Seeing sore by the seashore

[Guest guest]

" WC Douglass " <realhealth

Daily Dose - Seeing sore by the seashore

Mon, 20 Jun 2005 13:49:54 -0400

Daily Dose

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June 20, 2005

 

Blinded by love?

 

You've probably already heard at least a sound-bite or two about this

in the mainstream media, but I've got to presume a few of you haven't,

so here it is, in a nutshell: The US Food and Drug Administration has

recently received more than 40 reports of a sudden, acute cause of

permanent blindness called Non-arteritic Ischemic Optic Neuropathy

(NAION) among those taking prescription impotence drugs.

 

Of these field reports, Pfizer's Viagra is mentioned as a possible

cause of the condition in an overwhelming majority of the cases - 38

to be exact. Eli Lilly's Cialis logged in four such complaints, while

Glaxo's Levitra is named in just one report.

 

Last March, a study published in the Journal of Ophthalmology reported

NAION in seven Viagra users. In ALL of these patients, the condition

struck within 36 hours of taking the drug, according to a recent

Reuters health article.

 

Of course, Pfizer maintains that there's no provable causal link

between their little blue pill and the rare disease. However, the

company is reportedly considering changing the drug's label to reflect

the risk. Interestingly, one of the side effects currently listed for

Viagra is blurred or blue-tinted vision and short-term sensitivity to

light.

 

So clearly, the drug does SOMETHING to the eyes.

 

As I've written before (Daily Dose, 6/20/03), anecdotal evidence

suggests that the drug also likely does some nasty things to your

heart. Mentioned in past reports from the field are possible links

between Viagra and an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, chest

pains, arrhythmia, and other related conditions. In fact, a special

FDA advisory panel was convened in 2003 to discuss how impotence drugs

affect a key heart-function indicator called the " QT Interval. "

 

Naturally, these drug's makers cite a lack of evidence proving any

such causal link. But to me, it isn't so difficult to believe that

anything that can boost circulation enough to give rigid life to a

formerly unresponsive sex organ might also stress out the ticker a

bit. This isn't even considering the effects of the physical exertion

these " instant erections " necessitate, pleasurable though it may be.

 

And speaking of aphrodisiacs...

 

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Oyster bedding

 

Everyone's heard the old saw about raw oysters and libido. The same

kinds of things have been said for hundreds of years about all kinds

of edibles - including chocolate, eggs, bananas, avocados, figs, and

about a million other things. But could there really be something to

all of this? Not just the power of suggestion, but something chemical

and measurable?

 

Maybe.

 

According to HealthDay News, a recent study by chemists from America

and Italy indicates that seafood like oysters, clams, scallops and

mussels may indeed have some effect on the libido. Their evidence,

presented in March at the annual meeting of the American Chemical

Society, maintains that these varieties of mollusks in particular

contain compounds (d-aspartic acid and NMDA, to be specific) which aid

in the bodily release of sexual hormones, specifically estrogen and

testosterone.

 

Whether ingesting these chemicals equates to enough of an increase in

these hormones to promote a true boost in desire and sexual vigor

remains to be proven. But at least from a chemical perspective, the

possibility certainly exists...

 

And sometimes, a little possibility is all it takes to ignite the

fires of passion, huh?

 

Never " shellfish " with the truth,

 

William Campbell Douglass II, MD

 

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