Strollerderby : viagra

Daddy, What's Erectile Dysfunction?

KeriF — Mon, 11 May 2009 18:55:00 GMT

If I had a dollar for every time one of my kids asked me what Viagra was for, I'd... well, I wouldn't have any dollars.

But from the fuss Representative Jim Moran (D-Virginia) is making over Viagra commercials, you'd think that's all kids were talking about these days.

"I don't want to be prudish about it," Moran said. "I understand there is a limitless market to deal with male insecurity and it's fine for drug companies to make a profit on that. The problem is that they are showing these ads when small children are bound to get curious."

Moran is pushing to keep commercials for erectile dysfunction aids off the airwaves between the hours of 6am and 10pm with the "Families for ED Advertising Decency Act."

His argument: "What am I supposed to tell my kids?"

Okay, first of all, I don't think Viagra buys ad space on Sprout, Nick Jr., or Noggin, so if your kid is watching a show on which an ad for Viagra (or rival Cialis) appears, you've clearly determined that your child has attained a certain level of maturity. So why not tell him the truth? Or some version of it. Dallas Morning News editor Michael Landauer has a few suggestions (which weren't nearly as funny as I had hoped), including, "What's an erection and why would it last more than four hours? That's a good question, but it's one we'll talk about when you're older."

Second of all, there are loads of ads on TV for products I don't really want to talk to my kids about--including tampons, hemorrhoid cream, Kool-Aid, and denture cream ("You mean they're all going to fall out one day?!"). Does that mean we should ban all those ads as well?

So far, the bill has gained little momentum, and no hearings are scheduled.

Do you think Moran has a point?

Morning News: Nominee Messes With Obama's Head

Madeline Holler — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 13:30:00 GMT

Another nominee for an Obama administration cabinet position has pulled out. This time, it's not about taxes or investigations, just disagreement -- a difference of opinion. Judd Gregg says he withdrew himself from consideration because he "couldn't be Judd Gregg."

Fine, but here's the weird part: According to Obama, the Republican Senator Gregg reached out to Obama and asked for the job. He told them differences didn't matter. Why the180, Gregg?

When not dealing with fickle New Hampshire governors, the White House worked on a plan to buy up risky mortgage loans to avoid millions of more foreclosures. We can never decide if this is a good idea or bad.

Not a good idea: claiming you swam across the Atlantic Ocean when really you sorta cruised around in the boat.

In an effort to get re-elected (and to get his constituents laid), the mayor of Mexico City has committed to providing poor men over the age of 60 with all the Viagra they want. For free!

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania think they've figured out why sleep is important to forming memories. We'd tell you exactly why, except we can't remember (we're realllly tired!).

Here's a fact that's not at all hard to remember: the youngest child in the family gets away with everything. Everything!

Photo: blog.cleveland.com

Morning News: One, Two, No New Democrats in the Senate?

Shannon LC Cate — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 14:34:00 GMT

Sullied governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich stunned everyone yet again with his bleeping hubris when he appointed former state office holder, 71-year old Roland Burris to the U.S. Senate, to replace President-Elect, Barack Obama. Illinois's Senior senator, Dick Durbin suggested that in spite of Burris's fine record of public service and seeming lack of any connection to Blagojevich's ever-deepening scandal, the Senate has said it won't seat a Blagojevich appointment and it means to stand by that promise. Whether or not this is constitutional remains to be seen, as such a thing (refusal to seat a clean, qualified appointment by a sitting governor) has never happened in the history of the U.S. Senate as far as anyone who knows these sorts of things knows.

Al Franken is ahead by 50 votes in Minnesota sentate race with 1347 mistakenly uncounted absentee ballots to go. Most think they will increase Franken's lead and that he will win. But his opponent, incumbent Senator Norm Coleman says he will take Franken to court if that happens.

Here's something we'll miss about 2008. 2009 promises no more Viagra pens. That's right, folks, the ubiquitous trademarked prescription pad, pen, wall calendar, paper cup, tongue depressor, bandage, you-name-it, will go the way of the buffalo after January first, when a voluntary code drawn up by Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America bans such gifts from drug representatives to doctors. Though the industry says the new code is not an admission of swaying doctor's prescribing choices, critics disagree and cry foul, pointing out that the code does not ban things like free meals. But that seems fair enough to us, since now, doctors will not have any pens with which to sign the checks at restaurants.

Meanwhile, vitamin supplements take a hit in a new study that shows anti-oxidant supplements don't have the same anti-cancer protective effects as a healthy diet of anti-oxidant-rich fruits and vegetables. The bad news? Such pills have absolutely no anti-cancer effect at all but may in fact cause some health problems taken in high doses. The good news? You can cross "vitamin C, E and beta-carotein" off your shopping list and save $30 a month--which you can spend on enough organic produce to fill your shopping cart. Just don't ask us how to get that produce into junior's tummy.

Finally, here's a public service announcement to assist you in your New Year's Eve event scheduling. To keep Greenwich Mean Time as accurate as possible, a "leap second" will be added to the day today, making 31 December 2008 24 hours and one second long. Atomic time advocates say this extra second is messy and inaccurate, whereas atomic time is perfect. GMT advocates say keeping natural associations between human life and the clock is more important than accuracy. The extra second added every so often keeps noon at, well, noon--the time of day when the sun is highest in the sky--according to them. If we switched to atomic time, apparently noon would happen around 1 pm in a few generations, creating pandemonium, no doubt. Whatever side of the debate you fall on (we're certain you're "leaping" to take sides) enjoy your extra second standing in the cold in Times Square, folks.

More People Cheating than Ever Before

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 19:30:00 GMT

Eternal monogamy: the beloved ideal that about a quarter of Americans find impossible to uphold. Marital infidelity is on the rise, according to the New York Times. Since 1972, the General Social Survey has consistently found that about 10 percent of married people cheat, with men cheating almost twice as often as women (12 percent to 7 percent).

But analyzing infidelity trends over the last two decades has shown some marked changes. In 2006, 28 percent of men over 60 reported cheating at some point in their lives, compared to 20 percent in 1991 (Viagra went on the market ten years ago). And among older women, incidences of cheating have increased triplefold—from 5 percent to 15 percent.

We can’t chock this increased infidelity up to boredom after a silver anniversary because the trend holds true for couples under 35 as well. 20 percent of young men and 15 percent of young women now report treating, compared to 15 percent and 12 percent two decades ago.

Theories about the reasons for increased cheating largely center on the advent of the Internet and cell phones, which have made it easier to coordinate extra-marital encounters. But the marked increase in women’s infidelity is harder to explain: are women cheating more now because they are more likely to go on business trips or stay late at the office? Or are they simply more likely to report their infidelities now that there is less (though still much) social pressure for women to be chaste while men are applauded for their sexual exploits?

Whatever the reason, I must admit that I’m looking on the bright side of this increase in female infidelity. I’m certainly no champion of extra-marital affairs, but it happened at these relatively high rates even in hunting and gathering societies. So, if cheating must happen, why should men be the only ones in whom it is expected and even, to do some degree, accepted?

Image: New York Times

Girl being kept alive by Viagra

Brett Singer — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 14:00:00 GMT

I can see the ads now. "Viagra – it's not just for boners anymore."

Case in point: Natalie Archibald, a 7 year old girl from Scotland, "collapsed after opening her presents on Christmas Day two years ago." At first doctors thought she was just "over-excited," but it turns out she suffers from a condition called primary pulmonary hypertension.

After two years of treatment that yielded no results, doctors gave her Viagra.

"[Her mother] Mrs Archibald…gave up her job as a legal secretary to look after Natalie after she began collapsing or turning blue on a regular basis following the first incident in 2006… She said: 'It was so frustrating because I knew there was something wrong with my wee girl but no-one could find out what it was… It got to the stage where we had almost given up trying to find out, until a doctor new to us went back into her records and carried out some more tests and diagnosed her….Within two weeks we were down to Great Ormond Street and the drugs had started, but it was a long fight to get there."

Natalie's disease could still prove fatal, but for now, "the Viagra works by opening the arteries and improving the blood flow." That's the same thing that the "little blue pill" does for impotent men, but this usage seems much more noble.

image/source: telegraph.co.uk

They Say: no link between autism and measles vaccine

McCain, Palin oppose teen pregnancy aid and sex education

Red eye? Nope, eye cancer

Nasty Surprise in McDonalds Burger

Watermelon the same as Viagra – maybe

Brett Singer — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:30:00 GMT

I can see the commercial now: Bob Dole staggers in, explaining to America that he, too, has had issues with E.D. "Bob Dole is all man. But sometimes even Bob Dole has trouble with E.D. That's why Bob Dole eats lots and lots of watermelon! That's why on this July 4th, Bob Dole is going to pitch a tent!" He winks. "And Bob Dole ain't talking about camping…"

Bhimu Patil, a researcher at the hilariously named "Fruit and Vegetable Improvement Center" at Texas A&M University, says that "Watermelon has more citrulline in the edible part than previously believed." (I wonder if he spent time gnawing on the rind before he figured this out.) Citrulline is an amino acid that can become arginine, which is another amino acid. "This is a precursor for nitric oxide, and the nitric oxide will help in blood vessel dilation." In other words, BOING!

(Or you could just look at pictures of boobs. Whatever works.)

Of course, Patil doesn't know quite how much watermelon one should eat. Scarfing down 10 watermelon balls (heh heh – Beavis, he said "balls") would give a person "about 150 milligrams of citrulline," but Roger Clemens, a professor of pharmacology at USC, cites one study that found "volunteers who drank three 8-ounce glasses of watermelon juice daily for three weeks boosted their arginine levels by 11%." (Roger Clemens, the former major league pitcher who is well versed in both drugs and erections, was not interviewed for this article.)

Bottom line? It appears to be much ado about melon. There's not much to back up this theory other than, you know, it's the sort of news that can get attention near July 4th. Still, even the naysaying researchers agree that it's fine to enjoy as much watermelon as you like, as long as you don't think it's going to, you know, get you going down there. But it couldn't hurt, right?

image: thestandingroom.com

Parent/Kid: 10 July 4th Activity Ideas

Kitchenista: Red, White and Cool

Political Nanny: Boobs for Obama and (Un)Covering the Body Politic

British Boy Takes Viagra

Jen Chaney — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 15:34:00 GMT

Viagra: It's not just for middle-aged guys who play in lame junkyard bands anymore.

A two-year-old British boy named Oliver Sherwood takes four doses of Viagra each day, for legit medical reasons, according to this article from London's Daily Mail. He suffers from pulmonary hypertension and evidently the Viagra -- which he consumes in small doses, crushed up with his food -- improves bloodflow, opening his veins and allowing for improved circulation.

This is not the first time Viagra has been cited as potentially beneficial for children suffering from conditions like Oliver's. Back in 2005, researchers in the U.S. also suggested the drug and its key ingredient, sildenafil, might help children with lung diseases such as pulmonary hypertension. That year the FDA approved the drug's use for adults who suffer from that chronic disease.

Not to sound like a disclaimer in one of those drug ads, but you should probably consult a doctor before feeding your kid Grandpa's happy pills. But if you indeed have a sick tyke like Oliver, this sounds like something worth exploring.

And now the important question: Does this mean that someday, I may have to sit through those annoying Viagra ads while I'm watching Noggin?

Photo Credit: Metro.co.uk

Little Blue Pill Saves Preemie Baby

Karen Murphy — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 19:08:00 GMT

Little Lewis Goodfellow, born at 24 weeks and weighing just a pound and a half at birth, is alive and breathing today thanks to Viagra. Well, no, and I know what you're thinking, and it wasn't like that. Actually, the drug Sildenafil, sold under the name we all know and have joked about for years, is used as a last-ditch effort for very premature babies who need help with blood flow, usually to the lungs which aren't fully developed until later in the gestation process. And in Lewis' case, it saved his life.

Lewis is now home with mom Jade Goodfellow and dad John Barclay. Thanks, Viagra.