Erectile dysfunction: A cue to heart attack

Erectile dysfunction is the best predictor of cardiovascular risk in men, according to an expert.

Erectile dysfunction gives early warning of a heart attack (Getty Images)Dr Geoffrey Hackett from the Good Hope Hospital in Birmingham says that erectile dysfunction gives a two to three year early warning of a heart attack.

However, the link between erectile dysfunction and the risk of heart disease is being ignored by doctors, adds Hackett. It is well known that erectile dysfunction – a symptom of vascular disease in the smaller arteries – doubles the risk of heart disease, a risk equivalent to being a moderate smoker or having an immediate family history of heart disease. Erectile dysfunction in type 2 diabetes has been shown to be a better predictor of the risk of heart disease than high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

However, despite this considerable evidence erectile dysfunction is still treated as a recreational or ‘lifestyle issue’ rather than a predictor of a serious health problem, says Hackett.

He says that the British government has pledged to reduce the death rate from coronary heart disease and stroke and related diseases in people under 75 by at least 40 percent by 2010, yet there is no screening for erectile dysfunction in patients with diabetes or heart disease.

"Continuing to ignore these issues on the basis that cardiologists feel uncomfortable mentioning the word 'erection' to their patients or that they may have to deal with the management of a positive response, is no longer acceptable and possibly, based on current evidence, clinically negligent," Bmj.com quoted him, as saying.

How to de-stress your sex-life

Do you feel that stress is squeezing the fun out of your bedroom life?

How to make your life stress-free (Getty Images)If yes, then you can bring back the action, courtesy tips provided by sex educator and relationship expert Dr. Yvonne Kristin Fulbright.

According to the expert, many couples become frustrated, even panicky, when their sex lives go to the wayside during stressful times. When it comes to the factor that governs a person's sex life, it's personality, reports Fox News. Fulbright says that how an individual's sex life fares depends on whether he tries to get closer to his partner in tragic times or wants to be totally alone and if he's the withdrawing sorts, then it can create misunderstandings in the relationship.

In order to avoid any such misunderstandings and still keep sex life full of fun and passion, Fulbright has suggested that couples need to establish a common ground and mutual understanding during stressful times. Also, they should make an effort to stay connected during life's highs and lows, because if they don't, it could lead to dire consequences.

And in case, sex is not on mind and also the time to be spent in the sack is less, then a person can try the following:

1. Showing appreciation for one another. Giving compliments, for example, is a simple way of expressing affection and letting your partner know that he or she is still being noticed and loved. 2. Talking daily. Chat during dinner or at bedtime. Conversations foster bonding by providing support. It's also important for couples to check in with each other, showing concern and care for one another's well-being with simple statements like, "Tell me about your day." 3. Staying positive . Bite your tongue if you're about to complain. Stressful situations are hard enough to deal with. Don't add to it if you can avoid doing so. 4. Believing in your future together. Stressful times can make lovers doubt their ability to stay together for the long haul. Insecurity issues that arise can only make matters more difficult. Making plans is one way to indicate that you're feeling secure about your future. 5. Helping each other with responsibilities . Approaching tasks with a team effort provides a greater sense of being in ‘this’ together. 6. Balancing ‘alone time’ and ‘together time.’

Create a sensual atmosphere, for example, soothing scents, dim lights, delicious food, and relaxing music to help you unwind. 7. Getting creative in how you'll be intimate . Redefine your definition of sexual intimacy when needed; try a simple body massage. Not to forget, lovers should make it a point to give in to one another's requests for intimacy whenever possible, as it might just prove to be a big stress-buster. In fact, sex has many physical and emotional benefits, which may help in boosting your desire for more sex and emotional intimacy.

Sex can easily take your mind off of your worries. Also, patience is the key to get your sex life back on track. One should make sure that your relationship, in general, doesn't get neglected.

A lot can actually happen over coffee

A lot can happen over a cup of hot coffee, say researchers, who have found that people judged others to be more generous and caring if they had

A lot can happen over a cup of hot coffee. (Getty Images)just held a warm drink in their hand. The study led by Yale University psychologists suggests that simply handling a hot cup of coffee can change one's attitude toward a stranger. "The basic scientific implication is about exploring the link between the physical world and the psychological world," said CU-Boulder Assistant Professor Lawrence E. Williams. "'
It's at the same time subtle and very powerful, a repeated association of physical warmth that is learned over a lifetime," he added. Psychologists have long noted the importance of warm physical contact with caregivers in developing healthy relationships as adults. Williams and John A. Bargh, a professor of psychology at Yale and co-author, decided to test the impact of warmth on the perceptions of adults. During the study, the researchers casually asked that the undergraduate test subjects briefly hold either a warm cup of coffee or iced coffee as they wrote down information.

The subjects were then given a packet of information about an individual, and asked to assess his or her personality traits. The participants assessed the person as significantly "warmer" if they had previously held the warm cup of coffee rather than the iced cup of coffee. In a second study, they showed people are more likely to give something to others if they had just held something warm, and more likely take something for themselves if they held something cold.

The participants held heated or frozen therapeutic packs as part of a product evaluation study, and were then were told they could receive a gift certificate for a friend or a gift for themselves. Those who held the hot pack were more likely to ask for the gift certificate, while those who held the frozen pack tended to keep the gift.

"It appears that the effect of physical temperature is not just on how we see others, it affects our own behaviour as well," said Bargh. "Physical warmth can make us see others as warmer people, but also cause us to be warmer – more generous and trusting – as well," he added.

Combat depression, the spiritual way

Those who simply pray or meditate are more likely to keep depression at bay, compared to the people who frequently visit church and offer religiousKeep depression at bay (Getty images)
services, suggest a new study.

The new research led by Temple University researchers has revealed that a person''s religiousness – also called religiosity – can offer insight into their risk for depression. In the study involving 918 participants, lead researcher Joanna Maselko, Sc.D., characterized the religiosity in three domains.

Religious service attendance, which refers to being involved with a church; religious well-being, which refers to the quality of a person''s relationship with a higher power; and existential well-being, which refers to a person''s sense of meaning and their purpose in life. They found that those who attended religious services were 30 percent less likely to have had depression in their lifetime.

Maselko said that involvement in the church provides the opportunity for community interaction, which could help forge attachments to others, an important factor in preventing depression. On the other hand, those who had high levels of existential well-being were 70 percent less likely to have had depression than those who had low levels of existential well-being.

The group with higher levels of religious well-being were 1.5 times more likely to have had depression than those with lower levels of religious well-being. "People with high levels of existential well-being tend to have a good base, which makes them very centred emotionally," said Maselko.

"People who don''t have those things are at greater risk for depression, and those same people might also turn to religion to cope." She said that those with higher levels of existential-well being have a strong sense of their place in the world. The study is published on-line this month in Psychological Medicine.