By: Daniel Pearce, D.O., FCOI, AAHIVMS
HEATING TESTICLES FOR CONTRACEPTION
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fnypost.com%2F2021%2F10%2F15%2Fmen-can-prevent-pregnancy-by-giving-their-testicles-a-bath%2F&psig=AOvVaw3aChEEJqRkvp-iYfoZk2PF&ust=1673480986574000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CA8QjRxqFwoTCIiV48-YvvwCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.medscape.com%2Fviewarticle%2F986261&psig=AOvVaw22usxugmbAEbuHb9TRpQhS&ust=1673481103727000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CA8QjRxqFwoTCICL2IeZvvwCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE
There are testicular bath devices for heating the testicles above a certain temperature that will kill the sperm. There are also testicular rings that deliver heat for contraception. These must be worn for 15 hours a day and must be worn for more than 3 months before being effective. The hassle factor is so high that the French device agency cancelled the approval for this apparatus; it is now sold as a work of art only for 42 Euros, about $45 today. The patients reported that only 20% had no side effects. Many had discomfort, rash, itching, pain.
I WANT TO GO BACK ON MY TRANSGENDER DECISION
A professor searched TikTok and other sources and found 40 people who regretted their decisions to change their bodies from the original sex appearance. These people received online abuse while on TikTok. A number of them didn’t bring this up to their providers out of shame. Some said their mental health issues were not addressed.
How many are there who want to detransition after being on hormones and/or surgery?
“These patients are not returning in droves” to detransition, said Dr Marci Bowers, a transgender woman, gender surgeon and president of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), an international group that sets guidelines for transgender care. Patients with regret “are very rare,” she told Reuters. “Highest you’ll find is 1% or 1.5% of any kind of regret.”
Another side prefers we not to talk much about this. Some say publicizing de-transtioning issues adds more fuel to the fire of the anti-LGBT+ hate speech in this anti- environment with anti-LGBT+ laws.
A few of these people with regrets transitioned as teenagers and they now realize that they were just homosexual and wanted to transition to be looked upon as straight when attracted to the same sex their bodies were at birth. Others were bipolar or autistic and that complicated the decisions.
The news service Reuters has interviewed many of these patients with regret. Some say they wished their providers and mental health practitioners had been more thorough.
Some feel that their pre-transition care was too brief; others say that the pace is appropriate and prevents self-harm if the pre-transition care was too long before starting transition.
Many providers say they need hard evidence to help their patients. But research is hampered by the current anti LGBTQ+ environment. Researchers and providers are targeted with hate speech and death threats.
Some patients stop their treatments due to side effects and their bodies revert to their original appearance. This is somewhat a detransition of their body but the person still considers themself transgender.
Support from the usual places can be a problem since they are losing their Trans status and people can be cruel.
In our Transgender practice we always refer them to mental health providers and double check the history. I have not run into any who have detransitioned or want to detransition.
VEGETARIANS TWICE AS LIKELY TO BE DEPRESSED
A Brazilian study found this out. Why would this happen when a healthy lifestyle should result in better physical and mental health? There are several reasons:
1. Vegetarians must struggle with their friends and at restaurants.
2. Depression might cause more people to become vegetarians; they may want to do something positive to be healthier and the depression is not worsened or maybe helped by their new diet.
3. Guilt about the meat industry might contribute to depression. Seeing movie scenes that contain slaughter houses, processing fish caught, or frozen animal parts might cause more negative emotions.
I’m a vegetarian and for me, changing back to meat would cause me to become sad so that is not a cure since my diet is not a cause of depression.
ARE THE KIDS IN YOUR HOUSE GOING TO OVERDOSE ON CANNABIS?
In 2017, medical centers received 207 reports of children aged 5 years and younger who ingested edible cannabis. In 2021, 3054 such cases were reported, according to the study, which was published online January 3 in Pediatrics.
Please keep your edibles safe from children.
COLON CANCER PREVENTION
We know that yearly stool checks for blood or a colonoscopy every 10 years finds these early. To prevent colon cancer, healthy lifestyle has been shown to be associated with less cancer: no smoking, less alcohol, keeping weight in a healthy range, and physical activity were helpful. It seems healthy lifestyle has so many benefits in the long run.
BELIEFS VS. SCIENCE: COULD HAVE PREVENTED 30 MILLION DEATHS
Biologist T. Lysenko had theories that were not backed up by evidence, yet the Soviets and Chinese in the middle of the last century followed his advice about crops and food production causing massive famine and death.
President Mbeki of South Africa, when I worked there, believed that HIV was best treated with nutrition instead of the miracle medicines and this resulted in thousands of deaths.
We have politicians, e.g. Florida’s governor DeSantis, who also actively follows beliefs that ignore the evidence regarding health issues, e.g. sexuality and Covid. Expect problems as the results of his plans are realized.
BLAME YOUR GUT BUGS IF YOU DON’T FEEL LIKE EXERCISING?
In a study mice were tested for those who liked to exercise and those who didn’t. They had different bacteria in their guts. So this may be a partial explanation of why some of us don’t like to exercise. There is a gut to brain pathway. Certain bacteria produce chemicals that arrive in the brain in the blood. These chemicals cause reactions and in this case they influence behavior. Fascinating facts. Perhaps it is now more proven, “You are what you eat.”
Keep those questions coming and be safe!
Daniel Pearce, D.O., FACOI, AAHIVMS
Associate Professor of Medicine, Loma Linda University School of Medicine
HIV, Hepatitis B,C, Transgender, Suboxone Specialist, Neighborhood Health (Riverside, Hemet), Loma Linda SACH (San Bernardino)
Member, Coachella Valley Clinical Research Initiative
REFERENCES: Medscape®