Thursday, February 24, 2011

Gonorrhoea

Bacteria known as Neisseria gonorrhoeae or gonococcus cause gonorrhea. It usually affects the genital area but it can also infect the throat or anus. It is easily transmitted during vaginal intercourse but it can also be transmitted during anal or oral sex.
How do you get it?
You can get it by having unprotected (no condom) oral, vaginal or anal intercourse. As mentioned previously if you get vaginal gonorrhoea it can spread to the rectum.
Who Is at Risk?
Any male or female that has unprotected vaginal, oral or anal sex with someone who has gonorrhoea is at risk of contracting the infection.

Symptoms of oral or anal gonorrhoea

Both men and women may experience a sore throat or discharge from the rectum (as well as itching) if gonorrhoea is present in these areas.
Alternatively, there may be no symptoms at all.

In Men

Symptoms usually occur within 2-10 days after infection, though symptoms sometimes take months to appear. Gonorrhoea can also cause infertility in men. Inflammation of the epididymis (the thin tube leading from the testes to the vas deferens where the sperm mature – see anatomy diagram) may develop causing it to become painful and swollen. This can lead to infertility if left untreated. (7)

Symptoms in men are due to a urethral infection. The main symptoms due to urethritis are:
  • A burning sensation on passing urine
  • A pus-like (white or yellow) discharge or leak

In Women

Because women are less likely to experience symptoms from gonorrhoea the infection can go undetected for longer. Sometimes gonorrhoea causes:
  • An unusual discharge from the vagina
  • Pain while urinating
  • Abdominal pain

Getting Tested

Gonorrhoea (gonorrhea) can be diagnosed by a swab collected from the urethra, cervix, anus or throat, or by urine sample. It is important not to pass urine for a minimum of three hours before having these tests collected.(1)

Treatment

Treatment of gonorrhoea involves antibiotics (penicillin) usually given in a high, single dose by injection. A drug called probenecid can also be given prior to the injection to prolong the action of penicillin – other drugs are available if you are allergic to penicillin. Oral medications are also available. (2)

Gonorrhoea – Prevention is Better than Cure

Condoms are one of the best forms of STI prevention for all sexual activity including oral sex, anal sex and vaginal sex.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Crow's Feet Botox Treatment

Crows' feet are small wrinkles which appear around the eye, classically starting at the outer corner of the eye. Many people associate crows' feet with age, as they tend to deepen and expand with age, and some people consider crow's feet to be an undesirable trait. Crow’s feet are also called laugh lines or character lines. They may show up earlier for people who don't take good care of their skin and later for those who do. But either way, crow's feet are all but unavoidable.

The skin on our faces stretches like a rubber band, thanks to a property called elasticity. This means that it can return to its original form after being pulled or compressed. Unfortunately, as we get older, our skin loses its elasticity. That's why we form wrinkles and certain parts of our body start to droop. One of the main reasons for this is that our bodies' production of collagen and elastin, two proteins responsible for our skin's elasticity, lessens with age.

One way to avoid crow's feet would be to never smile, laugh, frown or squint. Since that seems next to impossible, most of us have to look into other ways of fending off those v-shaped wrinkles. 
       
Botox is one of the best simple, nonsurgical, doctor administered treatment that can temporarily smooth moderate to severe frown lines between the brows or crow lines in people of any age. This is a 10-minute outdoor lunch time treatment- a few tiny injections-and within days there's a noticeable improvement in moderate to severe crow lines, which can last up to 4-6 months. However, maximum results are shown on the 14th day of treatment. Results may vary on individuals, depending on the severity of wrinkles and the strength of muscles treated.