2000 have an alarming one-in-three chance of developing diabetes in their lifetimes. Overweight and obesity are likely feeding the diabetes epidemic. “The combination of diabetes and obesity may be erasing some of the reductions in heart disease risk we’ve had over the last few decades,” warns Labarthe.

Exercise, combined with a healthy diet, can prevent type 2 diabetes. Moderate weight loss — for those who are overweight — and 30 minutes a day of physical activity reduced the chance of diabetes by more than 50% in men at high risk in one major study.

Erectile Dysfunction: A Common Health Problem in Men

Erectile dysfunction may not be life threatening, but it’s still signals an important health problem. Two-thirds of men older than 70 and up to 39% of 40-year-old men have problems with erectile dysfunction. Men with ED report less enjoyment in life and are more likely to be depressed.

Erectile dysfunction is most often caused by atherosclerosis — the same process that causes heart attacks and strokes. In fact, having ED frequently means that blood vessels throughout the body are in less-than-perfect health. Doctors consider erectile dysfunction an early warning sign for cardiovascular disease.

You’ve probably heard more about the numerous effective treatments for ED than you ever cared to just by watching the evening news. Treatments make a fulfilling sex life possible despite ED, but they don’t cure the condition. If you have erectile dysfunction, see your doctor, and ask if more than your sex life is at risk.

Keep yours strong with these virile vittles
Healthy blood flow is the key to a strong erection, so it’s natural that what prevents diabetes and stroke will also prevent erectile dysfunction. You know the drill: Fill up on fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains…and lay off the crap that clogs your arteries. Beyond these basics, the foods below will help your member stay mighty.

1. Pomegranate Juice

A study in The Journal of Urology found that pomegranate juice slashed the risk of ED in rabbits. See the bartender at the Playboy Mansion for cocktail recipes.

2. Shrimp Salad

Shrimp is full of zinc, and leafy green vegetables are full of folate. Together, they can boost sperm levels. Put another one on the barbie, and turn the heat up–way up.

3. Oatmeal

Oats produce a chemical that releases testosterone into the blood supply, increasing sex drive and orgasm strength. Mix in some honey (see number six on this list) for an added boost.

4. Spinach

Spinach is a potent source of magnesium, which helps dilate blood vessels, according to Japanese researchers. That means you can count on smooth blood flow and strong erections.

5. Citrus Fruits

Men who consume at least 2,000 milligrams of vitamin C a day improve their sperm counts and motility. Vitamin C also keeps sperm from clumping, so they have a better chance of reaching their destination.

6. Honey

Honey’s B vitamins aid the production of testosterone, and its boron content helps the body use estrogen, which is a key factor in proper blood flow and arousal. Sweet.

7. Blueberries

The soluble fiber in blueberries ushers cholesterol through your digestive tract before it chokes your arteries. The berries also contain compounds that improve circulation for a natural Viagra-like effect.

Food cravings are common, and most people have them at one time or another.

The Cleveland Clinic offers these facts to help you satisfy your cravings without wrecking your weight:

• Satisfying a food craving can help improve your mood, relax you and give you more energy.
• Women are likely to crave certain foods during certain times of the year and month, and are more likely to be happy when they’ve satisfied their cravings.
• Don’t deny yourself something that you are craving. Instead, allow yourself a small portion.
• Denying yourself a small treat that you crave can lead to an intensified craving, and eventually binge eating.
• Take care of your craving shortly after it starts. The more time you have to think about it, the stronger the craving probably becomes and the more likely you are to binge eat.

Seniors who switch between low-cost generic drugs and the original products based on who’s footing the bill are likely driving up the cost of the government’s Medicare drug plan, according to a new study.

Figures released Thursday show seniors are more likely to ask their pharmacist for generic medications when they are paying, but choose the more expensive originals when the government is covering the costs.

The study was published by Medco Health Solutions Inc., a drug benefit manager that handles prescriptions for about 20 percent of Americans. Prescription benefit managers earn more money when patients choose cheaper medications.

While the Medicare drug benefit has pushed up the country’s overall health care spending, the program’s budget has actually come in below estimates, which federal officials attribute to a greater use of generic drugs and competition among insurance companies.

Generic drugs are medically indistinguishable from the original products, and can cost up to 80 percent less. They account for two-thirds of all prescriptions dispensed in the U.S, according to research firm IMS Health.

However, the figures from Medco suggest some patients are still more comfortable taking medicines from the original manufacturer.

“It may be a question of education, that some people simply believe brand-name drugs work better than generics,” said Tricia Neuman, a vice president with the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Research also shows that doctors often don’t talk about the potential cost savings of generic drugs, she added.

Kaiser, a nonprofit research group, estimates the average out-of-pocket expense for seniors in Medicare taking generic drugs will be $5.32 this year, nearly six times less than the $29.86 paid by seniors taking branded drugs listed by insurers.

Despite the potential cost savings, Medco found that nearly two-thirds of prescriptions initially filled by patients in Medicare were for branded medications.

The majority of seniors only switched to generics after they reached the point in spending when users must pick up the whole cost of prescriptions.

“Medicare beneficiaries become acutely aware of the cost difference between brand-name and generic drugs and most make the switch,” said Medco Chief Medical Officer Woody Eisenberg.

But Medco also found that when seniors’ drug costs reached the “catastrophic” phase and are again covered by Medicare, 59 percent of prescriptions are for branded drugs.

An official from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said the agency could not confirm the figures cited by Medco.

Overall, the federal government and beneficiaries through their monthly premiums will spend about $47 billion on the Medicare drug benefit this year.

One of the problems being faced by pupils these days in schools is to stay awake wide and concentrate on studies. Too much outdoor activities and the influence of television on children have made them vulnerable to lose their concentration and focus. These days, there are special classes for teachers to improve the concentration of the school wards towards the classroom and the teaching techniques employed. Various new teaching techniques are available for teachers to enhance the learning perception of the students. Therefore, practice them without fail as it has been found to be extremely useful. However, not all the time, the desired results are obtained. The practices and techniques may not work all the time for all the people. Under such circumstances, different technique has to be employed for different pupil.

The same applies to people at work also. However, the practices have to be standardized in an effort to make it successful. One way of stay awake at work is to keep oneself occupied for hours at work. Make sure that you don’t sit idle. Always keep working with some thing or the other. However, don’t bore yourself in the process. Work very hard to prove yourself. Complete all the works assigned to you in time to ensure that you get good remarks. Some people have the tendency to laze around and postpone work. This will not only earn a bad remark, but could be something that does augur well with the career of the individual. Postponing work also means that the person does not have any genuine interest in the task assigned. But keeping yourself occupied will make sure that the work is not only completed in time but also earn rewards from the peers.

Chalk out the profile of the work that you have to accomplish in a given day. If the work is something that requires more than one day, then divide it carefully between the times allotted to you. At the most, try and complete the work within the time frame specified. In one or two instances, you make take the liberty of stretching the time frame, provided that the task is difficult. However, don’t make it a habit of extending the time frame. It may damage your reputation in the long run. It may eventually mean that you are a poor performer with absolutely no time sense. It may also affect future awarding of contracts or assignments. In the process, your performance will also be regarded as pathetic and may affect your overall career progression.

Any delay in executing work means that you are not interested in the task assigned to you. It could also mean that you are not attaching much importance to the job and have a laid back attitude. This will create a bad impression about with your office senior managers. In the end, it could mean that you are wasting too much time and not working as required to be. Therefore, make sure that such impression is not created on account of your performance or poor work.

Article written by Robert Riles, who is a sports expert and owner of skyfireproducts.com

The use of sound such as in the form of a guided meditation may be helpful because they generally ‘guide’ you through the steps of meditation with a speaker who uses a calm nearly monotone voice to facilitate a relaxed state. Other sounds could also be that of nature such as waves breaking against a shore, raindrops, a rushing stream or seagulls. By listening and focusing in on these nature sounds, we can find ourselves becoming more relaxed.

Other recorded sounds can be sounds that are meant to produce changes in brainwaves, not unlike the biofeedback machines used years before. In biofeedback training, people had to use bulky equipment, such as a head dress that wired you up to an electroencephalograph, a machine that measures brainwaves. The brainwaves were associated with certain sounds and while you attempt to change the waves, you knew you were successful by the sound heard, or the sounds were produced on a video monitor that allowed you to change the waves by watching. With new technology in the form of DVD’s, CD’s and tapes, all you need to do is to plug in earphones and listen.

With new technology, sounds can be used on CD’s, tapes, MP3 players etc that will change your brainwaves without a lot of effort. These sounds are masked by music or some other sound that is heard on a conscious level, but the sound needed for changing brainwaves is relegated to the subconscious, which will help you to relax and change your behavior and positively enrich your life.

In other sound recordings, the tones used to affect brainwaves are subsonic, that is below the threshold of human hearing. These tones will coax the brainwaves from using beta waves, the waves associated with alertness to theta range, a more relaxed state. You may hear a low humming sound in the background, which are the tones used to affect brainwaves.

The term used for changing brainwaves by sound is brain synchronization, combining the use of both the right and left hemispheres of your brain to work in conjunction with each other. As you relax and listen to these recordings, the brainwave activity will increase and become more coherent and you will be relaxed but alert.

Using sound for increasing brain function is not new. Pagan cultures often used sound to help to affect mood and induce a trance-like state by the use of music, drums or chanting.

The use of sound to find balance in your life can be achieved by the use of musical harmonics and certain sound frequencies. The use of affirmations in recordings has the effect of going directly to the subconscious which can help in reducing negative self talk and behavior.

Conrad Raw is an expert in practical techniques for personal and spiritual development. He is the author of “Forbidden Secrets Of Personal And Energetic Development.” He travels the world to learn and teach and is the founder of Greater Human Potential, a website devoted to bringing you easy to learn techniques to increase your human evolution. Visit his website for a free newsletter filled with tons of great tips and advice.

Yoga is a discipline for self-development that is more than 5000 years old. There are many types of Yoga, but most include physical postures, breathing control and meditation. Stress reduction techniques include mental imagery, stretching, controlled breathing and physical movement in the form of postures. The goal of any Yoga discipline is to improve flexibility and obtain peacefulness in the body and the mind. This will have the over all effect of leaving you with the ability to deal with everyday stress in a more productive way.

Understand that Yoga is not a cure-all. It can help with certain medical problems such as depression and combined with a healthful diet, aerobic exercises and medication, has benefits in a reduction in some cardiovascular disease and blood pressure levels. Yoga is an important part of the Hindu religion and is a way of life for them, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that you would need to change your life style in order to reap the benefits of Yoga.

One of the most popular Yoga discipline in the U.S. is Hatha Yoga. Hatha Yoga is designed to increase flexibility and to calm the mind. It focuses on poses or postures along with controlled breathing. In a Hatha Yoga class, you will probably learn a number of poses that induce stretching and twisting. Some poses are meant for calming the mind as well as increasing flexibility like the Viparita Karani pose or the legs up the wall pose. The Cat Cow stretch will have you on all fours on the floor with your wrists underneath your shoulders with the knees underneath the hips. This pose will increase spinal flexibility and strengthen the stomach muscles.

Hatha Yoga is called the Yoga of postures and includes relaxation exercises designed to open the nadis or energy channels which will allow the energy to flow freely through the body. Other poses are designed to relax internal organs, which can prevent diseases such as hypertension or high blood pressure and diabetes. Hatha Yoga requires concentration on postures, called asanas and pranayama or controlling the breath.

In Hatha Yoga, mastering a comfortable pose where you will be able to keep that pose for a certain length of time is important in the practice of real meditation. The more poses you can master, the better you are able to develop inner meditation techniques. Also mastering the breath is important because controlled breathing will eventually allow the balancing of the right and left hemispheres of the brain.

Conrad Raw is an expert in practical techniques for personal and spiritual development. He is the author of “Forbidden Secrets Of Personal And Energetic Development.” He travels the world to learn and teach and is the founder of Greater Human Potential, a website devoted to bringing you easy to learn techniques to increase your human evolution. Visit his website for a free newsletter filled with tons of great tips and advice.