Craze for Hairless Genitals Accompanies Rise in Infections

Shaving, clipping and waxing may raise risk of skin virus, study finds

By Alan Mozes

HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, March 18 (HealthDay News) -- Here's a caution in the hairless-body craze. Pubic hair removal could boost your risk for a pox infection, French researchers say.

Skin irritation brought on by either shaving, clipping or waxing the genital area could explain the recent increase among healthy adults of a minor sexually transmitted virus called molluscum contagiosum, the researchers suggest.

"Genital hair removal has become a fashion phenomenon in the last decade," noted case study lead author Dr. Francois Desruelles, of the department of dermatology at Archet Hospital in Nice.

"At the same time, the number of cases of molluscum contagiosum has risen," he added.

This association needs to be confirmed by controlled studies, Desruelles said. But he believes the growing popularity of genital hair removal, seen in men as well as women, may raise the risk of molluscum contagiosum.

The practice may also increase the risk for developing genital warts due to infection with papillomavirus, he said.

Desruelles and his colleagues describe their observations in a letter published online March 19 in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections.

The molluscum contagiosum rash is usually seen in children or people with impaired immune systems, but it is also sexually transmitted. To look into a possible link between the condition and hair removal, the authors studied 30 infected French patients who sought the services of a private skin care clinic in Nice in 2011 and 2012.

The average age of the patients was about 30 years, and 24 of them were men. To varying degrees, all displayed the telltale signs of infection: pearl-like, raised skin bumps. In four cases, the bumps had spread up the abdominal region; in one, they had moved down the thigh.

Almost all of the patients had undergone pubic hair removal, the investigators found. Shaving was the method of choice for 70 percent; 10 percent chose waxing and 13 percent chose clipping.

One-third of the patients suffered from an assortment of other skin issues, such as warts, bacterial skin infections, cysts, scars, and/or ingrown hairs. But the authors theorized that ultimately the pox virus may have spread through "self-infection," meaning scratching irritated skin, which was likely provoked by the hair removal process.

Genital shaving in particular appeared to elevate infection risk.

"Laser hair removal doesn't seem to be involved in this association," Desruelles said, "because there are no microscopic cuts or bleeding during the removal of hair. For the same reason, waxing could be less 'at risk' than shaving."

However, genital shaving may have some "positive aspects," Desruelles said, noting that the practice may help curb the spread of pubic lice. Bloomberg News recently reported that with 80 percent of American college students now waxing, clipping, and shaving away all or some of their genital hair, pubic lice cases have dramatically dropped.

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advice ?

Hey i just got put of inpatient treatment for my bulimia/ana . I have a feeling I'm not fully recovered but I'm afraid to tell my parents because i don't wanna go back to that place , i don't like their system or staff ! But i do think I'm doing good and i think its gonna be hard to transition from 24-7 staff to just my parents . And i don't like to tell them things . So any advice on conquering the real world ? And how to keep myself on recovery ? Thank yah

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Therapy as Good as Surgery for Some With Torn Knee Cartilage

Title: Therapy as Good as Surgery for Some With Torn Knee Cartilage
Category: Health News
Created: 3/19/2013 10:35:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 3/19/2013 12:00:00 AM

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Yoga May Help Ease High Blood Pressure, Study Finds

Numbers were lowered when people engaged in a few sessions per week

By Robert Preidt

HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, May 15 (HealthDay News) -- People who follow the ancient practice of yoga may be getting an added health boost, with a new study suggesting it can fight high blood pressure -- also known as hypertension.

"This study confirms many people's feelings that exercise may be useful in the control of hypertension," said Dr. Howard Weintraub, a cardiologist and associate professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City. Weintraub was not connected to the new study.

Based on the new findings, "yoga would be a useful adjunct in the lowering of blood pressure in certain populations," he said.

In the study, researchers led by Dr. Debbie Cohen of the University of Pennsylvania tracked 58 women and men, aged 38 to 62, for six months.

Although the study couldn't prove a cause-and-effect relationship, doing yoga two to three times a week was associated with an average drop in blood pressure readings from 133/80 to 130/77, the researchers said.

In comparison, the average decrease in blood pressure was smaller (134/83 to 132/82) among people who ate a special diet but did not do yoga.

In a bit of a surprise, doing yoga in tandem with a special diet did not outperform doing yoga alone -- blood pressure numbers fell only slightly (135/83 to 134/81) among people who ate a special diet and also did yoga, the researchers said.

The small decline in blood pressure among people who ate a special diet and did yoga may be because doing both required a greater amount of time, making it more difficult for participants to stick with their regimens, the authors said.

Weintraub said the study shows that "yoga can have a favorable effect" on hypertension. Although the amount of change was small, he said, "some large population studies have suggested that changes of this magnitude could have very significant long-term benefits."

The study did have some limitations, including its relatively short length and the fact that most participants were young and had milder forms of high blood pressure, Weintraub said.

Another expert agreed that the ancient Indian practice of yoga might ease hypertension.

"Yoga, along with deep breathing exercises, meditation and inner reflection, is a good adjunctive and integrative cardiovascular approach to better health, including lowering blood pressure, as this data suggests," said Dr. David Friedman, chief of Heart Failure Services at the North Shore-LIJ Plainview Hospital, in Plainview, N.Y.

"In addition to proper diet and aerobic physical fitness most days of the week, I recommend that my patients take time each day for the above measures of finding disciplined inner peace, for improved health and well-being," he said.

The findings were presented Wednesday at the annual scientific meeting of the American Society of Hypertension, in San Francisco. Findings presented at medical meetings typically are considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

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3 Ways to Reboot Your Brain Now

Exhausted? Nervous about a big change? Can't seem to break those bad habits? Maybe you just need a mental reset, says Adam Alter, NYU professor of marketing and psychology and author of the new book, Drunk Tank Pink, which hits bookstores tomorrow. About the name: Cops used to paint the "drunk tank" -- the jail cell where they tossed intoxicated prisoners -- a Pepto Bismol-pink hue, because they believed it had a weakening effect. Football teams even made their visiting teams' locker rooms this color, until it was outlawed by the NFL. Nuts, right?

The premise of the book? Our surroundings have a huge impact on the way we think -- and that because of this, we can use our surroundings to our advantage. Check out three of our fave examples below.

Use nature to restore your focus. Trees, water, grass, sky -- essentially anything that naturally moves and changes and evolves -- can help snap you out of a mental rut, says Alter. When you're feeling frazzled or burnt out, try spending five minutes in a natural setting -- your backyard, a park or just looking out your window at the birds and squirrels scampering around. (Better yet, squeeze in an outdoor workout. Major mind/body benefits all around.)

Hold yourself accountable. Research shows that we tend to be more honest when we feel we're being watched. (Specifically, one study found that office workers were more likely to pay for their self-serve coffee when there was a photograph of eyes taped above the "honesty box." Crazy!) Apply this idea to self-accountability, by hanging a mirror -- or a photo of someone you don't want judging you -- in places you want to encourage good behavior: in the freezer near the ice cream, in your wallet to stop mindless credit card spending, etc.

Give challenges a positive spin. If you're worried about a stressful work event or a social gathering, think of it with a different label -- an opportunity, rather than a threat. Nervous about hosting an elaborate dinner party for friends? Call it the "Dinner Party Challenge" and push yourself to make something new you've never tried before. If it goes well, fantastic ... and if it doesn't go quite as planned, that's okay too. Party on, Wayne!

How have you used your environment to outsmart negative thoughts? Tweet us at @amandaemac and @SELFmagazine.

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low calorie lunches

I find it really hard to find low calorie lunches that are easy to make and I can take to college. Does anyone have any suggestions?

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COPD Patients May Do Fine With Shorter Course of Steroids

Coming off meds sooner means fewer harmful side effects, study author says

By Steven Reinberg

HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, May 21 (HealthDay News) -- Less is more when it comes to steroid therapy for patients having severe bouts of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to Swiss investigators.

Five days of glucocorticoid treatment with prednisone to treat COPD flare-ups was as good as the standard 14 days, but with fewer chances for adverse side effects, they said.

"We wanted to show that a shorter period of treatment was not less effective than 14 days," said lead researcher Dr. Jorg Leuppi, with the department of medicine at the University Hospital of Basel.

The shorter course of treatment had the same outcome as the longer course of treatment, the study found. "There is exactly the same time to recovery and exactly the same number of re-exacerbations," Leuppi said.

In addition, the shorter course of treatment meant fewer side effects from the drug, such as increased blood pressure and elevated blood sugar, he said.

The report was published May 21 in the online edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association to coincide with its Tuesday presentation at the American Thoracic Society meeting in Philadelphia.

COPD is a progressive disease involving bronchitis and emphysema -- often tied to smoking -- that makes it hard for patients to breathe. Patients periodically have flare-ups or exacerbations, when symptoms are at their worst.

Prednisone is a glucocorticoid pill that acts as an anti-inflammatory. Since a generic version is available, it is a relatively low-cost therapy.

"COPD exacerbations, which are the leading cause of medical hospitalization in the U.S. and elsewhere, can be treated with a five-day course of prednisone, which is a corticosteroid, not 10 to 14 days as recommended by most national and international guidelines," said Dr. Don Sin, a professor of medicine at the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, and co-author of an accompanying journal editorial.

Corticosteroids are highly toxic drugs, he said. "Thus, by using a five-day versus a 10- to 14-day [course], we will prevent many steroid-related complications -- such as diabetes, osteoporosis and adrenal insufficiency -- without sacrificing any of the benefits of steroids for management of COPD exacerbations," he said. "There is no rationale for giving more steroids than this."

For the study, Leuppi's team randomly assigned more than 300 patients suffering from an acute COPD exacerbation to daily doses of prednisone for either five or 14 days.

The goal of the study was to see whether either treatment resulted in fewer new exacerbations of COPD over six months.

The researchers found that prednisone treatment resulted in about the same number of patients having new bouts of COPD. Among those who got five days of therapy, 56 had a new bout within six months; 57 patients given 14 days of therapy had a new flare-up.

The average time to a new exacerbation of COPD was 43.5 days in the short-term treatment group and 29 days in the standard treatment group, the researchers said.

Dr. Len Horovitz, a pulmonary specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said that "while treatment with corticosteroids is often necessary in exacerbations of COPD, it has not been clear how long the treatment should be given."

"The authors found that a shorter duration of treatment with steroids was possible," he said. "The accompanying side effects were less, and total dose of steroids was less long term."

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