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How One Photographer Takes His Plant-Based Diet on the Road – Men’s Journal
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Outdoor-adventure photographer Jeff Brockmeyer highlights five daily habits that allow him to effectively take a plant-based diet on the road
After a 4 a.m. wake-up and an hour drive south to the Mexican border, Jeff Brockmeyer marches into the Tijuana International Airports TSA checkpoint officers, unzips his trusty cooler bag, and presents 120 ounces of pure, organic orange juice loaded with Vitamin C and ready for inspection.
Traveling from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas means a busy day with international borders and airport security checks before arriving in an unfamiliar land. Brockmeyer, however, has zero intention of letting hectic travel negatively impact his healthy diet. While vegan, he is first and foremost a dedicated produce-juicer who consumes three-quarters of all meals as fresh juice.
Brockmeyer, 35, is a talented and respected outdoors and action sports photographer whos made a career out of traveling the world. That is, until two years ago, when Brockmeyers on-the-road lifestyle came to screeching halt. Health issues related to Crohns disease forced his hand to make a life-changing choice:Undergo a major surgery to remove an inflamed part of his intestine; or begin a series of chemotherapy treatments. Either way, traveling for work was out of the picture and Brockmeyer felt that he was losing grip on the life he had worked hard to create.
Then, lying awake one night in the hospital, Brockmeyer realized a third option: Adapt to a 100 percent plant-based diet. He made a choice to forgo doctors recommendations and committed to implementing the diet, regardless of the extra effort.
Today, Brockmeyer is back to living his life, traveling to the fullest and making breathtaking images. Only now, he has become a master of planning out plant-based meals. Because of the high health stakes to make a mobile juice-based diet work, we needed to hear his best tips for taking such a high-health, high-effort production on the road or into the air.
Back in Cabo, Brockmeyer hits the ground and immediately finds a local market to stock up on all of the fresh fruits and vegetables needed for his week ahead. With necessities in hand, we connect in the evening to unlock a few keys to not sacrificing healthy habits while traveling.In short, the recipe to success starts with proper planning and following through on a few routines. Healthy habits are a byproduct of healthy routines. Brockmeyers best advice for health on the road? Plan for it by making new routinesand stick to them!
For Dramatic Weight Loss, You Cant Beat a Whole-Food, Plant-Based Diet
Brockmeyers 5 Routines for a Healthy Travel Diet
Do Your Research: As soon as a trip is booked, find the nearest grocery store. Plan the meals you will be shopping for based on what foods will be available in that area. Upon arrival in Cabo San Lucas, Brockmeyer already had the name and location of the nearest market and wasted zero time stockpiling produce.The first thing I type in on Google is the city Im going to and organic farmers market, Brockmeyer says. Organic and local is my favorite. It tastes the best and is the most nutrient-dense. Thats what I strive for.
Prepare at Home: The day before hitting the road, prepare all of the meals needed for the entire day of travel. For Brockmeyer this includes around 120 ounces of juice and a variety of dried fruits. His strategy here is to have enough nutrients prepared for an entire day regardless of what it will entail.Ill take about two hours the night before preparing, he says. Ill make my juice, cut up different fruit and store everything in the fridge. I always pack four jars of juice and some backup dried fruit so that I can get through an entire day, in case there is an emergency. Even if it is a two-hour flight, bring snacks for the whole day.
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$120 in local organic freshly picked produce. This will last about a week. If you have farmers markets in your area, I highly recommend supporting them. Not only is their quality of produce far superior, but it is usually way cheaper too! Food is medicine. Pills are not medicine, pills are poison. Choosing to pay your farmers for the life force of nutrient dense organic produce keeps the system alive that is designed to keep us alive. Farmers are our key to radiant health. Monsanto would love to pump you up full of GMO corn and soy based processed crap, Merk would love to pump you up full of aluminum and formaldehyde vaccines to give you autism, Tyson would love to pump you full of hormone infused chicken thighs, AND.. your local organic farmers would love to pump you up full of the best nutrients in earth grown by the sun and the king himself to give you a thriving and perfectly healthy body. Lets give the local growers our support to keep on going so Costco and Walmart arent the only options to get organic food in 10 years. Ive drink 200oz of fresh Valencia orange juice in the past two days and Ive never felt better. The cure to all these bull crap diseases is to stop listening to your doctor recite research studies and prescribe you medicine, listen to your heart, to nature, it is listening to the healers, and the self healers who have put in the hard as hell work, regenerating their bodies the hard way, all on the one tool given to us to keep us healthy and bring us back to health. The Food! Its the food. Its everything! Im about to blow a fuse out of my brain socket Im so pumped up on 64 oz of OJ. Thanks for listening to my rants. Happy holidays may the juice be with you.
A post shared by JUICING + Natural Healing (@jeffjuices) on Dec 24, 2019 at 12:48pm PST
Pack Accordingly: Brockmeyer prepares two bags to ensure his healthy travel is a success. One bag is typically a carry-on cooler containing the prepared juices and cut dried fruits for his travel. This bag is also equipped with coldpacks and a doctor note confirming his diet. Although he has never had any issues with TSA while flying domestically, he has been asked to present a doctor note during international travel inspections. The second bag gets checked and contains all of the tools necessary to prepare meals while on the road. Example packlist includes: knives, cutting boards, bowls, strainers, a juicer or blender and lots of storage such as water bottles, grocery bags, mason jars and Tupperware.
I make sure all of my stuff is extremely organized, and I bring a doctor note in addition to saying that I have a health condition, Brockmeyer says. It has never been an issue. The other thing I do is take everything I would need for an extended period of time.
Groceries on Arrival: The number one biggest tip and most important step: Grocery shop as soon as you arrive to your destination. Brockmeyer cant stress the importance of this step enough. If you are traveling with others, dont feel awkward about breaking off to shop or asking the group to make the stop with you. Either way, it is imperative that you take responsibility for your diet and that means buying the ingredients you need.If you want to live a healthy life and travel, he says, the first thing you have to do is go to the grocery store no matter where you go! You dont go to a restaurant, you dont go to a gas station. You go to a grocery store and get what you need. You are in charge of your body.
Prepare Meals Daily: Each morning Brockmeyer prepares all of his meals, this requires setting aside the time in advance. If you know you wont have time to cook your meals directly before you eat them, plan ahead and prepare for your day. If you fail to prepare, prepare to fail.You need to prep your own food, Brockmeyer insists. If you will be on the go all day, wake up early and make all of your meals. That is your routine.
Follow Brockmeyers juicing journey @JeffJuices / jeffjuices.com, and his adventure photography @JeffBrockmeyer / jeffbrockmeyer.com
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How One Photographer Takes His Plant-Based Diet on the Road - Men's Journal
NFL Wide Receiver Tyreek Hill Wants to Run in Olympics – runnersworld.com
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Another NFL player is hyping up his speed, and this time he wants his talent to take him to the Olympics.
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill said during a press conference for the Super Bowl on Monday that after the season hed like to try qualifying for a spot on the Olympic track team. The 25-year-old was a high school All-American in 2012 on the track, and Hill even participated on track teams in college at Garden City Community College and Oklahoma State in addition to playing football.
That speed often shows up in games, as the wideout blows by defenders for home-run touchdownsscoring seven touchdown this season in 12 games. Though these wheels are lethal against NFL defenders, they may not be as dangerous when stacked up against the likes of top U.S. sprinters like Michael Norman, Noah Lyles, and Christian Coleman.
The thing is, I weigh like 195 right now. Back in high school, when I ran a 9.9 (-second 100-meter dash), I was like 175. So it would be me changing my whole diet that Ive been doing to get to where I am now, Hill told Pro Football Talk.
Hill himself dropped a 4.28 at his pro-day before the 2016 NFL Draft.
[Run faster, stronger, and longer with this 360-degree training program.]
It would likely take much more than cutting weight to reach his goal of the Olympics because hes been off the track for a few years. Right now, the fastest times in the world are in the 9.7 range for the 100-meter dash. (Coleman won the 100 in the world championships last summer in 9.76 seconds.)
Theres no doubt it would be exciting to pit football stars against the countrys best sprinters, though. It was fun just watching NFL players race in the 40-yard dash tournament this past summer. That was won by former Olympian turned NFL wide receiver Marquise Goodwin, who went to the 2012 Olympic Games for the long jump. He took home $1 million for his efforts.
Even if reaching the biggest stage in track is likely out of reach, hes about to play on footballs biggest stage this weekend at Super Bowl LIV in Minneapolis against the 49ers.
Chiefs fans at least hope to see his speed on full display this Sunday.
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NFL Wide Receiver Tyreek Hill Wants to Run in Olympics - runnersworld.com
Cleveland Clinic Survey: Most Americans Dont Know Heart Disease Is Leading Cause of Death in Women – Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic
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A Cleveland Clinic survey finds that although heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, 68% of Americans do not know its the foremost killer of women.
According to the survey, many Americans incorrectly thought breast cancer was the leading cause of death in women, with men especially likely to think this (44% vs. 33%). Among Millennials, 80% could not identify heart disease as the leading cause of death in women. Heart disease accounts for one in every four deaths in the U.S.
The survey also found that many Americans didnt recognize key symptoms of heart attacks in women. Many do not know that chest pain (24%), shortness of breath or sweating (28%), pain in the neck or back of jaw (43%), new or dramatic fatigue (55%) and nausea/ vomiting (60%) are signs of a heart attack in females.
Americans also dont recognize that most heart disease is preventable for both men and women. Even though 90% of heart disease is due to modifiable/controllable risk factors, only 8% of Americans know that.
The survey found theres also a lot of confusion on what steps to take to prevent heart disease and when. The survey found that:
Samir Kapadia, M.D.
Treatment of heart disease has come a long way in the past few decades, but we still need to work on prevention, said Samir Kapadia, M.D., chairman of Cardiovascular Medicine at Cleveland Clinic. There are so many simple changes that patients and the public can make that can provide significant improvements to their cardiovascular health.
Whether it be regarding diet, exercise or other lifestyle factors, we need to continue to educate people about how to take control of their heart health.
Additional survey findings include:
The survey was conducted as part of Cleveland Clinic Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institutes Love your Heart consumer education campaign in celebration of American Heart Month. Cleveland Clinic has been ranked the No. 1 hospital in the country for cardiology and cardiac surgery for 25 years in a row by US News & World Report.
For more information, go to: clevelandclinic.org/loveyourheart
MethodologyCleveland Clinics survey of the general population gathered insights into Americans perceptions of heart health and prevention. This was an online survey conducted among a national probability sample consisting of 1,000 adults 18 years of age and older, living in the continental United States. The total sample data is nationally representative based on age, gender, ethnicity and educational attainment census data. The online survey was conducted by Dynata and completed between September 23 and September 26, 2018. The margin of error for the total sample at the 95% confidence level is +/- 3.1 percentage points.
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Cleveland Clinic Survey: Most Americans Dont Know Heart Disease Is Leading Cause of Death in Women - Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic
The American Heart Association Diet and Lifestyle …
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A healthy diet and lifestyle are yourbest weaponsto fight cardiovascular disease. Its not as hard as you may think! Remember, it's the overall pattern of yourchoicesthat counts. Make the simple steps below part of your life for long-term benefits to your health and your heart.
Regular physical activity can help you maintain your weight, keep off weight that you lose and help you reach physical and cardiovascular fitness. If its hard to schedule regular exercise sessions, look for ways to build short bursts of activity into your daily routine, like parking farther away and taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Ideally, your activity should be spread throughout the week.
You may be eating plenty of food, but your body may not be getting the nutrients it needs to be healthy.Nutrient-rich foods have minerals, protein, whole grains and other nutrients but are lower in calories. Theymay help you control your weight, cholesterol and blood pressure.
Limit saturated fat, trans fat, sodium, red meat,sweets and sugar-sweetened beverages. If you choose to eat red meat, compare labels and select the leanest cuts available.
One of the diets that fits this pattern is the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) eating plan. Most healthy eating patterns can be adapted based on calorie requirements and personal and cultural food preferences.
The right number of calories to eat each day is based on your age and physical activity level and whether you're trying to gain, lose or maintain your weight. You could use your daily allotment of calories on a few high-calorie foods and beverages, but you probably wouldnt get the nutrients your body needs to be healthy. Limit foods and beverages high in calories but low in nutrients. Also limit the amount of saturated fat, trans fat and sodiumyou eat. Read Nutrition Facts labelscarefully the Nutrition Facts panel tells you the amount of healthy and unhealthy nutrients in a food or beverage.
Dont smoke, vape or use tobacco or nicotine products and avoid secondhand smoke or vapor.
Learn more about quitting smoking.
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Last Reviewed: Aug 15, 2017
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The American Heart Association Diet and Lifestyle ...
Mediterranean diet: A guide and 7-day meal plan
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Many doctors and dietitians recommend a Mediterranean diet to prevent disease and keep people healthy for longer.
The Mediterranean diet emphasizes fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and it includes less dairy and meat than a typical Western diet.
In this article, we explain what the Mediterranean diet is and provide a 7-day meal plan for people to follow.
Essentially, following a Mediterranean diet means eating in the way that the people in the Mediterranean region traditionally ate.
A traditional diet from the Mediterranean region includes a generous portion of fresh produce, whole grains, and legumes, as well as some healthful fats and fish.
The general guidelines of the diet recommend that people eat:
The American Heart Association note that the average Mediterranean diet contains a high percentage of calories from fat.
Although more than half of the calories from fat come from monounsaturated fats, such as olive oil, the diet may not be right for people who need to limit their fat intake.
The Mediterranean diet puts a higher focus on plant foods than many other diets. It is not uncommon for vegetables, whole grains, and legumes to make up all or most of a meal.
People following the diet typically cook these foods using healthful fats, such as olive oil, and add plenty of flavorful spices.
Meals may include small portions of fish, meat, or eggs.
Water and sparkling water are common drink choices, as well as moderate amounts of red wine.
People on a Mediterranean diet avoid the following foods:
Here is an example of a 7-day Mediterranean diet meal plan:
Breakfast
For additional calories, add another egg or some sliced avocado to the toast.
Lunch
Dinner
For added calories, add some shredded chicken, ham, tuna, or pine nuts to the pizza.
Breakfast
For additional calories, add 12 oz of almonds or walnuts.
Lunch
To increase the calorie content, spread hummus or avocado on the bread before adding the fillings.
Dinner
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Add another artichoke for a hearty, filling meal.
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
There are many snack options available as part of the Mediterranean diet.
Suitable snacks include:
The Mediterranean diet receives a lot of attention from the medical community because many studies verify its benefits.
The benefits of a Mediterranean diet include:
Evidence suggests that a Mediterranean diet may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. A study that featured in The New England Journal of Medicine compared two Mediterranean diets with a control diet for almost 5 years.
The research suggested that the diet reduced the risk of cardiovascular issues, including stroke, heart attack, and death, by about 30 percent compared with the control group.
More studies are necessary to determine whether lifestyle factors, such as more physical activity and extended social support systems, are partly responsible for the lower incidence of heart disease in Mediterranean countries than in the United States.
In a 2018 study, researchers explored how the Mediterranean diet affects sleep.
Their research suggested that adhering to a Mediterranean diet may improve sleep quality in older adults. The diet did not seem to affect sleep quality in younger people.
The Mediterranean diet may also be helpful for people who are trying to lose weight.
The authors of a 2016 review noted that people who were overweight or had obesity lost more weight on the Mediterranean diet than on a low-fat diet. The Mediterranean diet group achieved results that were similar to those of the participants on other standard weight loss diets.
Following a Mediterranean diet involves making long-term, sustainable dietary changes.
Generally speaking, a person should aim for a diet that is rich in natural foods, including plenty of vegetables, whole grains, and healthful fats.
Anyone who finds that the diet does not feel satisfying should talk to a dietitian. They can recommend additional or alternative foods to help increase satiety.
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Mediterranean diet: A guide and 7-day meal plan
Study: Low-Carb and Low-Fat Diets Are Not Associated with Increased Death; Unhealthy Food Choices Within These Diets Are – DocWire News
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The findings of a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine show that low-carb and low-fat diets are not problematic in and of themselves instead, the unhealthy food choices people make on those diets is linked with a higher rate of mortality.
In this prospective cohort study, researchers assessed 37,233 adults from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which took place between 1999 and 2014. The population of interest were all 20 years of age and older. The researchers looked at unhealthy, and healthy low-carb-diet and low-fat diet scores based on both percentage of energy as a total as well as subtypes of carbs, fat, and protein. The primary outcome was defined as all-cause mortality, from baseline through December 2015. The researchers analyzed the data from July 5 to August 27, 2019.
According to the study results, low-carb-diet and low-fat-diet scores were not associated with total mortality. They researchers observed in multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios for total mortality per 20-percentile increase in dietary scores were 1.07 (95% CI, 1.02 to 1.11) for unhealthy low-carbohydrate-diet score, 0.91 (95% CI, 0.87 to 0.95) for healthy low-carbohydrate-diet score, 1.06 (95% CI, 1.01 to 1.12) for unhealthy low-fat-diet score, and 0.89 (95% CI, 0.85 to 0.93) for healthy low-fat-diet score. They found that these associations remained similar in the stratification and sensitivity analyses.
The research authors wrote in the conclusion that: In this study, overall low-carb-diet and low-fat-diet scores were not associated with total mortality. Unhealthy low-carb-diet and low-fat-diet scores were associated with higher total mortality, whereas healthy low-carb-diet and low-fat-diet scores were associated with lower total mortality.
They added that: These findings suggest that the associations of low-carb and low-fat diets with mortality may depend on the quality and food sources of macronutrients.
Read More..Healthy Men: Benefits of male hormone replacement therapy – Duluth News Tribune
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Q: A recent news release suggested that men with low testosterone levels may have improvement in sexual function and quality of life. How can I determine whether I can benefit and what questions should I ask my doctor?
A: Before we get into the details of the newly reported benefits of testosterone therapy including the scope of those benefits and the men most likely to see them lets talk about what, exactly, testosterone is, what it does, and what constitutes low levels (also sometimes referred to as low T, andropause, or even male menopause).
To start with, testosterone is the most important male hormone (although women have measurable levels as well). In a nutshell, its what makes men men at least physically. Its manufactured in the testicles and plays a significant role in puberty (including penis and testicle growth and voice deepening), muscle and bone growth and development, strength, sex drive, and fertility.
Testosterone levels are usually measured with a blood test and are reported in terms of nanograms per deciliter (abbreviated as ng/dL). The normal range for men 20-70 is 300-1000 ng/dL. However, starting at about age 30, mens levels gradually decrease by an average of 1-2% per year. According to the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, the symptoms of low testosterone include little or no interest in sex, erectile dysfunction, less energy/feeling weak, mood changes and feeling depressed, loss of bone mineral density, and loss of body and facial hair. However, there is significant debate as to whether these symptoms are truly associated with low testosterone or if they are a result of other factors, such as chronic illness or certain medications.
Studies have found that 20%-40% of males ages 30-70 have low testosterone levels (although its important to note that not all of them will have any negative symptoms).
Okay, now lets talk about the news stories you may have heard about. The study in question evaluated 38 other high-quality studies and focused on men with age-related low testosterone and the effects of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). The findings were fairly limited: Overall, men who received TRT experienced small improvements in sexual function and quality of life. The researchers did not find that TRT offered any benefits for other age-related issues, such as lack of energy, mood, strength, memory, or cognitive ability. And they were unable to shed any new light on any of the previously reported links between testosterone replacement therapy and heart health, prostate cancer, or mortality.
So, what should you do if you think you might have age-related low testosterone? The Washington DC-based non-profit, Mens Health Network (menshealthnetwork.org), recommends that you discuss your symptoms with your doctor and ask for a blood test. If your levels come back low, you should ask your doctor the following questions recommended by the American College of Physicians (ACP): Will taking TRT help with the symptoms that I came to discuss with you? What method of TRT is best for me? What are the risks and side effects of treatment? And How long will it take for TRT to work, and what if it does not work?
Mens Health Network supports the ACPs guidelines, which recommend that doctors consider offering TRT via intramuscular injection rather than a patch, gel, or pellet. The ACP believes that injections are cheaper, yet just as effective as other methods and involve similar side effects. However, they recognize that injections (which will need to happen every 1-4 weeks) may not be for everyone.
Armin Brott is the author of Blueprint for Mens Health, Your Head: An Owners Manual, and many other works on mens health. Visit him at HealthyMenToday.com.
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Healthy Men: Benefits of male hormone replacement therapy - Duluth News Tribune
This gym just gave the worst response to harassment – cosmopolitan.com
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ANDOR BUJDOSO
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A boutique London gym chain, GYMBOX, has come under fire for its response to a female member, who complained after a male acted aggressively towards her on the gym floor. The clincher? The GYMBOX staff member who replied to her email put it down to the man having "high levels of testosterone" after exercising. Umm, what?
Taking to Twitter to air the email reply she received, Elena Banbury explained the situation to her followers, by saying, "So a random gym goer harassed me and my friend at our first visit to @GYMBOXofficial, this is the response we got... Glad to see staff justifying aggressive behaviour because its never happened to them, and men have testosterone...".
Elena also posted the initial email she sent to GYMBOX, explaining that the man had called her "pathetic" for the way she was using a leg press machine and threw weights on the floor, then continued staring at her.
The reply to her from GYMBOX read:
Hi Elena,
Apologies but I never got your first email.
It is unfortunate you had such an experience in our gym, I have never had similar issues with members. I understand that what was said was inappropriate and rude. I have been working in this gym for 3 years and I haven't had any complaints about [name erased].
I will bring this up with my manager and have a discussion with him.
Obviously this isn't a great start, but things then took an even worse turn:
From my personal point of view, it is an unfortunate situation where a guy was rude to you, but it could have happened anywhere. We are in a gym where testosterone levels are high, especially during workouts. This means that reactions to situations can be a bit extreme, especially for men.
Wow.
When we contacted GYMBOX for comment, they responded saying they'd investigate the incident and admitted that the response to the complaint has "fallen short of what it should be" (err, yeah, ya think?):
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This gym just gave the worst response to harassment - cosmopolitan.com
Researchers are one step closer to developing a safe and effective male contraceptive pill – Firstpost
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The female birth control pill has been around for about 60 years now. Prescribed by a doctor and taken daily, it is highly effective in preventing pregnancies (99.7% effective with perfect use). At the same time, not much progress has been made in manufacturing a male contraceptive pill. There are two methods used by men currently: condoms are the most common, with very few men opting for vasectomies. The latter is reversible now (though there is no guarantee of conception); a surgery in which the vas deferens, which transfers sperm to the urethra, is cut or tied.
Representational image. Image source: Getty Images.
Why is there no male contraceptive pill? Opinion polls have suggested reluctance in its usage and many pharmaceutical companies may have not thought of it as a worthwhile investment. It appears that there just isnt enough demand for it. Considering that there are 89 million unintended pregnancies and 48 million abortions a year, this is rather surprising.
Pills or injections that have been developed for men have produced undesirable side effects. A commonly used method is to lower the amount of testosterone in the body to suppress the production of sperm - but if the level of testosterone falls too low there is a higher likelihood of mood disorders and depression. Participants in pilot stages also reported lower libido and temporary erectile dysfunction.
Last year, a drug was developed that contained progestin and modified testosterone. The progestin works to lower sperm production and the modified testosterone helps maintain the levels of testosterone in the body. This drug, in small clinical trials, performed well, but the above mentioned side effects were still present. The researchers said that further study was required and that it would be a decade before the drug could become reality.
Researchers at the University of Dundee in Scotland have developed an unrivalled, fully automated robotic screening system which allows them to check the effectiveness of chemicals on sperm in real-time. The technology allowed them to study 13,000 drugs that were in the clinical trial stage at the cellular level and analyze their effectiveness. In a breakthrough, the researchers revealed that it is possible to find effective agents that halt sperm in its tracks and further research will be carried out on these chemicals.
So far, our understanding of the biology of sperm has been surprisingly limited. We do not have sufficient knowledge of protein targets that make sperm act the way they do. Further, technological constraints have meant that researchers are unable to test the interactions of multiple chemicals with sperm, and clinical trials that have been conducted or are in process are very slow. By building a miniaturized parallel testing agent and image processing tools, these shortcomings have been overcome. Also, an interaction known as the acrosome reaction can be examined from a different lens thanks to technology. This reaction is a critical part of fertilization and understanding its mechanics will further our understanding of how sperm works.
The advent of robot technology could mean that we are finally closer to a male contraceptive pill or injection. This should, hopefully, lead to a decrease in the number of unintended pregnancies.
For more information, read our article onBirth Control Methods.
Health articles in Firstpost are written by myUpchar.com, Indias first and biggest resource for verified medical information. At myUpchar, researchers and journalists work with doctors to bring you information on all things health.
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Researchers are one step closer to developing a safe and effective male contraceptive pill - Firstpost
Mom of trans child pleads with lawmaker brother over trans health care bill – NBC News
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Christy Florence, the wife of a transgender man and mother of a trans daughter, wrote an open letter to her brother, a conservative lawmaker in Utah, decrying his reported efforts to introduce legislation that would restrict transgender health care for minors in the state.
"Brad, I implore you to leave the decisions of medical care to the parents and medical professionals," she wrote in The Salt Lake Tribune to her brother, state House Rep. Brad Daw, a Republican. "Trust the experts. They know what they are doing. These families know their children and what is the very best for them."
While the anticipated legislation has not yet been proposed, The Tribune reported this month that Daw had begun drafting a bill to ban gender reassignment operations and the use of cross-sex hormones for trans minors. Similar measures have been introduced in at least seven other states this month.
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Daw declined NBC News' request for comment.
Florence, co-founder of the Utah LGBTQ advocacy group Mama Dragons, said in her op-ed that she has sat with many transgender young people and their families and "listened to their struggles." She said transgender health care is "life-saving" and those seeking it often face "insurmountable obstacles." The bill her brother is reportedly about to propose, she added, would "restrict survival opportunities for young people who are transgender."
The Tribune reported that Daw is writing the draft legislation following a request by the conservative Eagle Forum, founded by the activist Phyllis Schlafly.
"We want to do what we think is reasonable practice, which is put off that kind of one-way ticket decision until the youth is an adult," Daw told the paper.
According to local media, Daw's bill is being framed as a compromise, at least compared to bills progressing in legislatures in states like Tennessee and South Dakota, because it would not restrict the use of puberty blockers, which a study published last week found to be linked to lower suicide risk for trans people.
But experts warned that even a less draconian effort than Utah's which would permit the use of puberty blockers but not cross-sex hormones could have unintended consequences.
"Puberty blockers are an important component of care for transgender youth; however, they are insufficient on their own," said Dr. Jack Turban, a resident psychiatrist at Harvard Medical School and lead author of the puberty study. "Guidelines set forth by major medical organizations, including the Endocrine Society, explain that hormonal treatments like estrogen and testosterone are also needed."
Without cross-sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone, Turban added, trans adolescents who wish to suppress puberty may not see proper bone development. Turban also noted that genital surgery for minors, which would reportedly be banned in Daw's bill, already goes against existing medical guidelines.
"At the end of the day, legislators should not pick away individual steps of established medical protocols they do not fully understand," Turban said. "It is a recipe for unintended and dangerous medical consequences."
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Mom of trans child pleads with lawmaker brother over trans health care bill - NBC News