Baby Boomers and Drug-Resistant Gonorrhea

Baby boomers take heed: Drug-resistant gonorrhea may well be a topic of interest or concern to you.

STD Numbers on Upswing for Baby Boomers

A February report by UPI.com revealed that researchers in the United States, Canada and England discovered an upswing in the numbers of baby boomers reporting sexually transmitted diseases, including chlamydia, syphilis and gonorrhea. Researchers theorize that in addition to many people in this age group not practicing safe sex, post-menopausal women are at greater risk for micro-tears due to decreased lubrication, with the tiny tears providing entry portals for the infectious organisms.

Health Care Providers Put on Notice

On Wednesday, the United Nations' health agency, the World Health Organization, put health care providers around the world on notice about being vigilant in their surveillance of the antibiotic-resistant strain of gonorrhea that is expected to eventually be found throughout the world. According to an AP report, the drug-resistant strain of gonorrhea has currently been identified in nations such as Norway, Japan and Britain.

What's the Risk?

Currently, the drug-resistant strain that concerns health experts has been developing a resistance to all the antibiotics currently used to treat this STD. As this strain of gonorrhea continues to develop and mutate, it is likely to become immune to all current treatments, reports Forbes.com. This could result in an incurable form of a sexually transmitted disease that is the second-highest reported communicable disease in the United States.

Bottom Line

Baby boomers didn't have to be concerned about deadly types of STDs during the heyday of their youth, so it can seem like those "teenagers" diseases aren't a concern in mid-life. Safe sex is important for sexually active adults at any age, as well as taking antibiotics for any condition exactly as prescribed to help avoid the development of future "super germs."

Smack dab in the middle of the baby boomer generation, L.L. Woodard is a proud resident of "The Red Man" state. With what he hopes is an everyman's view of life's concerns both in his state and throughout the nation, Woodard presents facts and opinions based on common-sense solutions.

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FDA delays decision on first drug to prevent HIV

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health regulators have delayed a decision on whether to approve the first pill shown to prevent HIV infection, the drug's manufacturer says.

Gilead Sciences disclosed Friday that the Food and Drug Administration will take three more months to review its application for Truvada, after the company submitted additional materials to the agency earlier this month.

In May, a panel of experts recommended approval of the daily pill for healthy people who are at high risk of contracting HIV, including gay and bisexual men. The vote was nonbinding, though the FDA often follows the group's advice.

Gilead said it submitted updated information on its planned safety materials for patients and doctors using the drug. The FDA typically extends its reviews after receiving such information.

The FDA is now expected to rule by Sept. 14, the company said in a statement.

Gilead Sciences Inc., based in Foster City, Calif., has marketed Truvada since 2004 as a treatment for people who are infected with the virus. The medication is a combination of two older HIV drugs, Emtriva and Viread.

Truvada made headlines in 2010, when government researchers showed it could actually prevent people from contracting HIV when used as a precautionary measure. A three-year study found that daily doses cut the risk of infection in healthy gay and bisexual men by 42 percent, when accompanied by condoms and counseling. Last year another study found that Truvada reduced infection by 75 percent in heterosexual couples in which one partner was infected with HIV and the other was not.

An estimated 1.2 million Americans have HIV, which develops into AIDS unless treated with antiviral drugs. AIDS causes the body's immune system to break down, leading to infections which are eventually fatal. Gay and bisexual men account for the majority of cases — nearly two-thirds.

Because Truvada is on the market to manage HIV, some doctors already prescribe it as a preventive measure. FDA approval would allow Gilead Sciences to formally market its drug for that use.

But Truvada's groundbreaking preventive ability has exposed stark disagreements on prevention among those in the HIV community. While Truvada's supporters say the drug is an important new option to stop the spread of AIDS, critics worry that the drug could give users a false sense of security and encourage risky behavior.

Groups including the AIDS Healthcare Foundation have asked the FDA to reject the new indication, saying it could reduce use of condoms, the most consistently reliable prevention against HIV.

The number of new HIV infections in the U.S. has held steady for 15 years at about 50,000 per year. With no vaccine in sight and an estimated 240,000 HIV carriers unaware of their status, most doctors and patients say new methods are needed to fight the spread of the virus.

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Rising Hope for AIDS Cure

WASHINGTON/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Commerce Secretary John Bryson, under investigation for his role in two car crashes in California over the weekend that aides linked to a seizure, said on Monday he will take an immediate medical leave of absence. Neither Bryson, 68, nor the White House disclosed any new information in …

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Top 2012 Fragrances

For 2012, one of the must-have fragrances for men has to be David Beckham’s Instinct Sport. Considered an energetic scent for modern, dynamic men, this fragrance is made up of airy ozone and woody notes that are blended suitably with zippy citrus and spicy ginger. For any male that is enthusiastic about sports and outdoor living, Instinct Sport would be an excellent choice.
Eternity for Men Summer is also a great choice for a men’s fragrance. Dedicated to the romantic individual, this scent is cool and calming with a fresh aroma of chamomile and juniper berries, as well as violet leaf, mimosa, hyacinth and cedar leaf. The added fresh scent of melon gives a pleasing characteristic that denotes freshness and romance.
For her, Heidi Klum’s Summer Shine is an absolute winner for the passionate and happy individual. Entwined with bergamot, lemon, orange as well as passion fruit, sunflower and white heliotrope, this fragrance leaves an unusual and sensual trail. Possibly a good choice for the mysterious woman, this fragrance is sure to turn heads.
Another fragrance that offers a feeling of being irresistible is Beyonce Pulse Summer; one that gives a burst of energy and liveliness. This fragrance is particularly a hit with younger women who are active and enjoy the outdoors, as well as party-goers who love to dance and simply enjoy life!
For both him and her, Davidoff’s Cool Water fragrances guarantee a feeling of energy and power. Cool Water Pure Pacific for him and her are a limited edition set have a blend of citrus and fresh aromatic notes. These fragrances make a great pair as a gift for a couple, or separately for the energetic individual.
These are just a few of the most popular fragrances for 2012, and each of them make superb gifts for yourself or someone close. When choosing the ideal fragrance, remember to pair the notes of the fragrance to the personality and mood of the person for which it is intended whether it be sensual, energetic, mysterious, subtle, powerful, or lively.

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Making Money Online

You have seen the ads. You have received the emails which come from unknown people who want to convince you that you can make $10,000.00 per month doing some sort of task. I'll admit I have not tried most of those suggestions. I was taught that if something seems to good to be true . . . it is. I sent off for one of those "assemble items at home" kits once, but instead of an actual kit, I received a book which listed hundreds, maybe thousands, of businesses I could contact to ask if they had anything I could assemble for them at home. I threw the book away.
I have always worked. I spent several years working outside the home on a part time basis, but my husband and I agreed that our family functioned better when I worked from home. Teaching toddlers and preschoolers (as opposed to teaching in the public school system) from home is better for our family, but I have always felt the need to supplement the family budget. I have sold Home Interiors and Gifts, Avon, Mary Kay, and jewelry. All of those things worked for a while, but finding the time to grow my home based business was a challenge. Once my children started to school, I realized I did not want to be away from them every evening to do presentations. I wanted to be home with my husband and my children who had been at work or in school all day.
It took me a little longer to become acquainted with a computer than most people, but when I finally made friends with technology, I discovered several ways to make money online.
None of these suggestions will make you a wealthy person. You probably will not make enough money to quit your current job and some of them are more time consuming than others. However, with a little bit of work and dedication, you can certainly pad your family budget. You will discover ways to generate income which will be paid to your PayPal or bank accounts. You will discover a way to use coupons so that you get the coupon discount and cash back for using them. You will discover ways to shop online so that you receive cash back for your purchases. These suggestions take a little time and planning, but these are the ones that have worked for me.

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Benefits of SEO

Search engine optimization has its benefits.
Here are some of them: Proper search engine optimization leads to high rankings for your desired keyword phrase which means more traffic to your website. More traffic means you can make more money from your efforts.
Having high rankings and high Pagerank leads to more trust. People are willing to trust the websites that rank on the first pages of a search engine more than those with lower rankings.
Higher rankings means you have a better chance of getting linked to from other websites without having to ask which in turn increases the strength of your site's optimization.

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Long-term contraception, as IUD, more effective: study

Women who choose birth control pills, the patch or vaginal ring are 20 times more likely to have an unplanned pregnancy than those using long-term methods such as IUDs and implants, a study released Wednesday found.

Among young women under 21 who chose the pill, the patch or vaginal ring, the risk of unintended pregnancy is almost twice as high as that for older women, according to researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

The study, carried out on 7,500 participants between the ages of 14 and 45, appears in the May 24 New England Journal of Medicine.

"This study is the best evidence we have that long-acting reversible methods are far superior to the birth control pill, patch and ring," says senior author and OBGYN Jeffrey Peipert.

Intrauterine devices "and implants are more effective because women can forget about them after clinicians put the devices in place."

Unplanned pregnancies remain a major health problem in the United States. About three million pregnancies per year -- half of all pregnancies -- are unplanned, very high for a developed nation.

"We know that IUDs and implants have very low failure rates of less than one percent," said lead author Brooke Winner. "But although IUDs are very effective and have been proven safe in women and adolescents, they only are chosen by 5.5 percent of women in the United States who use contraception."

IUDs are inserted by a nurse or doctor, but few women can easily afford them as the cost can reach around $500.

However "when IUDs and implants are provided at no cost, about 75 percent of women chose these methods for birth control," Winner added.

That means that greater use of longer acting contraceptive methods by teens and young women could prevent substantially more unplanned pregnancies.

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