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The risk of some men sexually abusing children could be quickly reduced by a drug that lowers testosterone levels, researchers have found.

The team behind the project, which was put up for crowdfunding four years ago, said the drug degarelix acetate produced the results in men with paedophilic disorder in just two weeks. The drug was developed as a treatment for prostate cancer treatment and blocks the production of testosterone.

We finally have something to offer that has a quick-acting effect, said Dr Christoffer Rahm, a psychiatrist and researcher at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, who led the study.

Rahm said the project is aimed at preventing risk to children, as well as improving the lives of men experiencing attraction to minors an approach he says complements the work of police and others.

While such interventions, sometimes known as chemical castration, can be controversial, Rahm said the most controversial thing was not to do research in the field. I think we should put more energy into investigating this field from a scientific perspective and from a medical, psychiatric perspective, he said.

The new study, published in the journal Jama Psychiatry, reports how the team recruited 52 men from callers to a national telephone helpline called PrevenTell, which helps people who self-identify as having unwanted sexuality, who were subsequently diagnosed with paedophilic disorder.

The team assessed the mens risk of committing child abuse, using a mix of self-reporting and psychological testing, taking into account a range of issues from sexual preoccupation to impaired self-regulation.

The researchers then put the men into two groups, one of which received two injections of a placebo while the other group received two injections of degarelix acetate, with the men unaware of which they received. Two weeks later, the mens risk of committing child abuse was re-assessed.

The team found that, relative to the placebo group, the men treated with degarelix acetate showed a fall in risk level, in particular showing a reduction in high sexual desire and attraction to children, although not impaired self-regulation. The effects were still present, if not stronger, at 10 weeks, with many men saying they wanted to continue with the medication.

The drop was only deemed clinically significant in the small number of participants who were originally classified as at high risk of child sex abuse.

Dr Michelle Degli Esposti of the University of Oxford, who was not involved in the work, said developing effective treatments for individuals with paedophilic disorder was important. But she cautioned that the study involved only a small, self-selected group of men.

Also the study did not look directly at whether the drug reduces the occurrence of child sexual abuse itself, said Degli Esposti, adding: This limits the generalisability of the findings and its potential wider benefits in tackling child sexual abuse.

She said the study also raised ethical questions, asking: Should we be focusing on medicating individuals who have sexual desire for children and, if so, do we expect these individuals to take drugs that have known side-effects? Or should we instead be focusing on tackling the upstream societal and structural factors that place children at risk of being sexually abused?

It may not be a question of either/or, and such questions go beyond the findings of this specific study, but it is important to consider the implications of medicalising profound societal problems such as child sexual abuse.

Donald Grubin, emeritus professor of forensic psychiatry at Newcastle University, said other drugs are already used to reduce testosterone levels, while the findings of the new study need to be replicated.

But, he said, the trial is well designed and degarelix acetate appears to act faster than current drugs although safety and efficacy must be explored further. Like Degli Esposti, he noted that the study looked at changes in sexual thinking, not sexual offending, saying: While it is reasonable to expect the former to impact the latter, this is very difficult to demonstrate given the long follow-up time required to do so and a reluctance to prescribe high risk sex offenders with a placebo in a community setting.

Read the original here:
New drug 'cuts risk of men abusing children within weeks' - The Guardian

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Erectile dysfunction may be more than a sexual problem, it could also be an early sign of cardiovascular disease resulting from clogged arteries or CVD which can impede the blood flow necessary to create an erection, according to research.

Men having an issue with sexual performance or those suffering with erectile dysfunction may be wise to consider getting their heart health checked out, as a recent study published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society suggests that ED could also be a sign of a mans risk for cardiovascular disease and an even an early death; this risk exists regardless of testosterone levels.

ED also known as impotence is typically characterized by the inability to develop or maintain an erection of the penis during sexual arousal and/or activity; it occurs more often in older men and it is more often linked to low levels of testosterone. Low levels of testosterone have been linked to a higher risk of death in middle aged-older men in previous studies, but the results have been inconsistent.

Dr. Leen Antonio of KU Leuven-University Hospitals in Belgium, the lead researcher on the new study, examined the relationship between hormone levels and male sexual function, to find that having erectile dysfunction is a bigger issue than having low testosterone levels.

As both vascular disease and low testosterone levels can influence erectile function, sexual symptoms can be an early sign for increased cardiovascular risk and mortality, said Antonio.

Data was analyzed from close to 2,000 men between the ages of 40-79 in five medical centers to examine the relationship between their hormone measurements and sexual function. 25% of the study participants died during the average follow up period of 12.4 years; of which those with normal testosterone levels and erectile dysfunction had a 51% increased risk of death than those without. Men with low testosterone levels and sexual symptoms were also found to have an increased risk of death compared to those with normal levels and no sexual symptoms.

The increased risk of early death was found in men with sexual symptoms including erectile dysfunction and poor morning erections, but this association was not found with having a low libido and a higher risk of early death.

Erectile dysfunction may result from clogged arteries or cardiovascular disease which can impede the blood flow required to create an erection, and this is why ED regardless of testosterone levels can indicate a risk for heart disease and early death.

Blood vessels that provide blood for an erection are smaller than the coronary arteries, which means that if there is a buildup of plaque in the arteries, blood flow in the penile vessels may be affected earlier than in the coronary arteries, according to Dr. Antonio.

There are also other possible causes of erectile dysfunction which includes but is not limited to certain medications, smoking, alcohol consumption, temperatures, certain conditions, sleeping disorders, stress, anxiety, depression, illicit drugs, illnesses, accidents, nerve damage, and nerve problems from prostate surgery.

Erectile dysfunction can be treated and prevented for some by practicing a healthy lifestyle which includes exercise, managing stress, getting enough sleep, and following a healthy balanced diet. Treating risk factors for heart disease such as smoking, obesity, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol may help to prevent sexual dysfunction, according to research.

Dr. Antonio suggests that sexual symptoms could be an early warning sign of a poor or worsening health status, as well as an increased risk for cardiovascular disease and mortality; this means that it is important to discuss sexual symptoms with your physician to identify and treat other cardiovascular risk factors or apparent cardiovascular disease.

Excerpt from:
Erectile Dysfunction May Be An Early Sign Of CVD - Anti Aging News

Sex has a slew of health benefits, like keeping your immune system in check, lowering your blood pressure, and it totally counts as exercise. But sometimes we're just too tired to make the effort. Enter aphrodisiacs. The science is mixed on whether they alone can get you in the mood but some foods have long been considered the antidote to a lost libido. (Herbs like basil, mint, and saffron were banned in medieval Spain because they were used in "love potions," for real!) We say it couldn't hurt. Here are 13 foods to make your next meal a frisky one.

Asparagus is high in vitamin E, which can increase blood and oxygen flow to your privates (ahem), and also high in potassium, which can increase your body's production of sex hormones. Make it with garlic (another rumored aphrodisiac) in this Keto Cheesy Garlic Roasted Asparagus Recipe or any one of these asparagus recipes.

Salmon is high in omega-3 fatty acids, which is great for your heart and your libido (it creates the building blocks for estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone production). Walnuts are also an excellent source of omega-3s, which make this Walnut-Crusted Salmon recipe a win-win.

Give this mild-tasting summertime veggie a try with blackeyed peas or on pizza in our roundup of Okra recipes. Okra, AKA gumbo or ladies' fingers, is rich in antioxidants and magnesium, which can help you naturally relax (and perhaps get in the mood), while nutrients like iron, folate, zinc, and vitamin B are also beneficial to the health of male and female sex organs.

Cherries contain anthocyanins, which are antioxidants that reduce inflammation and help keep your sex drive healthy in which case, we'll have two of these Mini Heart Cherry Pies!

One study found that pistachios could help the male sex drive. Serve up some sweet and savory recipes from our pistachio recipe roundup or your next celebratory or romantic night (or if you're just in the mood for pistachios!).

Oysters are high in zinc, which can improve the overall health and sex drive of someone deficient in it. They also contain dopamine, the brain chemical that boosts desire. These Deep Fried Oysters are perfect as an appetizer or dessert to (ahem) the main course.

Celery has a way with women; that is, it contains a small amount of androstenone, a male pheromone. Eat it from the stalk, in a juice or try it in this hearty Weeknight Beef Stew!

Saffron has been used to reduce stress, enhance mood and has been shown to act as an aphrodisiac in men and women who take antidepressants. Learn how to use saffron in the kitchen and try out recipes like paella (mmm) in our saffron recipe roundup.

Figs are high in amino acids, which can boost sexual stamina and libido. Drop them in your next cocktail with these fancy fig cocktail recipes..

There are many more foods that could get you in the amorous mood (ginseng, apples, honey and more), but in general if you're happy and healthy (and well-rested!) your chances of getting it on are quite good. Still, tasty foods and drinks never hurt for a fun night in!

Here is the original post:
Aphrodisiacs and (Hot) Recipes to Get You in the Mood - Brit + Co

Gender differences exist in many health conditions, and COVID-19 is no different. It appears that with regards to the novel coronavirus, mens health is less robust.

This global phenomenon is particularly visible in some countries. In Thailand, males account for a massive 81% of COVID-19 related deaths, in England and Wales, its 61%.

What are the reasons for the considerable difference between the sexes? We spoke to Dr Anthony Kaveh, MD, physician anesthesiologist, and integrative medicine specialist.

Men are disproportionately affected by COVID-19 than women. From preliminary data, possible reasons include behavioural, baseline health, and genetic differences between men and women, says Dr Kaveh.

Lets look at what we know about COVID-19 infections among men and women. But first, a little about how and why the sexes are different.

Men and women have vastly different biological characteristics, that develop thanks to our chromosomes. A chromosome is a bundle of coiled DNA, found in the nucleus of almost every cell in the body. Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes.

The sex chromosomes determine whether you develop as a male or female.

In humans, women have two larger X chromosomes (XX), whereas men have a single X chromosome and a much smaller Y chromosome (XY) that has relatively fewer gene copies.

When an embryo is developing in the womb, these chromosomes dictate the future sex of the baby.

One of the genes found on the Y chromosomes, the SRY gene, starts testicular development in an XY embryo. The testicles begin to make testosterone which directs the embryo to develop as a male.

In an XX embryo, there is no SRY gene, so instead, an ovary develops which makes female hormones.

This basic, biological variation between the sexes can affect COVID-19 infection rates.

Although essential for male health, testosterone levels are also linked to a range of medical conditions.

Men are five times more likely to suffer an aortic aneurysm and three times more likely to develop kidney stones. Men also tend to die at a younger age than women.

Oestrogen is a predominantly female hormone that provides protective effects from conditions, including heart disease. Men cannot benefit from its positive health effects, as they only produce low levels.

However, Dr Kaveh says that The immunologic effects of oestrogen in protecting against COVID-19 are theoretical and dont yet provide a mechanism to explain our observations.

Oestrogen is a predominantly female hormone that provides protective effects from conditions.

Testosterone could have a role to play in COVID-19 infection rates. High levels of testosterone can suppress an immune response. Researchers found that women and men with lower levels of testosterone had higher antibody responses to an influenza vaccine.

The X chromosome has about 900 genes, the Y chromosome, just 55. Women have a genetic advantage with two X chromosomes because if there is a mutation in one, the other gene provides a buffer.

Men have more sex-linked diseases such as the blood clotting disorder, haemophilia, and suffer from an increased rate of metabolic disorders. The protective XX effect explains why male death rates are frequently higher.

The female immune system is stronger.

The female immune system is stronger. Concerning COVID-19 infections, Dr Kaveh says Genetic factors are often considered, including the more active female immune system. While a more active immune system would make sense to protect against COVID-19, it would be expected to worsen the cytokine storm we observe in severe COVID-19 infection.

However, there is no evidence to support that cytokine storms, which are potentially lethal, excessive immune responses, are more common in women.

If more men are testing positive for COVD-19, could the simple reason be that more men are tested than women? In fact, it seems the opposite is true.

Within the context of our early statistics, women are tested more frequently than men, but men have more positive tests. This may reflect a male stoicism that leads to delayed care, says Dr Kaveh.

Men are not as likely as women to seek medical attention. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that women were 33% more likely than men to visit a doctor, even excluding pregnancy-related visits.

Women are tested more frequently than men, but men have more positive tests.

It seems like the reason for higher infection and death statistics in men is not due to a bias in testing.

Obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and smoking are also predictors of COVID-19 hospitalisation, but the breakdown is difficult to correlate, said Dr Kaveh.

People of either sex are more likely to suffer from complications from coronavirus if they have certain pre-existing health conditions, or engage in behaviours such as smoking and excessive alcohol consumption.

These health conditions and behaviours tend to be more common in men, which could affect the imbalance that we see in COVID-19 infections.

The association between risk factors and infection rate are not yet fully understood. For example, hypertension is more common in men until menopause, at which point female rates quickly rise, explains Dr Kaveh. In this case, we should be seeing an increase in the COVID-19 infection rate for women who have reached menopausal age, yet this is not the case.

The association between risk factors and infection rate are not yet fully understood.

Obesity, a risk factor for diabetes, affects women more than men globally. However, diabetes is slightly more prevalent in men. These comorbid conditions dont fully explain the COVID-19 observations, and neither does smoking, says Dr Kaveh.

Smoking is a risk factor for all respiratory diseases and also of lung cancer which is another COVID-19 risk factor.

In China, about 50% of men smoke and only 2% of women. These figures could contribute to the high ratio of male deaths which are more than double the rate of female deaths.

These differences in smoking and death rates are not as extreme in other countries. Risky behaviour cannot fully explain sex bias in COVID-19 infections.

As yet, it seems like there is no definitive answer as to why more men are suffering severe COVID-19 infections. More research is needed.

We are still very early in our global epidemiological observations of COVID-19. More complete data in the coming months will hopefully provide more clues to explain our observations, concluded Dr Kaveh.

Last updated: 30-04-2020

Link:
Coronavirus deaths: why are more men dying from COVID-19 than women? - Netdoctor

From Netdoctor

Gender differences exist in many health conditions, and COVID-19 is no different. It appears that with regards to the novel coronavirus, mens health is less robust.

This global phenomenon is particularly visible in some countries. In Thailand, males account for a massive 81% of COVID-19 related deaths, in England and Wales, its 61%.

What are the reasons for the considerable difference between the sexes? We spoke to Dr Anthony Kaveh, MD, physician anesthesiologist, and integrative medicine specialist.

Men are disproportionately affected by COVID-19 than women. From preliminary data, possible reasons include behavioural, baseline health, and genetic differences between men and women, says Dr Kaveh.

Lets look at what we know about COVID-19 infections among men and women. But first, a little about how and why the sexes are different.

Men and women have vastly different biological characteristics, that develop thanks to our chromosomes. A chromosome is a bundle of coiled DNA, found in the nucleus of almost every cell in the body. Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes.

The sex chromosomes determine whether you develop as a male or female.

In humans, women have two larger X chromosomes (XX), whereas men have a single X chromosome and a much smaller Y chromosome (XY) that has relatively fewer gene copies.

When an embryo is developing in the womb, these chromosomes dictate the future sex of the baby.

One of the genes found on the Y chromosomes, the SRY gene, starts testicular development in an XY embryo. The testicles begin to make testosterone which directs the embryo to develop as a male.

In an XX embryo, there is no SRY gene, so instead, an ovary develops which makes female hormones.

This basic, biological variation between the sexes can affect COVID-19 infection rates.

Although essential for male health, testosterone levels are also linked to a range of medical conditions.

Men are five times more likely to suffer an aortic aneurysm and three times more likely to develop kidney stones. Men also tend to die at a younger age than women.

Oestrogen is a predominantly female hormone that provides protective effects from conditions, including heart disease. Men cannot benefit from its positive health effects, as they only produce low levels.

However, Dr Kaveh says that The immunologic effects of oestrogen in protecting against COVID-19 are theoretical and dont yet provide a mechanism to explain our observations.

Testosterone could have a role to play in COVID-19 infection rates. High levels of testosterone can suppress an immune response. Researchers found that women and men with lower levels of testosterone had higher antibody responses to an influenza vaccine.

The X chromosome has about 900 genes, the Y chromosome, just 55. Women have a genetic advantage with two X chromosomes because if there is a mutation in one, the other gene provides a buffer.

Men have more sex-linked diseases such as the blood clotting disorder, haemophilia, and suffer from an increased rate of metabolic disorders. The protective XX effect explains why male death rates are frequently higher.

The female immune system is stronger. Concerning COVID-19 infections, Dr Kaveh says Genetic factors are often considered, including the more active female immune system. While a more active immune system would make sense to protect against COVID-19, it would be expected to worsen the cytokine storm we observe in severe COVID-19 infection.

However, there is no evidence to support that cytokine storms, which are potentially lethal, excessive immune responses, are more common in women.

If more men are testing positive for COVD-19, could the simple reason be that more men are tested than women? In fact, it seems the opposite is true.

Within the context of our early statistics, women are tested more frequently than men, but men have more positive tests. This may reflect a male stoicism that leads to delayed care, says Dr Kaveh.

Men are not as likely as women to seek medical attention. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that women were 33% more likely than men to visit a doctor, even excluding pregnancy-related visits.

Story continues

It seems like the reason for higher infection and death statistics in men is not due to a bias in testing.

Obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and smoking are also predictors of COVID-19 hospitalisation, but the breakdown is difficult to correlate, said Dr Kaveh.

People of either sex are more likely to suffer from complications from coronavirus if they have certain pre-existing health conditions, or engage in behaviours such as smoking and excessive alcohol consumption.

These health conditions and behaviours tend to be more common in men, which could affect the imbalance that we see in COVID-19 infections.

The association between risk factors and infection rate are not yet fully understood. For example, hypertension is more common in men until menopause, at which point female rates quickly rise, explains Dr Kaveh. In this case, we should be seeing an increase in the COVID-19 infection rate for women who have reached menopausal age, yet this is not the case.

Obesity, a risk factor for diabetes, affects women more than men globally. However, diabetes is slightly more prevalent in men. These comorbid conditions dont fully explain the COVID-19 observations, and neither does smoking, says Dr Kaveh.

Smoking is a risk factor for all respiratory diseases and also of lung cancer which is another COVID-19 risk factor.

In China, about 50% of men smoke and only 2% of women. These figures could contribute to the high ratio of male deaths which are more than double the rate of female deaths.

These differences in smoking and death rates are not as extreme in other countries. Risky behaviour cannot fully explain sex bias in COVID-19 infections.

As yet, it seems like there is no definitive answer as to why more men are suffering severe COVID-19 infections. More research is needed.

We are still very early in our global epidemiological observations of COVID-19. More complete data in the coming months will hopefully provide more clues to explain our observations, concluded Dr Kaveh.

Last updated: 30-04-2020

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Coronavirus deaths: why are more men dying from COVID-19 than women? - Yahoo Style

The novel coronavirus seems to be killing more men than women.

The trend was first noticed in China, experts say, and the higher COVID-19 death rate for men has since been documented in 33 countries, including Germany, Spain and South Korea. But experts dont know whats causing the gap. Is it biological, some quirk of cells and hormones? Is it the result of gendered behaviors that have more to do with sociology than sex chromosomes? Lets break down whats going on, because experts say mens risk level depends on what risks (and which men) youre talking about.

While men account for the majority of COVID-19 cases in some countries but a minority of cases in others, they consistently make up the majority of deaths. Out of 35 countries that have reported their COVID deaths in ways that break out victims by sex, 33 had a male-female death ratio greater than 1, meaning men who were confirmed to have the disease were more likely to die than women who were confirmed to have it, according to data compiled by Global Health 50/50, a independent health equity research organization based at University College London. So far, the mortality disadvantage for men is quite large, said Jennifer Dowd, a professor of demography and population health at the University of Oxford.

Share of COVID-19 patients who died, by gender

Numbers in this table come from different dates, depending on the country and how frequently it updates its publicly available data. Most of the data is dated to April 26-29, though a few countries numbers are from earlier in April. Chinas data is from Feb. 28 and Irans is from March 17.

Source: Global Health 50/50

This dynamic isnt new to medicine. Women have stronger adaptive immune responses and die less of infectious disease their entire lives, starting from infant mortality, Dowd said. In general, womens bodies kick out bacterial and viral invaders faster than mens do, and vaccines work better for women than for men.

To see why, look to hormones and genetics, said Sabra Klein, professor of microbiology and immunology at Johns Hopkins University. Sex hormones appear to play a role determining how well human bodies can fight off disease. In general, estrogens amp up the immune system, while androgens (like testosterone) and progesterone suppress it. Hormones have to interact with cells to do their jobs, Klein said, so cells have a lock and hormones have the key to get in. And, turns out, every immune cell in your body has these kinds of lock-and-key receptors.

Sex chromosomes also play a role. The X chromosome, for example, has 60 genes associated with immune function. Most biological males are born with one X chromosome, but those immune-boosting genes tend to be expressed more frequently in women, who generally have two X chromosomes, Klein said.

But if youre tempted to think those sex differences boil down to men are more likely to die from infectious disease, Klein cautioned that the generalization is not true across the board. Sex differentiation in influenza has been pretty well studied, she told me, and, in that case, womens more aggressive immune systems dont give us an advantage. Having too much of an inflammatory immune response to the flu can actually increase your risk of complications including acute respiratory distress syndrome, when the lungs tiny air sacs, called alveoli, are damaged and fill with fluid. Reproductive-age women do worse, not better, Klein said.

But while researchers know a decent amount about sex differences in influenza, the novel coronavirus is, yes, novel. Any research on it is a work in progress, proceeding without full data. That starts with basic documentation.

On April 28th, the United States had reported 57,318 deaths from the novel coronavirus, but only 31,586 of those deaths had been reported in ways that allowed Global Health 50/50 to break them down by sex. None of the researchers I spoke with knew why that data isnt getting reported. But without it, theyre left to a lot of guesswork and speculation. Its safe to assume that deaths in the U.S. are probably following the patterns seen in many other countries but we dont know for sure that thats true.

Then theres the fact that the variations in how this virus affects people probably isnt just about whats in their chromosomes or hormones. Its also about sociological gender the attitudes, stereotypes and norms that shape the ways people behave and the choices they make.

For example, a 2016 meta-analysis showed that women are about 50 percent more likely than men to start using non-pharmaceutical protective behaviors during a pandemic things like wearing face masks or avoiding public transit. Men, meanwhile, were about 12 percent more likely than women to sign up for vaccines, take antiviral medication, or use other pharmaceutical interventions. Those differences in behavior arent determined by biology, but they could help create variations in how a virus affects men and women.

Rosemary Morgan, a scientist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health who studies how gender and sex interact with public health, thinks these kinds of effects are happening with COVID-19. But how and to what extent thats unknown. It also probably differs from country to country, thanks to the way gender norms also arent consistent everywhere you go.

Case in point: When data on sex disparities in COVID-19 deaths first began to come in from China, it wasnt clear that the differences in death rates there would mean other counties were going to experience the same thing. Thats because China has particularly gendered smoking habits, Dowd told me. In a 2010 study, 54 percent of Chinese men surveyed were current smokers. In contrast, the same study found that less than 3 percent of Chinese women currently smoked. Although sex differences in COVID-19 death rates have cropped up again in other countries, its likely that this gender disparity in smoking plays a role in why 64 percent of Chinas COVID-19 deaths have been among men even though men account for right around half of Chinas confirmed cases.

Gender norms may also influence the niches where women are getting the disease more than men, despite mens higher death rates. When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at the characteristics of health care workers who have contracted COVID-19, it found that 73 percent were women. Why are female health care workers getting infected at much higher rates? Part of it likely has to do with their higher odds of exposure.

Nurses jobs put them in close physical contact with patients who have COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, and more than 70 percent of nurses are women. Meanwhile, the personal protective equipment meant to help keep medical workers safe often isnt designed with women in mind. Gloves can be too large. Masks dont always fit womens faces with a tight seal. Gender dynamics could be putting a largely female workforce in harms way.

In the end, regardless of your sex or your gender the risks you face from COVID-19 are probably somewhat unique to you. But if we want to figure out just what, exactly, those risks are, were going to need more data.

More:
Why Are More Men Than Women Dying Of COVID-19? - FiveThirtyEight

A coalition of international womens groups have signed a petition urging the International Olympic Committee to suspend their guidelines allowing transgender athletes from competing in womens sports.

Save Womens Sports spearheaded the petition Monday, pushing the IOC to re-evaluate their transgender participation guidelines, which permit biological males who identify as female to participate in womens sports.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games were postponed until July 2021. The IOC announced that it would wait until after the Olympics to publish new guidelines on transgender athletes.

Save Womens Sports is urging the IOC to use the delay as an opportunity to re-examine the policies allowing transgendered people to compete in womens sports, which the group says has potentially devastating effects and discriminates against women on the basis of sex.

I looked at the IOC standards in 2015 thinking it would be the gold standard, Linda Blade, a co-founder of Save Womens Sports told the Daily Caller. And out of the blue they decided a man can self-identify as a woman and live like a woman and decrease testosterone a little bit, which is still more than what females are allowed to have, and just go into Olympic sports.

(Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)

Guidelines established in 2015 allow some biologically male athletes to compete in female events if those athletes maintain testosterone levels below 10 nanomoles per liter (nmol/L) for no less than 12 months. Athletes who transition from male to female can compete in the womens category without requiring surgery to remove their testes.

This level is still an order of magnitude higher than the average testosterone level in most females. Most womens testosterone is in the range of 0.0-3.0 nmol/L, Save Womens Sports said.

Mens testosterone levels are typically between 7.7 and 29.4 nmol/L.

There just wont be female sports anymore if theres also male bodies, Blade said.

Blade, who has been involved in athletics for most of her life and competed in track at the University of Maryland in the 80s, fears for the future of womens sports if biological males are allowed to compete alongside women.

Beth Stelzer, an amateur powerlifter and the founder of Save Womens Sports, warns that if we continue to allow males to compete as females in the Olympics, There will be mens Olympics, there will be co-ed Olympics, but there will no longer be womens Olympics.

The two women are not alone. Since launching the petition, theyve garnered signatures from people of 28 countries, and formed a coalition of womens organizations who back the effort.

Blade, who is the head of a Canadian athletic organization based in Alberta, describes how the Olympic Committee doesnt represent the views of the majority of people she knows athletes and parents who are concerned about the future of fair sports for women.

This is temporary virtue signaling where executives can pretend like theyre being woke and do all the virtuous stuff with the latest ideology, but we are delivering sport on the ground, she said.

Biology has taken a backseat to the ideology of a very small minority, she explains.

Sport is beautiful because it doesnt matter if youre Christian or Muslim, or Republican or Democrat. You leave your ideology at home and everybody goes on the track and competes on the basis of biology.

We dont pick a sport category on basis of religion or politics or any other ideology, and gender ideology is just that, an ideology. How in the world could we pick a sport category on the basis of ideology?

(Photo by Atsushi Tomura/Getty Images)

Concerned Women for America, a legislative action committee based in Washington, D.C., also supported the effort to change the IOC guidelines allowing transgender athletes to compete in womens Olympics sports. Doreen Denny told the Caller that theyre standing with women and girl athletes around the world whove been sidelined by political activism.

Female athletes are being forced to compete on an unfair playing field when males identifying as women are allowed to compete against them in womens sports, she said. The IOC policy denies the inherent advantages of male physiology and refutes scientific research proving that the distinction of sex matters in sports.

The topic of transgender athletes competing as the gender they identify has not only faced backlash at the Olympic level, but also at the high school level. Last month, Attorney General William Barr signed a statement of interest arguing against a policy allowing transgender athletes to compete in Connecticut high school sports s the gender they identify.

The move to involve the Justice Department comes after the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference argued that athletes can be allowed to compete as the gender they identify in accordance with state law.

Multiple female track stars files a lawsuit against the CIAC and several other local boards of education, alleging that two transgender athletes in particular have taken away titles from biological females. (RELATED: Attorney General Barr Gets Involved In Connecticut Transgender Athletes Case)

Alanna Smith spoke to the Daily Caller about a lawsuit filed to prevent transgender athletes from competing in her sport. (Screenshot Twitter: Shelby Talcott)

Denny says female athletes are confused, defeated, and increasingly angry in response to the policies.

Girls are saying whats the point if this is how its going to be? Many are too scared to speak up. Female athletes know their opportunities are on the line. They are being silenced by a cancel culture that is denying women the dignity, status, and equal opportunity that our laws and policies should affirm and protect.

Women fought long and hard to achieve the right to vote 100 years ago. Today we find ourselves having to fight over the meaning of sex and our status as women, she added.

Blade and Stelzer said the petition has amassed support from individuals and groups from all sides of the political spectrum, including left-leaning feminists and those who lean conservative.

This an incredible experience seeing these people from all backgrounds and beliefs come together to protect the definition of woman, Stelzer told the Caller. Fairness for women in the Olympics relies upon separation on the basis of the two sexes. Transgender women are male and it is not fair, by any means, for them to compete against women.

Blade says this cause is a hill shes willing to die on, and that while the minority of vocal transgender activists are a decade ahead, the silent majority of people are catching up.

We need to start getting back to a biological reality here. Traditional sports categories worked for a long time, and always will.

More:
International Coalition Of Womens Groups Sign Petition Pushing Olympic Committee To Bar Biological Males From Competing As Females - Daily Caller

Guys, does watching Godfather Part II make you feel like a hyped-up lone wolf? According to a 2004 study in Hormones and Behavior, thats because the macho movie has made your testosterone level rise 30%. Conversely, the study says, if you watch a romantic flick like When Harry Met Sally your testosterone level falls.

If only managing erectile dysfunction were as simple as choosing the right Netflix movie. In reality, low testosterone isnt the usual cause of ED; restricted blood flow is. The solution for most guys lies in treating the underlying health issue(s) that reduce blood flow, such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure.

A new study, using data from the European Male Ageing Study, shows how important it is to address those problems: Over about 12 years of follow-up, men with normal total testosterone levels and ED were at a 51% increased risk of death compared with men without ED.

Fortunately improving your lifestyle can normalize blood pressure, glucose levels, weight, your lousy LDL cholesterol and can ease or reverse Type 2 diabetes. That can make your blood flow better, along with your self-esteem. So, adopt and stick to a life-changing nutrition and exercise regimen (try Dr. Ozs System 20 for 20 at DoctorOz.com). Ask your doc if its safe for you to take meds that enhance genital blood flow, like Viagra. But dont rely on them. The smart solution is to upgrade your cardiovascular health by upgrading your lifestyle choices.

In the dark about weight loss? Turns out you should be!

Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of The Dr. Oz Show, and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. To live your healthiest, tune into The Dr. Oz Show or visit http://www.sharecare.com.

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Erectile dysfunction is a symptom of an even bigger problem - Pampa News

Treatments for prostate cancer are always evolving, and now research is pointing to new ways of treating a cancer that has just begun to spread, or metastasize, after initial surgery or radiation. Doctors usually give hormonal therapies in these cases to block testosterone, which is a hormone that makes the cancer grow faster. But newer evidence shows that treating the metastatic tumors directly with radiation can produce better results.

In March, researchers published the latest study that supports this approach. Based at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, the team used a method for delivering powerful beams of high-dose radiation to very small cancers in the body. This approach is called stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR), and it can spare healthy tissues with remarkable precision. Doctors map out where to pinpoint the radiation in advance by putting patients into a computed tomography (CT) scanner that takes x-rays of the body from many different angles.

During their study, the Johns Hopkins team recruited 54 men with three or fewer metastatic tumors. All the men had already undergone initial treatment for cancer while it was still in the prostate, and some had also been treated with hormonal therapy, though not within six months of being enrolled for the research. The men were 68 years old on average, and they were each randomly assigned to one of two groups: A third of the men were placed in an observation (control) group, meaning they received no additional treatment until the study was over. The rest were given SABR at a rate of one to five treatments per tumor over a period of about a week.

Then the men were followed for six months and monitored for changes such as PSA increases, tumor growth, worsening symptoms, or how many men wound up on hormonal therapy.

Results showed that the SABR-treated men fared better in all respects. Overall, 19% of those who got the targeted radiation had their cancers progress, compared to 61% of men in the control group. Taken together, the findings support a view that all detectable lesions should be removed, if feasible, to maximize the odds of a cancer cure, according to the authors of an editorial accompanying the published paper.

What makes SABR effective for treating early-stage metastases? Scientists are trying to find out. The investigators behind this study speculated that irradiating visible traces of cancer might block signals that feed the growth of even smaller tumors that are still too small to see. Its also possible that radiation induces a sort of vaccinating effect, which prompts the immune system to attack other tumor cells.

Meanwhile, SABR could soon benefit from an ability to flag even smaller tumors for treatment. A new type of imaging scan called PMSA-targeted positron emissions tomography (PET) was tested in the study, and it found very small tumors that CT scanning had missed.

Dr. Marc Garnick, Gorman Brothers Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and editor in chief of HarvardProstateKnowledge.org, says the whole concept of treating metastatic prostate cancer is undergoing re-evaluation. He added, The findings in this case need to be supported with a larger study. However, this research provides more evidence that for patients with less extensive metastasis, SABR treatments can significantly delay systemic therapies such as chemotherapy or hormonal treatment.

The rest is here:
New radiation therapies keep advanced prostate cancer in check - Harvard Health Blog - Harvard Health

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