Saturday, January 28, 2012

[Peckers_Pics] Male/Gay Health-Discussion-PICS Model Wars-Jan 29, 2012- Can You Choose to be Gay?



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Health, Wellness, Exercise, Reflections:
How to Help Your Aching Hands

By Linda Melone, ACE, - January 22, 2012

When ordinary hand movements – opening a jar, lifting a baby or texting – cause pain, daily life becomes difficult. Find out why your digits are aching; plus, get solutions for relief…

Hands are remarkably complicated and versatile, capable of doing everything from grasping large objects to performing delicate microsurgery.

But because a hand has many moving parts – 27 bones, several muscles, tendons, ligaments and thousands of nerve endings all packed into a small space – a lot can go wrong.

Especially for women. Picking up tots, cooking dinner and texting on the phone are motions that can cause long-term damage to the joints, muscles and nerves in your hands and arms.

Plus, diagnosing hand pain's cause is complicated.

Symptoms may come and go or get worse at different times or movements. In some cases, pain may even travel from one part of the arm or hand to another.

"The problem is, hand and arm pain may originate from more than one area of the body," explains orthopedic surgeon David Geier, M.D., director of sports medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.

For example, muscles and tendons for wrist movements originate in the elbow, causing pain throughout the entire limb.

"Tendon problems in the wrist typically cause pain in the wrist and thumb but also the forearm," Geier adds.Age, lifestyle, occupation and genetics determine your risk of hand and arm disorders.

For example, mothers-to-be are at a higher risk of carpal tunnel syndrome because the increased fluid caused by pregnancy compresses wrist nerves.

"Plus, new moms may be prone to tendonitis in the elbow from picking up and holding the baby throughout the day," Geier says.

Read on to find out other triggers for common hand and arm problems and the best ways to get relief.

1. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS)
Repetitive activities, such as texting and computer work, may gradually trigger CTS, which is caused by swelling from irritated tendons or fluid in the carpal tunnel, a small passageway of bones and ligaments at the base of the hand.

The swelling compresses nerves in the CT, leading to pain and tingling in the fingers.

People with narrower carpal tunnels are more susceptible to CTS.

So are those with autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (see below), fibromyalgia and lupus, because inflammation and swelling narrows the nerve path. Symptoms: CTS usually starts with tingling or numbness in hands and wrists.

As nerves become more compressed, sharp, piercing pains may shoot through wrists and up arms.

"The thumb, index finger and third finger (but not the pinky) often become numb, says Neil Kirschen, M.D., president of Pain Management Centers of Long Island in New York.

Treatments: Over-the-counter pain relievers, such as aspirin or ibuprofen, ice packs and splints to stabilize the wrist can reduce pain and tingling.

So can massaging the area where wrist and forearm meet.

"Some people find relief with acupuncture, vitamin B6 and physical therapy," Kirschen adds.

If symptoms persist, see a doctor to rule out underlying causes such as arthritis.

For CTS, doctors may recommend surgery to relieve pressure on nerves.
 
First ask for a nerve conduction test to evaluate nerve function and confirm the CTS diagnosis.

2. Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis)
You don't have to play tennis to develop this painful condition.

It results from a partial tear of the tendon that connects muscle to bone on the outside of the upper arm.

Overuse and repetitive use of muscles from using a computer keyboard and mouse or twisting motions (for example, turning a screwdriver) increase risk.

Symptoms: Pain radiating from outside the elbow to the forearm when grasping or twisting, a weak grip, elbow pain that gradually worsens.
Treatments: "Ice works best," Geier says.

Two or three times a day, apply a cold pack to the painful area for 20 minutes, followed by 20 minutes off.

Don't apply heat; it can exacerbate inflammation.

Drugstore pain relievers also may be effective, but don't take them more than 20 days a month.

3. Golfer's elbow (medial epicondylitis)
Blame golf, tennis and racquet sports for this type of tendonitis – especially if you're using too-small or heavy equipment.
 
Unlike tennis elbow, which affects the outer side, this condition inflames tendons on the inner elbow that are used to flex the wrist.

Painting, raking and other repetitive movements, including exercises, can also trigger it.

"Strength training of the upper body and yoga positions, where hands are flexed against resistance, can also cause golfer's elbow," Geier says.

Symptoms: Pain and tenderness in the inner elbow and, sometimes, the inner forearm.

Shaking hands or turning a doorknob may hurt. You also may feel weakness in your hand and wrist and numbness in the ring and little fingers.

Treatments: Besides anti-inflammatories, reduce the problem activity and wrap elbow with an elastic Ace bandage to reduce pain and inflammation.

Massaging the inner elbow with ice for five minutes at a time, 2-3 times daily, also helps.

4. "Blackberry finger" (De Quervain's tenosynovitis)

Frequent and repetitive overuse of the thumb from handheld devices such as cell phones may trigger De Quervain's tenosynovitis, a thumb pain caused by inflammation of the sheath surrounding two tendons that control the thumb.

It also occurs in new mothers who repeatedly pick up infants with the thumb outstretched and wrist bent toward the small finger.

"Pinching, twisting or wringing out clothes may also cause de Quervain's," says Melissa Patton, P.T., a physical therapist in Charleston, S.C.

Symptoms: Difficulty gripping and grasping objects, pain, weakness, tenderness and swelling of the thumb side of the wrist.

Treatments: Splints may help support and rest thumbs and wrists.

Also, apply ice and avoid activities that are repetitive or trigger pain and swelling.

If those treatments don't provide relief, see a doctor about oral or injected anti-inflammatory medications, such as cortisone.
 
5. Osteoarthritis (OA)
Joint wear and tear, an injury, age or even genes may trigger osteoarthritis (OA).

It's caused by a breakdown of joint cartilage, allowing bones to rub together.

It most often affects hands and over time may permanently damage joints.

"It's one of the most common of the 120 forms of arthritis," says Gary Silverman, D.O., a board-certified rheumatologist in Scottsdale, Ariz., and a faculty member at Midwestern University in Glendale, Ariz.

Symptoms: Typing, writing, knitting, lifting heavy weights, or humid or rainy weather may exacerbate pain.

Joint stiffness, particularly in the last joints near the fingerstips, occurs mostly in the morning.

Minor swelling may also indicate OA.

"However, unlike rheumatoid arthritis [see below], the joint is 'cool' and doesn't feel inflamed," Silverman says.

Treatments: Give your hands a rest, if possible, and take drugstore pain relievers such as ibuprofen. In severe cases, your doctor may prescribe stronger pain relievers.

"Recent FDA-approved prescription topical pain-relief gels can help [temporarily] when rubbed onto the affected fingers," Silverman says.As long as your joints are not inflamed, do the following stretches daily to retain flexibility. First, soak hands in warm water to loosen the finger and wrist joints, then hold each stretch for 2-5 seconds.

Finger Fan: Place hands flat on a tabletop with fingers together; spread them wide, then bring them back together.

Finger Stretch: Put hands together by touching fingertips in front of your chest; bring elbows out to sides as you gently press fingertips together.

Prayer Hands: Place palms of the hands together, fingertips pointed up and elbows out to the sides at right angles, forearms parallel to the floor.

6. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
While its cause is unclear, doctors believe a combination of genetics and environmental factors trigger RA, a disease in which the body's immune system attacks its own tissues, causing painful swelling in fingers and other joints.

Symptoms: Typically, you'll feel pain in the middle knuckle and base of the hand. Unlike OA, which worsens in the morning, RA joint stiffness and pain lasts hours, even all day.

"You may also feel sick [with fatigue, appetite loss and low-grade fever] because rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic illness," Silverman says. Treatments: It's important to get treatment fast because "prescription medicines often help reduce the inflammatory response [and bone and joint degeneration] and put the person in quick remission," Silverman says.

Non-drug therapies include splints or braces, which can stabilize wrist joints while sleeping. Exercise and stretching also help maintain normal joint movement and flexibility and relieve stiffness.

Linda Melone is an ACSM- and ACE-certified personal trainer and fitness-and-health writer.
Take Action:
  • Boycott Bill O'Reilly and FOX News and their advertisers. Bill discussed a French commercial by McDonalds that was meant to show that McDonalds is Gay Friendly. Bill said what is next? Is McDonalds going to be Al-Qaida friendly as well? Imagine - Bill O'Reilly compares Gays to Al-Qaida! Further, Boycott Fox's Owner "Rupert Murcoch" and get him thrown in jail for illegal - Take Action:
    political donations, corruption, greed, bribery, hacking!
  • Boycott Target, Best Buy, Gold's Gym - for donating money towards anti-gay political candidates/organizations. Update: (12/26/2010): Target is continuing to donate to anti-gay groups/causes/politicians. Update 03/08/11 - Lady Gaga Ends Target Partnership, Reportedly Over Target's Poor LGBT Stance. Update 3/25/2010 - Target displays their hypocrisy and Sues California Gay Rights Group for Lobbying Outside Stores. Target is attempting to block the LGBT right of free speech! STOP SHOPPING AT TARGET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Update 4/8/2011: Target lost its case to stop the LGBT from canvassing in front of their stores. A huge PR Disaster for TARGET! Perhaps Target should go out of business as they betrayed their investers and customer base. Target contributed massive funds to a politician who would like to exterminate gays. Now, Target can not stop us from Boycotting them, nor picketing, nor talking to customers near their stores; although, Target allows a anti-gay company such as the Salvation Army to stand outside their door and speak with customers and raise money. Isn't this a double standard?
  • End DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act). Prevents Federal employees and Gays in the Military from gaining equal benefits. Prevents Gay Partners from gaining equal benefits.
  • Pass a LGBT friendly ENDA (Employee Non-Discrimination Act). ENDA would prevent employment discrimination of LGBT workforce.
  • Boycott Salvation Army as they will not hire Gays! "DO NOT DONATE TO THEM."
  • BOYCOTT "Chick-fil-a" for donating money to anti-gay groups.
  • BOYCOTT KOCH INDUSTRIES PRODUCTS- to include their products: Angel Soft toilet paper / Brawny paper towels / Dixie plates, bowls, napkins & cups / Mardi Gras napkins and towels / Quilted Northern toilet paper / Soft 'n Gentle toilet paper / Sparkle napkins / Vanity fair napkins / Zee napkins / Georgia-Pacific paper products & envelopes / All Georgia-Pacific lumber & building products (INVISTA Products) / Lycra / Stainmaster Carpet. The billionaire - Koch brothers are ultra republican - tea bag founders/supporters that do not support causes of the LGBT community.
  • Boycott WALMART - The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force criticized Wal-Mart for denying employee benefits to same-s-x partners and for failing to prohibit discrimination based on gender identity. By comparison, the group said two other chain stores with a strong presence in New York, Costco and Walgreens, did much better.
  • "Tune Out Trump", Boycott all Trump Hotel, casinos, holdings, The Apprentice and NBC Network! At CPAC, Trump said he is considering a run for president as a Republican. In a interview with the Des Moines Register, Trump added that he opposes all forms of legal recognition for gay couples, not just marriage. "They should not be able to marry," he said. So why does NBC keep the Apprentice when Donald Trump has stated he may run for president? After making racist remarks about Obama and recv'g public backlash, Trump decided not to run for president after NBC renewed his awful TV Show. How can NBC re-new the clown's show after he pulled such hateful shenanigans?
  • Boycott Georgia for Execution of Troy Davis @ 11:08 EST, Sep 21, 2011:
    Former US President and Former GA Gov. Jimmy Carter felt that TROY DAVIS should not be executed and deserved a re-trial. The Former Director of the FBI felt that TROY DAVIS Was Not Guilty! Do not drive through Goergia as it is dangerous. Do not fly via Atlanta. For your safety -Do not travel to GA. TELL YOUR COMPANY NOT TO PARTICIPATE IN A CONVENTION IN GA! "Georgia Executes Innocent People!"

And Now, Our War of the Fittest!

This group is called "Peckers Pics." The English - slang definition of "pecker" is to pluck at the truth. Therefore, we peck at items such as Gay Men's Health, Male Fitness, Gay (LGBT) Politics & Issues. In this section you may peck at each photo in order to decide the winner of the "war of the fittest!" Whereas, you should select the "Male Model" that may inspire you to exercise and "get fit!" Warning: This may stoke you!
Your participation in discussion of health / news articles - appearing in this message is greatly appreciated.
 
ERIC BIVOINO
 
VS
ALEJANDRO CORZO-SUÁREZ
 
You Decide!
NYC Pride; June 26, 2011
Stoked?
NYC Pride; June 26, 2011
Can You Choose to be Gay?
'Sex and the City' star Cynthia Nixon says that she chooses to be gay. What does science say?

By Sheila Eldred / Jan 27, 2012 / Discovery News
 
THE GIST
  • Studies point to biological factors, but research is ongoing.
  • Recent research backs up Alfred Kinsey's work from the 1940s showing a continuum of sexuality. Actor
  • Cynthia Nixon recently stirred controversy when she declared that she had chosen to be gay.
The quote that prompted the debate? It appeared in a profile of Nixon in the New York Times Sunday Magazine:.

"I gave a speech recently, an empowerment speech to a gay audience, and it included the line 'I've been straight and I've been gay, and gay is better.' And they tried to get me to change it, because they said it implies that homosexuality can be a choice. And for me, it is a choice. I understand that for many people it's not, but for me it's a choice, and you don't get to define my gayness for me. A certain section of our community is very concerned that it not be seen as a choice, because if it's a choice, then we could opt out. I say it doesn't matter if we flew here or we swam here, it matters that we are here and we are one group and let us stop trying to make a litmus test for who is considered gay and who is not."

In the aftermath of Nixon's take on her sexuality, a discussion about the origins of homosexuality has been reignited. The Sex in the City star raised questions about the idea of sexual fluidity and prompted some to ask questions about how we think of sexual orientation?

Many scientists, though, have concluded that sexuality is at least partly determined by biology.

"Biology tells us that sexual orientation is strongly influenced by prenatal hormonal and genetic factors and there is little information supporting the notion that education or interactions with peers play any substantial role," said Jacques Balthazart of the University of Liege in Belgium, and author of The Biology of Homosexuality. "This being said, the part of the variance explained by biology is still limited and there is possibly room for personal choice. In addition, multiple factors probably contribute to determine homo versus heterosexuality and this could vary from one individual to another."

One landmark series of studies on twins in the early 1990s, for example, showed that if one identical twin is gay, the other has a 50 percent chance of also being homosexual. Psychologist Michael Bailey of Northwestern University's work showed that among fraternal twins (who do not share the same DNA), the probability drops to 20 percent.

Other studies have noted specific detailed differences between people with different sexual orientations: for example, a 2011 study published in Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology showed that oto-acoustic emissions in the inner ear are more frequent in women -- unless the woman is lesbian. In animals treated with androgenic hormones as embryos, the emissions also lessen, leading researchers to believe that prenatal hormones play some role in sexual identity.

Bisexuality and the idea of sexual fluidity further complicate the science of sexuality. In Nixon's case, her idea of choice "probably corresponds more to bisexuality," Balthazart hypothesized (as have others).

"Theoretically, one can interpret this condition as resulting from the same biological factors as those that determine homosexuality but that would not have been fully active," Balthazart said. "This is, however, a theoretical construct and there are little or no data to support this interpretation. Then once you are `biologically' bisexual, I am convinced that is is a personal choice to have sexual relationships with partners of one sex versus another."

Lisa Diamond's 2008 book, "Sexual Fluidity: Understanding Women's Love and Desire" brought attention to the idea that sexuality isn't always stagnant.

"When people who have some media attention say things about gay being a choice it really reverberates in the sexual minority community," said Ellen Schecter, a pyschologist in Hanover, New Hampshire, who specializes in sexual identity and identity. "It's interesting to think about what [Nixon] is talking about when she says choice. Did she choose this woman? Did she choose to fall in love, or did she choose to honor her feelings for this woman?"

Schecter wrote her dissertation on long-time lesbians who partnered with men in midlife.

"Research on sexual fluidity shows that while most people have a stable sexual orientation, some of us do not," Schecter said. "Sexuality can change over time. Now, that makes it sounds like on Wednesdays I could be attracted to guys and on Fridays, girls, but it's a much more complicated phenomenon. Most people who don't study in this field define sexual orientation by sexual behavior: if you have sex with a man and you're a man, you're gay. But in fact, as the study of sexual orientation has developed, there's more than actual behavior: there's attraction, desire, fantasy..."

People on both ends of the spectrum often feel threatened by the idea of sexual fluidity, Schecter said.

"We're really driven to put things in boxes," she said. "It makes us more comfortable. It's hard to sit easily with ambiguity and the grey areas of life."

Like many who study in the field, Schecter does not feel being gay is a matter of choice.

"You feel what you feel," she said. "What you do with those feelings might be a choice."

Some say the debate shouldn't matter outside of the scientific world: Despite his conviction that sexuality is predetermined to some degree, Balthazart thinks that society shouldn't need scientific proof to respect all types of sexual orientation.

"Society should accept any kind of sexual orientation independent of the interpretation (biology versus choice)," he said. "The fact is, however, that the present Western societies will probably show more tolerance towards gays and lesbians if their orientation is determined by prenatal biology -- and I think that data strongly argue in that direction."

That statement hints at the fear behind the anger expressed by sexual minorities this week. Such an angry reaction from the community surprised Tracy Baim, editor of Windy City Times, a GLBT newspaper in Chicago.

"I knew this issue was controversial in the community, but the anger was a little bit shocking," said Baim, who defended Nixon's comment in a Huffington Post article. "Some people haven't really thought out the historical precedence. People used to look at brain sizes to justify racism...I think the pursuit of science is great, but you have to be careful with the application. If it's genetic, they could 'cure' us with a pill."

http://news.discovery.com/human/cynthia-nixon-chooses-gay-120127.html
Every gay and lesbian person who has been lucky enough to survive the turmoil of growing up is a survivor. Survivors always have an obligation to those who will face the same challenges."
....Jake
 
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