Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/320391
By Laura G. Owens W hile it's not typical dinner conversation, premature ejaculation (PE) is one of the most common forms of sexual dysfunction in men (PE is defi ned as ejaculation within one minute). A report published by the European Congress of Urology found that pelvic fl oor exercises may offer advantages over other PE treatments. A team of researchers trained 40 men (ages 19–46) to exercise their pelvic fl oor muscles and measured the men's time-to-orgasm for 12 weeks. While the study was small, results were promising. "The rehabilitation exercises are easy to perform, explained researcher Dr. Antonio Pastore, "with no reported adverse effects." Most of the men had already tried creams, behavioral therapy, SSRIs and psychological treatment without much success. "We found that 33 of the 40 men in our trial improved their ejaculation time in 12 weeks. We also found the fact that the men were able to improve their sex-lives through their own efforts helped their self-confi dence," said Pastore. I t may seem like "just the fl u," but the fact is, the fl u is nothing to sneeze at. The World Health Organization reports that worldwide, three to fi ve million people become seriously ill with seasonal infl uenza and 250,000 to 500,000 die. In 2009 swine fl u made its way across 74 countries. And while some vaccines slow the spread, vaccines don't always work, nor do they protect against pandemic strains, bird fl u or RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), the leading cause of infl ammatory bronchiolitis pneumonia and death in infants and some elderly adults. In a study published in Nutrients, researcher Sang- Moo Kang found that Korean red ginseng had preventative effects on the infl uenza A virus. Kang also found, in a soon to be published study, red ginseng extract increased the survival rate of lung epithelial cells that protect against RSV and stop the virus from multiplying. STAVE OFF THE FLU KEGELS FOR KEN "S hame on you!" These three gut- punching words can do serious damage to your self-worth unless you guard against them. In an article published in Cultural Sociology, Professor Thomas Scheff explains that, "Shame is the most obstructed and hidden emotion, and therefore the most destructive." Societies (like the U.S.) that reinforce going it alone and celebrate individualism create unintended consequences. "People learn to act as if they were complete in themselves and independent of others. This feature has constructive and creative sides, but it has at least two other implications: alienation and hiding shame." So how do you resolve hidden shame? Scheff suggests one of this writer's personal favorites—laugh… "at yourself or at the universe or at your circumstances, but not at other people," he says. "Most of the laughing we do in comedy [performances] is good. No matter the actors, we are really laughing at our selves that we see in their foolishness." OOH, SHAME ON YOU whole living Rock Body YOUR HOW YOU SLEEP/ HOW YOU LOVE D o you sleep on your side, back or belly? How close to your partner? Answers may reveal something about your relationship and personality. Researchers at the University of Hertfordshire asked subjects to describe their favorite sleeping position and to rate their personality and quality of their relationship. Turns out extroverts sleep close to their partners, and more creative types sleep on their left side. "One of the most important differences involved touching" said Professor Richard Wiseman, "with 94 percent of couples who spent the night in contact with one another happy with their relationship, compared to just 68 percent who didn't touch." The farther apart a couple slept, the worse their relationship. june/july 2014 13 WLT-JUN-JULY-26.indd 13 5/26/14 2:09 PM