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© Copyright
Kevin Jensen
Health Issues
of importance to all men, gay or otherwise
There are many things in the health field which are of importance to all men, whether they be gay, straight, or whatever. Those mentioned here are not covered in
great depth, but are intended as a guide only. This list is not exhaustive by any means.
For further detailed information and/or proper diagnosis of any medical problem, refer to a qualified registered medical practitioner - in other words, see your doctor.
The information on this page covers:
Anal Irritation, or, what to do about an itchy tail end.
The Penis Fact Sheet is a section for the size queens and trivia buffs - all about the penis.
Syringe Cleaning Guidelines for those who inject drugs, as supplied by NewZealand's National Institute on Drug Abuse, so as to help
avoid the spread of HIV.
How much is enough? How much alcohol does it take to put you at risk andover the limit for driving (in New Zealand and if your country's
alcohol limits are similar to ours).
Some HIV and STDs Information (statistical trends etc.), especially here in New Zealand
Other Bits and Pieces including HIV being found in pre-ejaculatory fluid and allergies to rubber.
Anal Irritation
This is a problem suffered by many and naturally not a topic of conversation. This can be a distressing problem but treatment is simple.Anal irritation is principally a skin problem. The normal resistance of the skin is reduced by moisture or by small particles of faeces that may remain around the anus. This can cause irritation of the skin leading to scratching which in turn leads to damaging the skin surface. Excessive cleaning of the area also damages the area. Many people apply ointments obtained from the chemist or doctor. This can change the skin's resistance or even produce an eczema-like rash.
The principles of treatment are:-
- Keep the anal skin clean and dry - wash gently, and do not use soap or a rough flannel - use cotton wool. Keep the area dry at all times.
- Avoid damage by scratching or rubbing - don't scratch or rub the itchy area (even though it may be hard to resist doing).
- Avoid applying possible irritants - Avoid all ointments and creams unless specifically prescribed by a specialist.
- Keep a healthy diet - there should be plenty of fibre in your diet, and some foods (such as spicey foods, wine and beer) may cause irritation in some people.
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Syringe Cleaning Guidelines
In line with new findings, the Centre for Disease Control in America and the National Institute on Drug Abuse have emphasised the following revised guidelines for Intravenous Drug users and precautions against the transmission of HIV through sharing syringes.- The best policy is not to share injecting equipment with anyone.
Exercise caution with the handling and disposal of all equipment - needles and syringes as well as cotton wool and other swab materials, cookers, wash bottles, or any items coming into contact with blood. - If the injection equipment is shared, it can usually be sterilised by being boiled in water for 15 minutes.
WARNING: This will most likely alter the shape and effectiveness of plastics.
While use of disinfectants such as bleach may reduce the risk of HIV transmission, they do not sterilise shared injection equipment. (Using new sterile fits is one way to ensure you are not getting HIV or anything else from someone else.) - Cleaning effectiveness is enhanced if equipment is washed with hot water directly after use, before blood can clot. Soap and a shaking motion can help remove blood and other debris. Equipment should then be filled with full-strength bleach for thirty (30) seconds and rinsed again with water.
- Caution must be taken to thoroughly rinse all bleach from the syringe with clean water (rinse at least twice with clean water). Injecting bleach into the vein (even in very small amounts) can cause serious medical problems.
- Remember that each time you use a needle, you blunten it a little. The blunter a needle becomes, the greater the chances of serious damage being done to your blood vessels.
- Here in New Zealand we have a legal nation wide scheme whereby you can exchange used needles for clean ones at a minimal or no fee.
Locally, this may be done at NICHE, 90 Collingwood St., Nelson.
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How much is enough?
If you are insisting on having a few drinks then driving this summer, this is the amount that you can safely drink without putting yourself well over the alcohol limit for driving. The amounts quoted are for men - women are roughly two thirds of what is shown here.|
WARNING This is a guideline only as everyone tolerates alcohol at different levels - it only takes half of the amounts shown here to put me over the limit for driving. I can take no responsibility if you get caught drinking with any alcohol in your blood stream - play it safe and don't mix alcohol and driving. This guide is only for those who insist on doing it. The amounts required to put you over the limit for driving in your country may be different as your country may have a different permissible level of alcohol in the blood for driving. |
During the first hour:
5 glasses of beer (200ml glasses) OR
5.5 single nips of spirits OR
2 glasses of wine (180ml glasses)
After the first hour:
No more than one glass of beer, or one nip of spirits or one glass of wine per hour
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The Penis Fact Sheet
| Average length (flaccid) | 9.4cm (approx 3.7 inches) |
| Average diameter (flaccid) | 3.18cm (approx 1.25 inches) |
| Average length (erect) | 12.9cm (approx 5.1 inches) |
| Average diameter (erect) | 4.1cm (approx 1.65 inches) |
On average the shorter a guy's penis, the bigger it gets when erect.
Erections fill your penis with oxygen-rich blood, and oxygen is essential for the survival of the smooth muscle tissue within the arteries of your penis. A shortage of oxygen can eventually lead to a build-up of collagen, making erections difficult.
The average male between the ages of 15 and 60 will ejaculate 34.11 to 56.85 litres of semen containing 350 to 500 billion sperm cells.
| Average volume of ejaculate: | 0.5 to 1 teaspoon |
| Chief ingredient: | Fructose |
| Caloric content: | 5 calories per teaspoon |
| Protein content: | 6 milligrams per teaspoon |
| Average speed of ejaculation: | 40.2km per hour |
| Average duration of orgasm: | 4 seconds |
| Farthest medically recorded ejaculation: |
59.7cm |
| Average number of sperm cells in ejaculate of a healthy man: |
200 to 600 million |
| Average number in ejaculate of infertile man: |
50 million |
| Average swimming speed: | 1 to 4 millimeters per minute |
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HIV and STI Information
- The condom works better at controlling the spread of HIV than any other strategy. (Condoms do a better job of preventing new HIV infection than the BCG vaccine does at controlling tuberculosis in countries where it is in use.)
- Chlamydia infections (the commonest bacterial STI in New Zealand) are still increasing and may soon overtake genital warts as the most common STI in sexual health clinic patients
- In New Zealand, rates of Trachomatis are five times higher and Gonorrhoea double those reported in Australia (from participating laboratoriess) during the same period (2001)
- Groups in New Zealand at higher risk of Gonorrhoea are Maori and Pacific Islands People and males aged under 20
- Being infected with other sexually transmitted infections increases the risk of both acquiring and transmitting HIV infection
- Effective prevention initiatives have been shown to lead to increased knowledge, delays in sexual activity and increased use of condoms among those having sex for the first time
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Miscellaneous Issues
Latex Allergy
As if rummaging through the nightstand drawer at one of life's most delicate moments weren't irritating enough, there's a new problem in the bedrooms - condom dermatitis.A New York dermatologist writing and lecturing on latex sensitivity says that a lot of people with the irritating rash it causes think they have a venereal disease (STD), "And not only the wearer of the condom can get a rash, but their partner can too."
Symptoms of latex allergy include itching, a rash at or near where the latex touched the skin, hives, watery nose and eyes, sneezing and asthma. Often the rash doesn't show up until the next day.
The dermatologists solution? Wear two condoms instead of one. If it is the wearer who is sensitive to latex, he should wear a lambskin condom next to his skin and a latex one one over that to assure protection against AIDS and other sexual diseases. If it is the partner who is allergic, reverse the order.
(This item was found in the Evening Post Wellington's daily evening newspaper, on 2 May 1992.)
Remember that condoms can be made from materials other than latex (rubber), but they are not recommended as a precaution against HIV/AIDS as they have
microscopic holes in them that are big enough for the virus to pass freely through.
Latest research also reveals that two condoms used at the same time are more likely to fail through them ripping - caused by the build up of air pressure in any small air bubbles between the two condoms rupturing the underneath on (the one put on first, and by the friction of the two layers of rubber against each other) - but in this case I do not know what would happen with both condoms being made of different materials.
HIV found in pre-ejaculatory fluid
HIV, in addition to infecting semen, can lurk in the lubricant released before ejaculation (called pre-ejaculatory fluid [also known as pre-cum], which is released by the penis during sexual stimulation), according to two studies.In one study, pre-ejaculatory fluid from 14 men with AIDS and two without the virus was examined. They found HIV and white blood cells - the disease fighting cells - in the fluid of 6 of the 14 with AIDS. Neither was present in the two without the virus.
The other study was of 9 with HIV and 6 without the virus. They found HIV in pre-ejaculatory fluid of 6 of the 9 infected men, and none from those without the virus.
As can be seen, it is important to put the condom on BEFORE you enter him in the first place, and not just before you shoot your load.
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