Flibanserin's makers promise help for 'hypoactive sexual desire disorder'. It suits drug companies to medicalise in this way
by Christine Ottery
guardian.co.uk,
Monday 23 November 2009
Before everyone jumps on the hype bandwagon by calling flibanserin a drug recently announced as a solution to female sexual dysfunction "the female Viagra" … oops, it's too late. Last week, flibanserin was hyped as such across the media, the Guardian included.
Let's be clear about this, flibanserin is not like Viagra, and female sexual dysfunction is not like erectile dysfunction. Flibanserin is a drug that was initially tested as an antidepressant. It didn't work but trial participants noticed its aphrodisiac properties. The German pharmaceutical company manufacturing flibanserin, Boehringer Ingelheim, must have had visions of rolling around in euros.
The results of large-scale trials of flibanserin show a slight increase in what Boeringer Ingelheim term "sexually satisfying events", which could be any kind of sex act from masturbation to intercourse deemed to be gratifying by the participant. Self-evaluation is tricky, as sexual satisfaction is highly subjective and notoriously hard to measure. Regardless, the trial found an increase was 0.8 more of these instances per month on average, compared with the placebo group.
Boering say that's statistically significant. Maybe if you're only having a happy kind of sex event 2.8 times a month, as the volunteers were on average, then that extra 0.8 might seem like a sweet deal. But if you were a man taking 100mg of Viagra every day, you might expect more action than an extra couple of events a month. Boering Ingelheim would say this is not a fair comparison as flibanserin treats a condition, and it is not just focused on the actual sex, but even so.
At least it is known how Viagra works. In contrast, it is not exactly known how flibanserin enhances sexual desire. Does it, as Boering Ingelheim hypothesise, work by upping levels of dopamine and norepinephrine neurotransmitters in the brain, which have an aphrodisiac effect, while dampening down the seratonin, which inhibits sexual function?
The reasons for women's lack of libido can be complex, and less is known about the process of female sexual arousal than men's – it isn't just a simple case that sending more blood to the clitoris and labia will turn a woman on.
Women's sex drive can be affected by various factors such as stress, tiredness, self-esteem and body image. There are also medical conditions, including vaginisimus, that can make sex painful, but can be treated. Psychological issues such as depression may also affect a woman's libido, and can also be dealt with therapies.
But according to Boering Ingelheim one in ten women suffer from hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD), which is the most common form of female sexual dysfunction (FSD). HSDD means having very low levels of sexual desire for long durations, and is defined as a psychiatric condition if it causes distress.
One large study from the US into sexual dysfunction concluded that 43% of women suffer from it at some point. However, some are concerned that FSD has been fabricated to monetise women's sexual insecurities. An article in the journal Sexualities posits that the pharmaceutical industry was looking to replicate the £1bn success of Viagra and so introduced the concept of FSD. In PLoS (Public Library of Science), a peer-reviewed science and medicine journal, an article called FSD "a textbook case of disease mongering". Also in PLoS, scientists argue that corporate-sponsored researchers are defining pseudo-diseases.
In Victorian times, female sexuality was judged to warrant repression and clitorectomies; now the trend is for chemical bolstering to keep up with our hypersexualized society. But sex and relationship psychologist Dr Petra Boynton says it is normal for women to experience a lack of desire at some time in their lives.
Boynton also tells me: "Sometimes desire is absent not because a woman is older, or less sexual, but because she's very sexual but can't convey this to a partner."
The disempowering message that women who are having sexual problems are all ill is the bitter irony of the FSD controversy. Relate, a relationship counselling service, says the primary cause of a loss of desire is relationship issues, so feeling empowered to communicate what you want could be crucial in resolving this.
Nevertheless, some women will want a magic bullet solution to their sex life problems. It is a tempting idea in our time-poor lives to pop a pill and not take the time to work out the root cause of issues and address them. The latter could mean talking with our partners, spending more time relaxing or finding a fun new sex toy. Or, if the problems are more serious, seeing a GP or counsellor. When flibanserin comes onto the market in about 18 months, it should be the last port of call for women with problems in their sex lives.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Eight Women Set Out To Ski To South Pole
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - Eight women set out Monday from their base camp on Antarctica to ski to the South Pole in a trek to mark the 60th anniversary of the Commonwealth grouping of 53 former British colonies.
Skiing six to 10 hours a day, they expect to travel 500 miles (800 kilometers) across the frozen southern continent to the pole in about 40 days. Each is towing a sledge with food and gear weighing some 175 pounds (80 kilograms).
The Commonwealth Women's Antarctic Expedition will face blinding blizzards, winds in excess of 80 miles (130 kilometers) an hour, hidden crevasses and temperatures that plummet to minus 42 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 40 degrees Celsius), their Web site said.
"As the team skis past the polar ice cap's mountain passes and fields, they will experience 24-hour daylight, endless vistas, and intense solitude. They will not see any plant or animal life; only snow, ice, rock and sky," it said.
They hope to reach the South Pole by Jan. 1 - the date the Commonwealth came into existence in 1950, said team leader, Briton Felicity Aston.
The expedition comprises women from eight Commonwealth countries: Brunei, Cyprus, Ghana, India, Jamaica, New Zealand, Singapore and Britain.
It had an inauspicious start when new tents were damaged by a roaring gale at Patriot Hills base camp in an area of Antarctica overseen by Argentina.
The women had to borrow tents while they sewed patches on their own.
"The tents are holding up after their extensive repairs," New Zealand team member Kylie Wakelin wrote on the expedition's Internet site ahead of the polar trek starting.
The Web site said the trek also highlights "the achievements of women across the world."
Team members don't expect to see their next hot shower until early 2010.
www.kasperskycommonwealthexpedition.com
Skiing six to 10 hours a day, they expect to travel 500 miles (800 kilometers) across the frozen southern continent to the pole in about 40 days. Each is towing a sledge with food and gear weighing some 175 pounds (80 kilograms).
The Commonwealth Women's Antarctic Expedition will face blinding blizzards, winds in excess of 80 miles (130 kilometers) an hour, hidden crevasses and temperatures that plummet to minus 42 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 40 degrees Celsius), their Web site said.
"As the team skis past the polar ice cap's mountain passes and fields, they will experience 24-hour daylight, endless vistas, and intense solitude. They will not see any plant or animal life; only snow, ice, rock and sky," it said.
They hope to reach the South Pole by Jan. 1 - the date the Commonwealth came into existence in 1950, said team leader, Briton Felicity Aston.
The expedition comprises women from eight Commonwealth countries: Brunei, Cyprus, Ghana, India, Jamaica, New Zealand, Singapore and Britain.
It had an inauspicious start when new tents were damaged by a roaring gale at Patriot Hills base camp in an area of Antarctica overseen by Argentina.
The women had to borrow tents while they sewed patches on their own.
"The tents are holding up after their extensive repairs," New Zealand team member Kylie Wakelin wrote on the expedition's Internet site ahead of the polar trek starting.
The Web site said the trek also highlights "the achievements of women across the world."
Team members don't expect to see their next hot shower until early 2010.
www.kasperskycommonwealthexpedition.com
More Focus On Promoting Mental Health
More focus on promoting mental health, says Lam Thye
November 22nd, 2009
MENTAL health education and promotion, which aims to address the rise of psychosocial problems in the society, are essential in Malaysia's aspiration to become a developed nation, said the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health chairman, Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.
"Promoting mental health requires joint efforts between the government and relevant non-governmental organisation as well as volunteers.
"A comprehensive community mental health programme is therefore needed to encourage the community to be better informed about mental health issues and how they can play an effective role in promoting mental health and helping the mentally ill," he said in a statement here today.
Lee said there should be less stigma towards those with mental health disorders and the reference to "crazy" and "insane" should be discouraged.
In previous years, mental health was a low priority topic for the government and the community compared to other health problems but increasingly, it gained more prominence, he said.
"In Malaysia, we need to do more for those who suffer from mental illness. On the welfare service front, the government should include the mentally ill as disabled persons and accord them special privileges in employment to help them return to society and not be burden to society," Lee said.
According to Health Ministry statistics, 400,227 mental patients sought treatment in government hospitals last year, an increase of 15.6 per cent compared with 346,196 people in 2007.
He said the Third National Health and Morbidity survey in 2006 found that more teenagers suffered from mental health problems.
About 19.5 per cent of the older age group (70 to 74 years) and 14.4 per cent of the youngest (between 16 and 19 years) were also more prone to having mental health problems than the rest of the group.
Mental illness was also more prevalent among females at 12.1 per cent compared to males at 10.4 per cent.
Lee said in Malaysia, the suicide rate had increased to between nine to 12 persons per 100,000 population compared to eight in the 1980s.
BERNAMA
November 22nd, 2009
MENTAL health education and promotion, which aims to address the rise of psychosocial problems in the society, are essential in Malaysia's aspiration to become a developed nation, said the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health chairman, Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.
"Promoting mental health requires joint efforts between the government and relevant non-governmental organisation as well as volunteers.
"A comprehensive community mental health programme is therefore needed to encourage the community to be better informed about mental health issues and how they can play an effective role in promoting mental health and helping the mentally ill," he said in a statement here today.
Lee said there should be less stigma towards those with mental health disorders and the reference to "crazy" and "insane" should be discouraged.
In previous years, mental health was a low priority topic for the government and the community compared to other health problems but increasingly, it gained more prominence, he said.
"In Malaysia, we need to do more for those who suffer from mental illness. On the welfare service front, the government should include the mentally ill as disabled persons and accord them special privileges in employment to help them return to society and not be burden to society," Lee said.
According to Health Ministry statistics, 400,227 mental patients sought treatment in government hospitals last year, an increase of 15.6 per cent compared with 346,196 people in 2007.
He said the Third National Health and Morbidity survey in 2006 found that more teenagers suffered from mental health problems.
About 19.5 per cent of the older age group (70 to 74 years) and 14.4 per cent of the youngest (between 16 and 19 years) were also more prone to having mental health problems than the rest of the group.
Mental illness was also more prevalent among females at 12.1 per cent compared to males at 10.4 per cent.
Lee said in Malaysia, the suicide rate had increased to between nine to 12 persons per 100,000 population compared to eight in the 1980s.
BERNAMA
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Chin Peng Apologises For Death Of Innocents
KUALA LUMPUR: Chin Peng, the man with no regrets, has for the first time offered an apology to the victims and families of the Communist Party of Malaya’s acts of violence during the long years of its insurgency.
The former CPM secretary-general said that although the party did not subscribe to the killing of the innocent, he admitted that “we might have made mistakes in some cases.”
“If we had intentionally killed innocent people, then I apologise. I apologise to the families who had suffered (too),” he told The Star in a rare interview in Bangkok last month.
“I take full responsibility for my comrades’ actions. (But) in war, we cannot differentiate the innocent from the non-innocent,” he added.
In the past, Chin Peng had been unrepentant over the loss of lives, nor regretted taking up the armed struggle. He also remains a committed communist.
During the interview, he said he did not expect the public to forgive him for the past but hoped they could put their differences behind them.
“That was war. That was then. If you say that we killed people, the communists too were killed by the security forces,” he said in the interview that he gave to mark the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Peace Accord on Dec 2, 1989, in Haadyai, Thailand, between the Malaysian Government and the CPM.
Honouring the fallen: Chin Peng laying a wreath at the grave of a comrade at Betong in this file picture.
Chin Peng, who lost his court battle last year to be allowed to return to Malaysia, touched on various topics during the interview, including his living arrangements in Bangkok; his relationship with his children and his source of funds.
He also alleged that he was prevented from returning because the Government played him out soon after the Peace Accord.
At 85, the former jungle guerrilla is in frail health but remains obsessed with his fight to be allowed back to his hometown of Sitiawan, Perak, where he wishes to be buried.
EXCLUSIVE The Star
The former CPM secretary-general said that although the party did not subscribe to the killing of the innocent, he admitted that “we might have made mistakes in some cases.”
“If we had intentionally killed innocent people, then I apologise. I apologise to the families who had suffered (too),” he told The Star in a rare interview in Bangkok last month.
“I take full responsibility for my comrades’ actions. (But) in war, we cannot differentiate the innocent from the non-innocent,” he added.
In the past, Chin Peng had been unrepentant over the loss of lives, nor regretted taking up the armed struggle. He also remains a committed communist.
During the interview, he said he did not expect the public to forgive him for the past but hoped they could put their differences behind them.
“That was war. That was then. If you say that we killed people, the communists too were killed by the security forces,” he said in the interview that he gave to mark the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Peace Accord on Dec 2, 1989, in Haadyai, Thailand, between the Malaysian Government and the CPM.
Honouring the fallen: Chin Peng laying a wreath at the grave of a comrade at Betong in this file picture.
Chin Peng, who lost his court battle last year to be allowed to return to Malaysia, touched on various topics during the interview, including his living arrangements in Bangkok; his relationship with his children and his source of funds.
He also alleged that he was prevented from returning because the Government played him out soon after the Peace Accord.
At 85, the former jungle guerrilla is in frail health but remains obsessed with his fight to be allowed back to his hometown of Sitiawan, Perak, where he wishes to be buried.
EXCLUSIVE The Star
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Noisy Sex
Woman loses appeal over noisy sex
Yahoo!7
November 11, 2009
A woman who claimed a ruling against her sex life breached her human rights has lost an appeal against the order.
Caroline Cartwright, 48, of Tyne and Wear in the UK, claims she is unable to stop the loud shouting and screaming she makes during lovemaking with her husband Steve.
Is this ruling fair?
After neighbours, the local postman and a woman taking her child to school complained about the noise, the Cartwrights were hit with a noise abatement notice.
However, when Mrs Cartwright was convicted of breaching the notice, magistrates made her subject of an anti-social behaviour order as well.
She appealed against her conviction for breaching the noise abatement notice and the making of the Asbo, which bans the couple from "shouting, screaming or vocalisation at such a level as to be a statutory nuisance".
Jobless Mrs Cartwright used Article 8 of the Human Rights Act to argue she had a right to "respect for her private and family life". She also claimed that she could not help making the loud noise during sex with her husband.
The hearing at Newcastle Crown Court heard that the Cartwrights' nightly sex sessions at their home in Hall Road, Concord, Washington, were making their neighbours lives' hell.
Their lovemaking was described as "murder" and "unnatural" and drowned out their neighbours' televisions. Neighbours said the Cartwrights' sex sessions would usually start around midnight and last for two or three hours, every night of the week, the court heard.
Specialist equipment installed in a neighbour's flat by Sunderland City Council recorded noise levels of between 30 to 40 decibels, with the highest being 47 decibels.
Giving evidence, Mrs Cartwright said she was unable to control the noise she made during sex. "I did not understand why people asked me to be quiet because to me it is normal. I didn't understand where they were coming from," she said. "I have tried to minimise the situation by having sex in the morning - not at night - so the noise was not waking anybody. I may be sympathetic to it but it is not something I am doing on purpose."
A judge at Newcastle Crown Court upheld the original conviction and ordered that the Asbo should stay.
Source:Yahoo!UK
Yahoo!7
November 11, 2009
A woman who claimed a ruling against her sex life breached her human rights has lost an appeal against the order.
Caroline Cartwright, 48, of Tyne and Wear in the UK, claims she is unable to stop the loud shouting and screaming she makes during lovemaking with her husband Steve.
Is this ruling fair?
After neighbours, the local postman and a woman taking her child to school complained about the noise, the Cartwrights were hit with a noise abatement notice.
However, when Mrs Cartwright was convicted of breaching the notice, magistrates made her subject of an anti-social behaviour order as well.
She appealed against her conviction for breaching the noise abatement notice and the making of the Asbo, which bans the couple from "shouting, screaming or vocalisation at such a level as to be a statutory nuisance".
Jobless Mrs Cartwright used Article 8 of the Human Rights Act to argue she had a right to "respect for her private and family life". She also claimed that she could not help making the loud noise during sex with her husband.
The hearing at Newcastle Crown Court heard that the Cartwrights' nightly sex sessions at their home in Hall Road, Concord, Washington, were making their neighbours lives' hell.
Their lovemaking was described as "murder" and "unnatural" and drowned out their neighbours' televisions. Neighbours said the Cartwrights' sex sessions would usually start around midnight and last for two or three hours, every night of the week, the court heard.
Specialist equipment installed in a neighbour's flat by Sunderland City Council recorded noise levels of between 30 to 40 decibels, with the highest being 47 decibels.
Giving evidence, Mrs Cartwright said she was unable to control the noise she made during sex. "I did not understand why people asked me to be quiet because to me it is normal. I didn't understand where they were coming from," she said. "I have tried to minimise the situation by having sex in the morning - not at night - so the noise was not waking anybody. I may be sympathetic to it but it is not something I am doing on purpose."
A judge at Newcastle Crown Court upheld the original conviction and ordered that the Asbo should stay.
Source:Yahoo!UK
Friday, November 6, 2009
Live Your Dreams
What's the main difference between the few who live rich and those who struggle daily to earn a living?
It could just be their capacity to dream.
Dreams are visions of the life you want to live. Dreams drive you to achieve. They make obstacles easy to overcome. They stimulate your creativity and help you invent ways to hurdle seeming impossibilities.
To realize your dreams, to let your plans for the future lead you, your dreams must be clear and vivid. If you've ever driven across Nevada or Utah, you may
have wondered how the pioneers overcame days of trudging through parched desert to reach the dream of California. Their hardships are unimaginable to the modern mind. Without a doubt, they had an overriding desire to reach their destination. They had an unsinkable dream of a better life. In spite of months of exhausting travel, sickness, the loss of cherished possessions, and the death of loved ones, they never lost the vision that put them on their westward path.
Their golden dreams led them to new lives and in many cases, previously unknown wealth. They didn't let privation deter them. Their dreams were stronger than
the struggles along the way.
Unleash the dreamer within you. Set your sights on your own golden future. When you do, you'll barely notice the hurdles you have to clear to reach your
personal finish line. The daunting tasks of networking and tackling business promotion will become welcome stepping-stones to the end you want to
achieve. Each one you conquer will bring you that much closer to your goals.
Success is just a dream away.
courtesy of " a source of inspiration"
It could just be their capacity to dream.
Dreams are visions of the life you want to live. Dreams drive you to achieve. They make obstacles easy to overcome. They stimulate your creativity and help you invent ways to hurdle seeming impossibilities.
To realize your dreams, to let your plans for the future lead you, your dreams must be clear and vivid. If you've ever driven across Nevada or Utah, you may
have wondered how the pioneers overcame days of trudging through parched desert to reach the dream of California. Their hardships are unimaginable to the modern mind. Without a doubt, they had an overriding desire to reach their destination. They had an unsinkable dream of a better life. In spite of months of exhausting travel, sickness, the loss of cherished possessions, and the death of loved ones, they never lost the vision that put them on their westward path.
Their golden dreams led them to new lives and in many cases, previously unknown wealth. They didn't let privation deter them. Their dreams were stronger than
the struggles along the way.
Unleash the dreamer within you. Set your sights on your own golden future. When you do, you'll barely notice the hurdles you have to clear to reach your
personal finish line. The daunting tasks of networking and tackling business promotion will become welcome stepping-stones to the end you want to
achieve. Each one you conquer will bring you that much closer to your goals.
Success is just a dream away.
courtesy of " a source of inspiration"
Sunday, November 1, 2009
The Muslim Does Not Pry Into Matters That Do Not Concern Him
From Abu Hurairah radhiyallah hu ‘anhu who said that Allah’s Messenger, Muhammad pbuh said:
“From the perfection of a person’s Islam is that he leaves alone that which does not concern him”
(Hadith reported by at-Tirmizi, Ibn Majjah and others)
So he halts at his limits and does not exceed or pass beyond them. He knows that prying into that which does not concern him and asking about it is not fitting for him. Rather it is forbidden for him and something he has to avoid. So he complies with Allah’s orders and keeps away from what He has forbidden, since All Of His Actions Are For Allah Only.
“From the perfection of a person’s Islam is that he leaves alone that which does not concern him”
(Hadith reported by at-Tirmizi, Ibn Majjah and others)
So he halts at his limits and does not exceed or pass beyond them. He knows that prying into that which does not concern him and asking about it is not fitting for him. Rather it is forbidden for him and something he has to avoid. So he complies with Allah’s orders and keeps away from what He has forbidden, since All Of His Actions Are For Allah Only.
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