Red Flag Symptoms Of Highly Contagious Infection That’s Spreading Across UK

Posted on 07/12/2023 by Boris Clair

People in the UK are being urged to be on the lookout for symptoms of whooping cough, also known as pertussis, which has been sweeping the nation.

Whooping cough is a bacterial infection of the lungs and breathing tubes. It spreads very easily and can sometimes cause serious problems. As a result, it’s important for babies, children and pregnant women to get vaccinated against it.

There has been a 250% increase in cases of the illness compared to last year, according to Express Healthcare Management.

Earlier this year, the UK Health Security Agency revealed there was a seven-year low in maternal whooping cough vaccination uptake, leaving mothers and newborns at risk of hospitalisation.

With the rise in infections, pregnant women are being urged to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

Professor Beate Kampmann, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told The Sun: “The rise in cases might be because of missed vaccination appointments, possibly during the pandemic.

“Severe disease is almost entirely preventable if the mother is vaccinated in pregnancy and her protective antibodies reach the baby through the placenta and protect until the baby gets its own vaccines.

“It is therefore important that everyone looks at their vaccination records to check if they might have missed this vaccine, which is given with the routine childhood immunisations and in pregnancy.”

Symptoms of whooping cough

According to the NHS, the first signs of whooping cough are similar to a cold, such as a runny nose and sore throat (a high temperature is uncommon).

After about a week, you or your child:

will get coughing bouts that last for a few minutes and are worse at night
may make a “whoop” sound – a gasp for breath between coughs (although young babies and some adults may not “whoop”)
may have difficulty breathing after a coughing bout and may turn blue or grey (young infants)
may bring up a thick mucus, which can make you vomit
may become very red in the face (more common in adults)

The cough may last for several weeks or even months.

Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 if:

your baby is under six months old and has symptoms of whooping cough
you or your child have a very bad cough that is getting worse
you’ve been in contact with someone with whooping cough and you’re pregnant
you or your child has been in contact with someone with whooping cough and have a weakened immune system.

The NHS notes that as this is highly infectious, your GP may prefer a phone call.

Call 999 or go to A&E if:

your or your child’s lips, tongue, face or skin suddenly turn blue or grey (on black or brown skin this may be easier to see on the palms of the hands or the soles of the feet)
you or your child are finding it hard to breathe properly (shallow breathing)
you or your child have chest pain that’s worse when breathing or coughing – this could be a sign of pneumonia
your child is having seizures (fits)

If you think that you or your child may have whooping cough, it’s essential that you speak to your GP.

For babies under six months with whooping cough, there’s an increased chance of problems such as dehydration, breathing difficulties, pneumonia and seizures.

For children and adults, it is less severe but can still cause problems such as sore ribs, hernia, middle ear infections and urinary incontinence.

The Red Flag Pain Symptom That Can Be A Sign Of Prostate Cancer

Posted on 28/11/2023 by Boris Clair

According to Prostate Cancer UK, 1 in 8 men will get prostate cancer in their lifetime. It’s the most common cancer in males and accounts for 27% of all new cancer cases in males in the UK.

However, a poll by YouGov earlier this year found that two-thirds of men don’t know any of the symptoms of the cancer. While this falls somewhat among older males, it still remains very high with 62% of 50-59 year olds not knowing any of the symptoms of the cancer.

Of the recognised symptoms, the most common were having to, or feeling the need to urinate more frequently and difficulty urinating. Both of these are symptoms of prostate cancer but can also be indicators of other diseases.

The sneaky symptoms of prostate cancer that you might miss

According to Cancer Research UK, prostate cancer doesn’t usually cause symptoms in the early stages and most prostate cancers start in the outer part of the prostate gland. This means that to cause symptoms, the cancer must be large enough to press on the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the penis, which is called the urethra.

While many people do think that urinary issues such as difficulty passing are due to prostate cancer, according to Cancer Research UK, they are very unlikely to be related to the disease and are instead likely to be caused by a condition called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

Instead, the sneaky signs of prostate cancer that you should be aware of are:

Back or bone pain that doesn’t go away with rest
Tiredness
Weight loss for no reason
Pain in the testicles
A loss of appetite

What to do if you think you have prostate cancer

According to the NHS, it’s not known exactly what causes prostate cancer but a number of things can increase your risk of developing the condition which include:

age – the risk rises as you get older, and most cases are diagnosed in men over 50 years of age
ethnic group – prostate cancer is more common in black men than in Asian men
family history – having a brother or father who developed prostate cancer before age 60 seems to increase your risk of developing it; research also shows that having a close female relative who developed breast cancer may also increase your risk of developing prostate cancer
obesity – recent research suggests there may be a link between obesity and prostate cancer, and a balanced diet and regular exercise may lower your risk of developing prostate cancer
diet – research is ongoing into the links between diet and prostate cancer, and there is some evidence that a diet high in calcium is linked to an increased risk of developing prostate cancer

There is no single definitive test for prostate cancer but if you suspect you have the disease, your GP will ask for a urine test to check for infection, take a blood sample and examine your prostate.

If you’re at risk you’ll be referred to the hospital for an MRI which may be followed by a biopsy to confirm the presence of the disease.

If you notice any changes whatsoever and especially if you’re at a higher risk of prostate cancer, make an appointment with your GP.

I Lived With A Self-Destructive Secret For 30 Years. Here’s What Happened When I Told.

Posted on 28/11/2023 by Boris Clair

CW: Eating disorders, bulimia, binge eating.

Bulimia and I have been best friends since I was 13.

At the time, my parents were fighting, and rage permeated our house. At school, I was the awkward immigrant kid, hoping someone would see me.

But I had a few wonderful hours every day after school, when my parents weren’t home and I had the house to myself. That’s when my friend and I would sit together and watch our favorite shows — Three’s Company, Love Boat, Fantasy Island — and eat anything we wanted without prying eyes. Piled-high ham and cheese sandwiches on soft white bread, handfuls of freshly-released-from-the-bag potato chips and soft, chewy Toll House chocolate chip cookies.

The problem was, the high we got from food eventually vanished and we’d be left with the hangover — the shame, guilt, disappointment. By age 15, the food highs weren’t enough, I needed a way to deal with the repercussions — the bloating and self-hate.

One day, I went to the bathroom and pushed two fingers down my throat. It was scary but also a thrill. I got relief. The consequences were flushed away. The desperate need and its violent extermination now just a memory.

Bulimia comforted me, celebrated with me, entertained me. She was always there no matter how hard things got and she knew exactly how to make it better.

This secret was part of my life for the next three decades. Thirty years of desperate highs and crippling lows. Thirty years of hiding behind locked bathroom doors and running showers to muffle the sound of vomiting. Thirty years of looking in a steamed-up bathroom mirror at a person I didn’t want to be. Thirty years of being terrified of anyone finding out the grotesque ritual that was part of my life.

Until one day, when I was 44, I told.

I had been thinking of quitting for years because of the deep self-hate it produced, and had been slowly weaning myself off by stretching out the time between purges to months.

Another reason I wanted to quit was my terrible acid reflux. I had started feeling burning in my throat and worried that maybe my years of bulimia had damaged the muscle designed to keep that bile from coming up.

So when the doctor asked me at my annual checkup if I had any particular concerns, I told her about my throat pain and added that I was worried it was because of my years of bulimia.

“When were you bulimic?” she asked.

“Oh, I —” I paused, took a breath, and said, “I still am. It’s been — most of my life.”

To my surprise, she didn’t look at me with disgust or pity, or tell me all the ways I had damaged my body. She didn’t lecture me at all. She told me that millions of people had acid reflux and that it may have nothing to do with my bulimia. She then asked straightforward questions about my plans, if any, to address it.

I told her I’d been working on it and that telling her was my first big step to quitting for good. She gave me resources that I could use and organizations that I could reach out to for help. She then went on to do my check-up, like she had done many times before.

It was only a few minutes between us, but speaking the words out loud shook me. I almost felt dizzy with the confession and had to steady myself by holding the sides of the faux-leather bench. I had kept this secret for so many years that when it came out, I felt like a different person.

That night, I kept telling. This time I told my husband, the quiet, mild-mannered man I slept next to and raised my children with. We were cuddled up on the couch watching “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” when he asked about my doctor’s appointment. I stiffened, turned off the TV and turned to face him. Then I told him my story.

I told him about the years of locking the bathroom door and turning on the shower so he couldn’t hear the sounds of vomiting. I couldn’t risk him asking me what was wrong. I told him I was scared that if he found out who I really was he wouldn’t be able to look at me the same. Love me the same.

He put his arms around me. Shocked and heartbroken that the woman he shared his life with had this secret, this pain, he held me for a long time as I cried into his shoulder.

Telling him changed things. Without the secret, I was able to release the shame and stop one element of the disorder: the purging. I didn’t reach out to any organisation or read any books. The fear that my throat pain might be because of the binging, and releasing the truth to my husband were enough to push me to stop. I never did it again.

The binging ― the high – however, was still part of my life, albeit diminished. I found ways to avoid the yearnings by keeping busy. With the purging part gone, it released me from the “easy out” I had used every time the urge came up. I went back to work at a job I loved, went on long walks with friends and kept my life filled with the plethora of mom duties. I started living my life without bulimia’s constant stranglehold.

Then the pandemic hit. And like millions of people, it threw me into a dark and difficult place.

My husband and I gave the kids their own rooms to do online school. The only other office-like area went to my husband, who needed space to Zoom with this work team. I was left with the kitchen table.

I had lost the job I loved, regular daily activities of running errands and going to appointments, and friends I could spend time with who had helped me live a healthier life. I was left sitting in the kitchen with my laptop and countless idle hours of worry and anxiety. It was like being an alcoholic who lives in a bar.

So I ate and ate. And I gained a lot of weight. But it wasn’t the weight that crushed my self-esteem and mental health. It was the act of giving into this old friend — who I didn’t trust anymore, who I understood didn’t mean me well — day after day that wore away my confidence.

After two years, as the pandemic eased, I emerged along with everyone else — but I was much heavier and scared about the steps forward.

Eating disorders are unusually complex because we can’t give up food completely like with other addictive substances. And there’s such intense shame that comes with not being able to control your eating. So, we don’t like to talk about it, we don’t make big box-office movies about it and we certainly don’t have the same sympathy for it.

I’ve found I can only move forward when I stop struggling in silence and let go of the shame.

So as I did with the purging, I started being honest with myself and others close to me. One night, over dinner, I explained to my husband and teenage boys that the difficulties they’d seen me have with losing weight was not about the food itself — that’s why the dozens of weight loss programs I’d tried had failed. Rather it was about my relationship with food, my addiction and my binge eating disorder.

Once I verbalised this truth and accepted it, I was able to put down my guard and release the pain of it. A few days later, for the first time in my life I joined a binge eating disorder group and am now learning tools from counsellors that specialise in this disorder.

I don’t know how long the journey forward will be, but I do know that in order to get better, I first need to forgive myself and be honest about the fact that I can’t get better on my own. That’s the only way forward.

Help and support:

This Is What Life Might Look Like If There Was No Gender Health Gap

Posted on 24/11/2023 by Boris Clair

The gender health gap is a well-documented and widespread phenomenon, where women’s health concerns are regularly sidelined, neglected or dismissed.

To take just one stunning example, the British Heart Foundation explains that women 50% more likely to be misdiagnosed when suffering from a heart attack than men.

Twice as many women as men die from the underlying cause of heart attacks too – coronary heart disease.

Meanwhile, erectile dysfunction (which affects 19% of men) is studied in research five times more often than PMS, (which affects 90% of women), according to ResearchGate.

And endometriosis – where tissue like those which line the womb are found outside of the organ – can cause fertility issues, pain, fatigue and heavy bleeding as well as wellbeing issues. It takes an average eight years to be diagnosed.

Much of the issues come down to a lack of research and funding into women’s health.

The first ever plan to reduce these inequalities was only introduced last year in the government’s Women’s Health Strategy. It’s a start, but the examples mentioned above show we are still a long way off gender health equality.

So, what would life look like if women had the same healthcare as men? Women’s intimate health brand INTIMA has produced a report imagining just that – and its findings are extraordinary.

1. Equal health would shrink the gender pay gap

The gender pay gap is an issue women still struggle with around the world. From November 22, the average woman in the UK is effectively working for free until the end of the year – that’s how large the discrepancy between women’s salaries and men’s salaries is.

As UK charity Fawcett Society notes, working women in the UK take home £574 less than men each month – that works out to £6,888 each year.

The charity calls for more flexible working in an effort to improve women’s pay.

But it’s also worth recognising that health plays a large role, too. A whopping 89% of people experienced stress or anxiety in the workplace because of their period.

INTIMINA points to research dating back to 2015, which claimed women in the UK take 17 million sick days a year because of PMS. A third of women also take at least four sick days a year.

More than a third reported heavy menstrual bleeding too, which has been connected to higher unemployment and workplace absences.

In fact, 2019 research from Standard Life shows women lose on average £5,469 each year in time off while waiting for an endometriosis diagnosis.

Research from BUPA found a million women dropped out of work because of unmanaged menopause symptoms.

If these conditions were better researched, addressed earlier and talked about more openly, it could reduce absenteeism in the workplace, INTIMINA suggested. Flexible working would help deal with these conditions, too.

2. Economic boost

If there was no gender health gap, It could save £18 billion a year, according to INTIMINA.

That’s because endometriosis costs the economy £8.2 billon a year through treatment, loss of work and healthcare costs.

Menopause costs £10 billion, and heavy, painful periods cost £531 million in sick days.

So it makes sense to invest in services to help treat these conditions.

And, according to the NHS Confederation, every pound invested in the NHS ends up giving £4 back to the economy by boosting productivity and workforce participation – truly, a win-win.

3. Boost for perinatal care

Healthcare professionals too often miss new mothers’ mental health struggles, the report revealed.

Research from 2021 suggested one in four new mothers weren’t asked about that side of their wellbeing during check-ups from doctors, with the focus often being on the newborn rather than the mum.

NHS England’s website also explains: “Perinatal mental health problems that are not treated effectively cost society £8.1 billion every year, with the annual cost to the NHS estimated at £1.2 billion.”

Suicide is the leading cause of maternal death during pregnancy and up to one year after it ends in the UK.

But as INTIMINA pointed out, many of the physical issues like incontinence or prolapse can be treated with early intervention and physiotherapy – which can help make new mothers’ lives a little easier.

4. Orgasm gap? Eradicated

Research from 2018 suggests women in lesbian relationships orgasm 86% of the time, and women in straight relationships 65% of the time.

For men, it’s 95% of the time in straight relationships and 89% of the time for gay men – meaning there is an orgasm gap.

Gynaecological cancer charity The Eve Appeal also found women are five times more likely to feel ignored when looking for medical help with reproductive health issues.

But, if women felt more comfortable getting to know their own bodies and speak to their doctors, INTIMINA suggested this would change.

Reduced pain, better mental health and better sex would all have knock-on effects for women’s relationships, too.

5. Women’s mental health improves

More research into conditions impacted by women – like PMS and Endometriosis – could offer a substantial boost to women’s mental health.

If endometriosis could be diagnosed after the first GP appointment – instead of after the average eight years – it would help relieve the 95% of patients who reported it had a negative impact on their wellbeing.

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are three times more likely to have a mental health issue, while nearly half of those who suffer from premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) have planned for a suicide attempt at some point in their lives.

INTIMA claimed: “Earlier diagnosis and more effective treatments would help to reduce the mental health toll of menstrual and reproductive health issues. Symptoms would no longer be a barrier to living a full and well-rounded life.”

The brand suggested that, in turn, this would help reduce depression and anxiety among those who suffer.

The 1 Sign You Should Check Your Home For Mould Immediately

Posted on 21/11/2023 by Boris Clair

According to housing charity Shelter, over a quarter of renters experience dampness and mould in their homes.

While these can be unsightly, difficult problems to address in the home, they can be incredibly damaging to your health, particularly over an extended period of time.

And according to Healthline, one of the signs of mould in the home that could sneak up on you is a consistently runny nose and congestion as well as irritated eyes.

If you find over time that these symptoms aren’t clearing up and worsen over time, it’s time to fully inspect your home for mould and dampness.

Signs of mould in the home

If you have been worried about the potential of mould in the home, now is the perfect time to address it as according to the BBC, it’s more likely to occur during colder months.

The signs of mould in the home include fuzzy black, white or green patches on the walls, and a damp and musty smell.

According to the UK Government, “Damp and mould primarily affect the airways and lungs, but they can also affect the eyes and skin. The respiratory effects of damp and mould can cause serious illness and, in the most severe cases, death.”

How to clear mould in the home

If you rent your home, your landlord has a legal duty to address damp and mould issues and to check six weeks after action that the problems have stayed away. However, according to Ronseal, there are some things you can do to address the issues:

Fill a bucket with water and a mild detergent like washing up liquid. Or use a dedicated mould remover to make quick work of it
Dip a cloth in water and wipe the mould off the wall. Don’t brush it as this can release mould spores
Once you’ve removed the mould, use a dry rag to remove the rest of the moisture
Throw away the cloth and vacuum the room to make sure you’ve removed all of the spores

The sealant experts add, “If you have mould on soft furnishings like clothing or soft toys, they should be shampooed or professionally dry cleaned.”

Shelter has a wealth of advice and resources for renters facing damp and mould problems on their website.

Is It Safe To Eat Berries If Some Are Mouldy?

Posted on 21/11/2023 by Boris Clair

Raspberries would be the perfect food if they didn’t go off more or less as soon as you bring them home. Most fresh berries are the same way; the average shelf life of a fresh punnet is three to five days.

So, if you (like me) are buying for one, that causes furry problems. White specks and blue fur overtake your plastic punnet; sometimes, one berry will weaken and rot, ruining the other berries in a matter of hours.

Of course, in an ideal scenario, we’d all have access to a bounty of fresh berries close by. But say for instance you’d just checked your fridge only to realise that half of your raspberries are already gone over to the spore overlords, and can’t be bothered to make it to the shop (asking for a friend, of course). What then?

None other than the Mayo Clinic have weighed in on the topic. Dr. Nipunie Rajapakse, a paediatric infectious diseases expert, said that the safe point is around a quarter of the soft fruit population: “If more than about a quarter of the berries are mouldy, you’re probably best off getting rid of all of those berries,” she says.

“But, if the rest are looking healthy, they’re not bruised, they’re not soft and there’s no visible mould on them, they’re probably OK to eat after you’ve washed them well,” the doctor adds.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is a little more cautious, advising that the high water content of the berries means spores can spread more easily between the fruits without being noticed.

But even they say that after you’ve thrown the offending food out, checkered the rest for mushiness and other signs of rot, and washed the remains, you should be good to go, they say.

You’ll likely be fine ― as Elizabeth Mitcham, a professor and director of the Postharvest Technology Center at the University of California, Davis told The New York Times, berry moulds “are actually not known to produce toxins, like some fungi do, and so there’s less risk.”

Plus, she adds, the taste will likely warn you of the presence of foul spores quickly enough to help you spit the berry out in time.

Well, that’s good news for my lunch…

Cancer Research’s Latest Breakthrough Is Seriously Good News For Survival Rates

Posted on 17/11/2023 by Boris Clair

Let’s face it. Everything has felt pretty heavy recently. The news cycle is saturated with hard-to-digest information, filled with horrors daily. But, this little — well, actually, rather large crumb – of good news for our health was exactly what we needed to hear today.

Thanks to research funded by Cancer Research, there has been a cervical cancer treatment breakthrough that means deaths could be cut by 35%.

According to the INTERLACE trial, who undertook the research, found that those who were given a short course of chemotherapy before beginning regular treatment cut the risk of the disease returning by 35%.

Dr Mary McCormack, the lead investigator of the trial from University College London’s Cancer Institute and University College London hospital, said that this was the “biggest improvement in outcome in this disease in over 20 years.”

“I’m incredibly proud of all the patients who participated in the trial; their contribution has allowed us to gather the evidence needed to improve treatment of cervical cancer patients everywhere,” she said.

Each year, over 3,000 people are diagnosed with cervical cancer, and Britain’s rates for screening attendance are way behind Europe’s.

Cancer Research explains that, since 1999, cervical cancer has been treated with chemoradiation — or CRT for short. This is a combo of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

What the INTERLACE trial found, was that prescribing six weeks of induction chemotherapy prior to CRT helped more people survive their brush with the big C, without ever hearing from it again.

Dr Iain Foulkes, executive director of research and innovation at Cancer Research UK said when it comes to treating cancer, “Timing is everything.”

He continues, “The simple act of adding induction chemotherapy to the start of chemoradiation treatment for cervical cancer has delivered remarkable results in this trial.”

Part of what makes this news so positive is that the two chemotherapy drugs are already approved for use, are easily accessible and as such, can be rolled out pretty quickly.

This means more and more women and folks assigned female at birth (AFAB) can expect better odds of life-long survival from cancer. And, amidst calls for a more feminist approach to cancer care, this is welcome news indeed.

Foulkes said: “We’re excited for the improvements this trial could bring to cervical cancer treatment and hope short courses of induction chemotherapy will be rapidly adopted in the clinic.”

This Is Why ‘No Nut November’ Isn’t Actually Good For You

Posted on 11/11/2023 by Boris Clair

As ‘No Nut November’ rolls around again, abstinence from masturbation is a common topic of discussion this time of year.

If you’ve never heard of it before, the challenge is all about abstaining from ejaculating – with a partner or otherwise – for the entire month, with some believing it’s good for male health. And it’s pretty popular – on TikTok, the hashtag #NNN (short for No Nut November) has 15.5 billion views.

What is No Nut November?

According to the Reddit thread r/nonutnovember, the rules for taking part are strict: no masturbation, at all, throughout the month of November.

“Akin to trends like No Shave November, No Nut November is an event where those who have found it hard to go even a few days without masturbating attempt to challenge the dependency, and go the entire month without making the bald man cry,” reads the Reddit community’s About section.

Is ‘nutting’ a lot a problem, then?

That’s the thing – it’s not, really.

Gigi Engle, a sex and relationships psychotherapist and lead intimacy expert at the dating app 3Fun, argues there is “no such thing” as being dependent on masturbation in the first place.

“It’s the same thinking that masturbation is addictive, porn is addictive, sex is addictive. There is absolutely no reputable science that reflects this school of thought,” she tells HuffPost UK.

Neither sex addiction nor porn addiction is recognised in the DSM-5, and the NHS also says that experts disagree on whether or not one can be medically addicted to sex and masturbation, saying: “Some sex and relationships experts believe people can become addicted to the enjoyable feeling or ‘high’ experienced during sex and sexual activity, but others disagree.”

So, why are men putting themselves through it?

The No Nut November Reddit community says “some do it just for the memes”, while others do it for actual self-improvement.

In 2019, u/yeeval, a moderator on the subreddit group doubles down on this, telling Rolling Stone: “In my opinion, most originally participate in NNN for the meme aspect of the challenge but as the days go on people begin to see how big their porn or masturbation dependency is.”

He continues to explain that No Nut November isn’t a political movement, neither is it anti-porn or anti-women.

“In its most simple form NoNutNovember [is] just a fun internet challenge that has grown in popularity due to many memes that circulate the internet…

“However, I also think that the reason that it has become so widespread is that it has given many the opportunity to look within themselves and realise that they might be relying on masturbation and porn for comfort.

Another reason No Nut November is believed to exist is thanks to a now retracted 2003 study. In this, a claim was made that abstaining from masturbation could spike testosterone.

However, since the study’s retraction, researchers have been unable to replicate the findings. In fact, criticism of the data surrounding heightened testosterone says that it’s janky at best because of small sample sizes and mixed results.

Is month-long abstinence a good idea?

Engle claims people who participate in ‘semen retention’ have shown consistently higher levels of depression and anxiety, she says: “This is because you’re building up a lot of stress, you’re not getting a release that can cause a lot of tension. There’s also a really big shame component.

“For people who believe in ‘semen retention’, if they do masturbate or if they watch porn, they are flooded with feelings of shame afterwards. And this can lead to detrimental mental health.”

Reed Amber, sex educator, sex worker activist and host of the podcast F**ks Given says, “No Nut November promotes this idea that you are masturbating too much, or that you’re using porn too much, which I think is a really dangerous concept to have when people haven’t actually spoken to professionals, or therapists or doctors about the type of behaviours that they are having.”

“Porn isn’t bad,” she continues, “but we can have bad habits revolving around porn, it’s about asking yourself, why you are masturbating?”

However, if participants are signing up in the capacity u/yeeval say they are, then isn’t that a good thing?

The answer, it seems, is complex.

Amber explains that a normal masturbation routine looks different to different people. “Some people need to masturbate once a month, and other people need to masturbate six times a day. And both those versions can be healthy, it just depends on where your mind is, and why you are masturbating,” she says.

There are now myriad studies that show masturbation to be a normal, healthy part of sexuality, even if you’re doing it multiple times a day. So long as you aren’t causing yourself distress, or inflicting distress upon others, there really isn’t anything to worry about.

“For the most part, porn can be used as a really healthy, exciting, beautiful tool for people and their pleasure,” says Amber. “Some people go through phases of using it unhealthily, just like we can do with binge-watching TV shows, or eating the wrong kinds of food or going to the gym too much.”

This is echoed by Engle, who says, “This whole idea of trying to ‘break your dependency’ and challenge yourself to not doing it is based on nonsense.”

Truth be told, regular masturbation has vital health benefits for men.

The health benefits of regular masturbation

Bima Loxley, a Sex and Relationship Therapist and Sexologist, explains to HuffPost UK that “For people with penises, it is generally healthy to ejaculate at least once a week for different reasons, however, more research needs to be done on this.”

Currently, research shows that clearing the prostate, a natural byproduct of masturbation, can decrease the risk of prostate cancer. This is because regular masturbation clears the prostate of fluid build-up that could contain inflammatory matter, cancer-causing material and infection.

In England, over 44,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year, according to findings by Prostate UK.

Prostate health can also be linked to erectile dysfunction (ED). In a study conducted by the International Journal of Clinical Practice, 41.5% of participants reported experiencing erectile dysfunction. It is believed that 10-20% of all erectile dysfunction cases are caused by mental health stressors, such as performance anxiety or chronic stress. It is believed that these symptoms can be alleviated through masturbation, by building confidence.

So, should you do No Nut November, or no?

While nobody should ever feel coerced into masturbation if they don’t want to engage in it, it does have medical benefits for the body and mind.

Whereas abstinence from masturbation under the guise of enhancing masculinity by boosting testosterone levels has proven to be detrimental to mental and physical health, as well as being scientifically debunked.

“Porn and masturbation aren’t the problem — it’s our society and how we use it,” says Loxley.

The key takeaway is that shame and stigmatising masturbation is unhealthy. Questioning why we might be masturbating and being introspective about our consumption of pornography isn’t necessarily all bad, especially if we’re worried about compulsive behaviour.

So if you did want to have a good ol’ wank in November, go for it. And if you feel like you need to address some compulsive, sexual behaviours – the NHS has a list of recommended resources and support is available.

So THIS Is What Video Calls Are Doing To Our Brains

Posted on 30/10/2023 by Boris Clair

If you’ve ever been on a work video call (and after COVID, it’s safe to say lots of us have), then you’ll probably know the particular stressors the medium can bring.

There’s the person who’s accidentally muted themselves. There are the patchy internet connections. There’s the awkward, crossed-mic silences when the person leading the call asks a group questions (martyrs, IMO).

And now, a paper published in Imaging Neuroscience has found that video calling people affects more than just social cues; it suggests that the contact method can have a pretty noticeable effect on how our brains process the interaction.

“Separable Processes for Live ‘In-Person’ and Live ‘Zoom-like” Faces’,” a study led by Yale professor Joy Hirsch, found that “the social systems of the human brain are more active during real live in-person encounters than on Zoom.“

People who we see on video calls “do not have the same ‘privileged access’ to social neural circuitry in the brain that is typical of the real thing,” Hirsch said.

The researchers used brain imaging tools to look at the neural activity of pairs speaking via video call and those speaking in person.

The scientists observed high levels of neural activity during face-to-face interactions, along with long gaze times, increased pupil diameters, and what appeared to be enhanced face-processing abilities.

Those who were looking at an image on a screen had a “suppressed” social response compared to those who were talking face-to-face, the paper revealed.

“Overall, the dynamic and natural social interactions that occur spontaneously during in-person interactions appear to be less apparent or absent during Zoom encounters,” said Professor Hirsch. “This is a really robust effect.”

The Yale study highlighted the unique impact face-to-face interactions can have on our brains.

“Online representations of, faces, at least with current technology, do not have the same ‘privileged access’ to social neural circuitry in the brain that is typical of the real thing,” said Professor Hirsch.

So, if you’ve ever felt like a video meeting was genuinely mind-numbing, you might be onto something…

The 3 Things A Brain Health Expert Would Never Do

Posted on 21/10/2023 by Boris Clair

Raise your hand if you’ve ever thought about brain health. No? Well, apparently it’s quite a big deal. And, there are things we absolutely should not be doing that — I hazard a guess – you are doing every single day. I know I certainly have been.

According to neuroscientist and TikToker Emily a.k.a @emonthebrain, there are three big no-nos when it comes to brain health.

But why? How do these three things affect our mood and brain age? If you open your phone first thing in the morning, like to indulge in highly processed food and engage in a little negative self-talk (my personal fave), then you’re going to want to read this.

Time to cut out morning screen-time

Does this sound like you? Wake up in the morning, reach for phone, scroll, scroll some more and then get up?

If it does, this could be why throughout your day you’re addicted to checking your phone. Here’s why.

Turns out, there’s a science to waking up well, and it’s all to do with brain waves.

When you wake up, your brain goes from producing theta to alpha waves. These tell your body you’re in a state of restful wake, rather than sleeping or extremely relaxed. And, according to Emily, this is a time when you are more susceptible to programming. So whatever content you’re consuming will have a greater impact on your mindset.

The result? In her TikTok, Emily says, “It messes up dopamine for the day so we continue to check our phones.”

*Adds traditional alarm clock to basket immediately*

Put a stop to the negative self-talk

“What you say to yourself matters, and the more you say the more it gets wired in. And what’s wired in is what we manifest,” says Emily.

She’s not wrong – the way you speak to yourself affects cognitive function. So if you’re engaging in negative self-talk, you’re more likely to rewire your brain to believe it. Whereas if you opted for affirming language you could teach yourself to feel more positive about yourself.

It’s easy to get caught up in self-flagellating thought processes, there’s enough going on in the world to make us feel bad about ourselves. From comparison on social media to feeling under pressure to achieve more at work.

Approaching these moments with self-compassion and acceptance can help us overcome some of these negative cycles, as can cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).

No more eating ultra-high processed foods (cries in McDonald’s)

Okay so, bad news. Highly processed foods lead to brain ageing, otherwise known as cognitive decline.

In a study conducted by ZOE, they found that those who ate the least amount of ultra-processed foods experienced slower cognitive decline.

Eating these foods is especially bad for you if you’re over 60, but — there’s some good news. Interestingly, the researchers in this study were only able to identify links between ultra-processed foods and cognitive decline in people with a “generally unhealthy diet”.

A lot of healthy foods and naughty little treats from time to time won’t do you much harm.

So, it’s all about balance!

WellnessMaster

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